In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. (Genesis 1:1)

The story begins matter-of-factly, declaring the God of the Bible to be the Creator of all that there is. 

Our Statement of Faith at Valley affirms our belief in God as Creator:  We believe that God is the creator, upholder and governor of all things; that He is above all His works and in them all. 

We often worship God as Creator: 'This Is My Father's World', 'For the Beauty of the Earth', 'Praise to the Lord, the Almighty, the King of Creation' or 'O Lord, my God, when I in awesome wonder, consider all the worlds Thy hands have made...  We look around and something within us affirms the words of the Psalmist:  The heavens declare the glory of God. (Psalm 19:1)

Recently I had an experience that made this truth come alive for me.  I was flying from Penticton to Vancouver, enjoying the view after take-off.  As the plane ascended we passed through the clouds, (a very cool experience in itself), breaking free to the open skies.  The clouds were like a sea of white beneath and with the mountain tops breaking through, like little islands in that sea of clouds.  I could almost see the hand of God tracing the rugged shapes of mountain tops; our divine Artist adding a touch of snow to create majestic snow-capped peaks and adding a countless evergreens, climbing the sides of mountains and reaching toward the heavens.

As we descended, the coastal waters come into view.  With a bird's-eye perspective, I could see a winding river and waters gently breaking onto the shoreline.  I thought about God's words to Job:  Who shut up the sea behind doors when it burst forth from the womb, when I made the clouds its garment and wrapped it in thick darkness, when I fixed limits for it and set its doors and bars in place, when I said, 'This far you may come and no farther; here is where your proud waves halt'?  (Job 38:8-10)

For four chapters(  Job 38-4), God paints a beautiful picture of the wonder of His creation and reveals Himself not only as Creator, but as One who absolutely delights in His creation.  A God who finds joy in seeing a wild donkey run free, the beauty of an ostrich at full speed, the strength of an ox, a horse, a  hippopotamus or crocodile or the majesty of a hawk or eagle in flight.

All around us we see the Father's handiwork and when we stop to notice, it invokes in us the same sense of wonder and joy that our God experiences as He looks on His creation. 

On the return flight as the plane passed over the mountains the lake opened up before me, the sun glistening of it's waters.  On the side of mountain a herd of long-horned sheep grazed;  revealing the splendor of their Creator.  I thought to myself, only God could create something some beautiful.  To hold to the idea that such a scene just 'evolved' is absolutely absurd!  This is my Father's world and all of creation declares the Maker's praise.

The earth is the Lord's and everything in it.  (Psalm 24:1)

Great is the Lord, and most worthy of praise.  (Psalm 48:1)

Early in my journey of faith, as a 17 year-old, I was encouraged to find a ‘life verse’ from the Word of God.  As I was reading, one text resonated deeply with me, 1 Corinthians 15:58:  Stand firm. Let nothing move you.  Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain. 

I have often cycled back to this verse as means of recalibrating my heart and mind.  It has served to remind of the value of giving myself to the Lord’s work.  But recently I’ve been focusing on the first part of this verse, stand firm.  Let nothing move you; a truth that is becomes particularly relevant when we come to a hard place in our journey with the Lord. 

I think you would agree, we grow in the tough times, more so than when the path is easy.  The key to our growth, the key to standing firm is how we respond when we come to the hard places in our journey.  Discouragement, doubt, conflict, adversity,  loss, pain, suffering, as human beings living in a fallen world we are well acquainted with these realities.  How we respond to these kinds of things reveals what it is we hold in our hearts. 

Trials in this life will expose what’s in your heart. (John Bereve,The Bait of Satan) 

How we respond to adversity and discouragement, how we respond to the hard things that come into our lives reveals what it is we hold in our hearts, our deeply held convictions.  How we respond depends on what we believe.  Action is controlled by conviction; whatever is on the inside will show up on the outside sooner or later.  

When our lives are anchored in Christ, in His grace and mercy, and in the truth of God’s Word, we have some stability when the storm arises, when the path gets hard.  We become grounded, our roots go down deeply and we are then able to stand firm. 

The term “stand firm” refers to a soldier holding his post no matter what happens around him.  Let the enemy attack as he will, the soldier’s orders are clear, stand firm! This command was often repeated by the Apostle Paul:   

Stand firm in the faith.  (1 Corinthians 16:13) 

Take your stand against the devil’s schemes.  (Ephesians 6:11) 

Stand firm … with the belt of truth buckled around your waist.  (Ephesians 6:14) 

Stand firm in all the will of God.  (Colossians 4:12)

Stand firm and hold to the teachings we passed on to you.  (2 Thessalonians 2:15)

Why this repeated emphasis on standing firm? I think Paul had a healthy respect for the devil’s attempts to discourage and distract the children of God / the Church.  He knew that we would be tempted to leave our post  when the enemy advances / hard times come, so he repeats it again and again…Stand firm! 

John Bevere makes this observation:  Once you leave the place God has chosen for you, your root system begins to dwarf. 

We are rooted and grounded when we bear this intense love and trust in God.  No storm, no matter how intense, can ever move us.  This does not come by strong will or personality.  It is a gift of grace to all who place their confidence in God, throwing away the confidence of self.  But to give yourself in total abandonment you must know the One who holds your life.  

It all comes down to knowing Christ / being found in Him.  So my friends at Valley, if you do nothing else, stand firm!  In Christ we have at our disposal all we need to do just, to stand firm in our faith, to live a live that is pleasing to Him, that honors Him and blesses others.  Stand firm!  Hold on to Christ, and do not let go!

Is anyone else asking, 'where did the summer go'?

I knew the run from March to June would be more demanding and I was looking forward to a slower pace in July and August and some time off, which did happen, but the time from Canada Day to Labor Day certainly passed quickly!

As I think reflect on my summer experience, if was for me much like a roller-coaster ride; one that began with the privilege of sharing with the Barisoff family as they said 'goodbye' to Bill's mom and ended with another 'goodbye', our friend Guy Deschatelets.  In between there were several visits, too many visits, to the hospital to seek to encourage a lady in Palliative Care and to connect with some friends at Valley.

As I thought about these experiences, I was reminded again just how uncertain life can be.  I read Mitch Albom's 'The Time Keeper', a story abut the meaning of time and the cry of mankind for more time.  I am reminded of the truth of Scripture:  As no one has power over the wind to contain it, so no one has power over the time of their death.  (Ecclesiastes 8:8)  All of our days are indeed ordained by God (Psalm 139:16).  The words of the Psalmist echo in my heart:  Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.  (Psalm 90:12)

I am also reminded of the importance of having / nurturing our faith, so that we do not fade 'down the stretch'; so that we may journey with confidence through all our days here on earth and approach the finish line with a strong faith and the full assurance of the hope of heaven.  There is something within me that wants to call out to you, my friends at Valley, to stay faithful, to stay in community, to keep worshipping and serving and giving as along as God gives us health and strength, so that we might live well during our remaining days and finish well to the honor and glory of our Savior!

I have also been reflecting on the incredible blessing of 'doing life together'. We had the joy of sharing in Scott and Tiffany's wedding in Ontario.  I enjoyed the drive cross-country, although I wouldn't recommend making the 40+ hour trip in four days!  Thank you again, for the way you entered into our joy and for the many ways you blessed and encouraged Scott and Tiffany!

 It was wonderful to connect with family and friends at the wedding; all of the cousins, my sister's boys and brother's son were able to connect for the first time in years; we shared a dinner together at my mom's; we were able to connect with some good friends we had not seen in some time and I was able to reconnect with a friend and fellow Bruin fan; Mike was my best man at our wedding 32 years ago!

Beyond the joy of reconnecting with past friends we also shared life with you, our friends at Valley.  I've watch and celebrated as you have ministered and supported and cared for one another in recent weeks.  You have modelled what it is for the church to be the church to one another.  In all of this I am reminded again that there is nothing like the local church, when the local church is functioning the way Jesus dreamed it would!  The Church of Jesus Christ is the hope of the world!  And we get to be part of it!

Thank you for sharing the journey with us!