Word Studies: Leviticus

Class: Pastoral Epistles

Week #12: November 28 - December 2
Professor: Dr. Tom Davis

Assignments: Students are to read the book of the Leviticus two times. Dr. Tom Davis will be teaching you the Book of Leviticus this week. Dr. Davis received his BS in Bible from Lancaster Bible College, an MDiv from Grace Theological Seminary, took Advanced Studies at Jerusalem University College and obtained his PhD from Nova Southeastern University. He is our Academic Dean of the Bible Institute and a Professor at the Schroon Lake, New York, campus. Leviticus is a tough read. Yet, it is important and needs to be studied. The students have the opportunity to learn about the laws, feasts and the purpose of Leviticus. Dr. Davis does a fantastic job of helping the students discover the purpose of each feast and the laws that God had instituted for Israel. There are so many laws that God put in place for the Jews to follow. One wonders why God is so specific and almost arbitrary in His laws, but God had a point in all this for Israel. The main focus for Leviticus is the core phrase, "Be ye holy (set-apart), as I am holy" (Leviticus 11:45). Almighty God says this to the children of Israel in order to encourage them to be like Him. As New Testament believers in the church, this command is repeated for us in 1 Peter 1:15-16. This is the message of Leviticus and the command from God: to be holy or set apart for the glory of God. BW

Word Studies: Genesis

Class: Genesis

Week #5: October 10-14
Professor: Dr. Gary Gromacki


Assignments: Read through Genesis 1-11 and type out 10 questions that you would like to discuss. Bring your typed list of 10 questions to the first class on October 11, 2011.
Read the textbook The New Answers Book (Ken Ham) by the time of the final exam.
      (For guests to this post you can order the book here or check out a sample chapter)
Read through the teacher's notes on Genesis 1-11 by the time of the final exam.

Dr. Gromacki is a professor at Bible Baptist Seminary, teaching Bible exposition and homiletics. He also edits the Journal of Ministry & Theology. Before teaching at BBS, Dr. Gromacki served as a pastor for 13 years and taught as adjunct teacher at Cedarville University for 10 years. He enjoys going out on missions trips to teach the Word of God and train national pastors and students. This is his second year teaching at WOLBI. 

One can also interact with Dr. Gromacki through his Facebook groups:

Biblical Creationism

Biblical Preachers and Teachers

Biblical Archeology 

The technical title for this class is Biblical Creationism. Teaching the beginnings of what we call the universe, the world and life as we know it, at the end of the week, the students are able to understand the full implications of a literal understanding of the Genesis account. Dr. Gromacki teaches through the historical account given in Genesis 1-11. He then coincides this teaching with evidence in science which the Biblical model of a creation-fall-global flood easily interprets.

Students shared what they had learned:

"I learned that God is a just God, and He loves His children, but when we sin there are consequences."
- Monica, Stratford

"When I saw the pictures of the grand canyon, I was overwhelmed with a sense of how awesome our God is. The evidence for a global flood was an eye-opener; it is difficult to imagine anyone could believe otherwise."
- Jonathan, Huntsville

Everyone involved learns something in the classes at Word of Life, even the teachers:

"I really enjoyed teaching this class. I was reminded each person is made in the image of God. Each person is important and we need to love him, because Christ loved everyone by dying on the cross."
- Dr. Gromacki

Many think of the account in Genesis 1-11 as a bunch of stories that are really great for Sunday School. Yet, if the account is taken completely literally and applied to our lives, then our lives would be radically changed. We would see the need of the fallen world and our need and fulfilled purpose in a  relationship with God Almighty. Maybe taking another look into the first book of the Bible could go on your recent to-do list.

BW

Opening Weekend Conference 2011

       Opening Weekend Conference at WOLBI is always a busy time of registering new students, meeting with believers in Christ and learning from God's Word. This year, as every year so far at the Owen Sound Campus, Dr. Wendell Calder brought the Word of God to the families and students that gathered four times over the weekend to hear it. Being encouraged from the Bible was definitely one of the highlights. Dr. Wendell Calder preached from Psalm 16 and the messages were the perfect beginning to the tenth year at the BI.

Dr. Wendell Calder preaches the Word

"As the opening to a year of life changing experiences for the students, this weekend begins the year with a foundation in God's Word, with which the only result can be to have the fulness of joy in the presence of the Lord." 
- Atie, Huntsville (Parent of student)

"Even better than I thought it would be."
- Lucas, Wyoming

        Just from these two comments, one can see that this weekend was truly memorable. Already evident in the lives of the students, is a desire to grow and be changed by God's Word. Great are the expectations of those involved with the coming year at the BI as to what God will do.
       
        Below is the verse upon which Dr. Calder preached the evening message on Saturday. It shows where God wants each and everyone of us to be: In His Presence.

"Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore." - Psalms 16:11


If you are interested in being a part of the great expectations for WOLBI 2012-2013 check out our website or send us an email.

BW

Registration Weekend 2011-2012

        Another year at the Word of Life Bible Institute has officially begun. On Friday, September 09, the students for WOLBI 2011-2012 began to arrive early in the afternoon. It was an exciting time as the dorms quickly filled up with new arrivals. Students and their families enjoyed delicious meals and evening fellowship and had the oppurtunity to sit under the teaching of Dr. Wendall Calder. Dr. Calder has taught at the opening of the Bible Institute for the past ten years here at the Owen Sound Campus. Busy as it was, the weekend was a time of getting to know each other and settling into the dorms.
    
          Students have come from all walks of life and for many reasons:


"I wanted to learn more about God and I didn't know what to do with my life, and I thought I should come here to find out."
-Tyler, Waterloo

"I came here to get a solid foundation of the Bible and to spend a year studying the Word and not have the distractions of work."
-Sarah, Alberta

"I wanted to take a year between high school and university to make sure I knew what God wanted for my life."
-Mic, New Brunswick

"[I came here] for my relationship with God and to learn English and learn the Bible."
-Esther, Quebec

        At the end of the day, the total count of students was twenty-four guys and thirteen girls. This year is going to be life-changing for many students, filled with new friendships, adventures, a deeper knowledge of God's Word, and memories that will last a lifetime. Already beginning in dorm life are discussions on faith, God and the Bible. However unprepared the students may be, they are ready to take on this year and be changed by the Word of God.

                                                                    BW

Why YOU should get an Alumni Gift Award!

Do you like free money? Do your friends like free money? Should anyone really have to ask this question? Isn't it obvious?
We all like to have a little extra money in our pockets, and Word of Life Bible Institute understands this! They've made it easy for students and our friends who are interested in the BI to get some extra money!

"But, how?" 

Well, with the Alumni Gift Award of course! Each year students are handed these little pink award slips to distribute to people we know. The "Hallelujah Chorus" resounds as we prepare to give them out to all our friends!

Fun Facts about the Alumni Gift Award:

Who it's for: anyone interested in applying to the BI in September 2011 or September 2012.

How to get one: any current or graduated student can give this award to a friend who is planning to apply to the BI for 2011 or 2012. A current student can get award slips from the admissions office at WOLBI. Alumni can print this one.

How much it's worth: this award is unique in that both the applicant AND the student giving the award receive money! The person applying will acquire $200 off their tuition (split between the two semesters) and the current or graduated student who gave the gift award will receive a check for $100 in the mail once the applicant enrolls in the September!

How it works:
*IMPORTANT* to receive this award, the award slip MUST be sent in WITH the new application.

Instructions for applicants:
Mail Application: send pink award slip in the same envelope with your application.
Online Application: if you are applying online, please email the admissions department (admissions@wol.ca, alliep@wol.ca) as soon as you have submitted your application and let them know that you have an Alumni Gift Award. Then, proceed to mail it in so we can process it!
Application Turned in at a Recharge weekend or Campus Days event: simple, just give us the award slip when you give us the application. For those of you who are wondering, YES you do get the $300 for applying at Recharge or Campus Days AND the $200 for Alumni Gift, totaling $500!!!

*The Perks*: This is a great way for  a new applicant to get an extra $200 off their tuition. Extra finances are sometimes hard to come by these days, so every little bit counts! ALSO, we students in turn get rewarded for rewarding our friends! Once the applicants enroll for the fall, Word of Life will send $100 in the mail for each gift award we handed out! Why WOULDN'T we take advantage of this opportunity! It's a win-win situation for everyone!

If you'd like to be a part of this offer, or have any questions, please contact our admissions department!
Email: AllieP@wol.ca, admissions@wol.ca, CassandraJ@wol.ca
Phone: 519-376-3516 ex. 213 or 216. Toll Free: 800-461-3503

Staff/Student year end barbeque: saying goodbye with food and fire

On Sunday night, May 22, instead of our usual meal together here at WOLBI we had a staff and student end of the year barbecue.  All the staff was out and brought yummy desserts!  There were mixed feelings and it was both fun and sad at the same time.  No one likes to say goodbyes and we knew it was the last Sunday night as students here at WOLBI.  After we ate we went down to the gorge for a camp fire.  We all gathered around the flames for a time of praise and then we had sharing time about what God has taught us throughout our year.  The testimonies were so sweet and showed how much God can work in our lives using His Word if we let Him and keep our hearts open to changing.  There was lots of laughing and even some tears as we recounted from the year and talked about our roles this summer at camp.  It was an awesome year that helped us build a foundation for the rest of our lives.  Such a good starting place and now we need to stay on fire for God and continue to grow to become more like Him.

Here are some students comments about the camp fire and things they learned this past year:

"Man is nothing; it is all about glorifying Him."

"I learned God is super-personal and He wants to be involved in every aspect of our lives." 

"It was very encouraging and I am proud to be part of the WOLBI alumni (very soon!)."

"I was very encouraged to see all of the spiritual growth among the class."

NW

Learning the Word: Pneumatology

From WOLBRANOS

Dr. Marshall Wicks received a BA in Bible from Tennessee Temple University, MDiv and ThM from Grace Theological Seminary, and a PhD from Baptist Bible Seminary. Dr. Wicks is one of the resident professors at our WOLBI campus in Schroon Lake where he teaches both Bible Survey and Systematic Theology in the 1st and 2nd years.
Dr. Wicks taught us Pneumatology - the doctrine of the Holy Spirit - the final week of Spring Semester.  It was a huge blessing to learn about the ministry of God's Spirit throughout Bible times and His unique ministry in the Church today. Without God's work in our lives, we cannot do anything!  What a valuable week of teaching!

Learning the Word: Church History

From WOLBRANOS

Dr. Renald Showers graduated from Philadelphia College of Bible with a Bible Major in 1956. He went on to earn a BA from Wheaton College, a ThM degree in Church History from Dallas Theological Seminary, and a Doctor of Theology from Grace Theological Seminary. He has served in the pastorate and as a member of the faculties of Lancaster Bible College, Moody Bible Institute, and Philadelphia College of Bible. Dr Showers is on the staff of Friends of Israel and has authored numerous books and magazine articles as well as produced teaching videos.

"I never realized how much in the little things that the devil tries to overcome God, but God always overcomes and will do the same in my life."

"I loved Dr. Showers!  It was neat learning about our world and that whatever Satan tries to do, God is still sovereign."

"Dr. Showers is the example that we need to follow when it comes to biblical study.  He is an example when it comes to humility and to pushing others toward Christ.  I have never met a more humble and Christ-centered man in my life and a man who has so much compassion toward the Jewish nation."

"It really inspired me to read Genesis and take it as literally and it actually happened.  It was cool to see how it relates to the rest of the Bible."  

Get your own copy of Dr. Showers text for this course "What On Earth Is God Doing?" on Amazon.ca, Amazon.com, or from Friends of Israel. 

For more of Dr. Showers' excellent biblical teaching listen online. 

Learning the Word: Genesis

From WOLBRANOS

Dr. Gary Gromacki teaches Bible exposition and homiletics courses at Baptist Bible Seminary. He also edits The Journal of Ministry and Theology. He is a member of the Evangelical Theological Society, the Evangelical Homiletics Society, and the Pre-Trib Rapture Study Group. Dr. Gromacki enjoys going on missions trips to teach the word of God and train national pastors and students. Before coming to BBS, Gary served as a pastor for thirteen years and an adjunct teacher at Cedarville University for ten years. Gary has been married to Kim for over twenty five years and they have 3 children: Julie, Gavin, and Allison. Gary and his family are members of Summit Baptist Bible Church.

Dr. Gromacki taught us Genesis 1-11 and gave us so many answers to relevant questions about creation, origins, and the purpose of life from the very beginning!

You can interact with Dr. Gromacki on his Facebook groups:

Biblical Creationism
Bible Preachers and Teachers
Bible Archaeology 

Learning Church History!!

From WOLBRANOS

Dr. Tom Taylor has been teaching Church History for the last two weeks. Dr. Taylor received his BA from Bryan College, MDiv and STM from Faith Seminary and a Doctorate from Philadelphia Biblical University. To quote his own words, "I am “retired emeritus" from Biblical Seminary having held the post of Associate Professor of Church History and Old Testament for 24 years... I have written few books (but lots of articles that were not all wanted!) and have concentrated lately on conference ministry… Married to Ruth with five children and a small army of grandchildren and great-grandchildren. I am better known for humor and playing the harmonica than for scholarship but that is just another of the inequities in the world.”

They got Nuthin'

McDonald's?  Swiss Chalet?  Olive Garden?  Even your mom's cooking does not match up to the food you get here at the Word of Life Bible Institute in Owen Sound!  Nothing against mothers, but when you walk into the cafeteria, all you can smell is what Karen and her girls have been cooking, and boy, does it smell heavenly!  You might say, "Oh I need to lose a few," but that thought quickly vanishes like vapor in the air when you gaze upon what just came out of the oven! (Some colleges refer to the Freshman Fifteen - but it takes discipline here to not reach the Freshman Forty!!).  Remember the cafeteria in high school when you couldn't even tell if the food was food!?!?  Watch out!  Literally!  Because once you start, you most likely will be eagerly waiting for the yell/scream of, "Seconds!"  With that, you are off to the races!  Well, back to the food line for another helping...
Here the food is as diverse as the student body themselves. This year we as students have had the privilege of trying different dishes from all over the world! We've sunk our teeth into some Dutch favorites, savored some Sushi, and have even filled our tummies with a Jamaican dish or two!
The spectacular food here just goes to show that at Word of Life we not only take pride in giving you a foundation in the word of God, but also we like you to be well founded, or should I say, "rounded" when it comes to food. We try to the best we can to keep the variety changing, but also throw in some home-cooked favorites like roast beef and potatoes, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, spaghetti, fried chicken and chocolate chip cookies just to name a few.  Bottom line, the food is awesome, the variety is unbelievable, and the fresh veggies make you actually want to eat your veggies. Come to the Word of Life Bible Institute. Eat spiritual food. Eat physical food. Get fed!

Sound too good to be true?

Come see for yourself and join us for a Campus Days, Summer Camp or Winter Camp/Recharge event!

Learning the Word: Revelation (not Revelations)

Dr. Jimmy DeYoung is a well-known prophecy teacher in North America and Europe. He worked with Word of Life in Schroon Lake for 12 years. Later, Dr. DeYoung was the VP and General Manager of New York City’s first Christian radio station for 5 years. Since 1991, he and his wife, Judy, have been residing in Jerusalem where they work as journalists in the second most populated journalistic city in the world. More recently, he received his doctorate from Tennessee Temple. Dr. DeYoung has written several books, produced videos and has a weekly radio broadcast called Prophecy Today. For more info be sure to check out his ministry website - Prophecy Today.

"I am really enjoying this class and how much the students are really interested in learning the Word of God.  They are very attentive, show their interest, and have been asking tough but great questions.  The more I go through the book of Revelation the more I see that Christ will be returning soon!"   ~Dr. DeYoung

Students have grown in their understanding and been challenged to think, study, and prepare for God's prophetic plan for the ages!

Students Exploring Missions 2011

From WOLBRANOS

Students Exploring Missions (SEM) is a conference where students can attend seminars and talk with missionaries about what it is like to be in missions and what it takes to get there.  God calls all Christians to be missionaries, some to other countries.  What does it take to be a cross-cultural missionary?  Seven mission organizations sent representatives to WOLBI for April 8 – 10 as a wealth of experience in serving Christ around the world to interact with our students.  This year the theme was Serving God in the Adventure of a Lifetime.  Our keynote speaker was Wally Stephenson from ABWE.  Friday night we explored how we can prepare for the Adventure of Missions.  We had sessions on world religions and how to reach them (THUMB).  Saturday we started out on the adventure with sessions on single hearted missions, how a mission board chooses a missionary, missions and finance, and missions and the local church.   The students also had opportunity Saturday afternoon to dialogue with the missionaries and tap into their wealth of experience and knowledge and set their own path of service.  Sunday morning we explored Living the Adventure with sessions on how a missionary should pick a mission board and the tragedy of misused short term missions.  Thanks to all the missionaries and students that participated in the weekend to make it a weekend of adventure!

Special Thanks to:

Wally & Jeannie Stephenson, ABWE  

Brian & Rosalie Kent, Northern Canada Evangelical Mission (NCEM) 

Charlie & Cindy McCordic, TEAM  

Nelson Bezanson, retired from TEAM

Brian Seeley, HCJB World Radio  

Rick Bradford, Serving In Mission (SIM) 

Murray & Diana Schmidt, Africa Inland Mission (AIM) 

Elissa Hawley, New Tribes Mission (NTM)  

As well as Word of Life missionaries:  

Jonathan Ward 

Bea Hart 

John Hopper 

Charlie Lyons 

Sue Reider (click here)

and our conference facilitator Richard Heppner.

       

From WOLBRANOS

The Red Carpet Event 2011!!

Spring has been in the air here at WOLBI and the Red Carpet event of the season saw everyone dressed to the max (except Kevin haha) in suits and ball gowns!  The evening began with the guys waiting outside the girls' dorm in their suits ready to escort the girls to the event, and then Hollywood style pictures were taken with a star backdrop as you entered the banquet.  It was great food and awesome fellowship with a sweet song from some of the students dedicated to Mr. Doug Reider.  What an awesome performance!  Awards were given out to everyone at the end of the evening on their stunning personality traits (they all had a star with their name on it from the photo backdrop).  We all enjoyed an evening of delicious food, great fellowship, and awesome entertainment!  There is nothing like a WOLBI banquet!

Learning the Word: Eschatology - The Study of End Times

From WOLBRANOS

Mr. Strout attended our New York campus of Word of Life Bible Institute in 1982, after which he was a youth pastor for 8 years at Huntingville Community Church in Sherbrooke, Quebec. He went on to pastor 3 years at Grace Chapel in Sherbrooke. Mr. Strout joined the new French ministry of WOL at Parole de Vie and served as the director of the Bible Institute at PdV from 1994 until 2002.  During that time he obtained his Master of Ministry degree from Baptist Bible Seminary. In July of 2002 he assumed the role of Director of Francophone Ministries for Word of Life Canada. In August 2010, Mark and his wife Laurie relocated to Schroon Lake (NY) where he is the Executive Dean of the Bible Institute.  This week he will be teaching us Eschatology.

"As I am teaching through Eschatology this week I am so impressed once again with the total consistency of God's Word from start to finish.  God knows what He is accomplishing in human history and you can trace so many strands through His Word that fit perfectly together if you are willing to just take what He says at face value.  I have taught this course over 20 times and every time I go through it, I find new portions of Scripture to add to the picture.  One of the really awesome things about studying God's Word is that you honestly never reach the end of what you can learn.  My challenge to everyone is to be a perpetual student of the Bible.  You'll always be making new discoveries.  Just be sure to apply them to life to get the blessing out of them!"

We loved the class this week!

"This week I have learned new insights into the end times and its sweet to realize the truth that I never knew before."

"[Mr. Strout] clearly explained and gave a good overview for the end times and different views on them.  His teaching just makes us excited for it!"

VBS with Saugeen!!

Sunday, March 20, 9 WOLBI students arrived back on Campus a week early from their March break. No, not coming back to start a week early on our studies, but to take part in an intensive week of children's ministry.
We had been recruited to do a five day VBS Children's program at a church at the Saugeen Native Reserve.
After months of planning and practicing Bible stories, crafts, kid's praise songs, and games for these native children in need of the gospel, we re-gathered to begin a grand adventure. We had heard before hand that the kids would be rambunctious, but we really had no idea what awaited us during this week of ministry.
Clad in our custom-made tie-dye staff shirts, we started out on our journey on Monday afternoon. Our first day was held at the Saugeen Recreational Centre gym. We set out the snack and prepared as the kids were being picked up from school. Our whole program was going to be held in different corners of one big gym.
25 kids burst through the doors and our program began. Kids were running rampant, and parts of our program didn't run as smoothly as we had hoped, some things we planned didn't even happen at all because of the state of mass chaos that we were in. Some kids were quick to listen to our instructions, but unfortunately, some decided to do their own thing and didn't like being told what to do. To most of us, day one was rather a blur and one of the team members who had worked with these kids before commented "It was actually quite funny to see your expressions. Everyone was walking around with this bewildered look of shock."
Day two, we held our program at the church instead of the Rec Centre. At first we were still unsure what to expect, but we found that the program ran a lot smoother with individual rooms for each session (crafts, story, etc.). This was encouraging.

From WOLBRANOS

As the week wore on, the kids gradually started to get used to us, and some even made friendships with us, though some still kept us at arms length and would rather act up and get into trouble. Some kids needed almost constant supervision, getting into any trouble they could. They would climb things, eat things, spill things everywhere, and fight with each other.
The kids LOVED piggy backs, sitting on our shoulders, and wrestling with us. I don't think that any of us were without children on our backs at any one time. As soon as one was done their piggy back ride, another little one would run up and say "My turn!". We concluded that this meant that under their energetic exteriors, they really just wanted love.

THE activity of the week - Piggyback Rides!!

From WOLBRANOS

As we got to know some of the kids individually, we started to learn more about their home lives. Like many kids in our culture, these native kids also came from broken homes. They carried around a lot of anger and bitterness at their home situation. Knowing this helped us to understand that they really weren't bad kids but didn't know how else to react to what was happening in their lives.
As we got to share the gospel and the truth of God's word more and more, we did see some growth in some of the kids' lives. Some of them grew in their obedience skills, some developed a thirst to read the word of God on their own. We learned to love the kids with Christ's love. We would have failed at loving them if it was just by our own strength.
By week's end, 7 kids accepted Christ! Two of these from one on one conversations.
On Friday, as VBS ended and we drove the kids back to their houses, many of them were in tears and didn't want the week to end. We had mixed feelings, as we were exhausted from the week, but we had grown to love these kids and didn't want the week to end either.
We learned so much from this week. It was really great to see how God used us to impact these kids' lives and to show them Biblical love.

Please be in continued prayer for these kids. They are hungry for God's truth, and need a lot of love, more love than a week long VBS program can provide them with. It was great to see kids come to know Christ and we were privileged to be able to be good Godly examples to the kids. We are trusting that the impact we made will last a lifetime and that God will continue to do great things on this native reserve!

Some students who took part in this VBS ministry commented:

"This week really opened my eyes to the needs that are in our own country. There is a need for consistent Christ-like-love in nearby communities. I learned a lot about being unselfish and it definitely was a memorable week!" 

"I loved working with the kids and watching them grow in Christ by the end of the week."

"Showing the kids even just a small example of godly love really went a long way. I was really sore and tired at the end from all the running around and such but I wouldn't trade that week for anything!"  

"I learned that we can't give up on loving people just as Christ doesn't give up on us, even when it gets difficult." 

AP

Learning the Word: Daniel a book of prophecy

From WOLBRANOS

Mr. Doug Reider was born in Pennsylvania and grew up in the Washington, DC, area. He received a BS in Electrical Engineering from George Washington University and his Master of Divinity from Capital Bible Seminary. He also served as Assistant Pastor at Fellowship Baptist Church in Upper Marlboro, Maryland. Desiring to be a missionary in Eastern Europe, Mr. Reider attended Word of Life Bible Institute’s 2nd year and was accepted as a missionary to Poland. While raising support, he met another missionary heading to Poland and they were married in 1993. Because of medical difficulties, Mr. and Mrs. Reider moved to Owen Sound to head up the Bible Institute project in 2000.
It is sweet to have one of our very own resident professors (Mr. Reider also teaches Systematic Theology -throughout the Academic year-, Homiletics, & Greek) teaching us the book of Daniel.  It is a book full of prophesies and is awesome to see God fulfill His promises and to know that He will continue to keep all of His promises.  It was great to learn so much about this significant and controversial book!

"Teaching the Book of Daniel has been amazingly fun for me. It’s odd how things I already know can sometimes strike me in a wholly new way. For example, reading Daniel 9 really hit home. In 9:2, Daniel describes how he is reading the prophet Jeremiah. Apparently, he is reading Jeremiah 29:10-14, where it is written…

“For thus saith the LORD, That after seventy years be accomplished at Babylon I will visit you, and perform my good word toward you, in causing you to return to this place. 11 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end. 12 Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you. 13 And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart. 14 And I will be found of you, saith the LORD: and I will turn away your captivity, and I will gather you from all the nations, and from all the places whither I have driven you, saith the LORD; and I will bring you again into the place whence I caused you to be carried away captive.”

Daniel then immediately prays, confessing Israel’s and his own sins. What struck me is how often I fail to do the same. I read Scripture but fail to immediately turn to the Lord and discuss with Him how it applies to me. I expect the Lord to communicate to me through His Word, but my prayer often fails to reflect that. My prayer can be disconnected from what His word is teaching. Let’s put the two together. Read God’s word, rehearsing what we see needs to change by bringing it up immediately in prayer with Him. Without a two way conversation—no wonder our prayer life can sometimes feel very “dead”."

"Daniel is such a great example of how we are supposed to act and stand up for God in an ungodly world."

NW

Learning the Word: Ecclesiology

From WOLBRANOS

Pastor Bob Snell grew up in New Brunswick in a godly pastor’s home and was converted as a young boy. From 1972 – 1976 he attended the University of Guelph where he received an Honours BA in sociology and history. Between 1977 and 1980 he studied at London Baptist Bible College and Seminary graduating with his Masters of Divinity. In August of 1980 he was married to Joanne Higginson in Meaford, Ontario. He has pastored for more than 30 years in southern Ontario at Emmanuel Bible Church in Simcoe and First Baptist Church in Waterloo, where he currently ministers. Pastor Snell has been privileged to travel worldwide to places like Bolivia, Israel and the Philippines in service for the Lord. He has spoken often at conferences, retreats and Bible Colleges. He also serves as a member of the Word of Life Canada Board of Directors as well as on the Advisory Council of ABWE.

Pastor Snell shared with us that:

"In examining the Scripture teaching of the “church” we learn that it is a purely New Testament truth. Used 114 times in the New Testament it is referred to in terms of ‘the church which is Christ’s body’ as well as a group of believers locally gathered together in worship to the Savior and committed to the spiritual disciplines of the Acts chapter 2 Jerusalem church. Praise God that the church (Ecclesia) of Jesus Christ is a unique body of people believing in His death, burial and resurrection having been called out of darkness into His marvelous light  (1 Peter 2:9). Let us therefore live as the church is admonished to-----as children of light."

Students have said:

"I love learning the biblical principles behind church leadership."

"I always wanted to learn what the church is exactly and how church leadership should work.  I enjoyed hearing what Catholics believe and what a mission field we have."

Recharge Recap - What God has done!!

From WOLBRANOS

We have seen 22 youth groups come to Recharge this year.  That is around 530 campers and leaders. 530 + lives touched by the Word of God and the testimonies of staff and students right here on the WOLBI campus. As I have been reading the comments written by leaders and campers over and over again what stands out is how much they appreciated the sessions and the positive influence the students and staff have been on the teens.  Out of 530 people we had 31 Salvation decisions, 7 were counseled for assurance of their salvation, and over 400 teens dedicated their lives to God.

Students also had opportunities to minister off-campus at 3 Satellite Snow Camp locations.  We traveled to Huntsville, Cochrane, and Goulais River, Ontario to share God's Word through testimonies, skits, music, and messages from God's Word.  It was incredible to share God's Love with 100 teens and to see 7 young people trust Jesus as their Saviour.  God also prompted 21 teens to dedicate their lives to serving Him.  What a great ministry season it has been!  Praise God!!

"It was so awesome and incredible to be part of the snow camp ministry this year!!  Being able to watch each week what God is doing in the lives of the youth was such a blessing.  It was so sweet to be able to minister to the girls and to show Christ's love to them, and it also showed me that we all have different skills and we can work together in an organized body.  I learned that its always for God's glory and that we should never do it for the reward."

"It was a great chance to practice what we have been learning and I loved meeting the new girls and getting into their lives.  I just love camp!!"

Be sure to register early for Recharge 2012 or if you are too far away, contact us for a Satellite Snow Camp near you.

Learning the Word: Proverbs

Last week our Guest Lecturer was Pastor Steve Faulkner.  Pastor Faulkner received his BA from Tennessee Temple University and his ThM from Dallas Theological Seminary.  He has ministered as Youth Pastor, Police Department Chaplain, and Pastor in the US and Canada.  Currently he serves as Pastor of Emmanuel Bible Church in Simcoe, ON.
We have loved to have Pastor Faulkner here and to be learning about Proverbs because they are so practical for everyday life.

"He taught us to be able to make our own outline for Proverbs and really emphasized that the fear of the Lord is what gives us wisdom."

"His explanation of the fear of the Lord helped me to really see what that looks like or should look like in my life."  

"During the class, God showed me some verses that I may not have noticed before and that helped in working on the issues in life.  Its so sweet how He reveals truths to us as we are in certain situations."

"It was really neat learning how to better study the book of wisdom especially since we didn't get to go through it all since there is so much in it.  I liked having to make our own Bible studies from Proverbs."