The Gathering

To our many friends of The Gathering: Here we are, finding ourselves experiencing our second Christmas in the midst of a world-wide pandemic.  Who would have imagined it would have lasted this  long?  Who would have imagined the loss of life, the fifth 'wave', the inflation, the closure of gathering places, especially places of worship, the loss of freedoms, the food shortage, the contradicting Covid 19 data from various 'experts' and and the resulting divisions and angry rebellions that are showing up in so many places?  Not us, for sure.  To be honest, we certainly have had our share of losses and disappointments this year more than ever, but we hold on firmly to the Promises of God that we will find Peace, Hope and Love which is the heart of Christ for us, as we wait for His Return. "Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all und...

   Friends of the Gatherings:  It's been such a very long time since we gathered together in March of this year, and we can't adequately express how much we miss those times.   Corona Virus was ramping up a bit, and so we did our best to follow protocols as we knew them. We sanitized our hands before packing together in the Siewert's cozy living room, while bumping elbows as we greeted one another.  We worshipped, we prayed, we declared, we shared, we ate yummy food and we were certain it would soon be over, and our gatherings would continue.  And so, for that afternoon in March, we simply wanted to review the purpose for our gatherings  and, as well, share a sobering prophetic exhortation that we were sensing for the Boundary Country.

Ephesians 5:14 (NIV) This is why it is said: Wake up, sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you. Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore, do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is. Grace and peace to you in great abundance during this time of a global pestilence. As you may know, Jan and I had plans to host and also support several gatherings over the spring and summer however, with the Covid 19 pandemic, community as we knew it has changed radically. With restrictions now in place regarding social distancing, self-isolation and quarantines we all need to adjust our way of communicating. What if this quarantine time was not a time to retire, but on the contrary a time to be active for God more than ever? As one commentator said, "you can close down the church buildings, but you cannot stop the Church from moving forward!"

It was October 24th, 2017 and Gord and I were on the last leg of a four-week ministry tour of New Zealand, Australia and Tasmania. The schedule had been very hectic and I was feeling quite depleted and in need of some 'alone time' with Jesus.  I poured myself a coffee, plumped up some cushions on the  sofa and began to review our ministry time "down under'.  So many leaders passionate for more of Jesus, so much prophetic, so many healed, incredible times of extended worship, and yet most prominent in my thoughts were those who were not healed or touched.  My thoughts went from there to others I was praying for back home, fully believing for a miracle and yet seeing little movement.  It's interesting how quickly one can slide down the slippery slope of unbelief when we stop taking our thoughts  captive.  I thought about the ground being lost to addictions, to perversions, to greed,  to hatred, to violence, and I must have spoken out loud the erron...