Reach

Michael W. Smith's 1990 hit single 'Place in This World' is having new life breathed into it by for King & Country.

"You've been a trailblazer, an inspiration to so many artists including Luke and me," says Joel Smallbone in a Facebook Live interview with Smith. "The way that you not only led creativity but the way that you continue to partner with your wife and raise a great family is really quite captivating."

Ephesians 5:1-2

God says we are to be "imitators" of Him, which really means we are to "mimic" Him. Since God is a God of freshness and change, so we should be. 

Are you open to change in your life? Are you willing to risk? Are you flexible enough to innovate? Are you willing to tolerate the sheer possibility of making a massive change in your direction for life? 

"Lord, is it South America? Great! Or Indonesia? I'll do it. I'll move or change my profession. Fine! Are You leading me into a new venture? I'll do it. Count me in!"

Matthew 7:7-8

"Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened."

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Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Proverbs 14:26

Do you find yourself trying to hammer a square peg into a round hole? Are you pushing and straining and dumping loads of emotional freight to get something going? 

You'd better call time out and check with the Coach! When God's in something, it flows.

Let's say you had it in your heart to get into some kind of ministry at your place of employment. You'd like the opportunity to sit down with some co-workers and maybe spend 15 minutes together around the Scriptures at lunch. Great idea!

Galatians 6:7-8

"Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life."

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Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

The British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL) has announced that five Alberta teams will be joining their league in the 2024-2025 season including the Alberta Junior Hockey League's (AJHL) Blackfalds Bulldogs. 

The other AJHL teams that have agreed to terms include:

• Brooks Bandits
• Okotoks Oilers
• Sherwood Park Crusaders 
• Spruce Grove Saints

The BCHL says further information will be announced in the coming weeks but no further comment will be provided until more information is available. 

Canada's financial intelligence agency warns that illicit cash is being laundered through online gambling sites that provide a variety of ways to disguise shady funds.

In a newly published bulletin, the Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada highlights the criminal exploitation of legitimate and unlicensed digital wagering operations.

The centre, known as Fintrac, notes the popularity of online gambling grew during the COVID-19 pandemic and has been fuelled by the 2021 legalization of single-event sports betting in Canada.

The RCMP has eased its policy on cannabis use by members, saying simply they must be fit for duty when reporting for work. 

The new substance use policy replaces a 2018 one that required front-line officers and many other employees in "safety-sensitive" positions to refrain from recreational cannabis use for four weeks before duty.

The change, implemented earlier this month, brings the Mounties in line with many other police forces on employee pot use.

The village of Ste-Pétronille, Que., is used to receiving attention from outsiders. Tourists flock to the hamlet at the tip of picturesque Orleans Island to see its French colonial architecture and enjoy views of the Quebec City skyline across the St. Lawrence River.

Matthew 5:7

Mercy is a concern for people in need. It has to do with assisting those less fortunate than ourselves, including those who suffer the consequences of disappointment, disease, and distress. 

One of my mentors used to say, "Mercy is God's ministry to the miserable." 

And it does not stop with compassion or sadness over someone in dire straits; it means identifying with those who are hurting and imagining the pain they are having to endure, then doing something about it.