God sees every chapter of your life, from the beginning to the end. He has thought through the plot. You’re most likely familiar with Jeremiah 29:11 where the Bible says, “I know the thoughts I have for you, says the Lord. They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.”We also have thoughts and plans for our future. We keep a close eye on our financial and investment accounts.

Russian president Vladimir Putin has been in the news a lot lately. There is an interesting story about him that ties into the Easter weekend. In Peggy Noona’s book When Character Was King, she writes that in the summer of 2000 Vladimir Putin met with George W. Bush and he shared a very personal story with President Bush.

In the movie Back To The Future, there is a scene where Marty McFly goes back in time and is trying to convince his father George to ask his mom Lorriane out on a date. George is sitting in the school cafeteria, lost in a world of writing science fiction stories. When Marty presses his nerdy father to ask Lorraine out he replies, “What, right here, right now in the cafeteria? What if she said no? I don’t know if I could take that kind of rejection.”

Today we hear more voices competing for our attention than ever before. In today’s digital culture the average person hears over 5,000 media messages per day compared to 300 forty years ago. The amount of content that is uploaded daily on all kinds of platforms is staggering. For example, over 300 hours of video are uploaded to YouTube every minute! Almost 5 billion videos are watched on YouTube every single day.

Here are a few possible reasons:Onwards only happens when there is a purpose. As we read in Proverbs 29:18, “Where there is no vision, the people perish”. To move forward and stay on track we must have a clear revelation of God’s truth as to who we are in Christ and the fact that He has designed us with a distinct purpose in His overall plan.

The story of the Magi is one of the greatest stories of faith in the Bible. It teaches us to keep our sight on Jesus even when things get rough. These men found in the Christmas story remind us of others who demonstrated great faith as seen listed in Hebrews chapter 11.Tradition has clouded the facts and robbed us of some vital truth. In order to get to this truth, we have to clarify a few points:

Remembrance Day is a day as Canadians we stop and reflect on the incredible price that was paid for the freedom and peace we enjoy. May we never take for granted the wonderful land we are privileged to call home.Yesterday I stood on the steps of our church and looked across the street to the nearly completed Trump tower where a group of protestors shouted “no justice, no peace”.

This past week I had the opportunity to go LIVE on Facebook for a Q&A Session about Spiritual Warfare. We received great questions that you can always go back and watch again here: Spiritual Warfare Q&A – Below you can find answers to the other questions I didn’t cover live:

Fifteen times Jesus said: “He who has an ear to hear, let him hear.”Larry King once said: “Every morning I remind myself that nothing I say this day will teach me anything, so if I am going to learn I’ll do it by listening.”The book of James in the Bible states: “Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters: You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry.”

It is not “if” we have a trial – a difficult time that will test our trust in God – but “when”.It is inevitable we will have a faith test. About 2000 years ago Pastor James, of the First Church of Jerusalem, gave some amazing insight into the questions that are on the faith test. Here are the questions on the test so you can prepare for them:

Have you ever noticed the various ways people respond when you ask them how they are doing?Typical responses are: “Great, good, busy, not bad, okay or so-so.” Have you ever had someone respond by saying “I am content”? It would be an usual response and would likely pique your interest.

God by design converts stuff.I grew up in the foothills of the Rockies near Pincher Creek Alberta which is known for its wind. It is the second windiest place in Canada, following St. Johns, Newfoundland. On the farm we used to have a windmill that generated electricity.

Across Canada we enjoy the long weekend that Easter brings, yet for many what Easter really means is unclear. For some it is just a time off from work and school, or chocolate bunnies in the stores, or the anticipation of spring and perhaps a gathering with family and friends. It is time for us to take another look at Easter.

Have you ever thought what your last words might be? The last words that people speak can reveal a lot about them, whether they have had time to prepare these words or not. Here are a few last words of some famous people:“That was a great game of golf, fellers.” – Bing Crosby

1. Find out who your audience is and study how to make the subject you are presenting relevant.2. Know precisely where you want to take your audience and prepare your talk that they can follow you. Practice giving your talk in the mirror or with a trusted friend and evaluate if your talk accomplishes this.