New Years Resolutions

New Years Resolutions

In my endavors and studies I am going to make an attempt to post my thoughts on my bible reading and prayer online in the morning for two purposes. This particular post was mostly written on Saturday however I ran out of time so I am posting it today.

The first being accountability, if I know that someone will be reading this everyday then they will see whether I have done my devotions or not. The second being to provide a blessing and encouragement to others.

The thought

I have been reading and studying for my Superchurch/Sunday School Class that I teach and my reading has brought me to a passage out of Acts 22: 6 - 15. The Bible says:

6 And it came to pass, that, as I made my journey, and was come nigh unto Damascus about noon, suddenly there shone from heaven a great light round about me.
7 And I fell unto the ground, and heard a voice saying unto me, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?
8 And I answered, Who art thou, Lord? And he said unto me, I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom thou persecutest.
9 And they that were with me saw indeed the light, and were afraid; but they heard not the voice of him that spake to me.
10 And I said, What shall I do, LORD? And the Lord said unto me, Arise, and go into Damascus; and there it shall be told thee of all things which are appointed for thee to do.
11 And when I could not see for the glory of that light, being led by the hand of them that were with me, I came into Damascus.
12 And one Ananias, a devout man according to the law, having a good report of all the Jews which dwelt there,
13 Came unto me, and stood, and said unto me, Brother Saul, receive thy sight. And the same hour I looked up upon him.
14 And he said, The God of our fathers hath chosen thee, that thou shouldest know his will, and see that Just One, and shouldest hear the voice of his mouth.
15 For thou shalt be his witness unto all men of what thou hast seen and heard.

Commitments

As we come upon this New Year many "commitments" are being made. Some folks make a resolution to lose 5 pounds every month because they feel guilty about all the Turkey they ate over the Christmas Season. Others who may smoke or drink to much alcohol may say to themselves that they are gonne resolve to cut down in the New Year. Still others who are church goers may resolve that they are going to be better people in the New Year.

The missing link

All these things are really great but where is the balance. You know as well as I that these resoltutions are not going to last five minutes in the New Year. So what is the missing piece from all this.

Road to Damascus

Saul was very committed to the Pharisees. He read all the right books and said all the right things. Unfortunately he persecuted and even put to death those who did not follow the same strict set of rules that he did. Then one day he was walking down the road to Damascus seeking out those that were trusting Christ as ther saviour. All of a sudden out of nowhere a light that was very bright blinded him. He was forced to stop as he could not find his way. Then a voice from heaven spoke to him and said Saul, why are you persecuting me. Saul being dumbfounded by the situation could not really provide an answer. The voice identifies himself as Jesus Christ the one whom he was persecuting. By this point his servants that were travelling with him were very scared as well. They could see a bright light but could not hear the voice that Saul heard and spoke to.

Road To Salvation

Saul was directed to go to Damascus and so he went. He arrived in Damascuc and was told by the Lord that a man named Ananias was to come and visit him. Ananias indeed did come and witness to him and Saul was already saved on the road to Damascus, as well in the Lords name Saul's sight was restored. However the story does not stop their. Saul then became Paul as a symbol of his new life in Christ. He was swiftly baptized and began to minister Christ himself.

New Life in Christ

Paul was delivered from his hateful and terrible ways. Not because he made a resolution to change himself, but because he trusted Christ and Christ himself did the work on Paul's heart. How much more is Christ able to work in your hearts and lives. If you're not saved today why wouldn't you call on the Lord to forgive and save you from your sins.

Christmas Day at the Klassen Home

Christmas day was filled with presents, great aromas and best of all the Christmas Program at our church. The morning began a little earlier than I would have liked as Patric woke up at 04:00 am. By 06:00am we were lucid enough to sit down and open presents. Patric, my oldest, was in a less than great frame of mind and as we were all sitting down decided he would attempt to leave the room. I called him and when that call went unheard I brought him into the room. His less than stellar mood, crying track inserted here, was quickly reversed when I reached down into his stocking and pulled out a brand new Thomas the tank engine!! Elijah loved the wrapping paper and boxes strewn about. Chelsea ended up getting a teapot with a mesh thing for loose teas that shes wanted for a couple of years along with an Electric Wok. She also made use of her early Christmas present our new digital camera. I received Risk 2 for PC, a book of sermons(preacher's name coming soon) and a collage made by my wonderful wifey.

The Christmas Program was the best by far as our Sunday evening superchurch teacher put together a wonderful clear presentation of the Gospel. Many people attended and we posted a new record attendance of 80 people!! My heart just leapt for joy when I saw all the people filing in through the doors. :)

We had a wonderful afternoon filled with Ham cooked in coke, Chelsea my wonderful wife knows how to cook things right, along with mashed potatoes, candied carrots, and two homemade pies for desert. We sat down in the evening and played a game of scrabble with Chelsea's Brothers, Colin and Ian.

All in all a wonderful Christmas!!! I am looking forward to next year when both the boys have a better understanding of what is going on!!!

Family Christmas

Well its been a productive weekend. This was my last weekend out at the farm and we had a great time. We had a great drive out, the roads were good and we were able to see some really good scenery thanks to the blanket of snow left behind by the past three days of snowfall. We enjoyed a large, homemade christmas dinner with all the trimmings and a chocolate elcair cake for desert. Then came present opening time for the kids. My Dad and Mom got the kids both new sets of shoes which is awesome. They also got them toy ATV's which was a real treat for them both.

After a little relaxation the men; My Dad, Aaron(my sister Nadine's Husband), and I all went outside to tool around with the snowmobile to see if we could get it running. There was sweat, there was tears, there was a lot of pulling on a tiny cord listening to a deadish sound comeing from the engine compartment. It was only after an earth shattering discovery that we were able to bring the beast that it was to glorious smoke churning life. So the question begs to be asked why was it that the machine was so unrepentantly not firing. The gas tank seemed a tad bit on the empty side....... : /

A great time was had by all whisked too and frow from field to field. I even had time to take my oldest son for a short ride of which he wasn't absolutely certain what he had just gone through(hes two and a half). Oh for the glory, oh for the freedom, oh for the overly soft snowdrifts with not quite enough incline to carry the machine to the top....... : / 30 minutes, 2 tow ropes and a four by four later I was on my way home to park the machine for the night.

Much fun was had by during the day. However it was with a degree of sadness that I left the farm for the last time. It will be sold on the 31st of Dec to good friends of my parents and they will be moving into my grandparents house in Gladstone.

My testimony

My life is not my own but Christ's

Hi my Name is Vern. I am a born again Christian who received Christ as my saviour by the grace of God eight months ago. I attend Heritage Baptist Church in Winnipeg, Mb. The picture that I have here is a picture of my oldest son and myself. I was raised on a farm in a small town called Gladstone. I have been married for 3 going on 4 years now and have two boys, Patric and Elijah.
The picture here is my son Patric and myself, we were just inside the door of our church and he was being a little difficult. I am sure that no parent has ever had any challenged with getting a two year old to sit still?! (just kidding)

At any rate feel free to leave me a note or send me an email at conservativechristianvoter@gmail.com. I will be posting more in the time to come.

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