True evangelical faith is of such a nature it cannot lie dormant, but spreads itself out in all kinds of righteousness and fruits of love.
 
The regenerated do not go to war, nor engage in strife. They are children of peace who have beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning forks, and know no war.
 
True evangelical faith, cannot lie dormant, it clothes the naked, it feeds the hungry, it comforts the sorrowful, it shelters the destitute, it serves those that harm it, it binds up that which is wounded, it has become all things to all creatures.
 
We who were formerly no people at all, and who knew of no peace, are now called to be...a church...of peace. True Christians do not know vengeance. They are the children of peace. Their hearts overflow with peace. Their mouths speak peace, and they walk in the way of peace.

Christians get very angry toward other Christians who sin differently than they do.

We tend to think, 'Life should be fair because God is fair.' But God is not life. And if I confuse God with the physical reality of life - by expecting constant good health for example- then I set myself up for crashing disappointment.
 
The presence of another caring person doubles the amount of pain a person can endure.
 
Whatever else it is, the kingdom of God is decidedly not a call to violent revolution.

(I love this story. My husband Laur and I once rescued an old goldfish we called “One Eyed Jack.”)
 
Lacey Scott was at her local pet store when a sad fish at the bottom of the tank caught her eye. His scales had turned black and lesions had formed on his body. Lacey rescued the ten-year-old fish, named him “Monstro” after the whale in the fairytale Pinocchio, and placed him in a “hospital” tank, changing his water daily. Slowly, Monstro improved, began to swim, and grew in size. His black scales transformed to gold. Through Lacey’s committed care, Monstro was made new!
 
What Lacey did for a dying goldfish, we can do for people in need around us. Homeless, unemployed, disabled, and lonely “neighbors” lie in our path. Let us allow their sadness to catch our eyes and draw us to respond with neighborly care. A kind greeting. A shared meal. A few dollars donated. An offer to do an errand. How might God use us to offer His love to others, a love which can make all things new?
Love your neighbor as yourself. - Luke 10:27

Sermon: “Lessons from the Gaza Road.” This homily by Laurence Steven at Grace Mennonite Church in St. Catharines, ON, on August 14 offers some stunning insights into the story of the deacon Philip’s encounter with the Ethiopian eunuch on the Jerusalem-Gaza road. Did you know that the site of the eunuch’s baptism is thought to be a West Bank spring that was, until a few years ago, a place where Jews, Muslims, and Christians enjoyed equal access. Today it is off-limits to West Bank residents, even though it is on the Palestinian side of the green line.
https://www.gracemennonitechurch.com/services-2022.html

A Manitoba farmer is continuing his tradition of helping people take the ultimate sunflower-themed selfies — while also raising money to stamp out hunger.
Dean Toews, who farms just outside of MacGregor, Man., has again planted a large field of sunflowers in hopes of attracting Instagrammers to come, snap pics and make a voluntary donation to the Canadian Foodgrains Bank – a Christian Response to Hunger.
Toews is the chair of Feed Other Countries Undo Starvation, or FOCUS. His family's farm, two others in the area and five Hutterite colonies volunteer to grow food for the organization in benefit of the foodgrains bank. Local suppliers also help with donations of fertilizer and chemicals. 
The Canadian Foodgrains Bank works to help developing countries meet emergency food needs and devise long-term solutions to hunger.
Last year's effort raised $2,000 in cash donations and made another $20,000 on the sale of the sunflower crop, Toews said. The federal government matched that amount at a ratio of 4:1, meaning more than $100,000 was raised overall.
https://foodgrainsbank.ca

There are four different Philips mentioned in the New Testament. King Herod the Great had two sons -  from two different wives - named Philip (Luke 3:1; Matthew 14:3). Philip the apostle was one of Jesus' twelve disciples and Philip the evangelist was one of the original deacons of the church in Jerusalem. Throughout history the apostle and evangelist have been confused as the same person, but they are, in fact, two distinct men who both helped to spread the gospel in the early days of the church. The name “Philip” means “friend of horses.” - https://thebibleanswer.org/

On having his song “Here by the Water” accepted into the hymnal Voices Together, Jim Croegaert posted a video of this song with an introduction. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_S7FUKFMFbI
 
Two things he mentions in his story behind the song. One. The song alludes to a very dark night in his life when he was struggling, and he walked through a field to a place by the water ... and placed his life in God’s hands.
 
Two. He takes note of the times when, in the Old Testament, there would be a crossing of a river or some significant  journey. And the Israelites would mark that place by building an altar out of the stones around there.
 
For Jim this is a metaphor for song-writing. Working with what he has. Putting things together. And putting them before God. Knowing God can make them holy.

“There are stars whose radiance is visible on Earth though they have long been extinct. There are people whose brilliance continues to light the world even though they are no longer among the living. These lights are particularly bright when the night is dark. They light the way for humankind.”


“My God, my God
May there be no end
To the sea, to the sand,
The splash of the water,
The glow of the sky,
The prayer of man”