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Tue, 30 Dec 2008 09:40:00 -0800

Help Wanted - Brock Adams

Thu, 08 May 2008 15:50:59 -0700

“I look for someone to come and help me, but no one gives me a passing thought! No one will help me; no one cares a bit what happens to me. Bring me out of prison so I can thank you. The godly will crowd around me, for you are good to me.”
Psalm 142:4-7

There is a disease out there that is killing males at a rapid rate. That disease is the male ego. I am not saying that women don’t have any pride issues. It seems to me that men suffer from this more severely than women. It seems that for some reason men seem to think they are manlier when they can do things on their own. That is why men would rather drive around in circles for 2 hours than stop and ask for directions. There is a misconception in our world that if someone needs help that person is weak. We think we don’t need help because we will figure things out on our own.

A Solid Investment - Cam Hall

Fri, 02 May 2008 11:05:38 -0700

Well, tax season is officially over. April 30th was the deadline to file your tax return and have your taxes paid. If you’re like me, you struggle each year to put some money away in RRSP’s. If I were to retire today I’d barely have enough to buy myself a fast wheelchair and a sidecar for my wife. Then again I guess I have a few years yet to work on my investments.

This summer will make it 9 years that I’ve been a pastor at SouthSide. I’ve reflected a lot lately on that time, and on the many great memories. This might be a surprise to some of you, but being a pastor isn’t always easy. There have been times when I’ve wondered if it was worth it. There have been times when I’ve been ready to walk away. But when I’ve taken the time to remember my reasons for being a pastor, I’ve always decided to keep on going. You see, at the age of 35 I still know that there’s nothing that compares to knowing God, and I’ll always be interested in helping people find that out.

Walter's Life Story

Mon, 28 Apr 2008 14:39:19 -0700

I have 2 brothers and until I was about 11 was raised with them in Maple Ridge. Then my dad closed his clothing business and we moved to Chilliwack. I enjoyed my childhood and did typical kids things. We did not go to church although occasionally we attended a Catholic Church Service. I remember that they did not particularly grab my attention.

For Better Or For Worse - Jim Gaetz

Thu, 24 Apr 2008 14:34:35 -0700

For better or for worse - It seems hard to believe that 34 years ago this weekend Sharon and I said those words to each other as part of our wedding vows. Amazingly enough, after all that time we still love each other and it keeps getting better. We’re really excited to spend this anniversary weekend roller blading around the seawall at Stanley Park and just hanging out together. If the first 34 were that good, then I can hardly wait for the next 34; I’ll be 91 and Sharon will be 86 and we can push our walkers along the seawall together.

Not Always Easy - Mike Mannes

Thu, 17 Apr 2008 08:58:05 -0700

Every day our youth group does devotions on a chapter of the Bible. Our Youth Pastor, Brock Adams, writes a devotion on a website, and all the youth and youth leaders are invited to add their comments and reflections on the same chapter. It’s a fantastic thing to see so many young men and women studying the Bible together daily.

Today the chapter that the youth are studying is Psalm 126. Verse five stood out to me.

5 Those who sow in tears
will reap with songs of joy.

The Job Description of a Mom - Carolyn Martens

Thu, 10 Apr 2008 15:29:45 -0700

At SouthSide on Thursday morning we have a “Moms & Tots” group that meet each week. It is a great place for moms of all ages to come together and meet. Even though I am no longer a mom of a tot, I still love dropping in to visit the moms and getting my “baby fix”. There is just something about getting hugs from children that just makes your day. (Especially if you don’t have to deal with the dirty diapers, leaking bottles, fussy eating time and lack of sleep.)

Everyday Heroes - Dianna Duerksen

Thu, 03 Apr 2008 11:44:36 -0700

When I started on staff just over a year and a half ago, I petitioned God with a simple prayer. I asked him to give me a love - like His love - for His people at SouthSide Church. It seemed simple enough, but in reality it was much more colossal than even I had thought. I expected that it would come with its share of enjoyment and challenges but I sometimes wondered if the challenges would outweigh the joy. I was so wrong in thinking that. In fact, as I sit here today writing this, my heart is so full of joy. I am thankful that God has blessed me with the ability to see the beauty in the little things of life and of the wonderful qualities in people. Today my heart is full – not because of the beautiful spring weather – but because of a few amazing people in my life. I like to call them my everyday heroes.

Lighten Up - Corinne Mannes

Thu, 27 Mar 2008 09:00:35 -0700

Proverbs 22:6

Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it.

Some of the best parenting advice I ever received came from a bachelor. He said to me that once your children are teenagers, you can't exercise too much control over them. When they are going out the door, to school, or out with friends, just say to them “I know you're going to make good decisions today”, and believe in them. Believe that the things you taught them when they were young will stick and they will use those guidelines to make good decisions on their own. Sounds simple enough, right? But then why is it so hard?

Death Couldn't Keep Jesus Down - Jim Gaetz

Thu, 20 Mar 2008 09:17:13 -0700

Easter is the story of Jesus, who not only died on a cross to forgive our sins, but three days later came back to life again.

Acts 2:24 “But God raised Him from the dead. He set Him free from the suffering of death. It wasn’t possible for death to keep its hold on Jesus.”

Jesus died a horrible death on the cross. His dead body was placed in a tomb and a large rock was rolled in front of it and guarded to make sure that no one stole His body. But on the third day after His death, God brought His body back to life. It was impossible for death to hold Jesus down. In the following weeks He was seen by hundreds of people at different times and in different locations.

Thanks for Nothing - Brock Adams

Fri, 14 Mar 2008 07:51:14 -0700

In the summer of 2003 I went on a missions trip to Mexico with Southside Youth. After much convincing on my part, we ended the trip by going to a Dodgers game. My goal was to get a baseball. I stood by the bullpen (that is where the pitchers warm up before the game) for close to 30 minutes. I watched the pitcher, Hideo Nomo, throw ball after ball. The whole time I stood there watching I asked over and over again for a baseball. When Hideo Nomo was ready to pitch he left the bullpen and headed for the field. I asked again for a ball. One of the coaches was throwing the ball to me when a little girl said “Mister, Mister, can I have a ball?” The coach replied, “Let the girl have the ball.” He threw the ball to the girl. I thought about taking it from her and then running away. I decided that wasn’t a good idea since the Dad was a large man. As soon as she got the ball she put it under her seat and played with her doll. I was choked.

Names Will Never Hurt Me - Corinne Mannes

Fri, 07 Mar 2008 10:47:19 -0800

“Sticks and stones can break my bones, but names will never hurt me.”

Who came up with that anyway? Because in my experience, it just isn't true. When it comes right down to it, I would rather have stones thrown at me than words meant to inflict pain, because you know what? They do. Words hurt.

Growing Up - Jim Gaetz

Fri, 29 Feb 2008 13:37:02 -0800

I’m a totally unbiased grandparent who undoubtedly has the most amazing granddaughter in the world. Samantha lives in the Philippines, which means we only get to see her once a year. Our first exposure to her was just two weeks after she was born. She was totally helpless. The list of her accomplishments in a day included eating, sleeping, crying and messing her diaper. Of course, at that age everything revolved around her and she was blissfully unaware of anyone else’s needs. My joy early every morning was to hold Samantha for a couple of hours as her parents recovered from another sleep deprived night.

5 Ways God Answers Prayer - Carolyn Martens

Fri, 22 Feb 2008 09:10:04 -0800

Sometimes when we pray I think that we look at God as if he were a giant vending machine. Put your prayer in the slot, push the button and whatever you want pops out. When we ask for something, we feel He should automatically come through for us. I have learned over the years how messed up my life would be if that actually happened.

When our children ask us for things that we know are bad for them, we turn them down for their own good. It’s not easy for them to always understand, and yes the temper tantrums may come, but for their best interest we have to stick to what we believe will be best for them in the long run.

Aren’t we as adults the very same way when it comes to asking God for things in our lives? And, when God sometimes says no, our tantrums are not always so different than that of our children. I recently came upon a list of “5 Ways God Answers Prayers” that really made me stop and think about my prayer life and how God does answer prayers.

Authentic Joy - Dianna Duerksen

Thu, 14 Feb 2008 09:47:30 -0800

I am sitting here reflecting on the last few weeks - which happen to be the first few weeks of the New Year. I can’t say that they feel like they have been either productive or blissful. In fact, they have been rather crappy. I know that the Christian life is not a free ticket to easy street – but sometimes I wish that it was. I must admit that I thought that this year would be very different than it has been. It is a good thing that we are only one and a half months into the year. I wonder if my attitude would be so promising if my trying times were not only one and a half months but several months or even years. I wonder if then I would feel so at peace with what God is trying to teach me. This series of unfortunate events certainly has made me think about how I am to handle each situation. I have chosen humour, which isn’t the most spiritual I know, but it certainly helps with the process. I know that we were promised joy - in all things, even the difficult times. So, what does this joy look like you might ask? Well, we have been given the bible, our roadmap to life, to help us understand. In the 17th book of John, Jesus says “I am coming to you now, but I say these things while I am still in the world, so that they may have the full measure of my joy within them.” Jesus wants us to have his joy in the middle of all circumstances; he doesn’t want us to wait for heaven to be full of joy. He desires to fill us with overflowing joy right now – even in the face of trials.