Pastor Caroline - May 5, 2020

Ultimate healing awaits us at the moment of Resurrection. Not a shred of death or disease will enter heaven with us.
These are two very powerful sentences in today’s reading. David Jeremiah certainly has a way with words and his book “Daily in His Presence”, is blessing me immensely; and I pray you are blessed as you read along.

I know God is the ultimate healer. Psalm 103 verse 3 says:
(3) He forgives all my sins and heals all my diseases. (Good News Bible) 
The Psalm of David tells us this and I especially love these two lines because they speak to my mind and my physical body. It is wonderful to not be tormented in my mind concerning my sins, because they are forgiven under the blood of Jesus, and to know my diseases are healed, by His power, over the disease. Praise be to God!

When I pray for healing (or anything for that matter), I must have the faith to believe I will receive. Just as Jesus healed the blind man, the blind man received his sight because he believed Jesus could heal him, and Jesus did. You will find that in Luke Chapter 18 verse 42. (42) Jesus said to him, “Then see! Your faith has made you well”.
Taken from the Good News Bible.

I often say, “I believe, I receive“, and I mean that from the bottom of my heart, because so often God has proved Himself over and over and so I build my faith; from faith to faith, from answered prayer to answered prayer. I am blessed.

If you go to the Gospel of Mark you will read about Jesus healing man who had an evil spirit within and Jesus ordered the evil spirit to leave this man, and it did! He healed Simon’s mother-in-law; He healed a man from a dreaded skin disease; He healed a paralyzed man who could not walk, He healed a man with a paralyzed hand. We can be assured that Jesus can heal our physical body, as we read about the healings from the scriptures in Mark, (to name a few), Jesus did during His ministry. He can heal our minds and soul as well. He is the Great Physician.

Now, we are not going to live forever on this earth, so one day our bodies will be given up to death, and then raised up to life eternal with the Lord, where not a shred of death or disease will enter heaven with us. What a promise, what a truth. What a Saviour!!

And:
What  a day that will be
When my Saviour I shall see When I look upon His face
The One who save me by His grace
When He takes me by the hand And leads me to the promised land
What a day, glorious day that will be.

And all healing will be....                ........ complete.

Hallelujah!

Amen and Amen.

Pastor Caroline - May 4, 2020

The reading today, in “Daily In His Presence”, by David Jeremiah, is so appropriate especially for this past month here in Nova Scotia. We have heard a lot about “first responders” and “essential workers“. Our world cannot function without either first responders or essential workers.
I like how David says Christians might be considered “first responders” in the world as well, offering whatever practical help we can to those in need.

I certainly see this more during COVID-19 as people reach out to make sure others have what they need. People offering to get groceries, medications, mail, do banking, put out the garbage, etc., for those who are unable to do these things for themselves right now.  As you place your trust in those who are helping you, you feel good to know that people care and it is very important to care for one another.

I have heard wonderful reports of kindness, and as a Christian, I am thankful to anyone who reaches out to be of service to those in need, and in that action, are also serving God.

David Jeremiah questions us, that in all our situations and circumstances, how should we face those? What is our first response? Well it is different for each one because we all react differently.

We are taught in the word to rejoice, pray and give thanks as Paul says in 1 Thessalonians Chapter 5 verses 16 to 18. Even in tough times we find reason to rejoice.
(Rejoice) We might hear ourselves saying “well thank God, for this certainly could have been a lot worse”, as we speak over a tough time, situation or circumstance.
(Prayer) Then we say “we will pray to God to bring us through, He will guide us. He will deliver us”.
(Thanks) “Thank you Lord for hearing our prayer, our cry for help, our cry for peace and comfort”.
So we have rejoiced, prayed, and given thanks. This should always be our first response. Is it your first response?

God is our hope and the One who sustains us through life regardless of tough times, situations, and circumstances; therefore it is good to praise, and give thanks in all things, as Paul wrote and David reminds us in the last paragraph.
My favourite line in today’s reading is:
Christians might be considered “first responders”. How effectively are we doing our job?

As you reach out to help someone remember you are a “first responder in the army of the Lord”.

Now, let’s bless the Lord for He is worthy to be praised!

Pastor Caroline - Come to the Table

Something to Think About - May 3, 2020

IN THE BEGINNING

If there is one thing that both science and religion can seem to agree on, it’s that both time and matter had a beginning. Then what was before? Just emptiness everywhere?

Can you picture what it would be like for someone to be suspended in such a void? Like a snowflake in the Antarctica, or a grain of sand on the Sahara, without significance whatsoever. Just lost in the void.

We really don’t want to feel lost or insignificant and so we build walls and create for ourselves cells in which we live. These may be made up of our jobs or careers, our family and friends, our money and possessions, our training and wisdom, our religious practices, our entertainment and sports and whatever else makes us feel secure and protected. And if that’s not enough, well, there’s always alcohol and other drugs.

But at times these walls we’ve built up crumble and once again we’re exposed to that great void that still exists outside our secure area. We may lose our jobs as during this pandemic, or retire from an all consuming career. Perhaps our money runs out or we lose our possessions, what we know doesn’t seem to be true anymore or our beliefs get challenged. Or worse, we lose family members or friends as many did just a few weeks ago.

When such happens, that void is waiting there along with the anxiety, depression, fear, anger, worry, etc., that it holds. When that blackness appears, we ask the usual questions; Where was God? Why does He allow such things to happen?

But God is always there. He is an “ever present help” in times of trouble [Psalm 46:1 NIV]. However, He’s rarely part of our secure area any more so the question really is; why do we  not include God within our walls before trouble develops and our walls start to break?

A better relationship with God on regular basis might make that void seem much less ominous if we do have to face it.

After all, that may be why the Bible doesn’t say: “In the Beginning”.

But “In the beginning, God”

Perhaps that’s just something we should thing about.  

Pastor Caroline - May 2, 2020

Today’s reading in our devotional, “Daily in His Presence”, by David Jeremiah is about angels. In my Good News Bible Hebrews Chapter 1 verse 14 reads:
What are the angels, then? They are spirits who serve God and are sent by Him to help those who are to receive salvation.

In the last line of the devotional reading, David tells us, that angels are sent to strengthen us in our hour of need.

Angels are spirits
Who serve God
And are sent by Him
To help those who are to receive salvation.
Perhaps writing it this way gives us a little better understanding of angels.  We see angels are, (1) spirits, (2)they serve God, (3)they are sent by Him, (4)to help.

Jesus is the one who leads us to salvation, says the Bible in Hebrews Chapter 2 last line in verse 10 in my Good News Bible. And as David says in the reading, an angel appeared to him from heaven strengthening him (Luke 22:43) as Jesus was facing his coming death.


Angels are spirits created by God.They bring messages from God, like when the angel appeared to Mary to let her know she had been chosen by God to deliver His son, Jesus to the earth. You can read the story in Luke Chapter 1 verses 26 to 38. The angel was Gabriel.

Have you ever had an encounter with an angel? Perhaps someone you did not know showed up to help you and they were there one minute, and, gone the next.

 I remember a lady telling me she had a flat tire, in the dark of night, and a man driving a car stopped and changed her tire without speaking to her, but “his presence was warm and comforting”, she said. After the tire was changed she turned her back for just a moment, to get money from her purse to pay him, and when she turned around both he and the car were gone. Just vanished she said, into thin air. “He had to be an angel sent from God to help me”, were her words to me. I believed her and I believe it was an angel; as angels are sent to provide and help Gods people. This lady I speak about was a serving, loving, Christian lady who always helped others; and so I truly believe God saw her need and supplied an answer to her need by sending this man(angel) to change her tire.


Angels appeared to many in the Bible and to name a few, they would be, David, Elijah, Moses, Mary, mother of Jesus, Abraham and others who you will find as you study the Bible.
Also it was an angel who rolled the stone away from where Jesus laid after His burial, and angels announced His resurrection and, oh yes, it was an angel who announced His birth. I could go on and on here, but suffice to say, angels are part of the heavenly kingdom and we are told in Revelation angels will accompany Jesus when He returns to earth. See this in Matthew chapter 25 verse 21. It says
(32) “When the Son of Man comes as King and all the angels with him, he will sit on his Royal throne.
Just imagine “all the angels”. That will be a beautiful day!!

Think back over your life and see if you can think of a time when you received help from someone you never saw again and no one seemed to know who that person was. You could very well have been visited by an angel.

Never run faster than your guardian angel can fly. I have a wall decoration with this very saying. We may never know how many times in our lifetime God sent a guardian angel to warn us of danger, to protect us from harm, to strengthen us in our weakness, to lift us from despair, to encourage us, and / or, to bring us to the heart of Jesus.

Thank you Lord for angels. We often say so-and-so is an angel, sent by God. We make reference to “earth angels” as we think of those on the front lines who protect and keep us from harm. Sometimes medical professionals will bring us through a surgery successfully and we say “they were angels“, in that operating room; meaning they went above and beyond the line of duty. A newborn baby, held in our arms is the “cutest little angel”. And remember the TV show Touched By An Angel?


I believe in angels. I believe our Heavenly Father created angels and through them, angels give us guidance, protect and provide for us, in so many ways, in ways we may never know the side of heaven. I am thankful to God for sending us Jesus who brought us the gift of salvation. God spoke, through an angel, who prepared Mary to carry His son (Jesus) to earth. Amazing? Yes—
God is amazing!


May angels of mercy be with you at all times and remember, never run faster than your guardian angel can fly, as angels are assigned to help.

Please come back again Monday for a new reading to start the week.
Tomorrow I will prepare and video a message on communion. It will be posted in the late afternoon / early evening. Perhaps you will want to join me in communion in your home. You will need a broken cracker, or piece of bread,(to represent the broken body of Christ), grape juice,(or any juice to represent the wine) and a heart prepared to receive communion. I look forward to us being together so please join me on Sunday.

Have a blessed day and enjoy the gentle rain.️️

Dr. Barclay's Bible Study

Pastor Caroline - May 1, 2020

Today is the beginning of a new month. May will bring us warm days and mayflowers. We will soon see the bees and more beautiful birds. The days will be longer and we will enjoy the beauty that will be brought forth by the hand of the Lord. In all of this God is speaking to us. Can you hear his voice?

Another way He speaks to us is when we meditate on His word. Meditate simply means to think deeply or carefully about something. When we read God‘s word we are to meditate on it. Most often we are “too busy” to meditate or study the word of the Lord. We do good to read a few scriptures in the day before “rushing off” into our daily routine.

But wait, we are not “rushing off” now, as we are in isolation so we can “take time” to meditate on the Scriptures. If you have a deck, front porch, or a special place in your house where you can get away from it all; take your Bible and open it randomly. Cast your eyes on the words and ask God to increase your understanding of what you’re reading. Pray to Him and ask Him to show you what it means and  how you can apply this word to your daily life.

I just opened my Bible at random and my eyes fell on the scripture Matthew Chapter 8 verses 23 to 26. The scripture tells us that Jesus was in the boat (asleep), with the disciples when a storm arose. The disciples were afraid and could not understand how Jesus could sleep during the storm. The disciples woke Jesus saying, “Save us Lord, we are about to die!” Jesus asked them why they were so afraid and where was their faith? Then He ordered the waves and the winds to stop, and there was a great calm. Wow! At the very sound of His voice He controlled the winds and the waves.  Powerful!!

As I meditate on this I learned that Jesus is in control. Yes things in life will happen (the storms of life)however, if we keep our focus on Jesus, the storm will pass by. The struggles we face will soon be over, and all will be OK. We must not lose sight of Who is in control. God’s small still voice is telling me,”do not lose focus, stay connected to me through my word and my promise. I am the master of the wind”.
His voice is clear and He is speaking to me through His word. I can hear Him because I am meditating on the Scripture.

As He brings the scripture alive to you, you will understand how important meditating on the word is and how to apply the word to this very day in your life. You will be thankful you took time to meditate, to understand His word and you will know God is speaking to you. Now, search out a scripture that you would like to meditate on and take some time to spend with the Lord. Enjoy your time talking with Him. He is waiting to speak to you.