Let the Music Pla, Music Pla, Music Pla...

I'm going a bit 'retro' this morning....  I grew up playing records.... big, black vinyl records.  (I did have a cool red one and might have even had one with a picture on it, but for the most part, they were black...)  The first records I bought were produced by K-Tel.  (Dynamite and Canadian Mint as I recall.) 

Records were great until they got scratched. Once they were scratched, the needle would skip and the record would play the same phrase over and over until you lifted the needle and moved it past the skip.

I had a conversation with a friend this week.  We were discussing how to help people who face recurring issues in their lives.  We see it far too often in our work.  Good people with great potential get 'stuck' at a point in their lives.  Their loss, pain, injustice, failure or setback affects them like a scratch on an old record.  Sadly, they seem oblivious to the seriousness of their situation.  For them, what could be an opportunity to be wiser, stronger, better equipped and aware, becomes a recurring phrase in the soundtrack of their lives.  It sounds like this.... my life was good and then the b-bad thi, b-bad thi, b-bad thi.. until someone mercifully picks up the needle and moves it ahead of the scratch. 

I'm not making fun of people who have had bad things happen in their lives.  I want to help them get past their pain so they can move forward towards what God has in store for their lives. If you are reading this,  and your past is affecting your present and future negatively, I have good news for you!

You were made to be an overcomer!  You were made to live free from the pain of your past!  Your past can be a building block for you future if you let it!  

Ask Jesus to heal the 'broken' part of your past that you keep replaying and reliving.  Ask him to turn your mourning into dancing and your sorrow into joy so that you can move forward into the goodness and greatness of all that God has for you!

He's written a beautiful sound track for your life!  Get past the skip and let the music play on!

Back To The Legislature We Go!

The BC Legislature resumes sitting on Tuesday with the Throne Speech.  This will mark the 2nd Session of the 40th Parlaiment.  While we won't know until Tuesday what the government's priorities will be for the coming year, we are happy to share our prayer focus themes with you in advance.  On Tuesday of this week, a group of intercessors prayed on the grounds of the Legislature asking God to work in the following ways.  While we've prayed privately on the grounds before, this is the first time we are publishing the content of what we prayed.  We invite you to pray along with us!

Leading Influence Prayer Initiative - February 2014

 “So shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.”      

                                                                                                            Isaiah 55:11 (ESV)

Psalm 72

·         Pray that the government would lead with wisdom and grace.

·       For a compassionate and generous response to those who are most at risk in our province: Youth, Homeless, those struggling with Mental illness, the disenfranchised

·      For wisdom, revelation and development of a strategy that would form policies and legislation to combat child poverty in our province as it is the highest in our nation

·    That the government would continue to develop policies and legislation in the upcoming session that would be beneficial to families

·     We pray for harmonious positive relationships that will bring together parents, teachers, school trustees to achieve long-term labour stability in our classrooms so that the education of our greatest natural resource, our children, is achieved.

·    Pray for continued discipline that will produce a balanced budget and strike a balance between reducing taxes and cost for families, investing in programs and services while reducing provincial debt.

·         Pray for wisdom, revelation and understanding to reduce the ongoing challenges in the global and domestic economies and that these economies would begin to flourish

·  That the government would balance Economic Development and meet appropriate environmental concerns.

·   For wisdom in allocating resources to the appropriate needs in light of the increasing expectations and demands.

·         For the success of a diversified and sustainable approach to job creation and that a needed 94,000 jobs would be created in our province.