Good morning!  I’m back. Oasis was another incredible experience and it was a joy to be part of it.  Please pray for the kids we ministered to that the idea of celebrating God’s goodness would be more than a camp slogan but something that helps them move forward.
 
 
Wonderful Wednesdays in Prayer @ 7:30 PM
Come join your fellow believers in praying biblical prayers for one another, for our neighbors, and for the City of Guelph.  Patrick Thornton is hosting prayer at GBC every Wednesday at 7:30 PM and using Paul’s prayers as a guide for prayer. 
Don’t miss out on the privilege of calling upon our Heavenly Father together! 
 
 
Oasis Recap
I could say a lot about Oasis Camp. It was, as always, an amazing time and for me it was, well, an oasis.   Particularly sweet was the number of GBC kids at the camp, our most in many years.  I liked this because it gave me an opportunity to get to know them better and deepen our relationship.  Praise God for all he is doing!
If you missed ‘Oasis Sunday’ I’d encourage you to watch in on demand on our YouTube channel. It was a pretty special service.
If you’d like to see what happened, watch the recap of the week you can find here on our YouTube channel as well:
(74) Oasis 2022 - Monumental - YouTube
 
 
Summer thoughts to keep you on the journey: Answering the ‘why?’ question
You’ve likely heard this all before, you may even be tired of it by now. So please take this as a gentle reminder for those who may still be asking the ‘why?” question these days.  This is not just about the war in Ukraine, inflation or our government’s choices.  There is much uncertainty these days and its natural to ask ‘why’?  That’s a healthy thing to do in changing times like these but when this leads to more questions there are a couple of things we can remember as we go through tough times: 
First off, remember WHOSE you are. Ephesians 2:10 says we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. So, God isn’t surprised by what’s going on, He’s still in charge and He’s working things out for His glory.  As much as it’s nice to know we have purpose, our main purpose is not what we do but who we are in Jesus.  Times of testing show this to ourselves and the world around us, it’s part of our witness.
As we deal with the inevitable and very real ‘why?’ questions it’s good to remember that a disappointment can be God’s appointment based on what you do with it. He that is in us is greater than he that is in the world (1 John 4:4), He’s working things out.  Those classic words of Proverbs 3:5-6 come to mind: trust in the Lord with all your heart, lean not on your own understanding, in everything you do remember He is the King of Kings and He’ll make your path straight.  Not easy, but straight, and it’ll lead you to a finish line where once crossed there are no more ‘why’ questions. Hope that helps!
 
In His grip,
Pastor Chris

​Good morning! I hope you’re making this a great week!  Oasis is next week and I’m pretty excited. This is always one of my favorite weeks of the year and an oasis for me too, not just the kids.
 
 
No Updates Next Week
As mentioned above, I (and LOTS of others) will be engaged in Oasis Camp next week so I will not be sending out any updates during it. Do remember to pray for the camp, the nearly 80 campers we have coming, the leaders and that the light of the gospel and our theme of ‘celebrating the goodness of God’ would ring out loud and clear.
 
 
Celebration of Life for Paige Newton
All who knew Paige Newton are invited to a celebration of life for her on Saturday July 30th from 11am to 2pm at the Wellington County Museum. This will be more of an open house format so come and go as you’re able as we continue to seek to support her family through this difficult time.
 
 
Join us on Sunday in-person or on our livestream as we continue our summer series “Hear my prayer, Lord”: Great prayers of the Bible
Sunday we continue our summer series “Hear my prayer, Lord”: Great prayers of the Bible.    What do we mean by great prayers and what do they look like?  Find out this summer!
This Sunday I will be looking at the prayer of King Hezekiah when he was under incredible stress.  What was happening and how did he turn to the Lord to strengthen his faith?  Find out on Sunday!
Remember, you can join us as we gather in-person or you can connect through our website www.guelphbiblechapel.ca  our YouTube channel as well as Facebook LIVE.
 
 
Summer thoughts to keep you on the journey: Feeling confused these days?  Focus on the Lord
I know, its summertime, we want to relax, take it easy, not think too deep. But let’s be honest, these are confusing times, aren’t they?  Things just don’t look like they used to and more and more it seems like that’s not going to change.  We finally get out of Covid (which really isn’t gone) then there’s a war and inflation and so many other things going on. It creates a lot of confusion.  Let’s remember though who wants to amplify confusion.  Our enemy, the devil, is the author of confusion. He is a deceiver who seeks to bring confusion and lead many astray. He’s a liar and works hard to make us doubt God’s truth. From the beginning of time, he has lied and twisted God’s word to bring doubt and disbelief.  The Bible tells us he seeks to lead the whole world astray.  Jesus told us “…there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.”
How do we overcome the confusion the devil would seek to sow in our lives?
James 4 tells us: “Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” 
The key to dealing with confusion in these confusing days is not to get caught up in media hype or social media musings but be submitted to God and stay connected to the Bible which is ‘sharper than a double-edged sword’ and will not only never lead us astray but will also help us cut through the fog of confusion.
 
In His grip,
Pastor Chris

​Good morning!  It’s been nice to get some relief from the extreme heat and humidity of late. What a beautiful morning, a gift from the Lord!
 
 
Prayer time for Oasis Wednesday @ 7:30 PM
Come join us in praying for Oasis Camp which starts on Monday. This is a major outreach for GBC and we want to let our light shine. Oasis leaders and helpers are encouraged to come out as are  those who would like to pray for this ministry.  The theme for the year is ‘Monumental: Celebrating God’s greatness’.  We’ll meet in the Side Auditorium and bring this before the Lord starting at 7:30pm on Wednesday
 
 
Ladies Night out to celebrate the end of Karen Fangrad’s chemo
Ladies, join with other GBC ladies Thursday night July 28 at 7:00pm as we celebrate the end of Karen Fangrad’s Chemo treatments. Bring snacks to share, you can bring games too or just hang out and talk as we meet in the Side Auditorium.
 
 
Summer thoughts to keep you on the journey: Faith that Works
What does it mean to live a faith that works?  It means a faith that is effective for the times we’re in but also one we do something with.   Our salvation in Jesus Christ is a gift and so is the new life he gives us.  With this in mind, what can we remember to help  us let our lights shine?
I could do a whole series of thoughts on this (maybe I will in the fall!) but for now, here are a few things that help us to achieve practical holiness and spiritual maturity.  First key is to remember God seeks to touch our consciences and stir our souls to action through the Holy Spirit.
So…STAND with confidence…remember, he who is in your is greater than he who is in world
SERVE with compassion...be engaged with the world around you; pray and look for opportunities
SPEAK with care...watch what you say in terms of content and audience
SUBMIT with contrition…humble yourself before God and HE will lift you up
SHARE with concern…your time and treasure then forgive as God has forgiven us
And most of all pray. Then, when you face trials of all kinds you can consider it pure joy and experience the blessings and crown of life that come with a life living a faith that works.
 
In His grip,
Pastor Chris

​Good morning!  I hope you’re making this a great week!  With many people finally travelling this summer for a variety of reasons I thought for the remainder of the summer I’d share some thoughts on how to stay ‘on the journey’ of faith with God. I hope they are an encouragement and challenge.
 
 
Celebration of Life for Paige Newton
All who knew Paige Newton are invited to a celebration of life for her on Saturday July 30th from 11am to 2pm at the Wellington County Museum. This will be more of an open house format so come and go as you’re able as we continue to seek to support her family through this difficult time.
 
 
Join us on Sunday in-person or on our livestream as we continue our summer series “Hear my prayer, Lord”: Great prayers of the Bible
Sunday we continue our summer series “Hear my prayer, Lord”: Great prayers of the Bible.    What do we mean by great prayers and what do they look like?  Find out this summer!
This Sunday Jacob is continuing our study and will be continuing his look at the Lord’s Prayer.
Remember, you can join us as we gather in-person or you can connect through our website www.guelphbiblechapel.ca  our YouTube channel as well as Facebook LIVE.
 
 
Summer thoughts to keep you on the journey: Trust God!
I’ve been speaking to a number of people who are struggling with trusting God lately. With everything going on in our country, rising inflation and interest rates, fear of another series of Covid restrictions, the war in Ukraine and NOW a heatwave too, things have been turned upside down.  So, this is not a surprise in many ways.
How, then, do we trust God?  Solomon, one of the wisest men to ever walk the earth told us to do it like this: “trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him and he will make your paths straight.” (Prov.3:5-6)  Notice what he doesn’t say here? He doesn’t say it’ll be easy, we’ll get our own way or even that we’ll have all our questions answered but rather IF we trust him, take the leap of faith, He’ll be with us every step of the way.  As the saying goes, He never promised us a smooth flight, just a safe landing.
 
God will catch us when we fall, and He’ll help us soar on wings like eagles (Isaiah 40:31) when we take the leap of faith.  It may not look in the end the way you envision, hope for or even need, but he will.  So, the question then is: are you ready to leap into your Heavenly Father’s outstretched arms? He’s waiting and He WILL catch you.  Trust God.
 
In His grip,
Pastor Chris

​Good morning!  It was quite the weekend with Oasis training and prep for camp. See Krista’s note below. It really is great to see how we as a church rally in times like this. You often hear me talk about letting our lights shine, this is what I mean!
 
 
Ladies Night out to celebrate the end of Karen Fangrad’s chemo
Ladies, join with other GBC ladies Thursday night July 28 at 7:00pm as we celebrate the end of Karen Fangrad’s Chemo treatments. Bring snacks to share, you can bring games too or just hang out and talk as we meet in the Side Auditorium.
 
 
Thanks to those who helped with the Oasis Craft Party
This message was shared with me by our ‘Craft Queen; Krista Schito:
“Thank you everyone who helped cut, sort, count, assemble, measure, fold, and package the craft supplies in preparation for Oasis camp!  And thank you to those who took things home to work on, helped with problem-solving and those who prayed for our preparations.  It’s amazing to see the MONUMENTAL amount of work that got done in a few hours!  What a great team!  It was a huge success!! I’m hopeful that the crafts prepared will be lots of fun for the kids during camp week, and also help them remember the Bible lessons they learn each day.  Thank you everyone for making it all possible!!”  
Krista
 
 
Wonderful Wednesdays in Prayer @ 7:30 PM
Come join your fellow believers in praying biblical prayers for one another, for our neighbors, and for the City of Guelph.  Patrick Thornton is hosting prayer at GBC every Wednesday at 7:30 PM and using Paul’s prayers as a guide for prayer. 
Don’t miss out on the privilege of calling upon our Heavenly Father together! 
 
 
Thought for the day: Steps Towards a Mature Prayer Life- Pray Believing
This has been quite the journey the past few weeks as we’ve looked at moving towards a more mature prayer life. I hope this has been as challenging for you as it has been for me!  So, here’s the last thought- when you pray, pray BELIEVING.  What do I mean?
To pray believing means to believe in God and that He will work all things out for good. Even if he didn’t answer your prayers, He knows what’s best and we don’t always understand God’s timing.
We can all learn from the man whose son was possessed with demons and when Jesus told him, “Everything is possible for one who believes.” He immediately responded with, ”I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief” (Mark 9:23-25). We too can ask Jesus to help us with our belief.
The man who asked for help with his unbelief is an example to us of how we need to be humble and ask Jesus to help our own unbelief. Ask Jesus to help your heart to believe in Him. When you pray, remember who you are praying to and say out loud, “I believe in you, Jesus.”  I hope this will help you experience deeper, richer, prayer this summer and beyond. 
 
In His grip,
Pastor Chris

​Good afternoon! I hope you’re making this a great week. We had an excellent session on listening prayer last night. Thanks Patrick for organizing it.  Want to grow in your own prayer life? Check out the thoughts below.
 
 
Attention Sewers: Oasis Craft help needed this Saturday!
As I mentioned in Tuesday’s update, we need help this Saturday from those who are able to sew to help get ready for Oasis.
As part of our craft prep party for Oasis, we need sewers to bring your sewing machines and fabric scissors.  If you have ironing boards and irons that would be great too.  You will be assisting in the sewing of a bandana for each of the kids to tie dye on the Monday afternoon, during camp week.  We hope it will help them remember the Joseph story that they will learn that morning. 
The craft party starts at 1pm but if you want to come early there will be pizza at noon and will go to 3pm (or as long as you can stay!). If you’d like to help with sewing but can’t make it Saturday, please connect with Krista Schito, our camp craft leader.
Also, don’t forget, if you can’t sew, but would like to help out, there’s work for you too. We’d love to have you out!
 
 
Join us on Sunday in-person or on our livestream as we continue our summer series “Hear my prayer, Lord”: Great prayers of the Bible
Sunday we continue our summer series “Hear my prayer, Lord”: Great prayers of the Bible.    What do we mean by great prayers and what do they look like?  Find out this summer!
This Sunday Patrick is continuing our study and will look at another great prayer of the Bible and what makes it so.
Remember, you can join us as we gather in-person or you can connect through our website www.guelphbiblechapel.ca  our YouTube channel as well as Facebook LIVE.
 
 
Thought for the day: Steps Towards a Mature Prayer Life- Pray Without Ceasing
Prayer is not just for a special time of day, Sunday morning, or a prayer gathering.  In 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 it says, “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” God calls us to pray without ceasing. As followers of Jesus, we should be praying all throughout our day.
While this Scripture may seem impossible to achieve think about it like this: you are creating a lifestyle of prayer. You can pray no matter where you are, at work, school, in the car, the library, and so on. If you are out in public, you can pray in your heart. God still hears the prayers you say in your heart.
This does not mean you should stop setting aside time to pray each day, but rather to pray throughout the day including your prayer time. The more we pray, the more we realize how great God is and how we need Him to be with us every second of our lives.  The early church father Augustine wrote this:  Whether we realize it or not, prayer is the encounter of God’s thirst with ours. God thirsts that we may thirst for him.
I think this is appropriate being in summer since often the heat causes us to thirst.  Does our ‘heat’ for God cause us to thirst?  Satisfy that longing, regardless of what is going on, through prayer.
 
In His grip,
Pastor Chris

Good afternoon.  I created some confusion Sunday (more than usual anyways!) when I kept mentioning Jacob continuing on with his look at the Lord’s Prayer Sunday.  It’s actually Patrick speaking this Sunday, not Jacob. He’s up on the 25th.
I’m always glad, at times like this, when I’m confused that God isn’t. He knows exactly what He’s doing and is working out His plan. May we all rest in this truth!
 
 
Join us Wednesday for a night of Listening Prayer
“Listening Prayer, Wednesday, July 13 at 7:30 pm!  Jake DeBruyn is one of the leaders at New Life Christian Reformed Church in Guelph and will lead us in a session of “Listening Prayer”.   What is Listening Prayer?  The basic concept is that if we practice some “listening prayer” before we start praying about something, then we can get a sense of how God wants us to pray (Rom. 8:26).  Then, being lined up with God we can pray with greater confidence.  Bring a pen, paper, and a Bible.  We will also ensure that there is time to pray for specific requests you may have.”
 
 
Attention Sewers: Oasis Craft help needed this Saturday!
If you can sew a straight line or use an iron, we have a big job and would love your help to make it possible!  This Saturday, as part of our craft prep party for Oasis, we need sewers to bring your sewing machines and fabric scissors.  If you have ironing boards and irons that would be great too.  You will be assisting in the sewing of a bandana for each of the kids to tie dye on the Monday afternoon, during camp week.  We hope it will help them remember the Joseph story that they will learn that morning. 
The craft party starts at 1pm but if you want to come early there will be pizza at noon and will go to 3pm (or as long as you can stay!).
If you have questions, please contact Krista Schito, our camp craft leader, or myself.
It’s going to be a party!
 
  
Thought for the day: Steps Towards a Mature Prayer Life- Pray with Others
I’m back with some more thoughts on building a mature prayer life.  Here’s another way to strengthen your prayer life- pray with other people. This is one of the things I think we lost during Covid, that chance to come together, IN PERSON, with fellow brothers and sisters in the Lord and seek God in prayer.
It’s a lost skill we should try to recover.  So then, what can you pray about? I’m glad you asked!
To create unity
To help build community
To help you focus
To grow as a group
You can learn from other people’s insight
You are inviting God into your group
Opportunity to see God answer prayers together
The most important reason to pray together is God is with us when we do. Matthew 18:20 says, “For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.” God is with us when we pray in a group.
We are able to learn from others and their insight when we pray in a group and it helps to encourage us and build our faith. Praying alongside other believers helps us to stay focused and allows God to move and work in a group of people. The great Victorian Charles Spurgeon said this:  True prayer is neither a mere mental exercise nor a vocal performance. It is far deeper than that. It is a spiritual transaction with the creator of Heaven and Earth.
What a powerful statement!  So, why don’t you come out on Wednesday night here at GBC for our evening of listening prayer and experience praying together.
 
In His grip,
Pastor Chris

​Good morning. I hope you’re making this a great week! Today’s devotion is a bit longer but has some thoughts I wanted to explore a bit on using the Bible in prayer.  I’ve found them useful myself over the years. I hope you do too!
 
 
 Join us on Sunday in-person or on our livestream as we continue our summer series “Hear my prayer, Lord”: Great prayers of the Bible
Sunday we continue our summer series “Hear my prayer, Lord”: Great prayers of the Bible.    What do we mean by great prayers and what do they look like?  Find out this summer!
This Sunday I will be looking at one of the prayers of Elijah.  What did he mean when he prayed “Lord, answer me?”  Find out Sunday.
Remember, you can join us as we gather in-person or you can connect through our website www.guelphbiblechapel.ca  our YouTube channel as well as Facebook LIVE.
 
 
Thought for the day: Steps Towards a Mature Prayer Life-pray and memorize Scripture
Last time we looked at praying for others and that makes sense intuitively, I think.  Let’s change gears a bit.  To have a maturing prayer life, how about praying the scriptures?  When you pray scripture, you are speaking the Word of God back to Him. You are declaring His Word’s of truth. Three reasons we should pray the Bible is because Jesus did, the Word of God is completely truthful, and it brings honor to God when we do.
Let’s look deeper:
While on earth, Jesus prayed scriptures. One example on is found in Matthew 27:46 when Jesus was hanging from the cross, he cried out, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” This exact same prayer is found in Psalm 22. We can learn from Jesus praying from scripture and bring it into our own prayer time.
Secondly, the Word of God is true. When we pray the Bible, we can know what we are praying is completely truthful since it comes from God.
Lastly, when we pray from the scriptures we are bringing honor and glory to God. We are telling God we believe the Bible and will speak out His words that are filled with truth. Praying from the Bible is one way we can give God the honor He deserves. The Word of God is powerful and we can speak His words in truth during our prayer time.
We read in the Bible: For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.(Heb. 4:12)
Got that, amazing!  Let’s take it up a level.  How about trying to memorize scripture passages?
We do this in Kid’s Church, we do it in Oasis. Most agree its important for children. Okay, how about for we adults?  We memorize scripture because it’s God Word and we want to bring His truth into our hearts. Once we have memorized passages of the Bible, we can pray it and have it hidden in our prayers (and hearts too!).
One practical reason to memorize scripture is that you can pray passages from the Bible without having a Bible with you. You are able to pray effectively wherever you are. Memorizing scripture is another way to honor God and then you can pray verses of the Bible when you don’t have access to one.  That leads to powerful prayer!
 
In His grip,
Pastor Chris

​Good morning!  Thanks again everyone for your prayers for Rebekah. As you likely found out if you’re on the prayer chain, she was able to get in for her second procedure first thing Monday and it went very well. She’s feeling much better and is now preparing for her exam on Wednesday (so if you can pray for that, I’d appreciate it too!).  Its so great to be part of a church family that prays for each other!  That’s one of the MANY things I love about GBC.
 
 
Wonderful Wednesdays in Prayer @ 7:30 PM
Come join your fellow believers in praying biblical prayers for one another, for our neighbors, and for the City of Guelph.  Patrick Thornton is hosting prayer at GBC every Wednesday at 7:30 PM and using Paul’s prayers as a guide for prayer. 
Don’t miss out on the privilege of calling upon our Heavenly Father together! 
 
 
Thought for the day: Steps Towards a Mature Prayer Life- Pray for Others
When you pray for others, you are taking your eyes off yourself and focusing on others who need God to enter into their lives and situations. Praying for others also allows you to intercede on behalf of another person.
Not sure where to start? Here are some ideas:
Pray for your family members
Pray for your friends
Pray for our city and the challenges it faces
Pray for an unreached people group
Pray for the persecuted church
Pray for hardships you have seen on the news
Pray through the directory and for the ministries of our church!
It really is a privilege to pray on behalf of other people and bring their needs before God. This helps us to stop focusing on ourselves but to focus on our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ and for people who do not yet know Him.
Paul wrote this to Timothy: First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people…(1 Timothy 2:1)
Got that! Makes sense, right?  Well then, lets get to prayer.
 
In His grip,
Pastor Chris

​Good afternoon. I hope you’re making this a great week.  Its hard to believe Canada Day is tomorrow.  I would encourage you to pray for our nation during the holiday weekend and beyond. We face many challenges these days is so many different ways as a church, people and country. We need the Lord’s hand on us in the days ahead. Let’s pray for this.
  
 
Join us on Sunday in-person or on our livestream as we start our new summer series “Hear my prayer, Lord”: Great prayers of the Bible
Sunday we start our new summer series “Hear my prayer, Lord”: Great prayers of the Bible. 
As I mentioned on Sunday, we are going to be looking at prayer this summer.  What do we mean by great prayers and what do they look like?  Find out this summer!
Jacob will be kicking things off as he looks at the Lord’s Prayer.  Join us Sunday as we look at what is more rightly called ‘the disciple’s prayer’.
Remember, you can join us as we gather in-person or you can connect through our website www.guelphbiblechapel.ca  our YouTube channel as well as Facebook LIVE
 
 
Thought for the day: Steps Towards a Mature Prayer Life- Ask for Forgiveness
Today’s thought is a bit shorter than the others but still very important.  A key element when praying is to seek forgiveness for your sins. This is not a popular topic in society and even increasingly within the church. But here’s the reality- we have all fallen short of God’s glory and sinned. When we speak out our sins and ask Him to cleanse us, we are admitting what we did wrong and that we need His mercy.
Another aspect of forgiveness talked about in the Bible is speaking your sin to a fellow brother or sister in Christ, James 5:16 says, “Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.”
Along with confessing your sin to God, speak your sins to a mentor, leader in the church, or a friend who is a strong believer. When we confess our sins to one another, we are weakening sins hold on that area of our life. Confess your sins to God and to a fellow believer so that you may be healed and your prayers can be powerful!
I think of John’s words to the early church in times like this: If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
(1 John 1:9).  Confess and watch your prayers grow. Happy Canada Day!
 
In His grip,
Pastor Chris