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    Harvest Muskoka's Blog - Entries written by Kaj Ballantyne

    Home » BLOG » Harvest Muskoka's Blog - Entries written by Kaj Ballantyne
    SunSundayFebFebruary5th2012 Calling all Super Hero Dads!
    Posted Sunday, February 05 2012 @ 2 PM byKaj Ballantyne Tagged No tags 0 comments Add comment

    This past Sunday we talked about killing the lion of sin in our hearts.  I had said, "when the lion comes into your house you don’t just try to tame it … you put it down." I was thinking more about our hearts and yet this week as I was praying for our church and hearing more stories of the havoc that the lion is wreacking in some of our homes I began to see what statement means for the dads at Harvest.

    What do we, as dads, do when the lion comes to the front door? What are we doing to protect our families?  This is a huge responsibility that the Word of God places on our shoulders ... to lead, guide, provide and care for our families. What does this look like? So often we can feel as though we aren't up to the task. We don't have the skills, leadership, power, strength or spirituality required for such a task. The truth is that on our own we don't. But the greater truth is that we are not on our own!

    So how do we lead and protect with God's leadership, guidance, power and strength?

    Here are a couple of great links I came across this week that I hope are helpful.

    Praying for your family
    Leading your family

    My prayer for us as a church is that we have a church full of strong men ... strong in the Lord ... strong in prayer ... strong in the Word. And through that we have strong families. Let's continue to encourage and help each other to be able to stand strong and put down the lions that attack our hearts and our families.

    Firmly in the grip of God's grace,
    Kaj
    SunSundayJanJanuary22nd2012 God's Glory On Display
    Posted Sunday, January 22 2012 @ 1 PM byKaj Ballantyne Tagged No tags 0 comments Add comment
    I can remember waking up in my car in Alberta after stopping to sleep at a gas station on my first ever road trip across Canada. I stumbled out of my car, rubbed my eyes and looked up to see, for the first time, the majesty of the Rocky Mountains. I was puny, standing literally spell bound as my eyes tried to take it all in.

    Nahum 1:5 says, "The mountains quake before him". 

    Here I was in awe of some of God's greatest creations and yet it was just that - a creation of God. Now I felt even more puny standing before an awesome God. Even as a spiritually confused young man, I could recognize the glory of a mighty God on display and it brought me to a place of worship and prayer.
    glorySo as we gather each Sunday for worship, what do we want to see happen? What's the point of our church? What is it that we want to see at Harvest Muskoka?

    This past week at the HBC Pastor's Retreat in Orlando I was reminded again what it is that we are going for at HarvestMuskoka ... not just great ministries, not just great community, not just great music, not just great preaching (those are all good things for us to aim for but they are not our ultimate goal).  Our ultimate goal at Harvest Muskoka needs to be to recognize and display God's glory.

    When Moses was called to lead the Israelites out of Egypt, he was scared at his own lack of abilities, power and leadership and faced the unimaginably difficult task of leading a rebellious, complaining and stubborn group of people. In Exodus 33 Moses was speaking with God about how difficult things were and he asked God for something.
     
    He didn't ask to be a better speaker.  He didn't ask to be a better leader. He didn't ask for better conditions or better followers.  He asked for one thing: 

    "If your presence will not go with me, do not bring us up from here ... Is it not in your going with us, so that we are distinct, I and your people, from every other people on the face of the earth?" (Exodus 33:15-16)

    So what are we all about at Harvest Muskoka? What is it that will make us distinct from any other gathering of people? It is only the presence of God. It's not my preaching, Eric's guitar playing, our building or even the love we show each other ... if we are looking for earth shattering, window rattling, life changing Sundays where people are impacted, marriages are healed, prodigals come home and lives are changed forever - it only happens if God goes with us.  

    What makes a church distinct and powerful is God showing up in His glory - working and revealing Himself in spite of our limitations. What will make Harvest effective in Muskoka is His presence working and doing for us what we can't do for ourselves.

    Our little brick gymnasium with uncomfortable chairs and snakes painted on the walls is the furthest thing from the splendour of the Rocky Mountains and yet when we seek God's manifest presence his glory is revealed.

    So as we move forward may our church be a place:

    • where there is expectant prayer before, during and after the service for God's healing and working in lives.
    • where people hear authoritative preaching from the Word and God reaches into their hearts and they leave changed.
    • where there is passionate and expressive worship with voices loud, hands raised, hearts moved and Jesus' Name lifted high.
    • where people are being saved from every walk of life.
    • where love abounds, forgiveness flows freely, and needs are met.
    • where people gather in small groups in relationships of grace and truth to stir up, spur on and support the weight of walking with God.
    • where leadership actually leads ... and listens, learns and loves people while strongly and passionately seeking God's will.
    • where gratitude and generousity overflows and the poor, the alien, the imprisoned, the widow and the orphan are cared for and never neglected.
    • where more people are trained and on mission.
    ... and where all of these are seen, known, felt and celebrated by everyone who comes into contact with Harvest Muskoka ... where it is obvious that God is present and at work ... and people experience more of God's manifest presence as God's glory comes whenever we gather!

    In the grip of His grace,
    Kaj
    ThuThursdayJanJanuary12th2012 I Love My Church
    Posted Thursday, January 12 2012 @ 4 PM byKaj Ballantyne Tagged No tags 0 comments Add comment
    Some people are so well known by certain actions that those actions become their "trademark". So now, when someone bows on one knee we call it "Tebowing", if you grew up in the 80's the "moonwalk" was more about Michael Jackson than Neil Armstrong and if someone visits Muskoka they expect it to be more laid back than the city.  

    So the question could be asked, "What is our church's trademark?"  
    What are we known for ... or what should we be known for?

    Jesus left us a pretty clear trademark in John 13:34-35:
    A new commandment I give to you, 
    that you love one another: just as I have loved you, 
    you also are to love one another. 
    By this all people will know that you are my disciples, 
    if you have love for one another.    ”

    I guess this is the reason that I would say that I love my church. From the days when it was just a small group meeting in a living room to now that it is a church of nearly 400 and growing there has always been a heart of loving one another. And loving more than just in words but in action. The word Jesus chose to use in John 13 was the word 'agape' ... a love that is unconditional, self-sacrificing, active, volitional and thoughtful.
    It is an unconditional action based love.

    I have been in conversation with many over the past month about the community of Harvest Muskoka and what is always brought up -- more than the worship music, preaching, programs or unbelievably comfortable chairs :) -- is the uncommon love.  
    Just a few Sundays ago I shared with you all about your love in action in the amount of benevolence money that had come this past year. Here are some great quotes from some of the people who were loved by you in this very practical way:

    "Once again I am in awe of my church family ... in so many ways my familly at Harvest has shown me unconditional love, compassion, encouragement and guidance through difficult times. Because of my church family's faithfulness, my faith is stronger and deeper. Because of Harvest I see God at work, feel his presence and know that I am not forgotten."

    "We were so surprised to open the Christmas Card from Harvest to find gift cards for groceries.The tears came with grateful hearts as we stopped to pray and give all the glory and thanks to God for bringing us to your mind, for His faithfullness, answered prayer and for providing. We are so Blessed to have such a thoughtful caring church family."

    "Thank you for your generosity and coming along side us recently on our journey with health issuues. We are still very much on it, but are so incredibly thankful for your support, love and prayers. So on behalf of our whole family we swing our arms wide to hug you and with everything in us we say, "Thank you". You made this mountain a little easier to climb and we will never forget it."

    (Through tears) "This means more than you know. We are so blessed to not just have a church but to have a church FAMILY."

    "Thank you so much! We had $14 in the bank and no idea how the next month was going to turn out. I prayed and wondered how God was going to answer. He answered with my church family!"

    "This has been an incredibly difficult season for us with this sickness. Thank you for loving us through it with prayers and support. Your gift is not only going to be so helpful it is such a reminder of how loved we are by our Heavenly Father and the family he has given us at Harvest."

    Here is the other amazing story I heard time and time again from benevolence that went out at Christmas time:

    "Thank you for the grocery cards. We were able to have a great Christmas dinner we otherwise couldn't have had ... and we were able to buy a turkey for our neighbours who are struggling!"

    "We were so blessed by our Harvest Family. We have already gave away half of it though! God is so good!!"

    So I'll say it again, "I love my church!"  
    Thank you all for taking Jesus' words at face value, for living love not just talking about it, and for not thinking that the early church was "a different time."  May the "trademark" of Harvest Muskoka be the trademark that Jesus left for us ... and the trademark that he lived in perfection.  May we be a church that reflects the love of Jesus by continuing to be a church committed to unconditional love in action!


    All for Christ, 

    Kaj
    ThuThursdayDecDecember1st2011 Recap: Prayer For The Prodigals
    Posted Thursday, December 01 2011 @ 2 PM byKaj Ballantyne Tagged No tags 0 comments Add comment

    Many of those walking through the doors each Sunday at church are carrying, what can be at times, an unbearable weight – the weight of a prodigal son or daughter.   The ache for these dear ones is like no other. The prodigals may hurt them and disappoint them, and yet they cannot stop loving their prodigal.

     

    Many of these parents feel alone or lost and wondering if they are the only ones carrying this pain.  And countless of them have felt the sting of judgment as they come to church looking for love, support and help only to get a sideway glance or a discouraging comment on their parenting skills.

     

    This past week we gathered together a group of parents with prodigals to pray and connect with others who understand.  As I heard them pray I was struck with the undeniable feeling that a parent of a prodigal might be grasp prayer better than anyone I have ever prayed with.  Not because they are great orators.  Not because they have a gift of prophesy that enables them to see what the future holds for their son or daughter.  Not because they are theological giants.  They are champions of prayer because they cry out to God from a heart that is broken.  And they connect with God, the Father of prodigals, in a very deep and genuine manner. 

     

    The night was filled with tears of those calling out as they brought their prodigals to the cross of Christ.  Groups of parents knelt at the cross, where the mingling of their own utter helplessness and God's total power to intervene was heard in honest and heartfelt prayers. Together they placed their prodigals in the hands of our all-loving and all-powerful Heavenly Father and clung to very real hope that God, as a prodigal parent, understands and is in control.

     

    When we had finished praying and crying together many expressed that they had no idea that so many others were struggling with in the same way, had never felt this kind of support before, and that they had never been a part of such a powerful night …

     

    … and personally, I also can’t remember a greater time of prayer. 

    Living by His Grace, 
    Kaj
    FriFridaySepSeptember9th2011 NEW SERIES!
    Posted Friday, September 09 2011 @ 3 PM byKaj Ballantyne Tagged No tags 0 comments Add comment

    uncommon joy 

     

    We live in a society where everybody is selling us joy. Some are selling it as religion while others are spending billions to advertise that joy can be found in things or experiences. Yet, when we look at the life and teachings of the apostle Paul in his letter to the Philippian church we find where true and lasting joy can be found in God's Word.

     

    Over the next few months we working our way through the book of Philippians to discover that there is true joy and that as followers of Jesus this joy is not normal happiness.  Happiness is dependant on what is going on around you ... if things are going well I can be pretty happy.  What about when things aren't going well?  What happens when there is hurt, sickness, relational struggle, financial strain, opposition, doubt, exhaustion?  It is then that we see that our joy is not normal. It is an uncommon joy ... and is a joy that has a different source.

     

    What we will find is that God's Word shows us that as Christians we have Jesus as our source and hope and life.  And in Him we can live with an uncommon joy!

     

    Looking forward to unpacking this book with you all and seeing what God has for us in the upcoming months!!

     

    Living in the grip of God's grace,

     

    Kaj 
    FriFridayMayMay13th2011 Harvest University Recap
    Posted Friday, May 13 2011 @ 10 AM byKaj Ballantyne Tagged No tags 0 comments Add comment

    What an amazing time we had at Harvest U this past week with the group from Muskoka!

    It began with a concert of prayer on Sunday night that was a powerful time of calling out to God on behalf of churches around the world that His name would be glorified and that lives would be transformed. The rest of the 3 days were filled with great teaching, prayer, encouragement and over 1500 of us being led in worship of our King!

    We were also encouraged and challenged to continue on our mission of being a "Vertical Church".  A church that exists to display God's glory ... where we will not sacrifice transcendence for relevance because we know that the only thing that can transform lives is the manifest presence of God. 

    And so we will continue to be a church with unapologetic preaching of the Word, unashamed worship of Jesus Christ, unceasing prayer to Him who listens and acts to bring glory to His name, unwavering witness to our world of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and an uncommon community of grace and truth.

    As the pastor of Harvest Muskoka I came home tired in body and mind but energized in spirit. We have a unique movement here in Muskoka ... a group of real people who are passionately seeking more of God's presence. This Sunday we will continue to dig into the Word, lift high the name of Jesus in worship, pray expectantly, commit to reaching our communities and gather together as more than just a group of people coming to church for the 'check mark' but as a family united in an uncommon love for Jesus Christ and for each other. 

    I am blessed to be a pastor of such a church.

    Living in the firm grip of His grace,

    Kaj

    The team that came to Harvest University
    HU Team 2011
    *missing from the photo is Dave Wyville ... we think he was out riding the Harley that Harvest Chicago gave pastor Rick Donald for 23 years of ministry :)
    WedWednesdayAprApril20th2011 Waiting for Easter Sunday
    Posted Wednesday, April 20 2011 @ 3 PM byKaj Ballantyne Tagged No tags 0 comments Add comment

    Can you remember a time when you had to wait for something? As a kid waiting for Christmas, a young person waiting for your wedding day, waiting for the birth of a child ... these are times of great anticipation and excitement with a longing for the day to arrive. Now imagine you are a disciple of Jesus Christ in the 1st century. As a people, you have been waiting in silence for 400 years for the Messiah. You had clung tightly to the promises of Isaiah (7:14; 9:6-7; 35:4-6; 53:1-12) and now He had finally come!  

     

    You had followed him for 3 whole years and your life has been dramatically altered ... and then Good Friday ... we call it Good Friday as we look back on it but for the disciples, on that day, it was the worst day they could have imagined. All that anticipation is swallowed up by the death of the Messiah.  Like waking up on Christmas morning to a house fire, being left at the alter, or hearing the word "complications" from your obstetrician ... all those days of waiting are shattered in a moment.  

       

    The days following Friday would have been excruciatingly dark and filled with questions, doubts, fear and hopelessness.   

     

    Then came Easter Sunday morning!  

     

    As Mary and others went to the tomb they were greeted by an angel saying, "Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen. Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men and be crucified and on the third day rise."   

     

    Easter had come! The Messiah had not just delivered them from an oppressive government but He delivered them from an oppressor they could not be freed from without His sacrifice!  Jesus had come, lived, died to pay our penalty and has now been raised again to free us from sin, Satan, ourselves and from the wrath of God that we deserved.  It is the greatest news ever!!

     

    So as this week moves along may we feel that anticipation ... the joy of looking forward to coming together to celebrate the greatest day in history.

     

    Looking forward to seeing you all on Easter Sunday! There are no other people I would want to celebrate this day more than with you all ... my Harvest family!  

     

    You are most definitely loved,

    Kaj
    WedWednesdayAprApril20th2011 Countdown to Two Services
    Posted Wednesday, April 20 2011 @ 3 PM byKaj Ballantyne Tagged No tags 0 comments Add comment
    Talking about our upcoming 2 services has caused a lot of people to not only look forward but for some to look back and reminisce about launching Harvest Muskoka the first time.  It was hard and tiring work with people putting in long hours,

    doing things above and beyond the call of duty and leaving many Sunday mornings exhausted ... physically exhausted and yet filled to overflowing with a renewed passion for Jesus Christ.

     

    800 metre clubAn ongoing image in the planting of Harvest was the picture of an athlete running the 800m race.   

     

    It is the longest distance in the Olympics where a runner goes "flat out".  Any longer distance and a sprint is no longer possible as you need to pace yourself to be able to finish the race.   

     

    During the planting stage of Harvest Muskoka it was an 800m race ... everyone was sprinting knowing that this wasn't going to be the way to do church for the long haul, but people were willing to go all out for the whole 800 metres. And then as our church grew we could gather more on the mission and settle into the marathon race of serving Jesus (or maybe "Adventure Race" would be a better description!).

     

    There were many in the early days who would joke that the 800 metres turned into 800 miles as we continued to grow so quickly!  And yet as we prayed together, worshipped together, served together and saw God transforming lives all around us we gladly kept sprinting. Those who "raced" didn't do it out of obligation or out of guilt but out of joy! 

     

    We now look ahead to June 5th and begin to strap on the cleats once again, get down into the starting blocks and wait for the gun to go off. When people ask, "Why would you give up so much time and effort?" or "Why would you volunteer to serve in a ministry that you wouldn't normally serve in?" we answer that our love for Christ compels us ... we couldn't imagine a different way of living ... and we wouldn't want to be in the stands missing out on the joy and passion of actually being in the race!

     

    Praise God we get to start up another "800m Club"! where we give our all to see God continue to restore marriages, bring prodigals home, heal broken hearts and welcome new children into His family.

     

    "One thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal of the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus"  

    Phil. 3:14-15
    FriFridayMarMarch4th2011 The Lion and the Lamb
    Posted Friday, March 04 2011 @ 10 AM byKaj Ballantyne Tagged No tags 0 comments Add comment


    My daughter was asking me this week if I thought March was going to come in like a lion and go out like a lamb or the other way around.  I optimistically said that I hoped in came in AND out like a lamb - no lions. She told me it doesn't work like that- you need to have both the lion and the lamb ... I gotta read more about meteorology.

     

    As we think about Jesus we have this same tension don't we? In Scripture we have both the lion and the lamb. I have often said that we can be too casual with our view of Jesus ... he becomes a wimpy, effeminate, powerless buddy.  And there is the other side of that wrong view where some view God as distant, angry and unapproachable.  

     

    When we grab a hold of only one side of who Jesus is and neglect the amazing power of the tension we lose the truth of Jesus.  This tension means that I can fully place my whole weight on the truth that Jesus is Lord, King, Creator, Judge and Ruler of the Universe ... he is the all powerful one described in Revelation 19:11-16. At the same time I rest fully in knowing that he is my brother, friend and savior.  He says that even though he is our master he no longer calls us servants but now calls us friends (John 15:15).

     

    Jesus is the Lord of eternity and the Master of time.  All of creation is His handiwork, and .. think about this - He is my friend! 

     

    He is gentle and yet as we read in Colossians 1:16 He is also the creator and sustainer of everything we see ... His awesome power is seen in mountain ranges and ocean waves, tornadoes and hurricanes, thunder and lightning ... all of these are tiny glimpses into the awesome power of our Lord Jesus and yet He also tenderly gathers us up in his arms as a shepherd loves and protects his sheep; he walks beside us; he is our friend and brother.

     

    My friend never deserts me.  He never forsakes me.  I am always on His mind.  He never slumbers or sleeps.  He surrounds me.  He leads me.  He restores my soul.  My friend never tires of me.  He is always faithful, true, tender and strong.

     

    May we never be swallowed up in the ocean of Jesus' awesome power and lose sight of His closeness and tenderness.  May we never take for granted His amazing love and closeness and lose sight of His lordship and holiness.

     

    Jesus is the Lion and Lamb ... we need both. 

    Living by His Grace, 

     Kaj 
    FriFridayMarMarch4th2011 Family Chat February 2011
    Posted Friday, March 04 2011 @ 10 AM byKaj Ballantyne Tagged No tags 0 comments Add comment
    Audio Family Chat Feb 2011.mp3
    FriFridayDecDecember10th2010 Merry Christmas
    Posted Friday, December 10 2010 @ 1 PM byKaj Ballantyne Tagged No tags 0 comments Add comment

    With Christmas just around the corner and all my Christmas shopping still ahead of me I was thinking today of some of the best gifts I have ever gotten at Christmas throughout my life.  I remember the G.I. Joe tank (it made "real life tank sounds"!) ... or the Star Wars board game with mini X-wing Fighters as game pieces ... or the Maple Leafs toque and p.j.'s (maybe that'd be considered a cruel gift to many) ... more recently some of the greatest gifts have been the homemade gifts from my kids.

     

    But last night as I sat at my table at MBC, looking out over all the different people gathered together for our Harvest Christmas Banquet I turned to Libby and said, "God sure has blessed us with an amazing church!"  And for me, I couldn't think of a better gift for Christmas!

     

    Thank you all for being a very real part of our Harvest Family ... your love and grace, your passion for Jesus, and your genuine care for each other makes Harvest a very special place ... and a gift that continues to grow!


    You are all most definitely loved!

     

    Kaj
    FriFridayNovNovember26th2010 I (heart) My Church
    Posted Friday, November 26 2010 @ 7 AM byKaj Ballantyne Tagged No tags 0 comments Add comment

     I love our church.  I (heart) My CHurch

    I really do.  I love the worship, the community, the excitement & passion and the ministries of our church.  I especially love the people in our church.  But I hope no one ever mistakes my love for Harvest Muskoka as my ultimate love ... because I love Jesus.  I am all about Jesus.

     

    My hope and prayer is that as we get excited about what God is doing at Harvest we don't lose the focus of Jesus Christ and His Gospel. That we aren't just passionate about "our church" but that we're passionate about Jesus in our church.

     

    When I read Paul's letter to the Philippian church it becomes so clear that Paul didn't care about anything but Jesus and the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  I can imagine the latest Christian magazine hearing about this Christian hot shot named Paul of Tarsus and finally catching up with him in a prison cell for an interview.  I think it would go something like this:


    Hey Paul, looks like things are going well for your popularity but now you're in prison.  Are you concerned how this will impact you making a name for yourself?

     

    I don't need a radio program or book deal ... if throwing me in jail helps Jesus be more known and the churches who are passionate about Jesus grow then I'm all for it!  I love Jesus and want him to be known. (Phil 1:12-14)

     

    Speaking of churches, what do you think about the church down the street?  They certainly don't do things the same way you do.

     

    I don't care if a church doesn't do things like we do ... it's not about the packaging; it's about who you are truly all about. Even if their motives are off I only care if they preach Jesus and His gospel clearly. I'm all about Jesus! (Phil. 1:15-18)

     

    But Paul, you really do have a good thing going ... and your pastoral credentials are phenomenal!  Are you saying you'd leave it all?  You would give it all up - the success, this place, the church?

     

    My status, my achievements, my popularity, my success, and my religious traditions ... I wouldn't consider it a sacrifice to lose it all.  In fact even the term "give it all up" seems odd to me ... I have gained Jesus Christ so everything else seems ... well, like garbage! Maybe you're not hearing me clearly: I love Jesus ... it's all about Jesus! (Phil. 3:7-8)

     

    So, as I said: I love Harvest Muskoka ... but only as we focus on, lift up the name of, and point others to Jesus Christ.  My hope and prayer is that when people come to Harvest that they aren't impressed with the type of church, the organization we're connected to, the worship style, the preaching, the look of the gymnasium, the programs for the kids or our great parking J ... my prayer is that people see Jesus. 

     

    Our mission statement could be summed up by simply using the phrase, "It's all about Jesus". Somehow it seems appropriate, and Jesus is surely what every church should be all about.  So when someone asks me what are you guys all about?  My answer is always Jesus.  As I've said in the past, If Harvest Muskoka had NASCAR jackets they would be the most boring ones in the world ... one patch: "Jesus Christ".  No patches for style of worship; no patches for being Harvest; no patches for our view of end times; no patches for what version of the Bible we use ... every thing we attempt to do at church should be pointing to Jesus Christ. 

     

    Why are we so fired up about studying the Word?  Because it most clearly shows us Jesus. Why are we so passionate about worship?  Because we want to lift high the name of Jesus.  Why do we want to impact our community?  Because we have met Jesus and can't help ourselves from telling everyone about Him.  Why do we love and pray for the other churches in our community who preach Jesus?  Because they are helping to point people to Jesus.

     

    So as a church, what should we be seeking? We should always be seeking the Lord Jesus Christ himself - to know him, and know his love and to be witnesses for Him.  The Apostle Paul says that the peak of his ambition is 'that I might know him' (Phil. 3:10). Not that he might have wonderful experiences, or a perfect church, or a great life, but that he might know him.  And by knowing him we will love him. 

     

    Romans 5:5 says, 'God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.'  It says that the love of God is 'poured' into our hearts ... the word used for 'pour' is a greek word meaning, gush forth, pour out, shed, spill ... it's saying that God is overwhelmingly pouring out an abounding love into our hearts.  "This is New Testament Christianity! New Testament Christianity is not just a formal, polite, correct, and orthodox kind of faith and belief. No! What characterizes it is this element of love and passion, this Spirit filled element, this life, this vigour, this abandon, this exuberance. That is what we must seek-not experiences, not power, not gifts. If he chooses to give them to us, thank God for them and exercise them to his glory, but the only safe way of receiving gifts is that you love him and that you know him." (D. Martin Lloyd-Jones)

     

    May we always be passionate about our love for Jesus - knowing him, loving him and making him known!

     

    Living by His Grace,

    Kaj

     
    SunSundayNovNovember21st2010 Family Chat November 2010
    Posted Sunday, November 21 2010 @ 1 PM byKaj Ballantyne Tagged No tags 0 comments Add comment
    Here is the audio file for those who missed the family chat that Pastor Kaj gave on November 14, 2011. Audio family chat november .mp3
    FriFridayNovNovember19th2010 Dying Of Thirst
    Posted Friday, November 19 2010 @ 3 AM byKaj Ballantyne Tagged No tags 0 comments Add comment
    O God,
    you are my God;
    earnestly I seek you;
    my soul thirsts for you;
    my flesh faints for you,
    as in a dry and weary land
    where there is no water.
    (Psalm 63:1)

    Before we were married, Libby and I did an adventure race together.  It was 3 intense days and nights of hiking, canoeing, climbing, rappelling and mountain biking.

    Very quickly into the race we all noticed how aware we were of our bodies need for water.  During "regular" life I really never paid attention to how much water I drank unless I was terribly thirsty, but now that I was thrown into an extreme situation where dehydration could be perilous     I was amazingly aware of my need ... we even witnessed one team air lifted out because two of their team mates were unconscious due to dehydration!

    When the race was over and I found myself sitting at home during the next week being caught off guard by an overwhelming sense of "I gotta get some water!!"  Slowly, as the days passed, I became less and less aware of my oncoming thirst and soon was back to not ever giving it a second thought ... and not drinking very much water even though my body still required it.

    Why was I no longer aware?  Why didn't I care about my health?  The only difference was that I was no longer living in the intensity of the adventure race.  The Psalmist cries out that he is thirsty ... dying of thirst for more of God.  He recognizes his need for God and he recognizes his surroundings are bleak and dangerous.

    When I wake up in the morning am I acutely aware of my need for God and for His Word?  Am I living with my spiritual eyes open to the mission that I have been called to?  Or do I cruise along not giving a second thought to the mission and my desperate need of Him?  When our lives are truly on mission (living the adventure of serving Christ ... deeply engaged in living for His purposes) we will awake each morning with the desperate thought of "I gotta get into the Word!!"  We live in a dry and desolate land where we are under attack daily by Satan ... where our families are living in a spiritually dangerous world. 

    My prayer is that each day we would live in heightened awareness of our desperate need for God and His Word.  May you wake up tomorrow morning with your eyes opened to the need you have:

    * husbands and fathers - to love, lead and protect your family.
    * wives and mothers - to love and care for your family.
    * grandparents - to be a support and example for your family.
    * young people - to be a light in your world and family.
    * single men and women - to seek God for today and your future.
    * single parents - to have strength as you carry the load of both mom and dad.
    * For all of us no matter what stage of life - to be on mission for Jesus Christ wherever He has placed us and living in the light of His grace.

    May we each wake up tomorrow morning and jump into the Word with an awareness of our need ... and with the confidence that God is all powerful and all loving and seeks to take care of our needs. 

    Living by His Grace,
    Kaj
    FriFridayNovNovember5th2010 Encouraged by Truth From a 6 Year Old
    Posted Friday, November 05 2010 @ 1 AM byKaj Ballantyne Tagged No tags 0 comments Add comment
    Just last week while I was putting my girls to bed and reading them the story of Noah I asked them how they would have felt being stuck on the Ark with all those stinky animals for so long.

    What would they think about God?  Had he forgotten?  Was He not in control any longer?

    McKinley said that 40 days and 40 nights would be a long time to be stuck on a boat.  Her eyes widened when I told her that 40 days and nights was just how long it rained ... they were on the boat for over a year!

    Well, this made her really think.  After a few seconds passed a smile came across her face and she said, "Well Daddy, I would think that God must have me on a pretty important mission."  I was taken aback a bit and asked, "But wouldn't you wonder if God forgot about you?"  And she said, "No.  He told me to build the boat and to get on the boat.  He caused the rain. So if it's taking a long time and it's really hard then He must have me on a really important mission!"

    I sat there on her bed, with my voice still not healed after 4 weeks and quietly thanked God for such an encouraging and powerful word from my 6 year old!

    Normally, what's our first reaction to struggles?  So often I am quick to lose hope or trust in God and I begin to question whether our Heavenly Father is really all powerful or if He really is loving.  I wonder why I have to be going through tough times. Can't He help? Doesn't He care?  The truth is that He is in complete control and does care more than we can imagine.

    My prayer is that as we find ourselves stuck on different Arks throughout our life - Arks of illness, loss, pain or struggle - that we can have confidence that God is in control and maybe he has you on a really important mission!

    Living by His Grace,
    Kaj
    WedWednesdayOctOctober27th2010 What People are Saying About You
    Posted Wednesday, October 27 2010 @ 5 AM byKaj Ballantyne Tagged No tags 0 comments Add comment

    People talk. 

    It doesn't take long for word to get out about who you are and what you're up to.  

    Just this week I was sent an email from someone from Muskoka who doesn't go Harvest but was loved on by a group of people from Harvest and he shared his impressions of us as a church.

    It is very encouraging!  Here are some excerpts:
    Dear Kaj:

    While we do not know each other particularly well, we have been introduced and have run into one another on occasion.  In response to the love my family was shown, I wanted to write you with some impressions I have had of Harvest Muskoka:

    More than a year has passed since Harvest Muskoka was officially launched, and I wanted to share with you the impressions I have gained of your new church and congregation.  I have never attended a service, so these impressions are drawn strictly through word of mouth and my direct contact with those who attend Harvest Muskoka.  

    The word I hear most often about your church may be passion.  

    Everyone seems to agree that Harvest regulars are simply more passionate about their personal faith.  Your congregation lives and breathes a love of Christ that is missing yet so needed in our modern society - a love of Christ that can be missing even within His church.  Harvest attendees seem genuinely excited about their faith and share this love and the gospel with what can at times seem like reckless abandon.  

    My recent health issues have rocked my spiritual beliefs at times, and I am occasionally left feeling spiritually empty.  Just the simple acts of prayer and spending time in His word have at times felt like a chore.  In these moments I am tempted to attend a Harvest service in the hope that even a portion of your church's enthusiasm and passion might spill over into my life.  And then this past weekend, some Harvest people spread Christ's love directly into my family.  A burden was instantly lifted, a weight removed and my family's spirits lifted at this outpouring of Christ's love.  

    As we recounted the excitement my sons felt at seeing our yardwork done, potted plants and a pumpkin on our porch and then their surprise that our house had been cleaned and even their beds had been remade I was moved to tears.  Some of the members of this group are complete strangers to me, and yet they had given of their time, their resources, to help me.  Harvest Muskoka is clearly doing a wonderful work in the midst of or community -- truly a light in the darkness.

    I have nothing but words of praise and thanks for Harvest Muskoka.  Harvest Muskoka is sharing God's love and Christ's gospel in a way that I know is reaping rewards in heaven.  Thank you Harvest Muskoka for your passion, your boldness, your commitment and your love.

    I hope this is encouraging for you as we continue to strive together to live out the gospel.  Story after story is being told of people being changed by you living and sharing the love Christ.  Many stories are from people outside of our "family" and many from those who call Harvest home ... as I also just heard two great stories of people in our church who were loved on in very real and practical ways!

    God is transforming Muskoka one life at a time and He is using you!  May we continue to be a church that is full of passion for Jesus Christ and to let the love of Christ flow freely in our words and actions.
    This is how we know what love is:
    Jesus Christ laid down his life for us.
    And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers.
    If anyone has material possessions
    and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him?
    Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue
    but with actions and in truth.
    (1 John 3:16-18)
     

    Living by His Grace,
    Kaj

    FriFridayOctOctober22nd2010 Laryngitis and God's Powerful Voice
    Posted Friday, October 22 2010 @ 4 AM byKaj Ballantyne Tagged No tags 0 comments Add comment
    Well, it is officially day 14 of my voice being gone ... it has been a frustrating couple of weeks as I missed being able to preach last Sunday, will miss this Sunday and have been struggling through times counseling, sharing or even just talking to people on the phone.

    On Monday morning, as I sat in my regular morning spot on the couch in our living room and opened my Bible, I felt fairly disappointed that once again I woke up without a voice and I began my time with God by asking Him what a pastor is supposed to do without a voice?

    I turned to Psalm 29.

    It begins with praise to God and then spends most of the rest of the psalm talking about God's voice.  The Psalmist describes a storm moving across the mountains and into the plains as a metaphor for the voice of God.  His voice is a majestic sound of rolling thunder and flashing lightening that splits the massive trees of Lebanon, makes mountains skip and shakes the wilderness and forests bare.

    We serve a God with a voice ... a powerful voice.

    The voice if the Lord is a breaking voice. The proudest and most stubborn sinner is broken before him when he speaks.  Is my heart broken by my sin?  When I see where I am indifferent to Him and His Word am I broken?  Have I been listening to the voice of God?  His voice "breaks the cedars of Lebanon."

    The voice of the Lord is a moving voice.  When we think of steadfastness, strength, and permanence we often think of mountains. But God's voice causes mountains "to skip like a calf" and "a young wild ox."  There is not a mountain standing in this world that God cannot move away by His voice; whether, it be mountains of doubt, pain, hurt, uncertainty or mountains of bitterness and sin, God has only to speak the word and the firm mountains will skip like a calf.

    The voice of God is a revealing voice. God's revealing voice can be a voice of judgment as our hearts and our motives, which can be so easily hidden from others, are made clear by the flash of God's voice which lays it all bare.  It can also be a voice of encouragement as it cuts through the clouds and darkness and divides our troubles as it breaks a way for us to Heaven.  No matter how thick the forest the voice of the Lord can be heard ... this is an encouragement when we are struggling through forests of hurt and pain and it is a word of challenge when we are hiding in a forest of sin or the outward show of religion.

    As I sit here with no voice I am resting in the amazing truth that God's voice is powerful!  Let's take the time to be in the Word and in prayer listening for the voice of God. May we be open to the revealing, moving and breaking of God's voice in the sin of our hearts as we confess and repent and move forward listening His gentle voice of grace and forgiveness. May we also rest in the POWERFUL voice of God when we are surrounded by the noise of doubt, hurt, pain or struggle.  Praise God that His loving voice is more majestic and more powerful than the seemingly immovable obstacles in our life.


    Living by His Grace,
    Kaj
    ThuThursdayOctOctober7th2010 Giving Thanks
    Posted Thursday, October 07 2010 @ 4 AM byKaj Ballantyne Tagged No tags 0 comments Add comment
    I really look forward to Thanksgiving ... well, actually I really look forward to the eating at Thanksgiving.  Can anything compete with turkey and all the fixings?  And then it's all topped off with my favourite   dessert of "y'know-it's-too-hard-to-choose-so-why-not-just-give-me-a-slice-of-both-pumpkin-and-apple" pie.   

    Other than the meal, my family growing up didn't have many other Thanksgiving traditions, but a tradition that I want to start in my family is to go around the table and share one thing we are thankful for this year (truth be told, I remember seeing it on The Cosby Show ... and who doesn't want to be like the Huxtables!?).  In the spirit of that tradition, here are some things I am thankful for (couldn't narrow it down to one!):

    • I am thankful for my wife Libby. "She opens her mouth with wisdom, and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue. She looks well to the ways of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness. Her children rise up and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her: 'Many women have done excellently, but you surpass them all.' Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised." Proverbs 31:26-30
    • I am thankful for my children. 
    McKinley - who's middle name, Alaia, means joy and she lives out that name everyday as her fullness for life brings joy to our family.

    Elianna - her gentle spirit quietly grabs my busy and hurried heart to herself and reminds me to stop, sit and savour life.

    Chloe - her pure energy and non-stop movement keep me on my toes and laughing a lot ... even after the hardest of days. 

    Being a daddy to these three girls is one of the greatest joys of my life.
    • I am thankful that Libby and I have deep, authentic friendships at Harvest.  People who love us enough to pray for us, put their arm around us, speak encouragement AND speak truth into our lives.  I am blessed to know and be known by these people.
    • I am grateful for the people of God who have shaped my life up to this point. As I look back over the years I see that I didn't get here on my own but by those who poured themselves out in the call of the gospel. And it is all due to the grace of God. I am indebted to those who lived out the truth of Acts 20:24: "I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I might finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God." 
    • I am thankful for Harvest Bible Chapel. I have been unbelievably blessed to be part of a church that is made up of such real people who love Jesus so much, want to be in the Word and seeking more intimacy with Him, are serious about holiness while still clinging to grace and living without masks, love to worship, are committed to prayer and who have a passion to see the lost find the truth of Jesus Christ. I have loved the last two years and look forward with excitement to the years to come!
    • More than anything else I am thankful for Jesus, who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life for without Him my life would be worth nothing. He is my Savior and my King, the Lamb of God who atoned for my sin. He is the Alpha and Omega who controls the beginning and end of each circumstance in my life. He is the Bread of Life who provides spiritual nourishment to keep me in perfect peace. He is my Lord and my God who is immortal, all powerful and who is God alone. I am overwhelmed by God and his grace and promise of a new life now and a future inheritance that cannot be shaken.

    Living by His Grace,
    Kaj
    FriFridayJunJune25th2010 G8 Craziness
    Posted Friday, June 25 2010 @ 1 PM byKaj Ballantyne Tagged G8 Summit Holy Spirit Website 0 comments Add comment

    It has been incredible to see all the helicopters flying overhead, the convoys of police and security racing up and down Hwy 11, and the amount of security in downtown Huntsville as we await the arrival of some of the world’s most powerful leaders.  Our little Muskoka has been turned upside down with this amazing display of power.  It’s what everyone is talking about in line at Tim Hortons, buying groceries, and is the top story on all news casts.

     I have to wonder if Jerusalem had the same buzz about it on the day the Spirit was unleashed at Pentecost.  Everything changed that day and things were happening that no one could explain.  There was a new power on display ... and lives were dramatically changed.  What would happen in Harvest Muskoka moved completely by the power of the Spirit?  What if the Spirit was unleashed in our lives and our church?

     We had a great start to our summer series, Spirit Unleashed last Sunday and I am excited to see what God is going to do in my life, in my family’s life, and in the life of our church as we pursue more of the Spirit’s control in our lives.

     As we dig deeper into this study, it is my prayer that our concept of what it means to be a follower of Jesus Christ will acquire a new, life-changing dimension.  That we will all grow closer to Jesus and our lives will reflect the power and the presence of  the Holy Spirit ... and Muskoka would by changed forever!

    Living by His Grace,

    Kaj
    TueTuesdayMayMay25th2010 NEW WEBSITE!!!
    Posted Tuesday, May 25 2010 @ 7 PM byKaj Ballantyne Tagged Website 0 comments Add comment
    We are super excited about our new website!  We made the switch because we were finding that our previous website was not very interactive or useful for you guys, whereas this one is almost limitless as far as functionality and will hopefully make it easier for everyone to connect with what's happening at Harvest Muskoka ... because a lot is happening!!

    Please stay tuned as we will be in the process of building the content of this site over the next few weeks.

    If there is something you'd like to see (or if you see any errors!) just fire off an email to Eric at eric@harvestmuskoka.com

    Blessings,

    Kaj
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    Office Location: 15 South Mary Lake Road, Unit #8, Port Sydney, ON, P0B 1L0 - 705.385.8080
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