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While I was in university, one of the discussions we had focused on the Trinity, or Triune God. The question our professor wanted us to consider was this; how would you explain the wholeness of God to a ten-year-old? Our class had some brilliant students and we thought this was going to be quite simple but it turned out to be more difficult than we first presumed. The group was fortunate to have a parent of a ten-year-old and, as we began to formulate a method of delivery, we discovered this was going to be more difficult than we first imagined. Let me give you an example. God is like an egg. The egg has a shell, the yellow yolk and the white. While all three are separate, they all make up an egg. The parent in our group just stared blankly at us and we waited for the response. “God is an egg? Do you know what the first question would be? Do you realize where the questions are going to go especially in a Sunday school class full of ten-year-olds? Is it a boiled egg or a raw egg? Is it a brown egg or a white egg? Robin’s eggs are blue” We were just talking about eggs and hadn’t even started in on the Triune God. Explaining the Father was going to be relatively easy since most children of faith already understand that God, the Father, was Christ’s Father (don’t get me started on when someone noted that Joseph was His father – there is always one). The Heavenly Father, by way of the Holy Spirit (don’t use the term Ghost, that is a story for another day) became pregnant by the power of the Holy Spirit. This is how Jesus the Messiah was born. His mother, Mary, was engaged to be married to Joseph. But before the marriage took place, while she was still a virgin, she became pregnant through the power of the Holy Spirit. Matt 1:8 NLT We all thought we were going to nail this part but we soon found out how wrong we were. Here were some of the possible questions: · Where do babies come from? · Was Joseph mad? · Is Joseph the stepdad? · What’s a virgin? None of us really saw that coming. We were thinking on an adult level and not a child level. We were using adult speak where we needed to kid friendly language. You see, the message of God is not complicated but we have made it tough. Too many scholars trying to make everyone realize just how smart they are rather than take the time to speak the truth in simple terms. This may upset some of the highly educated and the professors but the truth is this, Christ came for all and not just the highbrows. In fact, if you want to know the Trinity read this bit of scripture. One day when the crowds were being baptized, Jesus himself was baptized. As he was praying, the heavens opened, and the Holy Spirit, in bodily form, descended on him like a dove. And a voice from heaven said, “You are my dearly loved Son, and you bring me great joy.” Luke 3:21-22 NLT God is the Father of all creation, Jesus the Son who came to earth to save us all and the Holy Spirit who dwells with us 24/7. All three are God and God is the great I AM. It may seem tough to wrap our head around it all but we can think of it this way; God is creator, saviour and protector wrapped up in one magnificent package. This is as simple as can make it. This Sunday, we will finish the series on Pentecost. 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. Blessings, Pastor Todd www.mainavefellowship.blogspot.com

The Perfect 7-day Diet – Peter’s Picks ‘You say… God Says’ Day 1: Matthew 11:28-30 - I’m Tired – “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Day 2: Proverbs 3:5, 6 - I Can’t Figure It Out – “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.” Day 3: Romans 8:1 - I Can’t Forgive Myself – “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death.” Day 4: 2 Timothy 1:7 - I Am Afraid – “For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.” Day 5: 1 Corinthians 1:30 - I’m Not Smart Enough – “It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God - that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption.” Day 6: 1 Peter 5:7 - I’m Always Worried – “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.” Day 7: Hebrews 13:5 - I Feel All Alone – “Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, ‘Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.’” ** Verses taken from the New Living Translation

The Perfect 7-day Diet – Peter’s Picks ‘Jesus Paid it All’ Day 1: Romans 6:23 – “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Day 2: Ephesians 1:7, 8 – “In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that he lavished on us… ” Day 3: 1 Peter 2:24 – “‘He himself bore our sins’ in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; ‘by his wounds you have been healed.’” Day 4: 2 Corinthians 5:21 – “God made him who had no sin to be sin[a] for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” Day 5: Isaiah 53:5 – “But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed.” Day 6: Acts 4:12 – “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.” Day 7: John 3:16 – “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” ** Verses taken from the New Living Translation

There are two phrases that I question. The first one is when I hear people say “it is what it is” because that means the person has resigned themselves to accept the circumstances rather than fight for what they feel is right. The fight has gone out of them and they accept that it is what it is and nothing is going to change it. The second phrase is “it’s just the way of life”. This is also known as “it’s the new normal” or “that’s the way it is”. I heard a funny thing the other day where a politician was telling the audience to trust the science yet Albert Einstein was quoted as saying “the important thing is to never stop questioning”. If you adhere to the thoughts of Vinod Khosla, an Indian-American billionaire businessman and venture capitalist, when he states “Religion asks you to believe things without questioning, and technology and science always encourage you to ask hard questions and why it is important in science and technology. So I was always interested in science and technology”, then the two phrases I hear so often take on an almost religious attitude. I would like to counter with this; when Thomas was doubtful and questioning the return of Christ, Jesus did not come up to Thomas and destroy Him but rather Jesus provided the proof. 24 Now Thomas (also known as Didymus), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. 25 So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord!” But he said to them, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.” 26 A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” 27 Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.” 28 Thomas said to him, “My Lord and my God!” 29 Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” John 20:24-29 NIV The final sentence says it all for me. “because you have seen, you believe, blessed are those who have not seen and yet they believe.” Thomas asked for proof but the key is this, he accepted the proof. When people first come to hear the Truth, there are questions, there are inquiries. This is, for many, not a blind following but rather an educated choice based on research and facts. Like all inquiries, there are those who will oppose, who will not listen to the proof and try to sway. This is a fact of human behaviour. We all have a choice to make but those who are not willing to hear the opinions of others and decide to default to accept the phrase “that’s just the way it is” are only robbing themselves of the chance to grow in knowledge and wisdom by testing, researching and asking for the proof. Put you finger here, do you feel the nail holes, do you recognize the spear’s entry point? The neutral path is to accept society’s lethargy and resign to walking the fence between good and evil. Just remember, the evil one owns the fence. This weekend, we welcome Rev Glenn Reeder to bring us a message of hope and joy. 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. Blessings, Pastor Todd

After years of loosely planning and dreaming, I finally built myself a workshop. I have decent carpentry skills, and for the past year and a half I have been creating rustic cottage decorative pieces, mostly from used wood. My little workshop holds my tools, supplies, a wood burning stove, and a place for me to just, be. As I sit or stand with a cozy crackling fire and a cup of coffee, I am surrounded by old wood, saw dust and my tools. What makes it complete is the presence of God. I have no distractions of a phone, music, or internet as I just soak and create. If this sounds like a dream, it is not. It is real and I am blessed to be doing something with my skills that I am still discovering. This season I will be building my wife a she-shed for her to have as her own place of tranquility as she once again picks up her artists paint brushes. She now affectionately calls my workshop my he-shed. As I think about this, I see something much deeper. Yes, my shop is a realized dream where I can go to turn old and new lumber into something creative, useful, and meaningful to others. Many sentimental family pieces have already come from there, and my hands. It is important to me to have a bit of “Uncle Mike” in some of the pieces for my family members. God gives me the space and peace to take something that is discarded, and transform it into a piece of art. I haven’t yet figured out why, but He’ll let me know in His time. God has shown me the parallel of Him and my shop. He has given me, and you, a secure, quiet place to go as He invites us into His presence. Each one of us can retreat from the world and into His arms whenever we need or want to. He will take all of the damaged and discarded pieces of our past, throw them away and help us to transform into something and someone brand new . We all dream of peace, like I dreamt of my shop, so He offers us the opportunity to make those dreams His reality. We need only say yes to the invitation. It’s easy to do. Just take your cup, sit and soak and just talk to Him like you would your dad, or dad figure. He will settle inside your soul so deep that before you know it, a new creation will come out. My first pastor told me that our past has no place in our future. What a prophetic statement that I still carry with me each day. If Jesus chose twelve disciples that were certainly not perfect, to carry His message, then we must surely be special because He chose us. Even when He was on the cross dying, He chose us over His own life. Just consider how much He loves you and me as individuals to want an intimate love relationship with Him. He comes to our door and knocks, waiting patiently for us to open and allow Him in. It is that easy. We don’t even have to speak out loud, as even a thought or a whisper of His name is all that is needed for Him to hear us. I encourage everyone to close out the noise of the world and your past and head out to the ultimate He-shed. That would be God’s arms. He has a reserved seat, a warm fireplace called His heart, a warm cup that is overflowing for each of us, and a safe room for us to just, be. My little workshop is my hobby sanctuary, my withdraw space. My He-shed is my Heavenly Father’s arms where I can retreat to recharge my soul. It’s where all of us can go whenever we want. It costs nothing, yet the value is priceless, as it’s been paid for. So whenever I want or need, I will just unplug. I won’t be far away as you will find me just hanging out with my Father in my He-shed. Mike Shindruk Master’s Hand Ministry

The Perfect 7-day Diet – Peter’s Picks ‘Chosen’ Day 1: 1 Peter 2:9 – “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.” Day 2: Ephesians 1:3, 4 – “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight.” Day 3: John 15:16 – “You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit - fruit that will last - and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you.” Day 4: 2 Thessalonians 2:13, 14 – “But we ought always to thank God for you, brothers and sisters loved by the Lord, because God chose you as first fruits to be saved through the sanctifying work of the Spirit and through belief in the truth. He called you to this thro ugh our gospel, that you might share in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Day 5: Romans 8:29, 30 – “For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.” Day 6: Colossians 3:12 – “Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.” Day 7: 2 Timothy 1:8, 9 – “So do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord or of me his prisoner. Rather, join with me in suffering for the gospel, by the power of God. He has saved us and called us to a holy life - not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time…” ** Verses taken from the New Living Translation

Where has the voice of the nation, the faith nation, gone? The strength of those who were some of the mightiest evangelists has, in my opinion, died when they passed and those who were supposed to take up the challenge of the greats like D. L. Moody and Billy Graham to mention a couple, have been attacked, bullied and abused by a nation focused on self. Sure, there are some strong evangelists out there but listen to the message, it is often watered down to meet the needs of the masses rather than take on the needs of the lost. If you think I am being harsh, guess what, I am and the one I will be the harshest is myself. I read a meme the other day that said: “if you want everyone to like you, go sell ice-cream”. I can guarantee you that regardless of how soft or “grey” a stance you take in life, someone will have an issue with you. If you are trying to get through life with your head low and hope to never be the cause of any issues, at some point you will step on toes so why go through life fearful of causing a problem? Now don’t get me wrong, I am not saying we should all rebel and fight the system, I am, however, saying never be afraid to live your faith. There will be some who will be rubbed the wrong way by your stance but hold firm and seek out strength in the Holy Spirit. Consider this, for forty days, the disciples followed the risen Saviour and they learned at the feet of the Master. They went to the chamber after He ascended and waited as directed and the Spirit came upon them like tongues of flames, and they were filled with the Holy Spirit. This Sunday we are going to look at this but I want us to focus on this most important message; Peter, who denied Christ before the crucifixion, who cried because Christ confronted him at the feast after the resurrection, who hid behind locked doors after Christ was buried, this same man stood before thousands after the Holy Spirit filled him with divine courage and he spoke boldly to a crowd who were gathered to ridicule and bully the followers of Christ. The passion of the message was so powerful that it touched the hearts of many and about three thousand were saved! The message was simple, Christ is Lord, He loves us all and died for our sins. Peter’s words pierced their hearts, and they said to him and to the other apostles, “Brothers, what should we do?” Peter replied, “Each of you must repent of your sins and turn to God and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. Then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. This promise is to you, to your children, and to those far away —all who have been called by the Lord our God.” Then Peter continued preaching for a long time, strongly urging all his listeners, “Save yourselves from this crooked generation!” Acts 2:37-40 NLT This weekend, we celebrate the message of Pentecost. 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. Blessings, Pastor Todd www.mainavefellowship.blogspot.com

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God’s promise of entering his rest still stands, so we ought to tremble with fear that some of you might fail to experience it. Hebrews 4:1 NLT Over the years, I have done some wild things, made some huge mistakes and, in almost all circumstances, I have learned a thing or two from it. If you want the nitty gritty of these escapades, I am more than willing to share but I will tell you this; with every story I tell, I will also tell of the lesson. There were times when I would indulge way too much but did not see the effects until I quit drinking to get drunk. There was so much I missed during these times and there is no way to get it back. I used to work far too much (still do on occasion) and, again, I missed out on so much and, while there is no way to get it back, I do try to make amends for the errors of the past. Like I said, there are numerous things in my past that still haunt me, events missed, occasions forgotten, and while I cannot change the past, I do try to learn from them for the future. So much missed, so many things we wish we could do over. For some, the biggest fear is missing something, forgetting to show up completely or overlooking the big picture. We ought to fear this because, as a society, many are missing out and, at some point in time, this miss will lead to a fairly important consequence. The one mistake I fear the most for those around me is dreading they may miss the opportunity to fully appreciate the promise the Father made to us all through His Son. Life is full of distractions and indulgences, and many have forgotten the perfection that is covering us all in His loving embrace. His promise is for eternity and is easily achieved by simply proclaiming Christ as Saviour. Clear the scales from your eyes and see what the Lord has set before you. Help others to see that it is never too late. For those who are skeptical, my question is why? Some will say they do not believe in a god so I ask, what do you believe? Some will say they have been burnt by the church to which I say the church is full of people who, at times, do or say the wrong thing but our God knows what He is doing. Some say “we’ll see” and I respond “at least think about it”. Do not wait too long to invite Him into your heart, don’t wait too long to experience His perfect Grace. This Sunday, we will seek comfort in His message for all His children. For those who wish to know more about the fellowship of Christ, we invite you to join us either in person or watch online at 10:30 AM “Clear the scales from your eyes and see what the Lord has set before you. Help others to see that it is never too late.” - Pastor Todd