Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Look what's New, Words from Pastor Joseph and Current Events!

Welcome to our Osoyoos Christian Centre women's blog - there's a lot of  NEW ground to cover so let's jump right in. 

Hopefully - if I've done everything correctly here today - you will see some big changes here to our (YOUR) blog today.  The first thing will be that we have two extra "pages".  These pages are separate tabs you can click on to find more content.  I'm going to reserve this first page for the messages - or message summaries that Joseph will provide.  The text he will provide will give you an idea of content we are covering on our Sunday Sermons with a personal slant on it so that it gets you thinking and he may supply scripture, passages for you to refer to so that hopefully we can have you studying and we encourage you to email us or leave comments here with your input too!  Lets get a conversation happening! 

I will also leave the Events section on this front page so its easy for you to refer here for what's coming up at OCC

The second page will be called "From My Heart" - (Look UP - there is a tab up top) these are my own writings which I think are relevant to us, especially they might have a  feminine perspective.  I certainly welcome all of our women to provide content here - poems, photos, scripture etc are all very welcome.  Email:  occwomenonline@gmail.com

The third page is going to be called "The Gallery" (Look UP - there is a tab up top) and every so often (if I get very ambitious then every week) you will be able to visit here to download FREE inspiring wallpapers for your computer, iPhone or iPad!  If you have a favorite scripture - let me know and I will try to incorporate it into a wallpaper. 
Please bring your friends here to download some encouraging graphics. 

And you may even notice the addition of the Bible Gateway on the side panel of our blog - you can type into the search window to look up bible passages etc - which should be very helpful!  Do you know that you can listen to audio there?  When you find a scripture to read, look at the controls at the top and you will see a little speaker "icon" - click this and your passage will be read to you.

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GOOD WORD from Joseph

At Osoyoos Christian Centre,  we're going through a sermon series from I Samuel.

One of the things that I find fascinating about this book is found in the historical narratives of Old Testament and that is the author's strong grasp of literary devices. This is just an observation,  and time doesn't permit me to go into much detail -  but as you go through this book be alert to how the author (who according to biblical tradition is Samuel himself for the most part) has woven this story. 

At this time I just want to bring on thing to your attention and that is in 1 Sam 3:3-4b

"And before the lamp of God went out in the tabernacle of the Lord where the ark of God was, and while Samuel was lying down, the at the Lord called Samuel"

... Do you see the imagery that the author uses?

The light was about the go out.  I don't want to stretch this passage beyond it's reasonable application, but let's look at this within its social historical context.

We learn from Judges that everyone did what was right in their own eyes.   I believe that in social milieu there could only have one outcome - a chaotic state where might makes right.  Read through Judges and I believe you will see evidence of this.

In I Samuel 3:1 we read that

"the word of the Lord was rare in those days; there was not wide spread revelation."

Take a look at this, the social historical context was one in which everyone did their own thing and the word of God was rare - what would you imagine that they were left with? Yep - pretty dark times! When I think about this context I can't help but get excited when I read 1 Sam 3:3:4 -- before the light goes out - God speaks.

This is just my opinion, but I believe the author is trying to say something to the reader by including this otherwise irrelevant detail, really it's just a lamp! I believe the author is trying to tell the reader that God does not abandon us no matter what.  The Israelite congregation was in a state of spiritual darkness and before all hope was gone God speaks and he used his servant Samuel.

I don't know where you are in life right now - maybe the enemy has you believing that it is too late for you, that your hopelessness is a far gone conclusion. If that's the case you need to hear this, before the small light of hope goes out, God can and will speak to you. No matter how difficult is may be, God will not abandon you, listen because he will speak.

Blessings,
Joseph

*****

EVENTS:


Prayer at Kaye's Every Tuesday - 10:00 a.m.
7806 Gravenstein

Thursday Night Open Worship Every Thursday - 7:00 p.m.
Osoyoos Christian Centre
42 Finch, Osoyoos
For more info: 250-495-2550

Worship Music Practice
Saturday nights - 7:30 p.m.

Mariposa Gardens 
Ministry to Seniors
3:00 Sundays

Fellowship Luncheon (pot-luck)
Sunday, March 6th - following service
Bring a dish, bring a friend!

Women's Sweet Night
Tuesday, March 8th
Hosted by Amanda and Betty
Speaker: Julie
more details to follow
RSVP appreciated: occwomenonline@gmail.com

Wednesday, February 16, 2011

Wearing The Badge

We hope you had a good week!

At Osoyoos Christian Centre we pride ourselves on being a close knit community - and like any community or family, our members can ebb and flow from week to week.  Some of us work and then there are times we may be called away for ministry or visiting friends and family or even vacationing.  Our blog seems to play a vital role in drawing everyone together - a central hub of sorts where anyone who has access to a computer can still come and 'catch up' with your church family here.  Our blog is a work in progress and our goal is to bring a continuity to you, that even if you are not able to join us every Sunday (though we love it when you do, there's no place like home!)  then our blog is available for you. 

With this in mind we are trying to bring new content and features online which will help to learn, connect and inspire each and every one.  This week, we are bringing a new section in and we would love your feedback to know if it is of value to you.  Pastor Joseph is going to provide a post which will be in line with the message he delivered Sunday, February 13th.  Here is his first installment:

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photo: sxc.hu


Any reference that I've heard mentioned about the pharisees has always been in a negative context. Quite frankly, this people group are often vilified. However, I believe that there isn't a pastor in North America that wouldn't want a church full of pharisees.

Allow me to explain, the pharisees were the best at what they did. They could be found at the synagogue or temple. When it came to giving they would tithe mint and rue - in other words they tithed from even the smallest part of their possession. They knew how to pray, it may not have been the right way, but they could pray. Consequently, a church full of pharisees would be a church without an attendance problem. The prayer meeting would always be full on a Friday or Saturday night - even in the summer! There would not be any financial problems because they would be 100% tithers.  This is really impressive when you sit down and think about it.

Here's the thing though, despite their religious perfection, Christ still says: "For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven." Imagine the best christian or person you have every met in your life and then being told that to enter God's Kingdom your goodness or righteousness must be much better!

Now you have a point reference and I believe that this was Christ's point. Those who heard this message in the first century would likely been shocked and astounded by this word because if the Pharisees couldn't get in how would they?

Thank God we do not stand in our own righteousness but in Christ. As such, when you feel that some how you're not worthy to approach God because you haven't prayed enough, read your Bible enough, or preformed enough goods works, the fact is you stand in Christ's righteousness and can boldly enter into God's presence.

Blessings,
Joseph

*****

Please, let us know what you think about Joseph's post here - was this helpful to you?

And now, I'll share some observations from the congregation side of things.

This past Sunday's message was centered on encouragement and about how we sometimes (OK, often) allow situations to control us instead of walking in confidence - when we have brought it before the Lord and know  He has control.  And it got me thinking (which is what a good message is supposed to do, right?) 

My mind began to think about authority and my mind came up with words like authority, power, rule, master, sureness, lordship, obedience, etc.  And my mind combs over scripture and it also draws illustrations - this is normal, correct? Do you do this too?





And don't we all sometimes find  ourselves  quailing, and worrying, even mourning and weeping for what we SEE - when what we really need to do is to immediately  give it over to the One Who Controls over All,  and then we need to be walking in that, and it should show visibly.  If we are confident and secure that our Lord is Savior then we should be able to experience joy knowing He has taken care of it.  This does not mean things will be handled in the way we would choose to orchestrate the details.  For our Lord has knowledge and wisdom beyond our human limitations. 

Time for one of these little illustrations I was talking about:

When I was a kid and watched westerns - OK, I'm not saying I liked all the westerns but my Dad had control of the TV (and yes, this was even before there were remote controls) I used to notice the Sheriff.  There was always a Sheriff who was fair and good and kept outlying little dust bowl villages from falling into anarchy.  If a difficult situation came up which required even more authority then the Sheriff would even take a regular cowboy and deputize him and give him a ... badge.  Funny thing about that badge.  Everyone would take that badge very seriously.  When it was worn it signified that the person wearing it stood for good and they were bound to uphold the good name of the law. 

Did you notice too that the badge was always a nice polished gold or silver?  And it was always visible.  The Sheriff would have still been a Sheriff even if he wore the badge on the inside of his coat or something - but the point is, he always wore it with great pride - and people always treated him with the due respect when they saw that badge.  Even the evil outlaws, though they would fight with the Sheriff, you always had knew they still respected him - they just had chosen to work the other side of the law. 

Where am I going with this?   Well, what that badge represents is authority and when we pray to God and we are submissive to Him and walk in His ways then we too should wear the authority  of the Lord visibly upon us.  Though we don't receive or are even expected to wear a physical metal "gold star" badge - when we walk in CONFIDENCE, in JOY, and radiate HOPE when to all the world we might be going through some trial - then that is our badge and others can plainly see this. 



How would anyone know we trust in God when they see us pray - see us petition our Father upon our knees, shed tears of repentance and lay our troubles at the altar of the One who is Author of our Lives - and then turn around and not be changed?  WEAR the confidence of the Lord upon you.  LEAVE your tears and weariness behind - it is dealt with.  His mercies are new every morning - wear the badge! 

By the way - the badge?  Its REAL - I've created it at 300 dpi and saved as  a .png format image which means you can right click on it, choose SAVE.   It is on a transparent  background, perfect for all your presentations or cards or whatever you choose to use it for, personal or commercial.

~ Barbara


*****

Please pray for Dale and Florence Archibald as they minister in Arizona. 

*****

EVENTS:

Board Meeting
Thursday, February 17th - 7:00 p.m.

Prayer at Kaye's Every Tuesday - 10:00 a.m.
7806 Gravenstein

Friday Night Open Worship Every Friday - 7:00
Osoyoos Christian Centre
42 Finch, Osoyoos
For more info: 250-495-2550

Worship Music Practice
Saturday night - 7:30 p.m.

Mariposa Gardens 
Ministry to Seniors
3:00 Sundays

Friday, February 11, 2011


It was our OCC "Women's Sweet Night" last night, hosted at Sheryl's home and it was indeed a precious time of fellowship.  We were about a dozen ladies and the evening passed sweetly and quickly!  Sheryl really took a great deal of effort with making her own meringue cookies and serving cheesecake and a variety of other treats. 


We had a gift exchange/game and everyone went home with something very nice.  I must say it was rather funny because the game involved one guest choosing a present, unwrapping it and then the next person could either take a new gift or "steal" the gift of someone who had opened one already.   Unfortunately, being a group of Christian women we were all hesitant to "steal" from each other :)  However, Julie soon changed the definition to exchanging gifts and we were alright with that. 






I brought my new point and shoot camera and unfortunately am still getting used to how it runs so I only have a few nice photos of our time together, forgive me Ladies! 

Thank you to Sheryl for all the effort you put into this event and we are looking forward to another next month, to be announced in the future.

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I was asked to share a word  at our event and so I am going to share it with you here today:

MEEKNESS  is not WEAKNESS!



Matthew 5:5

Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.


Meekness is certainly not something which is upheld in today's society and it’s no wonder because it is one of the "fruits of the spirit" and therefore essential for us to model as followers of Christ.  The enemy knows his kingdom cannot prevail against God's people as long as we are led by the Spirit of God, so the enemy is going to do his best to keep us distracted from developing the very traits we need, in order to mentor as true women of Faith. What we hear through today's media is very SELF-centered and self-serving.  We are told "I'm worth it" and we are invited to keep focus on ME and what I am entitled to and how the world should relate to MYSELF. But the bible tells us that we are to live our lives through how we relate to OTHERS. In Philippians 2:7 we are shown that Jesus himself was meek - that He made Himself of no reputation. In other words He didn't put emphasis on Himself or what He could do, but on God.

The worlds take on meekness IS weakness. The Biblical take on meekness is strength in the Lord.  "Meek", in the Koine Greek, (which is one of the primary languages of the New Testament), means, "To be under the master's control". So, no matter what we do as Christians we are to be controlled by God. We are not to BE CONTROLLERS - of ourselves, nor others.  We are encouraged to be weak, but only in God - not to man. A meek Christian is one who is totally dependent on the Holy Spirit in all he or she does. We should live our lives according to the will of God and through this we become towers of strength in and through HIM. We are instructed to be humble minded, possessing a gentle, and of quiet disposition. We shouldn't think we are higher than, or more important than others. Having the character of meekness means we should show a tendency to consider the needs of others irrespectively of what our own needs may be. The meek work to be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to anger, being blameless, harmless and without reproach in the middle of a crooked and perverted nation. We are to shine as lights in the darkened, arrogant, self-seeking, selfish world of the spiritually blinded.

There are biblical women who modeled meekness which served them to garner great power and strength, for example we see Esther 2:8 "The girl pleased him & won his favor."  Yes, she had 12 months of beauty treatments as did all the other virgins brought before the king, but she had to get the king to LIKE her too, to win his favor.  Ruth also was meek and trusted in the council of Naomi who she knew to be a Godly woman.  

I believe that many of us might confuse meekness with weakness, but consider that Jesus, though he was meek could also get good and angry when need be - for example when He went into the house of prayer and knocked the tables over. He being wasn't a rude there, and was still meek in heart even though He was pushed to take measures to get his point across that what people were doing was WRONG! 

And how does this relate to our lives today?  It means we should normally handle people and situations with dignity, patience, submissive spirits, being compliant, gentle and kind.  In a society which is loud, demanding and in-your-face, our meekness will shine our light for Jesus in a way that is like a beacon in the darkness. It means we will invest in others to build trust and respect.  Respect and trust encourages others to desire to surrender authority to us because we are genuine and they value our counsel. Then when we do occasionally use forcefulness, whether it is through our actions or words, others LISTEN and take heed because it’s not a standard of our behavior.  They know that something REALLY must be wrong.  We don't abuse our meekness.  


I've seen this in my own marriage countless times.  A prime example is something my husband told me a long time ago.  He said "Honey, if you would like something from me, if instead of getting angry and yelling -- (yes, being REAL here I confess that I used to resorted to yelling at times) -- if you put your arms around me and gently ASK, there's not much I could ever deny you!"  I also admire a dear friend who joins me to pray about our marriages - we do it in meekness, sometimes never mentioning specific needs, and coming from a standpoint of the Lord changing US and how we handle these situations rather than changing our spouses.  I'm fortunate to have a friend who is a mom to several kids and has a really busy life who 0rchestrates their schedule and situations with grace, patience and gentleness - giving time and engaging each family member with genuine interest before choosing how to handle it.  The way she sorts it all out and allots everyone their orders in such a caring way is a true ministry to me. And I see meekness modeled  through the senior women in my life, who have had MUCH more life experience in  than I have for they offer wise counsel in meekness when they might by authority of seniority TELL me how to handle situations. 

Meekness says "I need others - Lord, I need YOU. I CAN'T do it myself"  Weakness, on the other hand causes us to look pretty silly sometimes because when we are weak we give into the self-centered "Me" way of thinking.  For example, we might give in to being pushy, loud and demanding on a regular basis because we've heard "The squeaky wheel gets the grease!"  Which is true sometimes, only that's a temporary fix because it creates the sort of person who gets served only because we do anything just to get rid of them. 

One thing I've personally observed about being meek is when we model it, it IS visible.  Whenever I've been meek my husband recognizes it and I in turn recognize and admire it in the Godly women in my life.  Now is the time for us women to be meek but not weak.  We need to claim authority on every level of our families and in the world.  We need to set the high standard of honor wherever we have influence - in our homes, at work and in Church.  We need to be strong and stand firm and at the same time to be meek in our dealings with others that we should show the presence of God in us. 

I'll leave you with a quote from a very dear friend of mine, Eileen Bowden, who at 90 years old shared this bit of wisdom and I think it models meekness in relationships:  "Don't be too bossy.  Look into the other person's point of view as well as your own. and see if you can mingle the two with the best of your ability."

*****

EVENTS:

Prayer at Kaye's
Every Tuesday - 10:00 a.m.
7806 Gravenstein

Friday Night Open Worship
Every Friday - 7:00
Osoyoos Christian Centre
42 Finch, Osoyoos
For more info: 250-495-2550








Wednesday, February 2, 2011

Keeping Fit - Inside!


I've covered the idea of keeping our bodies fit over the past two weeks I think its a good idea for us to start taking a look on the inside with the thought of a good Spring Cleaning.  We can look as good and polished on the outside as we want but God is not impressed with that at all.  TRUE beauty really comes from within and physical beauty eventually fades away. 

If you don't do constant upkeep on your reputation you do a disservice to our Lord who we represent as believers:

Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable,
so that when they speak against you as evildoers,
they may see your good deeds
and glorify God on the day of visitation.

1 Peter 2:12

So now is a good time for you to do a good self examination inside and take stock, for its not all about YOU - its all about Jesus in you. 





Do not let your adorning be external -
the braiding of hair and putting on of gold jewellery,
or the clothing you wear -
but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart
with the imperishable beauty
of a gentle and quiet spirit
which in God's sight is very precious.

1 Peter 3:3-4

I think a really good way to take stock is to ask yourself "What do others see in me?"  Really try to step into someone else's shoes and get to know the you that they see.  And if you are brave enough you might even ask for a "report" from someone you love and trust enough to give you honest answers.  Be prepared to lay down your little perfect vision of yourself.  You may be surprised what a wonderful exercise this is in renewing your relationships with others. 

Think of it this way - you walk into your own home each and every day, sometimes several times a day but you sometimes never think what it must look like to a visitor.  Try looking at your own doorstep the next time you enter. 

I give you a challenge today - be accountable for whatever trait you might have at the moment that might be hindering your walk with God.  Choose someone close to you and invite them to pray for this area.  You needn't even confess what this might be, but allow your trusted friend to pray with you and check back in a while to see how you're working in this area.  God built us to be accountable to one another.  Sometimes our flaws draw us together in a way nothing else can. 

Want to add to this topic?  Why not leave a comment here and start a conversation?

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There are some beautiful desktop calendars for February available at Crosscards.com!  And while you are there you may be inspired send someone an encouraging free e-card too.

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EVENTS:

Sheryl Parolin is hosting a "Women's Sweet Night" in her home.  This is by invite and you are welcome to bring a friend as well.  We would love an RSVP to get a number on the desserts.  I will be guest speaking as well :) Come out for a night of food, fellowship and fun!

Thursday, Feb 10
7:00 p.m.
7804 Gravenstein
email barbaraderksen@gmail.com for more info

Prayer at Kaye's
Every Tuesday - 10:00 a.m.
7806 Gravenstein

Friday Night Open Worship

Every Friday - 7:00
Osoyoos Christian Centre
42 Finch, Osoyoos
For more info: 250-495-2550