April 2024 Newsletter
We have just celebrated Easter – the monumental occasion when everything changed! Jesus’ death on the cross and burial was not the end; three days later He rose again. He conquered sin and death, opening the gift of eternal life to all who believe in Him. The despair the disciples felt on Friday evening and all day Saturday was quickly replaced with hope and overflowing joy as they realized what Jesus had told them had come true. He is Alive!
At Christian Counselling Ottawa (CCO), we want to bring hope to those who are walking through the darkness of loneliness, loss and confusion. No one should navigate life alone, especially in the hard times. Our therapists are here to walk alongside our clients pointing them toward hope. They help find the light in the darkest of places and to reestablish a sense of calm and peace. And the blessing is, our therapists are not doing this alone. They have the support of our administration team, the Board of Directors, and our wonderful supporters like you! Together, we spur one another on to do the work that is set before us all the while asking God for wisdom and discernment. The burden is often heavy. So many are seeking assistance in dealing with life’s challenges. Our therapists diligently work to help as many as they can at the pace needed to bring health and wellbeing back to each client. Hope is needed in order to keep going. And, we have hope in God – for He is good and so very faithful! His provision of strength, wisdom, and finances enables each one of us to do the ministry of CCO. Our heart is to bring hope to not only our clients, but to all those within our region.
We pray, today, that you have hope firmly residing in your heart and mind as we speak this verse from Romans over you: May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope. ~ Romans 15:13 (NIV)
Hope is Here
by Jordan Camarda, Psychotherapist at CCO
Think about being on a ship, in the middle of the ocean when suddenly, a tsunami-like wave crests the horizon, accompanied by dark billowing clouds of lightning and echoes of rumbling thunder. Your heart sinks as you realize there is nowhere to go, nowhere to run. Alternatively, imagine that you have been walking in a dark tunnel, with little food, dim light and foul smells, for months, when, as you lift your eyes to the horizon, that weary feeling creeps into your bones as you realize that it’s just more of the same. It feels like you have been chained to the same rock for 10 years, and are only able to go just far enough, but never roam quite as free as you want to. That feeling of frustration and hopelessness seethes in your heart, and then gives way to indifference and apathy…so, why bother?
Our lives are filled with moments where there are bleak periods of hopelessness. Some people look at themselves and see someone trapped by the same generational shackles that enslaved their parents. Maybe it was alcoholism, drug abuse, sexual abuse, physical abuse, or spiritual abuse. The horror of surviving those things is only surpassed when some people realize they are repeating the very same sins they suffered under and swore they would never do. Others have been beaten down by life: a marriage that did not work out, a hostile work environment, a career that never became what it was supposed to be…and as they look at their reflection in the mirror they see someone who is not worthy of love, not worthy of dignity and respect, not worthy of dreaming to reach for something more. Still, others live on a hamster wheel, chasing things that, once attained, bring little satisfaction. Where do we turn to when we are in such a state of loneliness, despair, and hopelessness? Are we doomed to shout into the darkness only to hear our echo back to us? Where is the way out?
Remember Jesus standing on the water, in the midst of the ocean storm, and Peter, having lost all hope, begins to sink? Peter reached out to Jesus, who pulled him up. In the same way, no matter what storm is battering around us, what dark hole we find ourselves in, or what sins we are shackled to, our Lord offers us that ray of light, that hope, that things will get better. As you go through the storms in your life, or as you feel hope slipping away, meditate on the picture of Jesus firmly pulling Peter out of the ocean of despair, into His Comforting Arms. His Hand is reaching out for you, all you need to do is grab it.
Spring: Hope Renewed
by Rev. Phil Kim, Knox Presbyterian Church
I just love the Spring season. I’ve always loved Spring because it’s exciting to see how the world will come to life after the winter. But I love the Spring even more now that I’ve taken up gardening. It was a hobby that I took up in the first year of the pandemic. We were all at home under lockdown and we were all looking for something to do. People took up new hobbies and I took up gardening. There was a couple in my church who were expert gardeners and they taught me so many things about gardening and even gave me some plants to get my garden started. After three years of experimenting with gardening, I can say that I’ve put together quite a nice vegetable and flowering garden around my house. This is why I am even more excited by the arrival of Spring.
There is a kind of mystery behind gardening – kind of a waiting game. You’re not sure if what you planted the year before will survive the harsh winter. As the snow melts and the ground starts to soften, I find myself wondering did my plants survive? So, I wonder, and I wait. When the warm weather of Spring starts to appear, I find myself even studying the soil in my garden. What a relief it is to see buds come up out of the soil, and getting ready to come to life and bloom their fabulous colours. After three years of gardening, there are some plants I’ve come to rely on to be hardy enough to make it through the winter. I know I’ll see them in the Spring. However, there are other plants I’m not so sure of so I wait and wonder and have hope.
When I was in seminary training to be a pastor, I learned Biblical Hebrew so that I could study and interpret the Bible. In my studies of Hebrew, I learned that there was an old Hebrew saying that goes, “There’s no point in waiting unless you have hope. And if you have hope, you’ll have to do some waiting”. What a wise proverb. If you’re waiting for something, It helps to have hope. And if you want to exercise hope, you’ve got to do some waiting.
It then comes as no surprise to learn that in the Hebrew language, the word for “wait” is the same word for “hope”. In Psalm 27:14, it says:
Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.
And in another passage, from Isaiah 41:30, it says:
…but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.
The word for “wait” in Psalm 27:14 is the same word for “hope” in Isaiah 41:30. The word is “qavah”. Hoping and waiting. The two go hand in hand and you definitely want both of them together.
How important it is to have hope when we see what’s going on around us. Global conflicts between nations. Interpersonal conflicts in our relationships. Personal conflicts in our mind. We want to continue with hope but to continue we may have to wait until we see God’s plan unfold at the right time. If you’re waiting for something to happen, keep putting your hope in the Lord.
OTTAWA MINISTRY BENEFIT CONCERT
Tickets on sale now! >>> OTTAWA MINISTRY BENEFIT CONCERT.
CHRI Radio, Christian Counselling Ottawa, Jericho Road, and One Way Ministries together are pleased to invite you to an evening of uplifting music and song featuring two of the most popular award-winning Christian artists on the charts today – The Collingsworth Family and Triumphant Quartet – together in-person for one night only!
All costs of this benefit concert have been underwritten by generous donors. This means that 100% of every ticket sold along with donations received will go directly to four Ottawa based Christian ministries including; CHRI Radio, Christian Counselling Ottawa, Jericho Road, and One Way Ministries.
We would be honoured to have you join us for this uplifting time of worship. This concert will help support the ministry work we collectively do here in Ottawa, and in return you will be blessed by enjoying some of the very best Christian music talent available!
All early bird tickets purchased by June 30th, 2024 will receive a complimentary online concert video featuring The Collingsworth Family and Triumphant Quartet.
Two ticket options are available – all open seating:
Artists Circle: $100 – Includes a Meet & Greet with The Collingsworth Family & Triumphant Quartet and early seating selection
General Admission: $50
Administration & handling fees apply
Tickets on sale now! >>> OTTAWA MINISTRY BENEFIT CONCERT.
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