The words were simple and beautiful, nothing extraordinary in one sense, just part of casual conversation after our Worship Gathering:  'Thank you for the message...you make me think'.  But that brief encounter, those words of appreciation would encourage me in ways that the one speaking them could never imagine.  Just a few moments later came another expression of appreciation:  'I felt you were speaking to me' and a second comment: 'you speak from your heart'.  Again, my spirits were lifted.

Ask any pastor and they will tell you, it's hard work to prepare and deliver a message week after week. Sometimes pastors feel they haven't prepared enough, they didn't speak as well as they would like or the message didn't connect as they had hoped.  Words of appreciation, words that affirm and build up can carry a pastor through the coming week.  I have been blessed to pastor a congregation that has done that for me.

Most of us can recall similar conversations, similar encounters that have brought a smile to our faces and joy to our hearts.  We are all like little children whose faces light up when they hear words that bless and encourage and inspire them.

It is one of the simplest, most straight-forward commands in the New Testament:  encourage one another (1 Thessalonians 4:18; Hebrews 13:3) -- encourage one another, be of one mind, live in peace                  (2 Corinthians 13:11) -- encourage one another and build each other up (1 Thessalonians 5:11).  The word encourage means to urge forward, to persuade and carries the idea coming alongside, to advocate and comfort.  In all that we are called to be as Christians, we can be encouragers; in all that we are called to do as a church, we can encourage one another.

But, we live in a world where it has become easier to discourage and tear down rather than encourage and build up; complaint and expressions of dissatisfaction are so very commonplace in our day.  We can easily become critical, we can easily default to a place of entitlement and fail to express appreciation, common courtesy and words that bless and edify another.

I write these words a simple reminder to myself to always be seeking to speak words of encouragement, to do acts of kindness, to bless and build up and to avoid careless, insensitive words or an attitude of indifference.  Every day we have the opportunity to bless those in our sphere of influence, those who cross our paths.  We called to build up one another, to carry one another's burdens, to pray for another, to rejoice with those who are rejoicing and to weep with those who weep (Romans 12:15).

Therefore, my friends at Valley,  encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.  (1 Thessalonians 5:11)

The following is a poem written by a friend of mine, David Thwaites.  David and I served together on the leadership team at Covenant Community Church in Orangeville.  During my time there I connected with David's son Bryan; a teenager at the time who has spend the better part of his teenage years and now his entire adult life battling addiction, mental health issues and the abuse of living on the streets.

In David's words, I hope this poem...gives you pause the next time you see a homeless person, not because this guilts you but because you have the potential to be the person who makes a difference in that person's life.  Thanks for reading.

For many today was just another day in September, just an ordinary Wednesday, but for hockey fans across our country, indeed around the world this day has been marked on the calendar since it was announced in May that Humboldt Broncos would ice a team for the upcoming season.  This evening the Broncos played their home opener. 

The game was given national coverage and like many fans across the country, I watched the game, the pre-game show and the moving banner ceremony at the end of the game, as all 29 team members aboard the bus that crashed on April 6th were remembered / honored -- the 16 who perished in the crash -- 10 players, their head coach, assistant coach, team trainer, team statistician, play-by-play radio announcer and bus driver -- and the 13 players who survived the crash; two who played in the game.

There were several images through the broadcast that were moving and inspirational; the broadcast crew at TSN did a wonderful job of maintaining a professionalism and sensitivity that recognized the heaviness of the grief that is still so very raw and yet celebrated the courage and perseverance of the Humboldt community; especially those most closely impacted by the tragedy.   The strength we find in community was inspirational. If you missed this tribute you can find it on the following link:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QaWxFmfO0pE

In a day and age when our Christian faith is often minimalized or even mocked in the media, there was an undeniable Godly presence in this gathering.  The team chaplain, Pastor Sean Brandow, spoke compassionately about the love of Jesus Christ and the strength and hope we find in Him -- this is the message that men like Sean and our friend Don Richmond bring to the rink as they faithfully represent our Lord in arenas across our country. 

The moment that was most meaningful to me as I watched was the unfolding of the banners during the post-game ceremony, beginning with the names of the 16 who had perished.  What was most striking was the dates of birth at the bottom of the banner; so many that were so young.  It was a somber reminder of the frailty of life -- alive with a bright future in one moment and gone the next.  Yet on those same banners, at the very top, was a symbol of hope -- the cross.

The cross still stands today as a symbol of hope for a hurting world; for all who grieve; for all who seek to make sense of the senseless tragedies we experience far too often.  There is a certain strength we find in each other and we do well to lean into community in times of loss.  But where do you turn when human resources have been exhausted and a profound sense of heaviness and hopelessness still hovers like a dark cloud?  For we who walk by faith, we have One who is our refuge and strength.  (Psalm 46:1)

The takeaway for me in all of this, as we face the challenges and uncertainties of living in a world where tragedies and hardships and injustices abound; the message is very simple and yet incredibly powerful:   look to the cross!

And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.  (Hebrews 12:1-3)

The words, the prayer of the psalmist are simple and yet so incredibly wise, teach me, Lord according to the truth of Your Word, that I may follow Your Word and Your ways all the days of my life.  I suspect his prayer is also the prayer of every sincere Christian as we recognize our need to lean upon and rely on the wisdom we find in the Bible.

We understand the Bible is unlike any other book; that it is the very Word of God, given to show us how to live.  The Bible says of itself:  All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.  (2 Timothy 2:16-17)  We understand the place it must have in our lives if we are to stay on the path of faith all the way to the end.  We know, something with in us tells us, His Word is true; that when we embrace it, it has the power to change and direct our lives.  Jesus prayed to the Father for His followers: Sanctify them by the truth...and then declared, Your word is truth.  (John 17:17)  Many of us can quote the words of Psalm 119:105, Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path. 

I do not have to convince any of you of the importance of reading following the Holy Scriptures.  Paul would write to Timothy:  Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.  (2 Timothy 2:15 - NKJV)  'Be diligent', the KJV translates it 'study' and the NIV uses the phrase 'do your best' -- there is a part that we must play in the building up of our faith; when we pray 'teach me, Lord' we are also committing ourselves to be diligent in reading and studying the Word of God; to be life-long learners.

Sometimes we settle for our 'daily devotions', the reading of a verse or text, and that is well and good.  But we need to be in the word, to regularly be reading large portions of it; to always be seeking to understand the story line of the Bible.  And the Bible does have a story to tell--it's the story of a Creator and His creation; of a King and His kingdom.  There is an amazing unity and continuity to the story of the Scriptures and we would do well to understand how the Bible fits together.

To that end, I want to encourage all of you to invest one hour a week of your time for five weeks this fall, to participate in our Small Group study 'Understanding the Story -- An Overview of the Bible'.  During this course we will identify the major events, people and places in the Story and develop a Biblical Timeline that will help you understand the chronology of the Bible.  You will identify the 11 books that give the chronological story line of the Old Testament and have a better understanding of how the other 28 books in the Old Testament align with the storyline. You will also identify the two books you can read to understand the history of the New Testament, so that in reading just 13 of the 66 books, you can better understand the flow of the history of the Bible. You will also be given the major themes of both the Old and New Testaments and other tools for studying the Scriptures on your own.

At the end of the five weeks, Small Group opportunities will be scheduled for the remainder of the Fall season. I am going to call you once again to invest one hour of your week, to the development of your faith; an hour that just might be life-changing!