Good day all,

“Welcome to God’s house at Bronte as we study, worship, and fellowship today. We are truly experiencing a shift in the weather and it’s beginning to feel and look more like Christmas and the festive season that closes another year. I got up one morning over the past week and saw the first of fluffy stuff. The white snow carpeted the landscape and gave such lighted reflection during the day and right into the dusk of the evening. As I went out to clear the snow on the driveway, I looked a little closer at the snow and saw how unique and beautiful (though frigidly cold) it was. I like the snow… sometimes from a distance, sometimes through the window, sometimes walking on it and through it… but what is fascinating is that the snow keeps its bright white colour. Scientists even tell us that every snowflake is unlike another and each has its own unique design. The colour of snow is such a vivid and visual reminder of what God desires for us, to do through us, with us, and in us. Our God invites us, ‘Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool…’ (Isaiah 1:18). What a God who gives us an audience with Him, and because of His mercy and grace we have access and the privilege to His power to cleanse and cover us. My prayer is, ‘Lord, make me whiter than snow’ and I need it that today, tomorrow, and always.”

– Pastor Daniel D. Saugh

Welcome to our Bronte Church family as we gather this first Sabbath of the last month in 2017! Are you excited? Anxious? In shock? As the year draws to a close, it is a time of reflection for many, anticipation for some, and anxiety for others. Our outlook depends on where we are in life, what is happening, and our mind-set. Sometimes our attitude loses altitude; as days pass, we may experience highs and lows, troughs and crests, and mountains and valleys. We have the choice to soar above the clouds, stay clouded by the clouds, or fly below the clouds which loom over us. We often get down and discouraged when things do not work out the way we want, plan, or intend. However, it is at these moments in our lives we must ask ourselves, is this my reality or just a perception of what is going on in my life? The Apostle Paul knew about these feelings all too well when he found himself in a dark, dingy, and depressing dungeon, witnessing to his faith in Philippi. He said, ‘Rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say rejoice… Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be known unto God. And the peace of God… will keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus’ (Philippians 4:4-7). This peace breaks the bondage of discouragement because we know that we can do ‘all things through Christ who gives us strength’ (Philippians 4:13). Each day, let us find something specific to thank God for, and focus on positively changing, overcoming obstacles, and living better. By this, our attitude will gain altitude and shape the attitude of our faith!

– Pastor Daniel D. Saugh

We look forward to welcoming you to the Bronte Church family as we will soon celebrate another Sabbath in study, worship, and fellowship. We are grateful for each of you who meet, greet, and come together each week. We miss those of you who cannot and have not come for a while and wish to see you soon again. I often think how different it would be like if we did not have a family unit, circle of friends, or support/social group. What if that was taken away from us; how would we feel and how different would our lives be? In what ways would it affect us? Would we feel disconnected, despondent, and depressed? Thank God for our inner circles and those who accept us. Sociologist Daniel Bell once said that, “culture is the effort to provide a coherent set of answers to the existential situations that confront all human beings in the passage of their lives.” We all have a culture we belong to, one we identify with and that somewhat defines us. Apart from human, ethnic, and personal culture, what type of culture should we cultivate as Christians? The Christ culture, a Christo-centric culture, should supersede and surpass all earthly cultures, creating a sense of spiritual cohesion and unity within the body of Christ. If there is any place that we should feel comfortable, be caring, and find commonality, community, acceptance, and love, it should be in the church. The Bible says, “not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting (encouraging) one another so much more, as you see the day approaching” (Hebrews 10:25). The coming day of the Lord is fast approaching. How will the world know about your faith? How does our church represent God to the world? How do you represent God to the world? We have a culture in Christ that should make our hearts beat in unison as Jesus prays that we “may all be one even as He is with His Father” (John 17:21). Being “one” doesn’t mean we all have to look, sound, or think the same, but it does mean we are one in faith, hope, love, purpose, passion, mission, and our culture in Christ, so that we may have a deeper connection, a greater meaning to our lives, and a higher purpose we serve. The blood of Jesus binds us together by cords of love. May the world see Jesus in you and me and may all other ground be sinking sand.

– Pastor Daniel D. Saugh