Action News

Issue 23 – Summer 2019

Putting Stock in the Bond

Remember those who led you, who spoke the word of God to you; and considering the result of their conduct, imitate their faith.

~Hebrews 13:7 NAS

Investments: our Canadian economy is geared around encouraging citizens to invest part of their income into secured investments and funds. For example, “Bonds were first introduced as ways to fund the war effort of WWI and WWII. In 1946, the Canada Savings Bonds Program was launched along with the Payroll Savings Program. To this day, the Canada Savings Bonds Program has contributed to Canada’s history and helped shape the country to what it is today” (www.csb.gc.ca).

Saving for a “rainy day” or putting money away for the future is responsible and an important way to express stewardship. It is nice when you see a positive return on your investments. Recently, my husband and I realized our investments in stocks and bonds had taken a negative turn due to recent world events. It looks like retirement may be pushed a few more years into the future.

As disappointing as it is to see the stocks and bonds dip in profit, there is another type of investment where we are seeing returns. Matthew 6:19-21 says, “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also”. As my husband and I move into middle age we have a number of years invested in the lives of youth in many capacities: Sunday School, Children’s Church, Christian Day School, Youth Group, Christian Action Events, student travel and with members of our families.

Staying in the same community during our 20 years of marriage we frequently run into grown “kids” who are now married and having families of their own. We reminisce about the “good old days,” and sometimes we find they are serving the Lord, raising their family from a Christian perspective and attending church. Other times it doesn’t seem that Christian things are high on

the priority list, but a thoughtful look crosses their faces when they remember their time in the church or at a Christian School as a youth.

Through the years, Colin and I certainly could have done a lot more to help mentor young people: missed opportunities are registered on a negative column. In the positive column is every hour we’ve invested in the lives of young people, every dollar we’ve given towards Christian school, or a Christian university and college, and every opportunity we’ve worked on so that Christian young people could grow in faith, friendship, and discipleship.

The older I get, the more I see this kind of investment as building true wealth. Every time we turn the corner in the grocery store and see a grown “kid” we’ve mentored at some time or another I’m more thankful for that investment then I am when a positive financial report comes in the mail. Investments in eternity through, friendships with the generation coming behind us is a powerful recommendation from the Scriptures.

Do you remember the individuals who influenced you for the cause of Christ as a young person? I certainly remember individuals who had a hand in my discipleship. I can easily recall the names, faces, and personalities of those people. They took time to have cups of coffee with me, invited me into their homes, or went on countless outings and paid attention to the things I cared about. These are the bonds that pay eternal dividends, the investments I want to continue to pay forward in the years ahead.

As God directs you to opportunities to mentor this generation for God’s kingdom, consider the bountiful return on the investment!

~DBM

Marsha’s Comings & Goings

by Marsha Boyd-Mitchell, CAFNB Executive Director

Spring and Summer, Looking Forward to Fall

This spring and summer seasons have been filled with wonderful interactions with youth and those who work with youth. It was my delight to visit the Bathurst Alternate HS Campus in the spring and speak to youth about addiction. The director thanked us for coming saying many of the students already suffer from addictions and they were pleased with the questions they asked. Cornerstone church has been a wonderful supporting church of CAFNB and it was my privilege to speak this spring to their AWANA group on making good choices. Pastor Chris Price asked me to come to Jemseg Baptist Youth to address the topic: Should Christians Smoke Pot? We had a great discussion and time of fellowship. I addressed media choices with the youth at Tracey Baptist Church near the end of their youth year.

I enjoyed sharing about making good choices at the Power Lab at Hammond River Community School. I had the privilege of presenting to staff at Colchester Christian Academy (Truro, NS) and Oceanview Christian Academy (Barrington, NS) about building bridges to help students with academic and spiritual matters. The Easter season had me presenting chapel to Sussex Christian School students as well as students at Charlotte County Christian (St. George, NB), and Valley Christian Academy (Quispamsis, NB). It was an honour to share God’s Word with high school students at Sprouts Intercultural Christian School at Incheon, South Korea.

I was blessed to speak to the congregations of Penobsquis Baptist Church and Sussex Wesleyan Church. I love the opportunity to unpack truth from God’s Word together. Please let me know if I can serve your congregation in this way. I also shared the presentation Digital Peace to ladies at the Atlantic Baptist Women’s Conference in May.

I look forward to speaking at Coles Island Baptist Church at the end of the summer and I will be at a variety of locations this fall.
Please let me know if I can serve your group by sharing a CAFNB conversation.

Bible camps are such an important part of the outreach and discipleship ministries in our province. I appreciated taking part in staff training for Hampton Bible Camp and Tulakadik Bible Camp as teens were getting ready for the camp season. I presented #Resolve to the teens a presentation about handling conflict biblically. I was privileged to speak to leaders in training at Arrowhead Native Bible Centre. This camp has a special mandate to minister to youth from our first nations communities. I spoke a new presentation #Discern: Right.Wrong.Choose.

Our Lancaster trip in April to Sight and Sound Theater (to see JESUS) was a wonderful intergenerational experience. We had seniors connected to the ministry of CAFNB either through congregations or TIDINGs mission magazine on the bus as well as middle school students.

Blessings,

~ Marsha

Get the Conversation Started

With the help of CAFNB you can get the conversations started this year at: youth services, youth groups, school groups, parent gatherings, mission committees, and more.

THE BENEDICT OPTION: A BOOK REVIEW

Rod Dreher’s book, The Benedict Option is a fascinating read for today’s Christian parent/ grandparent, or church leader. Dreher explores current United States culture as Post-Christian. It is not difficult to define our own Canadian culture the same way after reading the book and apply what has been written for the US to our own context. The first part of the book
is dedicated to the history to what has led us away from faith in our culture. He begins with the fall of the roman empire and Saint Benedicts choice to pull away from society and start a new community where the practices would preserve the faith through the trials ahead (p.18). The author stressed the importance of Christians pulling away from the culture at times to a life of obedience, prayer, and spiritual training.

Dreher traces the fall of Christianity through five key historical landmarks through the centuries: 14th Century loss of belief in the connection between God and Creation, The collapse of religious unity in the 16th Century, The 18th Century Enlightenment, the 19th & 20th Century Industrial Revolution, and the Sexual Revolution from the 1960s. He talks about
the life of the Benedictine sect that was lived out in Norcia and was dedicated to order, prayer, work, training, stability, community, hospitality, and balance.

The Benedictine example is a sign of hope, but also a warning: no matter what a Christian’s circumstances, he cannot live faithfully if God is only part of his life, bracketed away from the rest. In the end, either Christ is at the center
of our lives, or the Self and all its idolatries are. There is no middle ground (p.76).

This book is full of sobering, convicting, challenging, and hopeful thoughts for the 21st century Christian. The author addressed how we should let our Christianity infiltrate our politics, the education

of our kids, the kind of careers we pursue, the type of church we attend, and how we raise our families. With each part of our life and culture he brings us back to the way the Benedictine culture addressed these segments of their lives and challenges us to live in more wholistic way.

Rod Dreher urges parents not to outsource the spiritual formation of their family. He encourages families to create a monastic culture inside their homes also embracing friends of the family etc. into that culture. He drew us to look at a life centered around prayer and being in church, far more than just on Sunday. He explained the idea of entering into a larger faith community for growth and not watering down the message & mission of the church.As the book winds down the author had us reflect on the importance of parachurch ministry forms of education and home schooling. He also reflected on the digital technology and our need to fast from it the way our Benedictine brothers fasted from meals to spend time in prayer and dedication to Christ. This is a 21st century spiritual discipline we should adapt for our own health.

Living as a vibrant Christian in today’s world is difficult. Raising the next generation of torch bearers is a daunting task. The Benedict Option provides food for thought regarding a disciplined and integrated way to approach the Christian life. A reminder for us to bring every aspect of our families lives under the submission of Christ the way the Benedictines built their community on balance, prayer, hospitality, order, stability and prayer.No matter what your spiritual background there is something for you to take away from the thoughts in The Benedict Option. Dreher reminds us of the spiritual formation that needs to take place first in us and then ripple out to those we influence. We can take some great lessons from the author’s historical research. I give the book a hardy endorsement for the Christian who wants to think deeper about the Christian life. ~DBM

Get the Conversation Started

With the help of CAFNB you can get the conversations started this year at: youth services, youth groups, school groups, parent gatherings, mission committees, and more.