We look forward to welcoming you to Bronte tomorrow for study and worship on Sabbath, May 07. Please be reminded that this week we have Morning Manna at 8:30am; what better way to start the Sabbath, but bright and early with our Creator?

We have started a new month and have a new theme to explore. We’ll dive in to what it means to grow in grace and allow God to work in our lives. Oftentimes we get so busy in the routine of work, home, family, and other demands that life simply becomes “business as usual” and God takes the backburner as we squeeze out time for Him. However, in order for a seed to grow to become what it was designed and destined to be, it requires intentional time, effort, soil conditions, watering, sunshine, fertilizer, and tender loving care. Only then, in the most conducive environment, can it germinate and grow into the beautiful flora it was meant to be. Similarly, in our Christian experience, we need to cultivate in a setting that will best stimulate growth. The Bible refers to us as branches that should be connected to the vine; in order to yield fruit we must  remain connected while the “Vine Dresser” works to prune and purge us, because apart from Him we can bear nothing (John 15:1-5). So take the necessary time to grow intentionally, experience fully, and act  meaningfully to experience the abundant life that He wants you to have (John 10:10).

Welcome to the Bronte Church at worship today.

As we continue our monthly theme “Focus on the Family”, we hope that this month has been treating you and your families well. We pray that you are benefiting from the series of messages that provide some helpful insights on how to create and nurture healthy families. We all need to be whole and healthy individually in order to nurture a healthy family.

Every family member has a rhythm they live by and if it is not in sync with the greater whole it can cause conflict and challenge healthy relations. If one member is hurt or ill, it affects the entire family unit. It is infectious, hereditary, and plays out in how we relate to each other. This may be difficult to overcome the burden or weakness, but it is necessary for one to be address these embedded issues that are often buried or hidden. They may stem from a source of dissatisfaction, depression, disillusionment, discouragement, or damaging experience. This week, we will explore part II on restoring the rhythm of relationships from an individual perspective on what we bring to our families.

A family is like an orchestra or band. If the music is to flow, it must be in harmony. One discordant or missed note can spoil the entire score of music! Likewise, without God (the Conductor) at the centre of our lives, we miss that vital note that makes the music incomplete.

What are the missing or discordant notes in our lives where music is silent or lacks harmony?

What areas do we need God to work more deeply in our individual lives so we can contribute to the health and happiness of our relationships and families?

The Bible says, “Love wisdom like a sister; make insight a beloved member of your family.” (Proverbs 7:9, NLT).

Let us get seek the wisdom and guidance we need to restore the rhythm and avoid the dissonance… Becoming one with our Father, we will be sure to make beautiful music in our lives and within our families!

Spring is in the air once again! We are transitioning from one season to the next; you can hear the birds chirping, see the grass greening and the buds opening, and observe life returning! Perhaps this is the season that we most enjoy, as it is colourful with character and signifies the renewal of life, full of vibrance and vitality.  Is this what the season looks like to you?  Could you be in need of a renewal of life this spring season?  Could it be that you need some new experience, a new job, a new relationship, new purpose, a new path, or just overall out with the old and in with the new?  The Bible says in Ecclesiastes 3:1, “To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven…” (NKJV).  Well, welcome to the spring of hope.  Seize the moment, bask in the sunshine, grow in grace, live by the Word, walk with purpose, claim your season, and trust in God.  He can give you that sense of renewed purpose, meaning, and a reason to live.  Though the road of life may be difficult, challenging, disorienting, and sometimes unfair, you must carry on because a bend in the road does not mean the end of the road.  If you allow God to be your guide and use His word to be your road map, you will surely be traveling in the right direction.  If you take your hand off the wheel, then give it over to God; His hand on the wheel is better than yours.  As I used to share with many, everyday above ground is a great day.  So go on, live again, breathe again, rejoice again, and hope again — for every day is a gift from God.  Ensure that you live with the right attitude, which will determine your altitude… spread your wings and start soaring to a new height this season!

Welcome to Bronte on this last Sabbath of January. Where has the time gone? Are we all meeting our new year’s resolutions? Are we on target with our goals? For many of us, the year has started at a rapid pace, some on a positive note and others not quite what they expected. Yet, through it all, we trust that perhaps the greater of all resolutions would be to have a closer walk and deeper experience with God. In a book that I read some time ago entitled, “Experiencing God”, the author suggests that we all, at times don’t understand God, His purposes, plans, and projection for our lives. Anything significant that happens in our life will be as a result of God’s activity in our life. Romans 8:28, says, “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God…” He wants to bring us into a closely knit relationship with Him; the great God of the Universe is small enough to reside in our hearts through the Holy Spirit, “who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think according to the power that works in us” (Ephesians 3:20). So may God guide us, lead us, direct our paths, order our steps and bless us all today and from this day forward in His Way, by His Word, and according to His will for our life! Seek Him first, make Him best, and just leave the rest to Him!

When we think about this time of year, it is nostalgic in some ways. The season affects us all differently. Some get happy, warm fuzzies, and excited. Others look forward to good food, fellowship, gift exchanges, family time, and rest and relaxation. However, for another group, it can be a time of deep reflection, sadness, or perhaps loneliness. We may not all celebrate the same way, but we can all celebrate about this one most indispensable, indisputable, and immeasurable gift of God’s love, JESUS, the REASON for the SEASON. We can be certain; we are never alone, for He is Immanuel, GOD WITH US. In the good times and in the bad times, in the warmth and in the cold, in our sadness and in our gladness, in our losses and in our gains, He is GOD WITH US! We have reason to celebrate because He is our hope; He has brought peace, good will, good news; He is the greatest gift that we can receive, and share with others. Let us make room and make Him every part of our lives, our homes, and our families. May we pause again, take a moment, catch our breath and remember why we reflect. Will you let Him into the “Inn” of your heart today? Be blessed this season and accept God’s greatest gift of love, His only begotten Son, wrapped in swaddling clothes as a babe, who became a man, who became our Savior, and who is become our song, our strength, and our Salvation! What a God! Blessings to everyone this week.