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New Year 2023 Greetings Brae Road Family and Friends:
Another year has begun and we find ourselves facing much the same as we did last year and the year before and the year before that. Uncertainty! The world is in an ongoing state of turmoil with wars and rumor’s of wars continuing and health issues remaining much the same. The loss of friends and family occurs on a regular basis. With that being said let me share some statistics to bring it all into perspective.
There were nearly 74 million people born in 2022 and the total population of earth now exceeds 8 billion people. During January there are expected to be 4 births and 2 deaths every second worldwide. With these statistics in mind let’s look at it from our own personal perspective. During the last year we as a group have lost a large number of family and friends that touch us personally and make us realize that life is a fleeting breath and we as Christians have a responsibility to share the message of Salvation with everyone we know: Friends and Family alike.
How do we do that? The bible tells us by example and by word of mouth or the written word.
Matthew 28: 18b
- “All authority has been given to Me in Heaven and on earth.
- Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
- teaching them to observes all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.
So by direct command we are charged with sharing the gospel the world over. Making sure anyone we know cannot say they haven’t heard. Part of our sharing the message is the message of our own lives. We can be a picture of the Gospel by how we live, how we act and how we respond to situations.
Charles Swindol said “Life is ten percent of what happens to me and ninety percent of how I react to it”.
We therefore are always in the spotlight, like it or not, by how we react to a situation. Be it a non courteous driver, an undeserved verbal abusive outburst or anything that causes us difficulty and the potential to react in a hostile manner. A family member in the retail business was on the receiving end of abuse from a customer due to the fact they were unable to come up with some pertinent information on a product since it was new information. The abuse was relentless and hostile with inappropriate language. Fortunately the receiver of the abuse was able to control their response and allow the unhappy customer to vent without a nasty response. It takes strength and peace to do that. That is how a Christian, even in difficult situations, shows the Love of God no matter what.
If our faith is centered on Jesus Christ we can handle all situations.
Romans 8: 31b
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- If God is for us who can be against us?
Services
When: Sunday Jan 8, 2022
10:00 am Breaking of Bread
11:00 am Family Bible Hour
Speaker: Ian Mackie
Note: Jan 15th and 22nd Mark Andrade will be our speaker. Mark has asked us to read Mark 5 through 3 times as this will be the basis of his messages on both Sundays. Mark is looking forward to being back with us and is thankful for all the prayers on his behalf.
See you all on Sunday
JACK PEAKE
250-510-4299
JBPEAKE174@GMAIL.COM