Saturday, October 11, 2008

The First St. Thomas walk for ALS

The first walk for ALS was held on Saturday September 27, 2008 in Pinafore Park with approximately 250 people participating. The walk was organized by Steve Barber and friends and family and raised over $ 37,450.00 for research into cause and cure for ALS. The two St. Thomas ALS patients, Steve Barber and Chris Van Doodewaard, participated in the walk.
Dr. Michael Strong of UH spoke and informed us of some exciting new developments. The neurological team at UH in London will be expanded with leading experts from Japan, Chile and Spain. They are pursuing a very first breakthrough in developing treatment for this disease.

A warm thank you to all who participated by giving and / or walking!

Thursday, October 2, 2008

When the stock market crashes or your health fails.....

Water in a dry place. Isaiah 32:2

Are your outward circumstances dry? Are you rich?
Wealthy society is generally as dry as the granite hills. Gold and gospel seldom agree.
Are you poor? Poverty is a dry place to those who are not rich in faith. Are you engaged in business? How often do its problems parch your soul? To rise up early and toil late amid losses and crosses is to dwell in a dry place
Oh to feel the love of Christ flowing! This is to have “rivers of water”. True religion is to have Christ when you are losing money, when checks bounce, and when banks fail. It is sweet to be able to rejoice in Christ even when you are out of work, to have Christ even when your wife is sick, to have Christ even when your precious child has to be buried, to have Christ when your head is aching, to have Christ when your poor body is half starved.
You will never know the sweetness of Christ until you know the bitterness of trials. You cannot know His fullness until you see your emptiness. I pray that it may be your experience to always feel that you are going down and Christ is going up, to become poorer and poorer apart from Him, while knowing more and more of the priceless riches which are yours in Christ Jesus. Christ will be dearer and dearer as you have less and less esteem of yourself.
Christ is “rivers of water in a dry place” (Is. 32:2). “He who believes in Me shall never thirst” (John 6:35).

C.H. Spurgeon