Because he answered the call, he made a difference in Canada.

The Bible speaks often of those who initially resist a call. Thankfully many finally are obedient and go on to make a difference for God. For example, Moses, Gideon and Jonah all rejected God’s initial call to action.

Moses - At the burning bush, God asked Moses to go back to Egypt and lead the Israelites out of slavery. Four times Moses focused on reasons why he could not be successful. Even, after God answered these concerns, Moses said, “send someone else Lord”. Well God was very upset and the rest is history! Eventually Moses did lead the Israelites out of Egypt. He did such a great job that the Bible describes Moses as the greatest prophet in the history of Israel.

Moses made a difference as a leader.

Gideon – While hiding in a winepress, Gideon was challenged by God to lead the Israelites to fight against their oppressors, the Midianites. Gideon also challenged God with questions about how he [Gideon] might fight the feared Midianites. He challenged God to show him three signs: 1) meat and unleavened bread were spontaneously burned on a rock alter; 2) overnight a fleece was wet while the ground remained dry; then 3) the ground was wet while the fleece was dry. The rest is history! Gideon led a small band of 300 men in one of the greatest military victories in history by defeating tens of thousands of Midianites.

Gideon made a difference as a warrior.

Jonah was asked by God to preach to the evil city of Nineveh – a city of over half a million people. No use wasting time arguing this time, Jonah just took a ship in the opposite direction. In this case he didn’t reject God’s call because of doubts in his abilities. Actually, Jonah didn’t think the Ninevites were worthy of the message. We all know the storm-and-whale story. After the whale spat him up on dry ground by, Jonah figured he better get on to Nineveh. As a result of Jonah’s preaching, the entire city was converted to follow God. Not bad for a guy who didn’t want to preach to a group that he thought would never listen. Because of his eventual obedience, Jonah preached what was probably the most effective sermon in history.

Jonah made a difference as a preacher.

There you have it. Three men who originally rejected God’s call but then went on to great effectiveness.

Moses made a difference as a leader.
Gideon made a difference as a warrior.
Jonah made a difference as a preacher.

You may be in college for different reasons. You may have different skills and goals. You may question God’s leading by saying,
“I don’t have those skills Lord”, or
“I’m not interested in doing that Lord”.

If you want to make a difference - and you should – you must be willing to listen to God, He will determine what task is worthy of your attention and what you need for success.

Have a great year!

Dr. G.

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

In my other life as a University researcher, I use the line above to get people’s attention when teaching them about what to do if they are ever in a vehicle that ends up in the water (10% of drownings in Canada occur in sinking vehicles). The correct action - what you really need to do - is simple. Just roll down the window, get out as fast as you can and live.

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

The Prez

We spoke by teleconference to Ella Sly, a rare surviving original student from 1935. She told the audience that she thought the new name was progressive and indicated vision for the future. WE AGREE!

The service that followed featured three great worship teams from the college and a standing ovation performance from the Dynna brothers who were nicknamed “Dynasty” for the evening. Jim Poirier gave a stirring challenge to our students to press forward and commit themselves to changing the world.

The Prez

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