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My wife and I are fans of restoration shows on television. From, old vehicles, to century homes, to family heirlooms, the variety of good quality programming is endless. One of our favorites is called The Repair Shop, from England. The show features about a dozen restoration specialists that are masters in carpentry, metal work, clock repair, upholstery, jewelry, and fabric and furniture. The premise of the show follows customers who bring family pieces that have incredible back stories and history, yet are connected to the emotions of family. Pieces that come in broken, worn, damaged, neglected and forgotten are then mended to evoke precious memories for the clients. Some are made to look new, but most are restored, yet maintaining the historical scars and bumps so their life history is not erased. These past few weeks and months for myself and my family have allowed me to listen for God’s voice. Lately, circumstances have drowned Him out, which threw a blanket of writers’ block over me. The more I tried to listen for Him, the more the world seemed to drown Him out. A couple of weeks ago an event in our family shook my wife and I to the core. The end result was a miracle for us and immediately, God’s voice was as clear as the water in the lake near our cottage. All of a sudden, the word restoration came to mind and has kept itself in my soul. It’s like God was telling me to share how He restores things in our lives every day. I have been given an opportunity to really look inside myself for what is the most important to me and my family. God restored a number of things in me in just one forty eight hour period. He restored my sense of worth. He restored my faith in His power of healing a broken spirit. He restored my view of what is really important in my life. He showed me the true value of being faithful and leaning on Him in crisis. To be clear, I had not lost my way, but was shaken enough to recoil into myself because as a human, I took my eyes off Him for a moment. Fear has a way of doing that to all of us. If you are reading this and you feel somewhat lost from Him, it’s okay. He knows your circumstance and He will place Himself in your soul to carry you, even if you don’t realize it. Like the master restorers of family heirlooms, God will take all of us who have been broken, scarred, scratched, worn down, faded, and yes, forgotten about, and pull all of that out. Then He will impart Himself in us and gently peel back the hurt, the damaged and the ugly, and discard it. He will then gently restore us. He won’t make us younger , but He will give us a faith-lift that will allow us to stand a little taller. We’ll walk a little straighter, we’ll think a little clearer, we’ll listen and hear more acutely, and we will talk with more conviction. He and only He has the divine power to do this. We are not equipped with divination. We are not God, and we are not robots. We are humans, made in His image, yet frail enough to always have the need to lean on Him for everything. We will stumble, and He will lift us. We will have failures, yet He will forgive us. We will stray from Him, yet He will wait and welcome us back at a moments notice. I encourage everyone to embrace God’s ability to bring restoration into your life. Allow Him to permeate every cell in your body and every part of your soul and spirit. His restoration of you and me will be as individual as our fingerprints. No two will be identical and some will take longer than others. Yet, like a vintage car or favorite armchair, we will have enough of us in there to recognize ourselves, and more than enough of Him in us to always be shiny and comfortable. We will have our laugh lines, some hairlines, and yes, some waistlines. We will be our age, but young in the spirit. So let’s not miss the opportunity to be God’s feet on the ground to show Him to as many people as we can. That in itself, may just be the invitation someone needs to accept their turn for restoration in the repair shop. Mike Shindruk Master’s Hand Ministry

I, for one, am so glad I do not have to count on the judgement of mankind for my future. There are those out there who would have me put into therapy for my faith in a ghost, in a mythical being who has never before been seen. There are some who would take me off to the side and suggest I keep the whole faith thing under wraps so that I do not bring attention to my beliefs as it could hamper my career. How many times has someone come up to you and suggested that if you would put career ahead of faith, you could be making big money. “You’re a born leader, why are you wasting your time working part time in a church?” This was once asked of me. There was a time that honesty and integrity were more important than getting something at any cost. A friend was once told by his boss to get the contract no matter what. “Do whatever it takes to get that contract.” He did not get that contract, the owner of the company was not happy and a few days later, my friend was let go. Think about this for a moment. If you placed all your hope in an individual, your future is only as good as your last result. If the head of the denomination was in charge of the Book of Life, how solid is your hope of an eternal life with the Saviour? “You mess up one more time and I can assure you the gate to Glory will be closed to you.” Where does my hope lie? Where does our hope lie? Purify me from my sins, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow. Oh, give me back my joy again; you have broken me— now let me rejoice. Don’t keep looking at my sins. Remove the stain of my guilt. Create in me a clean heart, O God. Renew a loyal spirit within me. Do not banish me from your presence, and don’t take your Holy Spirit from me. Ps 51:7-11 Jesus came to save us, not condemn. He brought with Him a hope that no man or woman could offer. By His sacrifice on the cross, He purified us from our sins, He washed us clean. In Him we have a perfect joy because He has healed us. Our sins are forgiven, our hearts are cleaned and, just as He promised, Holy Spirit walks with us every moment of our lives. Our hope is in His promise and not in the temporary promises of mankind. Our hope is in the Lord, and we can truly count on Him forever. This Sunday, Pastor Todd is on holidays and we are truly blessed to have Pastor Glenn bring us a message. We would love for you to join us either in person or online Sunday at 10:30 AM MST. Facebook Live - Main Ave Fellowship YouTube Live – You Tube www.mainavefellowship.ca Our Mission “To live the love of Christ”

The Perfect 7-day Diet – Peter’s Picks ‘Freedom - Walk in it’ Day 1: John 8:31, 32 – “Jesus said to the people who believed in him, ‘You are truly my disciples if you remain faithful to my teachings. And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.’” Day 2: 1 Peter 2:16, 17 – ”For you are free, yet you are God’s slaves, so don’t use your freedom as an excuse to do evil. Respect everyone, and love the family of believers. Fear God, and respect the king.” Day 3: Romans 6:16-18 – “Don’t you realize that you become the slave of whatever you choose to obey? You can be a slave to sin, which leads to death, or you can choose to obey God, which leads to righteous living. Thank God! Once you were slaves of sin, but now you wholeheartedly obey this teaching we have given you. Now you are free from your slavery to sin, and you have become slaves to righteous living.” Day 4: Acts 13:38, 39 – “Brothers, listen! We are here to proclaim that through this man Jesus there is forgiveness for your sins. Everyone who believes in him is made right in God’s sight - something the law of Moses could never do.” Day 5: Galatians 5:13, 14 – “For you have been called to live in freedom, my brothers and sisters. But don’t use your freedom to satisfy your sinful nature. Instead, use your freedom to serve one another in love. For the whole law can be summed up in this one command: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” Day 6: Romans 8:1, 2 – “So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. And because you belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death.” Day 7: Ephesians 1:7 – “He is so rich in kindness and grace that he purchased our freedom with the blood of his Son and forgave our sins.” ** Verses taken from the New Living Translation

The Perfect 7-day Diet – Peter’s Picks ‘Walking in God’s Blessings’ Day 1: Micah 6:8 – “No, O people, the Lord has told you what is good, and this is what he requires of you: to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.” Day 2: Colossians 1:10-12 – ”Then the way you live will always honor and please the Lord, and your lives will produce every kind of good fruit. All the while, you will grow as you learn to know God better and better. We also pray that you will be strengthened with all his glorious power so you will have all the endurance and patience you need. May you be filled with joy, always thanking the Father…” Day 3: Deuteronomy 8:6 – “So obey the commands of the Lord your God by walking in his ways and fearing him.” Day 4: Ephesians 2:10 – “For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.” Day 5: 1 John 1:6, 7 – “So we are lying if we say we have fellowship with God but go on living in spiritual darkness; we are not practicing the truth. But if we are living in the light, as God is in the light, then we have fellowship with each other, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from all sin.” Day 6: John 8:12 – “Jesus spoke to the people once more and said, ‘I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life.’” Day 7: 1 Thessalonians 4:12 – “Then people who are not believers will respect the way you live, and you will not need to depend on others.” ** Verses taken from the New Living Translation

What does it take to start a movement or affect a change in direction? One day, I was looking up at a pile of snow thinking “how am I supposed to shift all this with such a small shovel?” It had snowed all night and well into the morning and there was no sign of it slowing down. So much snow, so much work. It was even worse for many others because their drives were so much longer and much more exposed to the winds and drifts. All up and down the Abercrombie-Granton Road, dozens of driveways with two to three feet of snow and little to no movement from any of the homes. Slowly, figures emerged from the homes, snow shovels in hand, and they began to carve out trails in the fresh snow. Some pulled out snow blowers and made rather short work of their drives while other driveways remained untouched. As driveways were cleared, the community began to come together to tackle the drives that were still in need of clearing. Many of the driveways were owned by seniors in the community who were unable to shovel out. Within a few hours, the drives were cleared, seniors came out to thank the community with fresh baked cookies and hot chocolate and, in the end, all left with full bellies and warm memories. The strength of the community comes from the loving relationship of the fellowship. Each person looking out for the needs of others, the strengths of the individuals combining to enhance the strength of the whole. We can look at life in a variety of ways. We can stand at the door and look out at the massive piles of snow and feel utterly beaten. We can fear the thought of taking that first step into the unknown questioning our ability to handle the situation and shrink back into our four walls or we can rest in the knowledge that there are those out there who are watching out for us. When all seems bleak, we need to remember there is a loving and compassionate Saviour who watches over us and wants nothing but the best for each of us. He sends help in the darkest of time, gives strength in our times of greatest need and champions for us. There are those who do not know this loving Saviour and rely on their own devices to make it through life’s struggles but I can say this, life is so much brighter when one lives in the love of Jesus and leans on His strength in all occasions. How does this play out in life? Today, even though some thoughtless person decided to take a run at me, I am at peace because my Jesus is in charge and He is my rock. Life on earth is short but life in Christ is eternal, that is what truly matters and that is where my strength lies. This Sunday, we continue with the series on God’s Provisions; Where Does Our Strength Lie. We would love for you to join us either in person or online Sunday at 10:30 AM MST. Facebook Live - Main Ave Fellowship YouTube Live – You Tube We look forward to seeing you this Sunday. www.mainavefellowship.ca Our Mission “To live the love of Christ”

The Perfect 7-day Diet – Peter’s Picks ‘It’s Up to You – The Choice is Yours’ Day 1: Psalm 10:12 – “Arise, O Lord! Punish the wicked, O God! Do not ignore the helpless!” Day 2: Proverbs 15:1 – ”A gentle answer deflects anger, but harsh words make tempers flare.” Day 3: Romans 15:2 – “We should help others do what is right and build them up in the Lord.” Day 4: Proverbs 12:25 – “Worry weighs a person down; an encouraging word cheers a person up.” Day 5: Proverbs 17:22 – “A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit saps a person’s strength.” Day 6: Luke 6:45 – “A good person produces good things from the treasury of a good heart, and an evil person produces evil things from the treasury of an evil heart. What you say flows from what is in your heart.” Day 7: Romans 14:13 – “So let’s stop condemning each other. Decide instead to live in such a way that you will not cause another believer to stumble and fall.” ** Verses taken from the New Living Translation

Have you ever had one of those day/weeks/years where it is just one thing after another and all you can think of is “if I can just make it to the end of the day”? I took some time to sit back and think about this issue and realized I was wasting precious time and I needed to get back to work. Where does my strength come from? There is a term out there that is starting to really take off. Quiet quitting is not defined as grabbing your gear from the office and stealthily making an exit out the door for good. This movement is all about taking back the time that the job has been stealing. The issue people are having is that the job is now demanding more and more, and it is robbing so many of quality time with friends and family. They expect you to keep your phone on for texts at all hours, answer work emails as soon as they come in regardless of the hour or even take a phone call from workmates or the boss during the supper hour. At the end of the day, which really is not the end of day, there is little left for the things that are truly important. Where does my strength lie? Family, friends, faith, all suffer when the world takes so much of our time and leaves us with the dregs. So many are burning out because they are burning the candle at all ends and in numerous spots in the middle. When was the last time you had a day completely to yourself? When was the last time you took a long moment away from the world and focused on a time of prayer and meditation with the Lord? When was the last time you turned off the world and focused on relationships? I look up to the mountains—does my help come from there? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth! He will not let you stumble; the One who watches over you will not slumber. Indeed, He who watches over Israel never slumbers or sleeps. Ps 121:1-4 NLT My help comes from the Lord, my hope is in Him and for that we are grateful. To rely on mankind is to rely on a finite promise but to lean on the Lord for strength, wisdom and hope is to draw from the infinite source of love. He knew what He was doing when He called for a day of rest, the Shabbat. Then Jesus said to them, “The Sabbath was made to meet the needs of people, and not people to meet the requirements of the Sabbath. Mark 2:27 NLT Take the time to rest and communicate with the Lord. Take that day of Shabbat to connect with the source of all hope for all who are weary and need rest. This Sunday, we continue with the series on God’s Provisions; An Uplifting Account Of Christ’s Strength. We would love for you to join us either in person or online Sunday at 10:30 AM MST. Facebook Live - Main Ave Fellowship YouTube Live – You Tube We look forward to seeing you this Sunday. www.mainavefellowship.ca Our Mission “To live the love of Christ”

The Perfect 7-day Diet – Peter’s Picks ‘Say This to Yourself…’ Day 1: Deuteronomy 28:13 – “If you listen to these commands of the Lord your God that I am giving you today, and if you carefully obey them, the Lord will make you the head and not the tail, and you will always be on top and never at the bottom.” Day 2: Psalm 18:2 – “The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my savior; my God is my rock, in whom I find protection. He is my shield, the power that saves me, and my place of safety.” Day 3: Psalm 20:7 – “Some nations boast of their chariots and horses, but we boast in the name of the Lord our God.” Day 4: Romans 8:37, 38 – “No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us. And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow - not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love.” Day 5: Philippians 4:13 – “For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.” Day 6: Psalm 27:1 – “The Lord is my light and my salvation - so why should I be afraid? The Lord is my fortress, protecting me from danger, so why should I tremble?” Day 7: Isaiah 54:17 – “But in that coming day no weapon turned against you will succeed. You will silence every voice raised up to accuse you. These benefits are enjoyed by the servants of the Lord; their vindication will come from me. I, the Lord, have spoken!” ** Verses taken from the New Living Translation

I am watching the Chosen online right now and quite enjoying it. One item that struck me had to do with daily life in the disciple’s camp. You see, Thomas was counting the lentils trying to see if they would have enough for the next meal and was coming up short. They were coming into Shabbat and had no time to get anything before the start of the Holy Day and would go hungry before the next opportunity to gather supplies. In the show, the group had gone to temple and Jesus healed on Shabbat and while on their way back to the camp, Peter Simon took up a handful of grain to eat since he was hungry and the holy men demanded to know why Jesus allowed them to gather food on the Sabbath. Jesus pushed back and told them: I tell you, there is one here who is even greater than the Temple! But you would not have condemned my innocent disciples if you knew the meaning of this Scripture: ‘I want you to show mercy, not offer sacrifices.’ For the Son of Man is Lord, even over the Sabbath!” Matt 12:6-8 NLT As I pondered this passage, something hit me; Jesus came to offer mercy and not condemn the children of God to a life of servitude to an uncaring Creator. Something many forget is that the duty of the faith gathering is to support those in the faith family, welcome in those who hunger both physically and spiritually and to care for others as Christ cares for each of us. Rules are good but when they overrule the foundational message of Christ, are they for the needs of the faith family or to satisfy the ego of man? Then Jesus said to them, “The Sabbath was made to meet the needs of people, and not people to meet the requirements of the Sabbath. So the Son of Man is Lord, even over the Sabbath!” Mark 2:27-28 Long after we are all dead and gone, after Christ comes back and all things are made new, Shabbat will be everyday for it will be a time of great rejoicing and rest. Can we not practice that everyday in our daily habits? Rest in Him and He shall make your path straight. As it is done in Heaven, let it be done on earth. Love one another as Christ loves you. Love God with your entirety and let Him give you strength and direction. All of this will make life that much better for us individually and as a community. I challenge you to give it a try. This Sunday, we start a new series on God’s Provisions; An Uplifting Account Of Christ’s Compassion. We would love for you to join us either in person or online Sunday at 10:30 AM MST. Facebook Live - Main Ave Fellowship YouTube Live – You Tube We look forward to seeing you this Sunday. www.mainavefellowship.ca Our Mission “To live the love of Christ”

Many, many years ago, I remember singing a song called “He’s Got The Whole World, In His Hands”. This song could go on forever and ever because you could add anything to the song and sing about it. He’s got the itty-bitty possum, in His hands, He’s got the great flying squirrel, in His hands, He’s got the ring-tailed mongoose, in His hands, He’s got the whole world in His hands. We used to have fun seeing what we could include in the song and, yes, it would get ridiculous after a while. I am sure we drove the Sunday School teacher right round the bend, it was a great time of laughing and playing while we were getting a wonderful truth. The truth behind it all is that God does have the whole world in His hands. Even though there are so many atrocities in our world today and it all seems to be heading in a very destructive direction, we can rest assured that He’s got this. Yours, O Lord, is the greatness, the power, the glory, the victory, and the majesty. Everything in the heavens and on earth is yours, O Lord, and this is your kingdom. We adore you as the one who is over all things. 1 Chronicles 29:11 NLT God is the One over all things, that is, His creation, the wholeness of the seen and unseen universe (we have no clue how far the universe extends) and the realm of Heaven and earth just to name a few. If you think that He does not have time to look after some of your issues or problems because they are so insignificant in the grand scheme of things, think again. Our Father in Heaven knows every hair on your head and cares deeply for our lives. There is not one person in this creation who fully understands the absolute fullness of God. There are some who will try to place Him in a box but, truth be told, we have no clue at all. His love for us is absolutely perfect to the point that we don’t even have a word that can properly describe the depth of this love. When we suffer, the Son cries with us and the Holy Spirit brings comfort and strength. We are perfectly cared for by Elohim, the Triune God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. He truly has this all under control and there should be a perfect peace and a hope knowing that fact. This Sunday, we are excited to welcome Rev Glenn Reeder. We would love for you to join us either in person or online Sunday at 10:30 AM MST. Facebook Live - Main Ave Fellowship YouTube Live – You Tube We look forward to seeing you this Sunday. www.mainavefellowship.ca Our Mission “To live the love of Christ”

The Perfect 7-day Diet – Peter’s Picks ‘God is…' Day 1: Exodus 3:13, 14 - YAHWEH - I am – “But Moses protested, ‘If I go to the people of Israel and tell them, “The God of your ancestors has sent me to you,” they will ask me, “What is his name?” Then what should I tell them?’ God replied to Moses, ‘I am who i am. Say this to the people of Israel: I am has sent me to you.’” Day 2: Exodus 15:26 - RAPHA - Healer – “He said, ‘If you will listen carefully to the voice of the Lord your God and do what is right in his sight, obeying his commands and keeping all his decrees, then I will not make you suffer any of the diseases I sent on the Egyptians; for I am the Lord who heals you.’” Day 3: Genesis 17:7 - ELOHIM - Creator – “I will confirm my covenant with you and your descendants after you, from generation to generation. This is the everlasting covenant: I will always be your God and the God of your descendants after you.” Day 4: Genesis 17:1 - EL SHADDAI - God Almighty – “When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to him and said, ‘I am El-Shaddai - God Almighty. Serve me faithfully and live a blameless life.’” Day 5: Genesis 22:14 - JIREH - Provider – “Abraham named the place Yahweh-Yireh (which means ‘the Lord will provide’). To this day, people still use that name as a proverb: ‘On the mountain of the Lord it will be provided.’" [side note:The term Jehovah-Jireh is more appropriately transliterated Yahweh-Yireh]. Day 6: John 10:11 - JEHOVAH ROHI - Shepherd – “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd sacrifices his life for the sheep.” Day 7: Judges 6:24 - SHALOM - Our Peace – “And Gideon built an altar to the Lord there and named it Yahweh-Shalom (which means ‘the Lord is peace’). The altar remains in Ophrah in the land of the clan of Abiezer to this day.” ** Verses taken from the New Living Translation

The Perfect 7-day Diet – Peter’s Picks ‘God All Over Me' Day 1: John 8:12 - Surrounded by the light of God – “Jesus spoke to the people once more and said, ‘I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life.’” Day 2: Deuteronomy 7:9 - The love of God enfolds me – “Understand, therefore, that the Lord your God is indeed God. He is the faithful God who keeps his covenant for a thousand generations and lavishes his unfailing love on those who love him and obey his commands.” Day 3: 2 Thessalonians 3:3 - The power of God protects me – “But the Lord is faithful; he will strengthen you and guard you from the evil one” Day 4: Psalm 37:23, 24 - The mind of God guides me – “The Lord directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives. Though they stumble, they will never fall, for the Lord holds them by the hand.” Day 5: Ephesians 2:10 - God flows through me – “For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.” Day 6: Romans 15:13 - The joy of God lifts me – “I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.” Day 7: Exodus 15:2 - The strength of God renews me – “The Lord is my strength and my song; he has given me victory. This is my God, and I will praise him - my father’s God, and I will exalt him!” ** Verses taken from the New Living Translation