His Grace Magazine

Fergus, Ontario

"But

Photo by Rob Wood

now God has placed the members, each one of them, in the body, just as He desired."

Dear Heavenly Father,

Thank you for the beautiful season of spring.

During this season when life opens up, We ask for a fresh beginning in each of our hearts.

Just as flowers bloom, Help us to bloom in Your Word, Help us to witness at every opportunity, And follow Your Word every day, Working to gather more seedlings for Your harvest. In your precious name,

Amen

"Light is sown for the righteous, and gladness for the upright in heart." Psalm 97:11

From the Pulpit

...Everything and everyone else should always come second

can lose focus and get ahead of ourselves. Suddenly we find that we are not putting God first; we are putting ourselves first. This is a very dangerous thing to do. We lose sight of God and now we are doing everything on our own instead of giving it to God.

Matthew

6:33:

"But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you."

This scripture says it all: We are to always put God first in our lives, without exception. He is our Father in heaven and we are to seek Him as a child going to his father for help, asking if he or she can have this or that, asking what to do; we should always seek this from God our Father in heaven. When we do this, He will reward us; as the scripture says, it shall be added to you.

It's amazing how we

A woman went to a pet store and bought a parrot. She wanted some companionship, she wanted someone to talk to. But the next day she returned to the store and said, "He won't talk." The store manager asked her, "Does he have a mirror in his cage? Parrots love mirrors." So she bought a mirror and left. The next day she came back and said, "The bird is still not talking."

"How about a ladder?

Parrots love ladders. When he is happy, he will talk." She then bought the ladder and went home. The next

day she was back in the store complaining that even with the mirror and ladder, the bird was just not talking. The manager said, "I know what you need, the bird wants a swing. He'll be happy when he has a swing and he'll talk." The woman then reluctantly bought a swing for her parrot and left the store. Sure enough, the woman was back in the store the next morning. She had a very sad face. She said, "The parrot died."

The manager said, "Please tell me, did he say anything before he died?" The woman said, "Yes, in a weak voice he asked me, 'Doesn't the store sell any food?'"

Sometimes we forget what we need the most, don't we? The woman in the story was so concerned with trying to get the parrot to talk, that she listened to someone else say what would make him happy. By

buying all this material stuff, she forgot the one thing that would keep him alive. We are a lot like this woman, aren't we? You start at times without even realizing it, we fill ourselves with worldly stuff, little things like watching movies, reading books and listening to music, smart phones, internet, pleasures, power, sex, drugs, money... any addiction. You're going to be deceived, you will find yourself feeling empty.

You can be rich with lots of money, but if you don't have God in your life, then what do you have? I will tell you, we don't have anything. The Apostle Paul wrote in 1 Timothy 6:17-19: "Command those who are rich in this present age not to be haughty, nor to trust in uncertain riches but in the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy. Let them

Owner/Publisher: Rob Wood

do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to give, willing to share, storing up for themselves a good foundation for the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life."

We should never set our sights on the uncertain things that money can buy. We should always put our hope in God, as Jesus told us to seek the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all of these things shall be added unto you. Matthew 6:33 says, "But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you."

This generation of young people who are able to express themselves more than any other generation, especially with the internet and smartphones, they can communicate at any moment all they want through technology. But they are deceived and sometimes they blame the older generation for all the problems, but the older generation was also deceived. The devil will always deceive us if we are not careful to live in the spirit with God. So let's blame the devil, not everyone else. When we are deceived, depression becomes a

very heavy burden on a young person. Anyone can fall into depression, but it is especially hard at the ages of 16 to 24. This can leave you with a sense of insecurity.

You need to follow Jesus Christ; give your life to Him, listen to Him and follow Him for the rest of your life. God loves you and wants you to come to Him now. John 3:16 says, "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life."

We put all this stuff first, when we really should put God first. His Word is the only food we need; He is our manna. When we put other things above God, they become our gods, we must never do that. We cannot serve two masters, for you will despise the one and love the other. Matthew 6:24 says, "No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon."

We should always put God first, others second and ourselves third. Even though this saying sounds good, we need to know exactly what it

looks like to make God number one in our lives. Should we pray and read our Bibles first thing in the morning? Should we study our Bibles every night? Well, I think if we don't do these things, then we really are not putting God first over other things, are we?

We really should read our Bibles every day. I know work can get in the way from reading in the morning, but whenever you get a chance or a break, you should read. Donna and I read five psalms and one proverb every morning before work. By reading our Bible, we find out what God is like, what He desires for us, and how we can please Him.

I study the Bible in the morning. Studying the Bible every day is also important, diving into God's Word to give us strength and hope and to know His Word. This is important, so that you know whether what others are saying is from scripture, or just their own words. Here is a quote from Pastor Adrian Rogers: "Now you cannot love someone that you do not know. And you cannot know someone that you don't spend quality time with. To know Him is to love Him. To love Him is to trust Him. To trust

Him is to obey Him. And to obey Him is to be blessed...And it begins with quality quiet time, daily communication with the Lord."

Prayer: So very important to talk to God every day. It is good to pray at least three times a day...morning, afternoon and night, but we can also pray continuously throughout the day, which is even better. That is how you strengthen your relationship with Jesus. I Thessalonians 5:15-17 says, "Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." Through prayer, we open our hearts up to Jesus. We ask Him to give us strength, and encouragement, to refresh us and give us courage. We pray for the power of obedience, we pray for the things we need and we ask Him to lift us up in our weakness, because through our weakness, God will show His strength. When we pray, God responds. He works in our lives to inspire us; He does great things that will help us to live in such a way that is pleasing to Him.

Well, let's see what the Bible says. I can't emphasis enough how

crucial it is to put God first in our lives. Some people may ask if it is really that important to have God your top priority. Can't we just have God as part of our lives so we can balance Him with our careers, finances and hobbies? Well, the answer to that is, NO; it is all or nothing. It's like having your children grow, and many families are like this...they grow up and they put their careers, finances and hobbies above you. How would you feel about that? That's right, not too good. That is how God feels about you; He loves you, and wants you all the time. Deuteronomy

6:4-5 says, "Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one! You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength."

This scripture shows us how important it is to have God in our hearts. Our deepest love and desire ought to be with Him at all times. If we love something other than God, not only is that then an idol, but we are saying that the thing

we love more is better and more valuable than God is. We must be careful NOT to do that. Exodus 20:3 says, "You shall have no other gods before Me."

What really insults and hurts God deeply is when we give our time and love to other things that we deem important in our lives. It doesn't matter what it is...it could be a sports team, where we spend all our time watching games, and buying collectables. It could be we love our career more, we spend hours at work. It's like when someone spends more time at work than with their spouses, or children; it hurts them deeply. It's the same when we make something a higher priority than God, we are saying it's more important than God is. We should always love God more than anything else in life, because He loved us first. 1 John 4:19 says, " We love Him because He first loved us." You will see a big difference in your life; you will have more peace and joy.

Romans 14:17 says, "For the kingdom

of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit."

The Bible makes it very clear that God is the greatest thing in our lives; Jesus talked of God's immeasurable value.

Matthew 13:44-46 says, "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid; and for joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. Again the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls, who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it. "

When you think about it, when we don't put God first, it's as if we found some priceless item in a field. Instead of trying to selling everything that we own so we can buy the field, we decide to bury the priceless item and never bother with it again. It's like the treasure is only trash.

Pastor Adrian Rogers also said: "The scourge of the twenty first

century is half hearted Christianity. Half hearted Christianity will not do it. It never could. But surely not in these times. Are you seeking Christ with all your heart? Is there anything in your life you love more than the Lord Jesus Christ? If so, then my friend, that thing, whatever or whoever it is, has become an idol in your life. Realizing that, what steps can you take today to remove it from the throne and put Christ back in His proper place in your life?"

How many times do we think that idols are just harmless statues of perhaps false gods. But the truth is, those idols are actually anything that we love more than God.

The Bible has a lot to say about putting God first in our lives. Here are a few of those verses.

Matthew 6:31-33 says, "Therefore do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need

all these things." It's obvious that food, drink and clothing are very important to us all. But what this verse is telling us is that we are to seek God first; we are to trust Him to provide all that we need. It's easy to lose sight of that, to become distracted with meeting our own needs that we forget our most important need, who is God. When we seek God above anything else, He will always meet every need that we will ever have.

Matthew 10:38-39 says, "And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it."

Jesus calls all of us to take up our cross and follow Him. To take up your cross simplly means to die to ourselves and to follow Jesus Christ above all else. If we put ourselves first we will suffer in the end. But if put Jesus Christ first, seek Him, no matter what happens to us here on earth, we will win and be with Jesus for all eternity.

Proverbs 3:5-6 says, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths." We are supposed to acknowledge God in all our ways. This means that everything we do and every decision we make in life should always be made with God. We must have God first, and He must be put high in importance and our lives should always reflect that.

Putting God first in our lives is a lifelong learning process. There will be times when we do this and there will be times when we get carried away and do things on our own, and fail. But the good news is that we know where our hope lies, and it's not in ourselves, it lies in Jesus Christ. Jesus lived a perfect sinless life. 1 Peter 2:21-22 says, "For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps: Who committed no sin, Nor was deceit

found in His mouth." He always put God the Father first as He truly did love God with all His heart, soul, mind and strength.

If we continue to believe in Jesus, then God will always credit Jesus' perfect righteousness on to us. He will look upon us as if we have always put God first. Even if we stumble and fail, as long as we repent of our sins then we are still completely righteous in Jesus Christ. Because of this, we know when we stumble, and we will, we can still come confidently back to Him, knowing He will full accept us. Acts 3:19 says, "Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may and

be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord."

The more we read our Bibles, pray and have fellowship with other Christians, the more success we will start to have in putting God first.

After all, Jesus is the only way to heaven; there is no other way. But through Him, John 14:6 says, "Jesus said to him, 'I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me." This scripture says it all, if you don't know Him, then you're not going to heaven, but if you have a relationship with Him, then you can rest assured that you will be with Him for all of eterntiy.

WOOD Ministries

Publisher/Sales/Graphic Designer/Writer: Rob Wood

wood.ministries.2020@gmail.com

Editor/Writer:

Donna Wood

Writer:

Lynne Wood

Secrets from the Prophecies of Daniel...

Book by: Dr. David Jeremiah

Written by: Lynne Wood

TheHandwriting on the Wall is the latest book written by Dr. David Jeremiah. I couldn't wait to read this book and it certainly did not disappoint. This book is all about the prophecies of Daniel; it is very fascinating that, what was written thousands of years ago pertains to things happening now, and what is still to come. This book takes you through Daniel's life and his absolute unwavering love for God.

Whatever Daniel's circumstances in life were, he had a strong faith, trust and love for God that it didn't matter to him. Oh sure, he missed Jerusalem and his way of life very much, but he did whatever God asked of him and never questioned it.

Daniel and his three friends were just teenagers when they were taken into captivity from their home in Jerusalem to Babylon, where they would serve

for seventy years. When they arrived in Babylon, their names were changed in an attempt to erase their Hebrew heritage. The name, Daniel, means 'God is my judge'; it was changed to Belteshazzar; Hananiah means 'Jehovah is gracious'; Mishael means 'Who is like God'; Azariah means 'Jehovah is my helper.' Their

names were changed to Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-Nego. Their new names refer to false gods worshipped by the Babylonians.

They went through a very intense program for three years to re-educate them to learn their language and culture. They made every effort to make them forget their God and embrace

the pagan culture of the Babylonians.

As everybody knows with the story of Daniel in the Bible, Daniel was given a great gift from God to be able to interpret dreams. Daniel interpreted many dreams for kings while in Babylon; however, Daniel was greatly afraid of the dreams he saw of the future for Israel.

I know most people know about Daniel from the Bible, but this book takes you on Daniel's journey and beyond.

Dr. David Jeremiah does a wonderful job of explaining how Daniel's dreams pertain to the present day and what they mean.

"Blessed be the name of God forever and ever, For wisdom and might are His. And He changes the times and the seasons; He removes kings and raises up kings; He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding."

Daniel 2:20-21

Timeless Truths

Proverbs 15:13

InProverbs 15:13, Solomon observes that our emotions are reflected in our faces. Usually, what we are feeling on the inside is what others see about us on the outside. A cheerful face and an energetic body are wonderful things to possess. Glowing features, happy eyes, warm smiles and upbeat movements make people more attractive. More often than not, a happy face is the result of a peaceful and contented heart.

A troubled heart however, clouds your face, robs you of your joy and saps your energy and vitality away. Sad people can pretend that all is well, and happy people can also disguise their feelings. Our emotions are displayed in our physical bodies as well...by the way we stand, sit, or hold our head. Our countenance is a combination of facial appearance and body language. Your countenance reflects your happiness and

joyfulness, just as much as it reflects your worries, fears and your burdens.

Wise people guard their own hearts and the hearts of others. Proverbs

Faith enables a believer to live above their circumstances. Instead of becoming a victim of their hardships, a believer can be victorious over them. Philippians 4:13

Because of everything that God has done for us, how could we not be content? Acts 14:17 says, “Nevertheless He left not Himself without witness, in that He did good, and gave us rain from heaven, and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with food and gladness.” Also, Philippians 4:4 tells us: “Rejoice in the Lord always, and again, I say rejoice.”

25:28 says, “He that hath no rule over his own spirit is like a city that is broken down, and without walls.” In other words, if you’re down about anything, don’t let it destroy you, but rather choose a merry heart for your approach to life. Choose to be happy, to love, to have hope, to be thankful. Your attitude towards life determines whether you can maintain a merry heart and a cheerful countenance.

tells us that we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us.

According to the Apostle Paul’s letter to the Philippian Church, Paul suffered through some difficult circumstances, including being shackled to a Roman guard while on house arrest in Rome, as well as facing the possibility of being persecuted, but yet he radiated joy.

How do you be content? By choosing it!

If you have a relationship with God, you have no choice but be content! Through Him, we have hope, peace, He loves us with an agape love, and we know we have secured eternal life with Him once we leave this world. Yes, Solomon’s observance is so true… with heaven waiting for us, we have nothing to get down over. With a cheerful countenance, we are living proof of the power of the cross!

“A merry heart makes a cheerful countenance, but by sorrow of the heart the spirit is broken.”

(Proverbs 15:13)

Entertainment

Actor Alan Ritchson who stared in 'Reacher' and 'Hunger Games' likes movies that honor Jesus

Actor

Alan Ritchson said that he has a passion for Christian movies and he wants them to be successful at the box office so that more of them will be produced. He said, "I want to be a part of stories like that."

Alan, who is 40 years old, is best known for his role as Jack Reacher in the Amazon's "Reacher" series and he played Gloss in the movie, "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire." Alan will also star in the new movie coming out on October 13th, "Ordinary Angels." He will star in the movie with two-time Academy Award winner, Hilary Swank.

The movie "Ordinary Angels" is being produced by the Erwin brothers' Kingdom Story Company. The Erwin Brothers have produced such Christian movies as

the "Jesus Revolution," "American Underdog, "I Still Believe" and "I Can Only Imagine."

This movie has

is working hard and trying everything he can to make ends meet to provide for his two daughters. The trouble

Stevens had raised a lot of money; she raised ten thousand dollars for the Schmitt family and their huge medical bills and she arranged for a private jet to fly the entire Schmitt family from Louisville to Omaha.

been described as an amazing true story. "Ordinary Angels" focuses on a bold Sharon Stevens (played by Hilary Swank), but she struggles as a hairdresser in a small town in Kentucky and she finds a new purpose in life when she meets Ed Schmitt (played by Alan Ritchson).

He is a widower who

is that Ed's youngest daughter is waiting to have a liver transplant and Sharon has now set her mind on helping Ed and his family. She is ready to do anything and everything to get Ed the help he needs for his daughter.

This true story took place in 1994, the same time a record breaking snow storm hit. Sharon

Alan said that the movie shows how God uses broken people to fulfill His will. Alan said, "God continually shows up in our world in a way that kind of boggles our mind. Because we, for whatever reason, I think we continue to buy into the idea that... God chooses heroes to do His work. And it's just never been the case. It's the broken and the dysfunctional that God proves His power and strength through. And this story is of that, too." Alan also said, "It's important that we remember that those who may be struggling

to follow the rules, who don't like look like perfect Christians, who are the broken, are the people that God has a funny way of expressing Himself through. And the story is very much told in 'Ordinary Angels.'"

Alan Ritchson, who is from Grand Forks, North Dakota, made these comments on a Zoom "Prayer Call" that also involved the cast and crew of the movie "Ordinary Angels."

Alan, who has been in the entertainment industry for 19 years, acknowledges that some of the studio executives are only focused on the bottom line of Christian movies. He said, "But that doesn't change the fact that people are hearing the name of Christ in movie theaters." He also said, "And if that's where the pulpit is for people who wouldn't normally step foot in a church, then that's still a great way to

have that conversation... It matters that these films get support."

When all Christians support faith-based movies, he said, "Other people in Hollywood watch this and a groundswell kind of takes place in Hollywood that changes things in a real meaningful way."

Alan Ritchson lives in Florida with his wife Catherine and their three children. He has often openly spoken of his bipolar disorder

struggles. Alan also has his own inspirational YouTube channel called "Instachurch." The channel says, "Daring to awaken the other half of us. Let's take a look at scripture and how it relates to our lives today."

Alan's last video was posted on Easter Sunday. His message is described as, "The most powerful picture of who you really are is discovered through the story of Easter."

U.S. and Philippines have joint Military drills, a partnership against Chinese aggression

Manila, Philippines, in the IndoPacific region: The United States is now increasing its cooperation with the Philippines in an attempt to counter China's growing aggressiveness, an increased cooperation that includes joint military drills and a possible reopening of the United States' naval base in the Philippines.

The United States Navy left the Philippines 32 years ago, but now as the threat of China increases, this is the largest joint military drill ever held between the two countries. It involved more than 17,000 Philippine and United States soldiers together. This time, the training had included live-fire drills at sea.

Major General Marvin Licudine, the Philippines exercise director, said: "The highlight of the exercise will be the

combined joint littoral live-fire exercise, which aims to rehearse

of the Sea."

Regardless of criticism from China, the long

public is concerned and as far as the Philippine defense establishment and strategic elite is concerned, that has not gone away."

joint and combined tactics, techniques and procedures to execute the maritime strike. The drills come at a time when China aggressively monitors nearly all of its borders, especially in the South China Sea, where the Coast Guard recently intercepted a Philippine patrol in its own country's waters. We are proceeding according to our planned route. You are to remember that China is a party of the United Nations Convention of the Law

scheduled drills also make a warming to the United States and Philippines' relationship under the new President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. The public opinion in the Philippines is remaining strong in favor of keeping the alliance very strong.

Richard Heydarian who is an author and policy advisor on the Asia Pacific region said, "And that element of continuity is the strong preference for strong ties with the United States as far as the Philippine

Just before the United States naval base was shut down in 1992 at Subic Bay in the Philippines, it was one of the largest military bases in the entire world. The base was actually bigger than some countries and it was closed 30 years ago.

As of now, it may be starting up again. That's mainly because of a newly extended defense cooperation agreement that the United States is now going to sign with the Philippines to try to help with the threat from China. Richard Heydarian said, "We need to build the alliance with the United States. More than 70% of Filipinos in the survey said we need to build the alliance with the United States."

The fragile cease fire in Gaza is holding; Week of Anniversaries will pose as a test

InJerusalem, Israel, the fragile cease fire is holding so far; the cease fire happened on May 14. That date marked the 75th anniversary of the founding of Israel, according the Gregorian calendar. It has become yet another battle in the Israeli - Palestinian fight ever since day one.

The anniversary came only hours after the cease fire had ended the five day conflict with the Palestinian Islamic Jihad. The terrorists had fired more than 1,300 rockets into southern Israel, some of them landing as far away as Tel Aviv and on the outer skirts of Jerusalem.

Israel then attacked hundreds of rocket launch sites, and the Iron Dome anti-missle defense system shot down 90 percent of the rockets that was heading to populated areas.

Unfortunately, a few rockets did get through; the city of Ashkelon

City of Jerusalem as they wave their Israeli flags. Hamas warned it

was hit. Two people were killed in different locations in separate attacks.

Many people are thinking that it is only a matter of time before more rounds of rockets are fired into Israel.

Experts are saying they thought it might start up again when Israelis celebrated the anniversary of the reunification of the city of Jerusalem in 1967, this is known as Jerusalem Day, as thousands of Israelis march through the Old

would respond if they marched through the Muslim Quarter.

The United Nations often promote the antiIsrael resolution, they will host the anniversary of the Nakba, or "catastrophe," rather than the anniversary of Israel's founding. The Nakba is what Palestinians say is their eviction from the land of Palestine that happened during the Israel's War of Independence in 1948.

The Ambassador to the U.N., Gilad Erdan, was

angry with the decision. He said, "Instead of commemorating the real "Nakba," the expulsion of nearly a million Jews from Arab countries following the establishment of Israel, this biased organization is distorting its own history." He also said, "I'm working to ensure that member states understand that attending this despicable event means destroying any chance of peace by adopting the Palestinian narrative calling the establishment of the state of Israel a 'disaster' while ignoring Palestinian hate, incitement, terror and refusal to accept the legitimacy of a Jewish state."

Regardless of the controversy, Israeli commentator, Gil Troy, said that the 75th anniversary is a miraculous rebirth of this Jewish state after two thousand years.

Sports...

Damar Hamlin of the Buffalo Bills has been cleared to play Football

Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin, just four months after collapsing on the field as a result of cardiac arrest during a Monday night football game, has now been fully cleared to play. The NFL star is not wasting any time preparing for next season.

Damar, who is 25 years old, has been working out in the offseason at the Buffalo Bills' practice facility this past week.

During a recent press conference, Damar said that he is just thankful to be alive.

"The wow moment is every day just to be able to wake up and take a deep breath and live a peaceful life, to have a family, to have people around me that love me and that care about me and for those people to still have me in their lives, they almost lost me, I died on national TV in front

of the whole world. The biggest blessing of it all is for me to still have my people and my people to still have me."

Right after Damar died on live TV during a football game, both

teams at the time, the Buffalo Bills and the Cincinnati Bengals knelt on their knees and began to pray for him, even some sportcasters.

After this terrible event happened during

the game, it started days of continuous prayer that was public for the whole world to watch, and the prayers were answered as Damar now has made a full recovery.

Buffalo Bills' General Manager, Brandon Beane, says that Damar is now in a real good head space; his mind is clear and totally focused on football. This will make his return to the game exciting.

All eyes will be on the Buffalo Bills' safety this fall as he goes into training camp. He and the Bills will try to put this behind them and focus on the upcoming season, as they are still one of the Super Bowl favorites.

This just goes to show what prayer can do for you and just how powerful prayer is when the body of Christ comes together as one and prays together to our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ.

Recipe

• 1 ½ c whole wheat Flour • ½ c Flour • ½ c packed br. Sugar

• ½ tsp Salt • 1 tbsp b. Powder • 2 tsp b. Soda

• 2 tsp Cinnamon • ½ tsp Ginger

• ¾ c unsweetened Applesauce • ½ c canola Oil • 1 tbsp vanilla Extract

• 2 c grated Carrot (3 med) • ½ c Raisins • ½ c flaked Coconut

• ½ c chopped Walnuts

• Preheat oven to 400 deg; Spray 12 muffin tins with baking spray

• In large bowl, add first 8 ingredients; whisk well

• Add in next 3 ingredients; whisk just until combined

• Fold in last 4 ingredients; stir until combined.

• Divide batter into muffin tins

• Bake at 400 deg for 10 min, reduce to heat to 350 deg and bake for another 10 min.

• Cool in pan for 5 min.

1 Kings 19:6

" Then he looked and behold, there was at his head a bread cake baked on hot stones, and a jar of water. So he ate and drank and lay down again."

Are you Stressed Out? Here are 7 ways to help you Relax and Protect Your Health

Itreally doesn't matter what we may be worried about, it could be the cost of living, or the disappointments in life, work, home, negative thoughts, the state of the world today. Whatever it may be, stress can prove to be very toxic to our bodies and our minds.

Stress activates a potent combination of hormones that impacts us, like our heart rate, digestion, and fat storage. Some medical research progressively points to bad health triggered by chronic, continued stress, such as risk of obesity, heart disease, depression, dementia and diabetes. Psychologist Elissa Epel, Ph.D. said, "We're all under too much stress whether we notice it or not."

Dr. Epel has researched on how stress can damage our bodies; she says it goes on down to the cellular

level. Stress in the body triggers a chain reaction in the human body; this can shorten the telomeres, the protective caps on the ends of our chromosomes. The shortening of the telomeres often signal an earlier start of disease and death. But the good news is things can be turned around before the telomeres start to shorten. In Dr. Epel's book, "The Stress Prescription," She recommends these seven things we can do to reduce stress in our lives:

1. Embrace Uncertainty: Dr. Epel, says, "How much can you relax if you don't know what

will happen tomorrow or if you don't know how plans will go later? Because it turns out, when we're intolerant of uncertainty, we're much more vulnerable to anxiety and depression when stressful things happen."

Research that was done during the COVID 19 pandemic showed us that people who said they were okay with the uncertainty of what would happen, people who said that they were okay even if they didn't know how the virus would end, they all showed that their stress was much less than those who weren't. Dr. Epel said, "We all have

different levels with how comfortable we are with uncertainty, about the future, and we like to think that we control things a lot more than we do."

Dr. Epel recommends that we stop worrying about what will happen tomorrow, and start focusing on today. She said, "Our brain is not really geared to be worrying about such big things that are in the future. We really just want to worry about what's right in front of us."

This is what Jesus Christ said for us to do in Matthew 6:25: "Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?" He also said in Matthew 6:34: "Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry

about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble."

2. Let God have What You Can't Control: Dr. Epel referred to the Serenity Prayer that helps with this practice. The prayer says, "God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can; and the wisdom to know the difference."

This prayer is credited to an American theologist, Reinhold Niebuhr. It was a sermon that was read at the Heath Evangelical Union Church in Massachusetts in 1932, and it is part of many 12-step programs. Dr. Epel said, "That prayer has so much wisdom and that's why it sticks around."

3. Find Excitement in Challenges: Stress can be put under control when we start changing our feelings of fear to feelings of being strong. That involves changing our thoughts. One thing you can do is, rather than thinking, "This is so stressful, I hate this feeling," change your thought to "This is exciting! I can appreciate this feeling!" Also replace negative thoughts like, "If I don't pull this off, everything

will be ruined," with, "I can only do my best, everything else is out of my control."

When we face challenges in the future, it will help to just relax and remember past victories and start believing you will be able to rise above all the current challenges. Dr. Epel says, "Emphasize your resources and what you can do and how you can overcome the demand."

4. Metabolize Body Stress: There are certain things that we can do that can help the body train for flexibility. Dr. Epel suggests practicing "hormetic stress," this induces short, repeated bursts of acute stress; this kind of stress you can easily and naturally recover from. These exercises, especially the high intensity training (HIIT), a blast of cold water for anywhere from 15 seconds to one minute at the end of a shower, and intense heart, such as sitting and relaxing in a hot sauna for around a half an hour. Dr. Epel said, "these things help us stress better by not having an over activated stress response."

5. Immerse Yourself in Nature: Staying away from computers and phones and their

connections to the world that can instantly get rid of stress.

Pulling the plug on our computers and phones from our everyday lives and going on a trip, ocean, woods, down by the river and just enjoy nature and the beauty of the world can really help us reduce our blood pressure and anxieties. We can also make and design our own refuge, haven in our own homes that can achieve the same results. They can include a prayer closet; we can get away from the everyday stuff and just focus on the things that really matter, including God. Dr. Epel says, "I believe prayer can do this too. If we can develop spiritual urgency, not wait until we get sick and feel spiritual urgency, but actually now. Realize the miracle of life, the fragility of life."

6. Experience Deep Rest: Deep rest includes slowing our normal breathing so more oxygen will cross the area between our lungs and blood vessels, which causes nitric oxide levels to start rising; this causes blood vessels to expand, which lets blood and oxygen travel much quicker through the body. This process will cause both

our blood pressure and our heart rate to go down, which will help our stress levels to drop.

Dr. Epel suggests that we get a good sleep every night, and during the day, we should be practicing breathing exercises, such as inhaling slowly through the nose with mouth closed very deeply, so the ribs expand to the sides, and then slowly exhale through our mouth.

7. Create Bliss

Bookends: This means starting and finishing every day by feeling joy. This can be fulfilled by getting up every day with a sense of thankfulness and thinking about what we are so looking forward to that day. Then, at the end of every day, think about all the things you are thankful for and focus on all the positives that happened during the day.

Also, make an effort to see people. Dr. Epel, says, "That is one of the ways we cope with the big stressors especially well, is really through relationships, supportive, relationships. That includes people we don't even know. Kind acts to strangers, in one study, had beautiful effects on gene expression for inflammation."

Athletes for Christ

Ron Ellis played his entire career with the Maple Leafs

onald John Edward Ellis was born on January 8, 1945, in Lindsay, Ontario. Ron was signed by the Toronto Maple Leafs and played his junior hockey with the Toronto Marlboros of the Ontario Hockey Association from 1961-1964. Ron played on the team that won the Memorial Cup in 1964. He became a full time Maple Leaf in 1964-

A career Toronto Maple Leaf, Ron Ellis was a consistent player to wear the Maple Leaf on his chest. Ron played every game of his 1,034 career with Toronto, for 16 seasons. He scored an amazing 23 goals for that era of hockey. He dropped down to 19 goals the following season, but then bounced back to have 10 straight seasons of 20 or more goals. Ron was an ultimate right winger who would roam up and down the right side as if it were a roadway. His only Stanley Cup came in 1967...the last time the Toronto Maple Leafs won

In 1972, Ron played in the Summit Series for Team Canada against the Soviet Union. Ron

played all of the 8 games, even though he played with a broken collarbone. He played on a line with centre Bobby Clarke and left winger Paul Henderson. They were the only line to play all 8 games together.

In 1975, Ron decided to retire from hockey for 2 years, but then returned to play another 4 years with the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Ace Bailey respected Ron so much that his jersey number 6 was retired by the Maple Leafs, but when he retired the second time, the Maple Leafs retired the number 6 for good.

After Ron's retirement from the game of hockey, Ron suffered terribly with a serious bout of depression. His trials are found in his book called, "Over the Boards: The Ron Ellis Story".

Ron speaks to groups about depression and the importance of diagnosing the treatment, and speaks of his journey through all of the dark times he went through.

Ron and his wife, Jan, both became Christians roughly the same time that his teammate Paul Henderson and his wife, Eleanor, did. Laurie Boschman accepted Jesus in his life a few years later, thanks to Ron's solid walk with Jesus Christ and his consistent witnessing with the people in his life.

Ron Ellis with the Toronto Maple Leafs from 1963-1981

“Same Faith, Same City, Different Worlds”

he started The Rock, and is now a mega church where the community service takes the form of very large donations that land in the collection plate. Jeremiah has now been travelling the world setting up new churches, but Jeremiah has lost sight where his journey all began as a pastor.

Second Chance Church.

From day one, there is tension between Ethan and Jake. Then Jake takes Ethan on a tour of the neighborhood. Jake is upset with Ethan's father, Jeremiah, for moving to the suburbs and Ethan has trouble relating with Jake.

Themovie, The Second Chance, stars a popular Christian singer, Michael W. Smith. This is his first big feature movie role.

Michael W. Smith plays Ethan Jenkins who is the son of a very successful televangelist, Jeremiah Jenkins, being played by J. Don Ferguson. This movie starts with Ethan

and Jeremiah making their own photo shoot at the soup kitchen at their church, Second Chance Community Church, in the inner city. Jeremiah started the church in the middle of the turbulence of the civil rights' demonstrations in the sixties. Jeremiah has now moved to the suburbs from the inner city where

Jake Sanders, the pastor of the Second Chance Church played by Jeff Obafemi Carr, is a little bit of an unpredictable person. Jake makes a Sunday visit to The Rock. Ethan invites Jake to say a few words to the congregation. When Jake begins to speak, he upsets the congregation by saying their donations that they give to help Second Chance Church to minister to the poor is okay, and he doesn't want their money because they visit his church and they don't even help out there. Now the church board is angry with Ethan and tells him he needs to take a leave of absence to go and help Jake at the

The youth pastor from the Second Chance Church takes a terrible beating while protecting a young man who is trying to leave a gang. His beating has Ethan questioning his own courage and his Christian convictions.

When Ethan and Jake find out Jeremiah's new plans for the Second Chance Church, it takes a lot of work and courage to fix things and make it right between the two of them.

The Second Chance is a warm, heartfelt movie. It is a gripping call for Christians to live a life of faith in word and in deed. It's has an ending that is very uplifting, dramatic and encouraging.

Bible Study

"Despondency"

David begins this psalm in discouragement, feeling miserable. We have often asked God the very same question, “How long, Lord?” Even believers have felt neglected or forgotten by God. When this happens, we often fall into deep despair. But God did not forget David; He did not hide His face from him either, but David felt like He had. Sometimes we can create our own reality from our strong feelings of abandonment.

David felt like God had forgotten him and was hiding from him; but this was according to David’s feelings, not according to fact. We can’t always trust our feelings and should never accept the reality of feelings as real.

David is looking for deliverance from his anguish. It’s normal to be discouraged. As acceptance takes place, sorrow subsides, giving way to joy

again. Sometimes, however, depression can lead to hopelessness instead of acceptance. That’s despondence… perpetual, downwardspiraling hopelessness. Like most of us at times, the psalmist feels down. It is that age-old “nobody seems to care” syndrome.

of looking to the Lord. The more we think about the problem, the more depressed we get. When we try to work things out in our own flesh, what happens? Exactly what happened to David: Sorrow, strain, frustration, and worry became his constant

I’m convinced it is these mutual feelings that cause us to be drawn to the psalms on our blue days. We often see ourselves in David’s psalms, in his deepest lows and his highest highs.

Our biggest problem is when we take counsel in our own souls, to look inside ourselves instead

companions. When will we ever learn to leave our burdens with the Lord and let Him work out the details? When we pray about our situation, we get release, then peace comes. We transfer the weight from us to our Lord. God tells us to cast our burdens upon Him. 1

Peter 5:7 tells us, “Cast all your anxieties on

Him, because He cares for you.” God is honored when we persistently and desperately cry out to Him. And He often waits until our prayers are desperate before He answers us. It all comes down to God’s perfect timing, and our need for the fruits of the Spirit, especially patience, faith and self-control. Without the Holy Spirit working in our lives developing these characteristics in us, we will struggle. We need the light of God to shine upon us and to give us His wisdom and knowledge. In Ephesians 1:17-19, the apostle Paul says, “That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the

saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power.”

As he talks to the Lord about his complaints, David seems to recollect and redirect them. Instead of viewing the Lord as being removed and unconcerned, David requests that He “consider and answer” him. David calls the Lord in verse 3 – “my God,” showing the distance is now gone in David’s mind. Also, instead of the despondence and distress that had become David’s heart attitude due to his attempts to work things out, he now asks the Lord to “enlighten my eyes,” meaning, “to cause to shine.” David’s countenance had lost its “shine.” His face, and especially his eyes, had

become hard, flat, and dull. He longed for God’s brightness to reflect itself once again from his eyes. When we don’t see an end to our trial, it seems as if we will faint. If we are not enlightened by God, we will fall asleep, and often, spiritual sleep leads to spiritual death.

After his prayer, David came to a place of confidence and trust. Why? Because David had changed. God had “dealt bountifully” with him. We must recognize that God uses trials to transform us, not our surroundings. God wishes to train us, to mold us. He uses the distressing circumstances to benefit us rather than destroy us. He deals bountifully with us … deep within where no one else can see or touch.

The apostle Paul

came to realize from his “thorn in the flesh” as he wrote in 2 Corinthians 12:9 that weakness is not a symptom of a terminal disease. It is simply tangible proof of our humanity; it is the platform upon which God does some of His most magnificent work. If the daily grind of despondency has begun to drag you under, let me encourage you to get better acquainted with this unique song of new hope. David realized that he could always trust in God’s mercy. And he told his heart to get busy rejoicing in the salvation God gave him. He moved from feeling abandoned by God and being depressed to singing for joy. Scriptures tells us over and over again that God still loves us and will be faithful to us, no matter

what we are feeling. This confirmation can be not only a comfort to your soul, but it will lift you off your face and put you back on your feet.

“Oh Lord, how long will you forget me? Forever? How long will you look the other way?

How long must I struggle with anguish in my soul, with sorrow in my heart every day? How long will my enemy have the upper hand? Turn and answer me, O Lord my God! Restore the sparkle to my eyes, or I will die. Don’t let my enemies gloat, saying, “We have defeated him!” Don’t let them rejoice at my downfall.

But I trust in your unfailing love. I will rejoice because you have rescued me. I will sing to the Lord because He is good to me.”

(Psalm 13:1-6)

Poetry

Our Father is in our midst! How beautiful the sound of His voice As He dances with shouts of joy; It's too great for words to express. With hearts and voices lifted high His presence illuminates this place; We become a new creation in Christ; It's time to sing and dance!

He comes to me for the last dance, And holds me close to Him, In His arms He embraces me tenderly With boundless and unquenchable affection.

His love is so unfathomable, It transcends human understanding; He knows my every heartbeat; His care is deep and abiding.

Poetry

The dance is now nearly over, The music is almost done, And still He holds my hand, Never wanting me to feel alone.

He leads me to His eternal Kingdom Where my robe of white is waiting; I am filled with immeasurable joy; A great feast of celebration is ready!

Our Savior is running to greet you! Know Him on a deeper level; Enjoy the richness of everything He is; As He morphs you into something beautiful!

(Psalm 30:11)

“You have turned for me my mourning into dancing; You have loosed my sackcloth and girded me with gladness.”

Lives in Me

I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.

Galatians 2:20