A Little Vacation

I am surprised. Shocked. Amazed! Just exactly what I am in wonderment about, I will tell you in a moment. But first, let me say that I am back from my time off. Writing my blog is my first official act of work. Actually, the blog piece really doesn’t feel like work. I quite enjoy it. I hope you do too. If you don’t, you simply have to hit the delete button and bam, I am gone. Ha. (See how cheeky a guy gets when he has been away for a month.)  For the month of July, I took a break from preaching, keeping regular office hours and writing. During this month, I was pleased to see the quality and depth of our church members as Chad, Sharon and Brad, all did a superb job in presenting the sermons. You can hear them on line, if you missed the Sunday Celebration. I was also impressed with the staff at S.H.A.R.E. Nelson, as they did an outstanding job despite the heat and the many summer time activities.  It was the same at Our Daily Bread, were the staff and volunteers did a fantastic service to those who need it the most. What a great group of people at KCF. Not to forget or fail to mention all the other volunteers that make “church” happen.

Even though I was supposed to be on holidays, I enjoyed the Camp we had together, my week in Cranbrook, and my flying trip to Vancouver. All in all, I had about two weeks of complete down time out of four. Not bad for a high energy guy, eh.

And the Surprise!

So today, being back to work and all, I thought I would get back to my regular routine. This included running five kms and working out at the gym.  I hadn’t worked out for the last four weeks and was looking forward to getting back into the swing of things again. And this is where my body went into shock. I was more than 10% down in all the weights and routines from where I was before I took my holiday break. It really surprised me. My body didn’t look any different, I had not gained or lost any weight, but something changed on the inside. I lost strength. I didn’t feel like I lost strength. It didn’t look like I lost strength. But I did. It happened for one simple reason, I stopped exercising.

This verse came to mind as found in the Message Bible.

1 Timothy 4:8 (MSG) “Workouts in the gymnasium are useful, but a disciplined life in God is far more so, making you fit both today and forever.”

All workout specialists will tell you that to increase your muscle mass and stamina, you have to push yourself a little past your endurance level. As you do, you will grow to a new level of ability and then you repeat the process. It is so with the spiritual disciplines. Regular prayer, bible reading, biblical meditation, acts of service and church attendance and participation, are all spiritual disciplines. But sometimes we go on “holidays” with our spiritual disciplines. We don’t think it matters much if we slack off on all or one of the above.  After all, we don’t see an immediate difference in our spiritual life. We still love Jesus, the church and would identify as a follower of Jesus. In other words, nothing looks different on the outside. But just like my experience in the gym today, something is happening on the inside. I lost more than 10 percent in physical ability in just one month of being on holidays. If I continued in my slothful behaviour, soon it would also show up in my appearance. It is no different with our spiritual life. We cannot escape the atrophying of our spiritual life, when we cease to continue with our spiritual disciplines.

Maybe you don’t have much of a spiritual routine at present. Well, this would be a great day to start. It will be hard at first, but start small, and continue to build on it as you reach new levels of ease. Make a decision to pray, read the Bible, spend time in biblical meditation, (this is different than spiritual meditation, to learn the difference email me, at pastorjim@kcfoffice.com) every day. Spend time each week attending a worship celebration, and doing acts of service. The result will be that you will grow and be spiritually fit.

This Sunday, I will be sharing the value of being spiritually fit. I will explore and explain how connected we are to the physical, emotional and spiritual of our being, and the need to be in balance with all three.

Growth Groups

The start date for the next quarter of Growth Groups is coming soon.  On September 14th we will begin meeting again.  This is our opportunity to meet together in small groups.

  • Grow in God
  • Grow in Relationships
  • Sermon-based
  • Home setting

Interested in knowing more or signing up?  Contact the KCF Office 250.352.1722 or office@kcfoffice.com or sign up on Sunday at the Guest Table.

Hosting/Greeting Team Meeting

Do you enjoy meeting new people?  We are welcoming interested individuals to attend our next Host Meeting on Sunday, August 20th, right after our Celebration.  Come and join us to find out more and explore if this is an area that God may be calling you to stretch into.  This is a great way to contribute to the church in a tangible and fun way.

S.H.A.R.E. Nelson

S.H.A.R.E. is currently blessed with too much stuff. We are slashing prices, almost giving it away. Come down and support the poor and help us get rid of extra stock. If you would like to volunteer at S.H.A.R.E. we currently have great ministry opportunities.  Call the store at 250.352.1222 or stop by the store to inquire.  Click on this link to check out S.H.A.R.E.’s new video! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0aZX9v7gxdM

Calendar of Events

  • Music in the Park with Graham and Aaron Ord, Friday August 11 @ Lakeside Park Rotary Shelter - 6pm Bring your own food for dinner and a BBQ will be available for you to cook your own meat and then at 7pm Music in the Park will begin.
  • Sunday, August 20, 1pm – Hosting/Greeting Meeting
  • Kelly swims across the Kootenay River to support the KCF Worship Team, Sat, Aug 26, 10am at Lakeside Park
  • Group Groups Begin September 14th, Registration is required.
  • Tim and the Glory Boys, The Hootenanny Tour – Wednesday, October 18 at Civic Theatre, $15/advance, $20/door, $40/family pass.

Visit our website at http://www.kootenaychristianfellowship.com for all the news, sermons, and places to donate.

Looking forward to seeing you this Sunday.

Pastor Jim

August 4, 2017

Celebration: Sunday: 10:30am - 12pm In Person Church or Facebook

Kootenay Christian Fellowship
520 Falls Street (1/2 Block up from Baker Street)
Nelson, BC  V1L 6B5 

: A Little Vacation

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