Wow! What a great message from our guest speaker Rev. Bob Osborne who spoke today to our staff and student body.

Bob shared that the Spirituality of Christ is defined by:

1)      His way of surrender (he recognized that God is in control);

2)      His way of being thankful (thankfulness stands between our circumstance and the resolution of the situation); and

3)      His way of being personal (He is personally interested in us).

I loved Bob’s attitude about prayer and worship.  I especially enjoyed his quote by C.S. Lewis.

“The prayer preceding all prayers should be

‘May it be the real I who speaks,

May it be the real Thou I speak to”

This was a clarion call to authenticity of self as we concentrate on who we are worshiping.

Gordon Giesbrecht
The Prez

The song Burn the Ships by Steven Curtis Chapman made famous the story of the Spanish explorer Cortez who led an expedition from Cuba to conquer the Aztecs in Mexico.  When some of his men murmured about going home, Cortez gave instructions to burn their ships. This act removed any avenue for retreat and committed the men to their task.

The Bible gives many examples of individuals who left everything behind to follow God’s call.  1 Kings 19:19-21 describes the inspiring story of Elisha, who made his living with two oxen and a plow.  When Elijah called Elisha to follow him, Elisha broke up his yoke and plow to make a fire.  He then killed his oxen, boiled their flesh on the fire, and gave the meat to the people with him.  By this act, he ‘burned his ships’ and committed himself to follow Elijah.

As you may know, last year I took an unpaid leave from my position as professor at the University of Manitoba, to serve temporarily as the President of Horizon College and Seminary.  Last spring the Board of Governors asked my wife, Debra, and I to consider taking on this challenge permanently.  This has been the most difficult choice we have ever had to make.  Certainly, leaving the university system is akin to “burning the ships”.

After much prayer and careful consideration Debra and I have recently decided that, on July 1, 2008, I will end my career at the University of Manitoba to work with Horizon College and Seminary on a full time basis.  We are excited about the turn-around experienced at the college so far, and are confident that great things are in store in the future.  We are now obviously very committed to championing the college’s goal of training tomorrow’s leaders today.  Please pray for the college, the students and us as we all dedicate ourselves to His service.  Thanks.

Gordon Giesbrecht
The Prez

If you touch your cell phone you will die! (November 13, 2007)

Sadly, there are several cases where people instinctively used their cell phones to call 911 while they were floating in the water in their vehicles. The problem is that by the time their call for help was over, their vehicle had sunk and they drowned.

Isn’t it tragic that the ‘natural response’ – to call 911 when you need help – in this case will almost certainly kill you?

We are often faced with important or difficult decisions in life. The question is, what influences our decision-making? Often the ‘natural response’ is based on our carnal nature and any choice made on that basis is bound to displease God and result in failure. On the other hand, if we make decisions based on Godly, biblical principles, we will succeed and please Him.

Ananias and Sapphira made a selfish decision to cheat God and paid a heavy price (Acts 5:1-11). Wouldn’t you rather be like the possessed man who ran and bowed at the feet of Jesus and was delivered (Mark 5:1-20)? Next time you have a tough decision to make, how will you make your decision?

The Prez

Know God… be strong and do great exploits (Nov. 2, 2007)

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New Name...New Look!  (Oct. 24, 2007)

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New beginning  (September 22, 2007)

What a whirlwind summer!  We all worked very hard to almost completely renovate our facilities (residence, library, student life centre etc.) for the arrival our 2007/08 students. 

What a student body we have this year!  The incoming class is almost triple the size of last year. We have a great graduating class in final preparation before being unleashed on our world.  I am thrilled and blessed to see the great spirit around the college.  Our students are really excited to be here and we all look forward to growing and learning together.

Here’s my message to all of you.

If you don’t attend the college, feel free to drop in for a tour anytime.

If you do attend the college, remember my goal for you is that you:

• Thirst for knowledge, and
• Develop a passion for God and His Word, so you can
• Make a difference in this world.

The Prez