This Sunday will, Lord willing, be another highlight reel in the life of Grace Fellowship Church. We are having a baptism service in the evening where three will publicly proclaim their faith in the Lord by following Him into the waters of baptism. Baptisms are always wonderful, but this one is a little more special as I am scheduled to baptize my mom.
It is one of the great privileges of my ministry to have much of my family a part of our church. What is an absolute delight for me is to watch the Lord work in their hearts independent of me – it is a joy that is hard to explain.
Anyway, please pray for my mom and Tom and Peter who will all give testimony to the Lord’s saving work in their lives, then be baptized at the local pool. We will meet at Timothy Christian School for the first part of our service then make the one block pilgrimage to the pool. (I love baptisms in the pool! It is about as public as you can get in snow-covered Toronto!! Speaking of which, I just looked outside and it is starting up again! Another couple of inches with freezing rain to add to the two feet on the ground!!)
After the baptisms, we will head back to TCS for time in the Word and a glorious season of praise to God in song. Pray that God will use the testimonies of the three and the preaching of His Word to bring even more souls to Himself!
The Lord continues to bless our church. We are undeserving.
Wonderful to hear about the baptisms, and within your family as well. It was refreshing to see you at the Conference in Toronto. I wanted to take some time to encourage you Paul.
ReplyDeleteFirstly, I think the recent (or maybe I have missed it of late) addition of sermon downloads linked directly to your site is very helpful. I had a chance to listen through 'Who is the Son? 1' and was challenged. In particular, your emphasis of Christ being the source of life was an interesting point to ponder. Also, there was a certain day a couple of weeks (or a month) back when I was reading through C.S. Lewis' thoughts on the nature of the Trinity. In particular he was discussing the difference between the terms 'begotten' and 'created'. I think this first sermon really captured some helpful thoughts concerning the relationship between the Father and the Son. It is so amazing to see duty and joy mixed perfectly in the life of Christ!
Secondly, I wanted to let you know I thank God for the way you interact with people (and I know merely the realm of TBS, Starbucks, and the 'disease'). Don't stop! I mean, I suppose it would be hard to stop since its sort of your job. But take heart, for I have really appreciated time spent in your company; it is a rejuvenating experience.
Finally, I hope the upcoming conference on musical worship is a wonderful time. Your passion in this area is infectious in wholesome ways, and has been used by God to reform my thoughts about intentionality in all aspects of life.
May God make you happy in himself!
your friend,
Todd
Todd,
ReplyDeleteYour thoughtful comment means a lot, brother. All the more since I completely messed up and thought you were having kids when you weren't. Sorry to The Lawton on that one, too!
Anyway, we miss you here in the city. Mostly, I miss having you in class - you asked great questions and made great observations.
Keep living for Jesus in the big Peterborough!
Wish we could have chatted more at TSLC...
Paul
Amen! What an uplifting post to read today! I pray that He will continue to grow you as a church not just in numbers but in depth too.
ReplyDeleteWhat a joy and time of celebration in Canada! This post blessed my heart. (and rejoicing over mom with you!)
Excited and rejoicing with you! Praise be to Him!