We Are Gateway

If we think back to a few years ago, we likely had all kinds of expectations for what we thought the future would look like. Some of them were fun, some were long-awaited, some were hopeful, some were really great. It’s safe to say many of our expectations did not pan out the way we expected. We may have expected time with family and friends, possibility for the future, harmony, understanding and acceptance from others. But maybe instead we ended up with loss, grief, disappointment, conflict, strife or hate. And this may have shattered our expectations for what could be. This Christmas season we are hoping and believing that you can have some great expectations, that you can experience comfort, hope, peace and love in a whole new way!

If we think back to a few years ago, we likely had all kinds of expectations for what we thought the future would look like. Some of them were fun, some were long-awaited, some were hopeful, some were really great. It’s safe to say many of our expectations did not pan out the way we expected. We may have expected time with family and friends, possibility for the future, harmony, understanding and acceptance from others. But maybe instead we ended up with loss, grief, disappointment, conflict, strife or hate. And this may have shattered our expectations for what could be. This Christmas season we are hoping and believing that you can have some great expectations, that you can experience comfort, hope, peace and love in a whole new way!

If you’re on social media, you may have seen photodumps, where people put pics together in a collage or a carousel. In the photodump we can see a snapshot of an event or a theme or maybe some memories of days gone by. They’re quite often showcasing the relationships they have. Relationships are a big deal to us. Classmates, work colleagues, acquaintances, friends… and then this thing called family. Sometimes it’s easy to forget how valuable our family relationships are. Some of them we didn’t choose, and some we did… but they’re meant to be for life, so we definitely want them to be healthy and thriving. So, what does a thriving family look like? What should the photodump really look like?

If you’re on social media, you may have seen photodumps, where people put pics together in a collage or a carousel. In the photodump we can see a snapshot of an event or a theme or maybe some memories of days gone by. They’re quite often showcasing the relationships they have. Relationships are a big deal to us. Classmates, work colleagues, acquaintances, friends… and then this thing called family. Sometimes it’s easy to forget how valuable our family relationships are. Some of them we didn’t choose, and some we did… but they’re meant to be for life, so we definitely want them to be healthy and thriving. So, what does a thriving family look like? What should the photodump really look like?

We humans by nature like to hold onto stuff. Whether it’s old toys we might give to our grandkids someday, receipts for items we might return someday, or clothes we might wear again someday, we sometimes have a hard time letting go. It seems we’re like that with other things as well. We tend to hold onto disappointment, hurt and anger, which can grow into grudges, resentment or bitterness. All we can think is, “They don’t deserve it.” And then we are faced with our own failures. We hang onto pain, rejection and low self-worth, which can grow into guilt, shame and condemnation. And all we can think is, “I don’t deserve it.” And all the while unforgiveness eats away at our minds and hearts. What if forgiveness was possible? What if we could finally let go and experience the freedom and joy of forgiveness?

We humans by nature like to hold onto stuff. Whether it’s old toys we might give to our grandkids someday, receipts for items we might return someday, or clothes we might wear again someday, we sometimes have a hard time letting go. It seems we’re like that with other things as well. We tend to hold onto disappointment, hurt and anger, which can grow into grudges, resentment or bitterness. All we can think is, “They don’t deserve it.” And then we are faced with our own failures. We hang onto pain, rejection and low self-worth, which can grow into guilt, shame and condemnation. And all we can think is, “I don’t deserve it.” And all the while unforgiveness eats away at our minds and hearts. What if forgiveness was possible? What if we could finally let go and experience the freedom and joy of forgiveness?

Have you ever made a decision to say or do something, and later found yourself asking, “What was I thinking?” Join the club. I’ve asked that question many times. It’s like we’re wondering how we could have ever thought it was a good idea to send that email or share that online post or buy that item or start that relationship. And it happens more than we’d like to admit. So how can we avoid asking this question? What is the answer to making good decisions, healthy decisions, the right decisions? There is so much information available, and so many voices around us. In the middle of all the noise, what we really need… is wisdom. Wisdom to know where to find truth, what to do with it, when to use it, and how to apply it to our lives. Sounds like something we could all use a lot more of!

Have you ever made a decision to say or do something, and later found yourself asking, “What was I thinking?” Join the club. I’ve asked that question many times. It’s like we’re wondering how we could have ever thought it was a good idea to send that email or share that online post or buy that item or start that relationship. And it happens more than we’d like to admit. So how can we avoid asking this question? What is the answer to making good decisions, healthy decisions, the right decisions? There is so much information available, and so many voices around us. In the middle of all the noise, what we really need… is wisdom. Wisdom to know where to find truth, what to do with it, when to use it, and how to apply it to our lives. Sounds like something we could all use a lot more of!

There is an ancient proverb that says, “The borrower is slave to the lender.” On average each Canadian has over $73,000 of debt, and the average household owes $1.71 for every dollar of income. Studies show that having this kind of debt can have serious effects on us, including mental, emotional and physical health difficulties, relational strain, and financial bankruptcy. What can we do to deal with our debt? Is there a way out? Many of us would like to better manage what we have and be more generous with others. We’d like to give more to charitable causes and invest more in things that matter. But so many of us feel the oppression of debilitating debt that traps us, holds us captive and stands in the way. Is there a better way? How can we be free? How can we truly experience financial freedom?

What can we do to deal with our debt? Is there a way out? Many of us would like to better manage what we have and be more generous with others. We’d like to give more to charitable causes and invest more in things that matter. But so many of us feel the oppression of debilitating debt that traps us, holds us captive and stands in the way. Is there a better way? How can we be free? How can we truly experience financial freedom?

My desire is to be made and remade again to do anything that will show more of God in my life.

Remember when you were a kid and you were going to sleep, and your mom or dad would say, “Sweet dreams!” They were wishing and hoping you would have a good sleep, and that the dreams you had would be good, pleasant, and maybe even exciting. There’s the dreams we have when we’re asleep, and then there’s the dreams we have when we’re awake. Do you remember lying awake, thinking about some things that meant a lot to you, that you were looking forward to, that you were excited about? Those dreams are even sweeter than the ones we might have when we’re sleeping. So, what keeps you up at night? What are you really excited about? What is your mission, your purpose? What gets you out of bed in the morning? What are you hoping for, looking for, believing for? At Gateway Church we have some sweet dreams – and they’re all about you! Our dream, our mission, our purpose, is to help you discover yours. Join us in person or online throughout September. Find out more at wearegateway.ca.

Remember when you were a kid and you were going to sleep, and your mom or dad would say, “Sweet dreams!” They were wishing and hoping you would have a good sleep, and that the dreams you had would be good, pleasant, and maybe even exciting. There’s the dreams we have when we’re asleep, and then there’s the dreams we have when we’re awake. Do you remember lying awake, thinking about some things that meant a lot to you, that you were looking forward to, that you were excited about? Those dreams are even sweeter than the ones we might have when we’re sleeping. So, what keeps you up at night? What are you really excited about? What is your mission, your purpose? What gets you out of bed in the morning? What are you hoping for, looking for, believing for? At Gateway Church we have some sweet dreams – and they’re all about you! Our dream, our mission, our purpose, is to help you discover yours. Join us in person or online throughout September. Find out more at wearegateway.ca.

Remember when you were a kid and you were going to sleep, and your mom or dad would say, “Sweet dreams!” They were wishing and hoping you would have a good sleep, and that the dreams you had would be good, pleasant, and maybe even exciting. There’s the dreams we have when we’re asleep, and then there’s the dreams we have when we’re awake. Do you remember lying awake, thinking about some things that meant a lot to you, that you were looking forward to, that you were excited about? Those dreams are even sweeter than the ones we might have when we’re sleeping. So, what keeps you up at night? What are you really excited about? What is your mission, your purpose? What gets you out of bed in the morning? What are you hoping for, looking for, believing for? At Gateway Church we have some sweet dreams – and they’re all about you! Our dream, our mission, our purpose, is to help you discover yours.

Placing your faith in Jesus may be a personal decision, but it is far from private. Following Jesus is one of the most public things you'll ever do!

If you’ve ever been on a road trip, you know that you set out from home to a destination of some kind, and it may be near or far. You have some sort of route, and it may be pre-decided or you may figure it out as you go. On your trip you go at a certain pace, maybe taking your time or maybe going as fast as you legally can. You might use a GPS, a map on your phone, a physical map, or even a compass. No matter your destination, route, pace, or navigation tool, you always need a direction – otherwise you end up going nowhere. And your direction ends up determining your destination. We all need to find direction in life. We may not be certain of our route, we may all be at a different pace, and we may be using different kinds of navigation, but we are all headed somewhere. At Gateway Church we would sincerely love to help you find direction in life, and to take steps in the right direction.

If you’ve ever been on a road trip, you know that you set out from home to a destination of some kind, and it may be near or far. You have some sort of route, and it may be pre-decided or you may figure it out as you go. On your trip you go at a certain pace, maybe taking your time or maybe going as fast as you legally can. You might use a GPS, a map on your phone, a physical map, or even a compass. No matter your destination, route, pace, or navigation tool, you always need a direction – otherwise you end up going nowhere. And your direction ends up determining your destination. We all need to find direction in life. We may not be certain of our route, we may all be at a different pace, and we may be using different kinds of navigation, but we are all headed somewhere. At Gateway Church we would sincerely love to help you find direction in life, and to take steps in the right direction.

OK so you are having a conversation with someone, going back and forth about things you agree on and some things you do not agree on. Then all of a sudden you hear the words, “the reality is…” and you know you are in for a treat. You are about to hear something that is true for sure… because after all, it is reality. And how does this person know what the reality is? Well, they believe it, and maybe they even read it on the internet… so it must be true. The reality is, I say this all the time. I think I know what reality is simply because I believe it, and my opinion must be right. And if you are honest, you do it too. You think that something is reality because you believe it, and that your opinion is right… otherwise you would change it. But what if someone who claims to know truth does things that make them less than truthful? And what if truth is something, we need to discover rather than determine?

We hear quite a bit about “bandwidth”. In telecommunications it refers to a range of frequencies in which a signal can be transmitted without distortion. In the computer world it’s the speed of data transfer. And in humans it refers to our capacity to handle many things at the same time. We can always tell when bandwidth isn’t good… your mobile phone drops its signal, or your internet connection is really slow, or it takes forever to copy those files to your external drive. We’re typically not as good at knowing when our own bandwidth isn’t great. And there’s another bandwidth that’s really important for our lives: our connection with God. Sometimes that can really suffer from data overload or interference or just lack of a good connection. Healthy bandwidth can make all the difference for a healthy life.