“No.” One simple word and yet when uttered, can change so much. It is a word that hurts, that brings the end to dreams; it can devastate a marriage and bring heartache to a parent’s hopes. I wish that God’s “nos” were easier to read than His “yeses”.

A yes answer is easy to see—you get the job you applied for, your child gets accepted to university, your attempts at pregnancy work, you find the one that will become your spouse, the money comes in to pay a bill. We like those responses and find it easy to testify to God’s goodness to us.

Yet when the answer is “no” it isn’t so easy to hear or accept. You rarely hear someone stand up in church to testify that God said no to their request. Yet, His “nos” are just as important to His plans as His “yeses”.

It’s easy to become so focused on our lives that when He says no, we fight Him over His answer for years and spend so much energy on it that when a yes comes along to replace the no, we don’t even see it. We become so focused on the four walls that surround us we forget that God doesn’t fit into our box. We fail to see the big picture, the one that includes the lives of thousands and not just us.

The theory of “six degrees of separation” refers to the idea that everyone is only six steps away, by way of introduction, to any other person on Earth. It is another way to say that we live in a small world. For example while I was in the Dominican Republic, out on an excursion in the middle of nowhere, I met a woman who lived in Barrie and had friends in Bracebridge whose children I used to pick up every day on my bus.

Those six degrees of separation become vital to the choices and decisions we make. When we live our life with our eyes on the world outside our box we begin to see that we do have the potential to change the world.

The life we live, the choices we make and the dreams we pursue affect everyone around us. When we begin to see that God’s “nos” are just as important as His “yeses” we can get on with what is most important: living the life that God has planned for us.

“No,” at first glance, is one of the most difficult words to hear. When we do, and allow God to do what He has planned, we find that our choice has done more than a yes ever could.

Jeanetta van Leeuwen is a member of WSPC who lives in Bracebridge. She loves to scrapbook, journal, and enjoy life with her husband and three children.

The weekend is May 18-20. Connect with our youth leaders at our Facebook Group for more details.

We are all given the choice to accept the truth of who Jesus is. When we make that choice, will we stand firm in our beliefs, even if it is offensive to others?

Download audio file (021912.mp3)

The scriptures we read:

• John 6:60-71
• 2 Timothy 4:1-5
• 1 Corinthians 1:18-25
• Ezekiel 37:1-14

We’re having our annual ice-fishing day on Saturday February 25th. Darrel Payne and Jack van Leeuwen are able to give you directions to the ice-shack. (Or call the church and I’ll figure it out.) There will be a BBQ on the ice for a lunch-time fish-fry.

I hope to see you there!

PS – This is more the sort of fish we’re hoping for:

We are reminded over and over in scripture to “fear not.” Will we allow ourselves to be paralyzed by fear in the midst of our storms, or will we put our faith in the only one who can deliver us?

Download audio file (021212.mp3)

The scriptures we read:

• John 6:16-21
• John 1:1-5
• Genesis 1:1-11
• Job 38:8-11
• Daniel 7:1-10
• Proverbs 1:7
• Isaiah 8:11-13
• Genesis 21:17-19
• Daniel 10:9-12
• Luke 1:13
• Matthew 1:20
• Luke 2:10
• Luke 5:10
• Revelation 1:17
• Philippians 4:6-7
• Isaiah 43:1-2

The video on the Sea of Galilee:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o92L9pLQaTI

There are many levels of poor listeners and I’ve encountered all of them. When one of my children were younger, they would cover their ears the second I began lecturing them. (I won’t share the consequences of that nasty habit.) Some people will glaze over when you speak a sentence longer than ten words, some will interrupt your conversation with a random thought of their own, while others are just focused on something else they feel is more important. Many times I’ve made a comment to my family that seems to fall on deaf ears, only to have them repeat it. My biggest frustration is that they do hear, but they don’t listen.

We’re caught up in a world that is listening impaired. We get immediate answers through television and internet, have conversations by text messaging and Facebook our “friends” with a quick comment, and feel that we have “connected” with them. The irony is, technology has attempted to improve communication, but sadly, it has hindered genuine interaction with others.

So what does it mean to be a good listener? Author, M. Scot Peck said, “You cannot truly listen to anyone and do anything else at the same time.” Good listeners are attentive, engaged, and focused on what you are saying. Someone who really listens, has absorbed what you’ve said and responded to that information. A real conversation involves eye contact, attention and the feeling that someone is responding to you on an emotional level. Have you ever had someone tell you that you helped them, even when you haven’t uttered a word? Most often, friends and family don’t want a lecture or advice, they just need someone who is truly listening to them … to give them opportunity to be heard and understood.

I used to pray that I would hear from God. The truth is, I do, every day. Now I pray that I will listen to him. Jesus speaks to us through his word, through others and directly and wants our full attention. Active listening leads to action.

“Don’t fool yourself into thinking that you are a listener when you are anything but, letting the Word go in one ear and out the other. Act on what you hear! Those who hear and don’t act are like those who glance in the mirror, walk away, and two minutes later have no idea who they are, what they look like.”

James 1:22-24 (The Message)

Kitty Nancekievill is a member of WSPC who lives in Gravenhurst with her husband and daughter. She enjoys reading, writing, traveling and spending time with her five children and their families.

• Joel Larmer
• To Tell

Below are some great pictures that Luke took of the concert. Enjoy!

Are we like the crowd? Do we forget what a gift Jesus is and what it means to be spiritually fed by him? Jesus meets our needs and we are to follow his example as we meet the needs of others.

Download audio file (020512.mp3)

The scriptures we read:

• John 6:22-59
• Deuteronomy 28:1-6
• Jeremiah 31:14
• Exodus 16:1-36
• Deuteronomy 8:2-3
• Genesis 12:3
• Matthew 25:34-40

The video clip we watched:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B-l7lXvknds

There will be tobogganing and ice-skating (weather permitting) starting at 3p.m. If you’re not an outside sort of person, you can stay at Phil and Kitty’s for some games. At 5 p.m., we’re all gathering back at Phil & Kitty’s house for a Pot-Luck.

If you’d like directions to their home, please call the church.

We meet downstairs from 6-7 p.m. Sunday nights. Coffee and snacks are provided.