A Lent that Matters

When you eat and are satisfied, when you build fine houses and settle down, and when your herds and flocks grow large and your silver and gold increase and all you have is multiplied, then your heart will become proud and you will forget the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. He led you through the vast and dreadful desert, that thirsty and waterless land, with its venomous snakes and scorpions. He brought you water out of hard rock. He gave you manna to eat in the desert, something your fathers had never known, to humble and to test you so that in the end it might go well with you. You may say to yourself, “My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me.” But remember the LORD your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth.
-Deuteronomy 8:12-18

Lately I have been challenged in the area of sacrifice. Not sacrifice, for the sake of itself, (think Lent) but sacrifice that is private, and personal - between me and God. The things I choose to give up, in order to make a difference in the world around me.

Jesus says no one has left house or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands for the sake of the Gospel, who will not be rewarded 100 TIMES what he left behind. This is serious sacrifice. We're not talking about going without dessert for 40 days. We're talking about doing something with your life that is making lasting and eternal difference.

As I have been purging my house and decluttering, paring my life down to simplicity, I am using the opportunity to ask the difficult questions. Why do I go buy groceries when my freezer still has food in it? What makes me hang on to those new board games I don't play, when I know the youth centre is opening up and will get much use out of them? Why do I need 4 pairs of like new jeans, when there are so many who don't have decent clothing to wear? Why should I sell my new rocker that I don't use, when the Little Souls Daycare has need of it to feed their 9 babies? When Ken and I sold our home and everything we had to come to Regina, God blessed and rewarded that with His favour on the poor of this city.

But you don't have to start a Mission to make a difference. I wonder why someone wouldn't take a more practical spin on Lent. Why not commit to 40 days of attending every open program in your church? I mean, really participating! What about a 40 day fast of your evening news, in order to go serve supper at your local soup kitchen? What about forcing yourself to say hello and attempt to strike up a conversation every day on the bus ride to work, for the simple motive to bless someone? How about a phone call a day to a family member that hasn't heard from you but would be so encouraged to hear your voice! Grandma!!

The point is, the more comfortable we get, and the more attached to our possessions we get, the easier it is to forget the Giver of Life and all it's blessings. The moment we start to take credit for our own life and accomplishments, we are edging God out. My friend, Raphael, now in Heaven, used to remind me of that:

E-dging
G-od
O-ut

=EGO

We've been robbed!

Now that I've wooed you with adorable pictures of sleeping babies, I want to thank you for providing them with toys to play with when they are awake! Our January Toy Drive was a great success and we have been able to outfit Little Souls Daycare with so many wonderful things for the kids to do!

I will admit one setback, though, and that was a robbery we had recently. Some of you brought toys over to our 24 hour location, and they were moved to our church basement for storage until transport. This is the Good News Chapel and Hall, which is available to groups for rentals for weddings and other occasions.

We had a group rent the facility on the weekend, and they took our toys!

I was SHOCKED! Who steals toys from a rescue mission??!!

There was some other things they took, and some damage caused to the property, which Pastor Ken spent an afternoon repairing.

All this to say, if you could find it in your heart to take one more pass at your kids' toys, and bring us gently used toys that we could use to outfit Little Souls Daycare, as well as our Emergency Family Shelters, I would consider it a personal favour.

Then Jesus called for the children and said to the disciples, “Let the children come to me. Don’t stop them! For the Kingdom of God belongs to those who are like these children." -Luke 18:16

My favourite time of day: NAPTIME!

Well, I needed to lift my spirits so I went next door to our Little Souls Daycare, where the staff and children are always smiling. Then I spotted it: about a dozen babies sprawled out on the floor with their sleeping buddies. Nikki tells me they couldn't even stay up for the story this afternoon. They all zonked out before the story started!

Here's the first girl that caught my eye. So angelic, don't you think?!


Then I stood back and saw the whole scene. Here they are, during my favourite time of the day. No screaming or music blaring, just some zzzzz's. This is the story/reading quadrant, where the little ones like to cozy up together to sleep.


I wanted to call this one three pigs in a blanket but I wondered if the parents would take issue with that. But aren't they so cute?! Little triplet sleeping buddies!


This is one of our 9 infants; they are too young for mat sleeping. I went into the baby room and no sooner did I open the door did one of them start wailing, at which point I slunk out. Daycare Director Mandy caught me red-handed, though, and said next time she's going to put that on video! Yes, that's right. I, Michelle Porter, scare little children. Be afraid. Be very afraid.


I came back to the office and told my executive team that if they ever wanted to cure a bad mood, they should check out Little Souls Daycare during naptime. Aaron, our Junior Executive in Training (JET) got a hold of his little buddy who decided he wanted to skip naptime. He was in his crib beating on the side door!

60-second CBC TV Interview

I was on the CBC TV News tonight, giving an interview about the Canadian Stretch Tax Credit. Click here to watch!

Q & A: Can anyone give advice to a recovering Heroin addict?

My friend Joel Comm suggested I start answering online questions in my area of expertise. I decided to give it a try today. This is my first one; let me know what you think!

Q. Can anyone give advice to a recovering Heroin addict?
A. You have a few options available to you:

1. Methadone. Don't use this as a harm-reduction tool; tell your doctor you want to go on a reduction plan. Follow the clinic's instructions EXACTLY - including any advice they give regarding taking classes or support groups.

2. Join a rehabilitation program. Most larger cities (50,000+ in population) have a RESCUE Mission which has a recovery program. You check yourself in, and utilize every tool and resource available to you through the program. Don't let others discourage you. It is worth the time and effort to leave everything and everyone aside for the duration of the program. Putting yourself first in this instance, means your children, family and friends will get the "real you" back; so in essence, you ARE putting them first, by taking care of your personal needs first. In an airplane, passengers are told to put the oxygen mask on themselves before helping others. To find a program near you locate the map feature at http://www.agrm.org

3. 90 meetings in 90 days Support Group. If you're on heroin, my guess is you're not holding down a job, but in case you are, or are in the middle of school, then this is a good option for you. I would suggest also hooking yourself into a church and attending on Sunday and also one mid-week meeting. Without outside support, you will never recover.

4. Combine 1 & 3 or 1 & 2.

God's Valentine's Day Gift

1 Thes 1:4 Today's sermon went so well with yesterday's blog, that I had to share my sermon notes with you.

Last week Recap:
The reason Paul went to the Thessalonians was because God prevented him from going somewhere else! We need to let God lead us! In just 3 short weeks many came to Christ and became strong Christians! Even some prominent women! Only true conversion brings change that is lasting.

1. What does true conversion mean? How does it happen? It always begins with God and His love for us.

John 3:16--God loves everyone He made and He loves you and is reaching out to you!

Many do not respond to this, or even believe He is Creator! To have
this love, we must respond to this love, to bring us into relationship
with Our Creator.

Just like a human relationship--love must be a two way street and must be responded to! When you love someone, you choose them.

Jesus is God's valentine to you. It was a very dramatic gift and you
must accept it by loving Him back.

2. Witnessing about that love.
The most powerful message in the world is that of redemption! It is
deep conviction in our heart that leads us to sharing God's Message of
Love! Our filling of the Holy Spirit makes us bold and loving about
our faith--not fearful and shy.

If the person receiving your words must also have deep convictions, it
will be a true conversion!! The Bible says it is through our HEART
that we are saved! It is emotional!

3. True conversion is always DRAMATIC. It is a dramatic life change.
The LifeChange program of Souls Harbour RESCUE Mission, of which this church is a part, has some of you in it. And those that want change and are on the program work hard and graduate from LifeChange with much flair and drama! It's a huge cost to them, and takes a lot of work, but the change for those that do it is permanent and lasting.

Those who accept this valentine are filled with love and joy and
peace. If you, as a Christian, lose your joy, it often comes from sin.
If you find yourself lacking these things, you can restore the joy of
your salvation by turning around and repenting of your mistakes--those idols of the heart: pursuit of pleasure, money, or addictions. When we turn from those things to serve God, it is going to get noticed!!

When you are truly converted, you are not just saved. You are
changed! You love Him because He loved you first. And you eagerly
await to see Him in Heaven.

Sent from Michelle's iPhone

Vancouver 2010

What's so inspirational about the Olympics, considering I don't know the first thing about athletics, and have never played on a sport's team? As I watched the opening ceremonies in Vancouver, it wasn't about having the best show ever, but about what the show represented: teamwork, unity, and a pride in a country that generally takes a back seat in world affairs. The showcase of talent from the artists and athletes gives us hope that despite world turmoil such as crisis in Haiti, or global warming, we're working together to create a better world. We want to think of mankind as generally good, and there is a continual longing for unity and peace. If we only keep trying, we'll become the best we've ever been!

The sad reality is, that things get progressively worse! When you really do look with a worldview that is larger than Canada, and North America, you see how suffering and pain has only increased over time, and that redemption of our own accord is impossible. As we build our smart cities, we still find increasing crime and poverty. And so, once in a while, we look to something like Vancouver 2010 to feel a breath of fresh air, and to restore our faith and hope in mankind. And it keeps us striving for perfection, to help those we meet have a better life, and to get us out of our selfish thinking and behaviour.

And so, while we strive for this perfection, we should keep in mind that there is Redemption! There is one way and it is by becoming a mere traveller on this earth, recognizing that all we have is loaned to us from the Creator, who is our true Hope and Peace. It isn't a country. It isn't a team. It isn't world-class talent. It's a God who became a man, walked this earth, gathered no earthly possessions or home, and gave His life that we might live forever. So, while you spend the next 17 days being inspired by the young Olympians, spend some time considering your own journey, and what is truly worth your while.

LEAVE A LEGACY™

Make a Difference in the Lives that Follow

Every day in Saskatchewan, people’s lives are enriched by the work of non-profit organizations. Meals for isolated seniors, summer jobs for disadvantaged high school students, funding for mental health or cancer research, or live performances by local arts groups are just some of the many ways non-profit organizations improve our lives.

Financial assistance is essential to support this work. A majority of Saskatchewan residents give their money and time to local not-for-profits, making sure that those groups can continue to improve the lives of so many in our community. Giving does not have to be limited to your lifetime.

Many people are not aware that by making a gift in their will or estate plan to the non-profit group of their choice, they can continue to help people in need and promote a favorite cause for generations to come.

There are many ways to LEAVE A LEGACY™ and make a statement about your own values through a gift to the non-profit or charitable organization of your choice. Maybe you or someone you know has benefited from the service of a particular organization. Maybe you’re an active volunteer or believer in the mission of a specific organization. Many individuals leave a gift in their will to help enrich the lives of others; continue to provide support to their favorite organizations; be remembered or commemorate the life of someone you love; as well as, helping ensure provisions are made for the future of our communities.

LEAVE A LEGACY™ South Saskatchewan is a community-based public awareness campaign that is proud to support the efforts of the charitable non-profit sector. Although LEAVE A LEGACY™ does not promote on behalf of any specific organization, we know the value non-profit and charitable organizations provide to our communities. We know that by encouraging people from all walks of life, to consider a gift through their will or an estate plan to the charitable organization of their choice, we can “Make a Difference in the Lives that Follow.”

TOP 10 things you can do today to LEAVE A LEGACY™

1. Prepare a will.

2. Leave a gift in your will for the not-for-profit organization that makes a difference in your life.

3. Leave a specific dollar amount or a percentage of your assets to a not-for-profit organization.

4. Consider using assets for your legacy gift.

5. Name a not-for-profit as a beneficiary of your RRSP, RRIF or pension plan.

6. Name your favourite not-for-profit as the beneficiary of an existing life insurance policy.

7. Purchase a new life insurance policy naming your favourite not-for-profit as the beneficiary.

8. Remember loved ones with memorial gifts.

9. Encourage family and friends to leave gifts to not-for-profit in their wills.

10. Ask your financial or estate planning advisor to include charitable giving as part of your financial plan and to incorporate in their counsel to other clients.

Platinum
Souls Harbour Rescue Mission
Hospitals of Regina Foundation
University of Regina

Gold
Canadian Red Cross
Regina Humane Society

Silver
Alzheimer Society of Saskatchewan Inc.
Campion College
Canadian Cancer Society
Dr. Noble Irwin
Regional Healthcare Foundation
Nature Conservancy of Canada
South Sask Community Foundation
St. Peter’s College
The Arthritis Society

Bronze
CIBC Wood Gundy
Moose Jaw Health Foundation
Ranch Ehrlo Society
McKercher LLP
Saskatchewan Abilities Council
The Salvation Army
United Way of Regina

Supporters
Brian Burrows Financial
Canadian Mental Health Assoc
Family Service Regina
Globe Theatre
McDougall Gauley
Organization of Saskatchewan
Arts Councils
Regina & District Assoc.
for Community Living
Schizophrenia Society of Saskatchewan
SIAST
Stone Creek Financial Group
Athol Murray College of Notre Dame
The Children’s Wish Foundation

LEAVE A LEGACY™ South Saskatchewan would like to thank all of our Partners and a special acknowledgment of our Platinum Partners – The Hospitals of Regina Foundation, University of Regina and Souls Harbour Rescue Mission and Gold Partners – Canadian Red Cross and Regina Humane Society.

If you're looking for me, I'm at an all-expenses paid trip to a conference in Newport Beach, California!