Osgoode Baptist and Vernon United Church
8674 Bank Street K0A 3J0 Ottawa, ON, Canada

Friends; We have returned to no services in our sanctuary for a short while due to a province wide shut down in Ontario because of COVID-19. So, for the time being, services are restricted to these virtual services. Today, my focus in on looking ahead to next year and potential New Year's resolutions and the best resolutions.... Here then is the link to today's service - https://youtu.be/ox9iA0JC89M I trust you will be blessed by this service. Bless you all, Pastor Phil .....

Mid-Week Devotional Merry Christmas For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder. and His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Isaiah 9:6. But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of you shall come forth to Me the One to be Ruler in Israel, whose goings forth are from of old, from everlasting. Micah 5:2 Throughout ...the Old Testament we can find pictures of Christ and prophecy about a coming Messiah. Consider this. He has come. He is here. He is in Heaven preparing a place for you, and He is coming again. If all the prophecies of old came true, you can be sure this last prophecy will come true. Where is your focus going to be this Christmas season? In spite of the challenges of 2020, I hope and pray that you may have peace in your heart this year and that you will feel blessed by the love of God through the gift of His son. I just wanted to write this short note to wish you all, all the best for Christmas. I encourage you to ensure you keep Christ at the center of this season because, as the saying goes, ‘Jesus is the Reason for the Season’. Faithfully yours, Rev. Phil Beals

Friends; Today's service is the celebration of the fourth week of Advent, but because we are not together for Christmas Eve I will be lighting the Christ candle during this service as well. So, as we wind down the year 2020, I would wish you all a very Merry Christmas and all the best in 2021.... I trust you will be blessed by today's service. Here then is the link to today's service - https://youtu.be/YiriQD6GSc8 Blessings to all, Pastor Phil .....

Friends; Due to a risk of significant freezing rain this weekend, I have recorded this service in advance and posting it for your viewing pleasure. As hoped, the freezing rain did not materialize as it might have which is great news.. So, I trust you will be blessed by today's service though.... Here is the link to the service - https://youtu.be/ADbSAsf2ZRw Bless you all, Pastor Phil .....

Friends; As promised, I went to the church to re-record Sunday's service because of microphone issues on Sunday morning. So, here is the service for Week 2 of Advent. Some of the original service is not included because I was unable to capture it without a congregation, but the core of the service is here. I trust you will be blessed by today's service. Here then is the link to today’s service - https://youtu.be/kUO5iaCMidg ... May you have a blessed week. Pastor Phil .....

Mid-Week Devotional No Pain, No Gain As I prepared for this, I remembered years ago when I was much healthier and on a major health kick, that one of the coaches where I used to work out seemed to be hooked on the saying ‘No Pain, No Gain’. Well, then I got to the point where I had to now visit a physio therapist to help recover from some of the discomfort of exercise, and he said the concept of No Pain, No Gain is a fallacy. His instruction was if it starts to hurt ... you are actually doing more damage than helping. Boy was I glad to hear that news. On the other side of that coin though, the phrase, No pain, no gain has come to mean that success requires a willingness to reach for a goal and make painful mistakes along the way and learn from them. That was Jesus’ message for those following Him. The safe life is a life protected from loss and disappointment, a passionless life that is afraid to love and live. But if we embrace the Kingdom of God in the face of a world that wants to reject it, we will discover a life of passion. Jesus words in John 10:10 reads - I have come that you may have life, and that you may have it more abundantly. Yes, following Jesus involves risk and therefore trust. Remember, without risk, there is no reward. Bless you all, Pastor Phil ..

Mid-Week Devotional - Remember Today is Remembrance Day in Canada and Veterans Day in the United States. Both celebrations have the same purpose. It is a day when we pause and consider those, not only of our military, but civilians alike, who stood and stand for our freedom. Traditionally we think of the two great wars, world wars 1 and 2, but there have been and are other conflicts. We think of those on peace keeping missions, even today, and many other ongoing deployment...s. One of the reasons why we spend time remembering these events and those who fought and died for our and others freedoms, is hopefully to remember not to repeat the same mistakes. Unfortunately, there are a few who claim we are glorifying war by remembering. Sad to say they are doomed to repeat our mistakes if they continue down that road. Remember that famous quote from Winston Churchill, who said those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it. He was quoting the famous philosopher George Santayana, who actually said those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it. That certainly sounds a little harsher than Churchill’s words. That being said it is also important to remember and it is scriptural. Listen to this from Deuteronomy 11: 18 21: Lay up these words of mine in your heart and in your soul, and bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall teach them to your children, speaking of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. And you shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates Of course, Moses was talking about keeping God’s laws and love for God in the forefront but the principle is the same And here is another passage concerning the importance of remembering. Remember your Creator in the days of your youth, before the days of trouble come and the years approach when you will say, I find no pleasure in them Ecclesiastes 12:1 Bless you all and remember, we will remember them. Pastor Phil ..

Dear Friends; On Sunday, November 8th we conducted a service of remembrance in honor of our Canadian Remembrance Day. As today is actually Remembrance Day, we are posting this service for you to join us in celebration. We will remember them! Here then is the link to the service - https://youtu.be/ZYjdM-qlZDc ... Bless you all, Pastor Phil

Friends; Why, in our own human way, do we manage to complicate the message of the Gospel? Today I am going to consider the simplicity of the Gospel and its relationship to the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. By the way, today in our sanctuary, we are celebrating Remembrance Day. You will get to see that service on November 15th.... I trust you will be blessed by today's service. Here then is the link to today's service - https://youtu.be/L16dHgcAdKg Blessings to all. Pastor Phil .....

Mid-Week Devotional His Word is His Bond I am sure at one point or another in your life you have heard or perhaps even used the saying that my word is my bond. In other words, if I promised to do something for you, barring extra ordinary circumstances, I will fulfil my promise to you. Of course, there are many who do not put a whole lot of faith in that and want to see it in writing, especially if it is a complex matter, such as signing for a loan or making a large purchas...e like a home or a car. For example, if we are shopping around for quotes on a product, we ask for the quote to be put in writing so we can hold the vendor to his or her word. Now, in consideration of the foregoing, we know that God’s word is His bond, but for our sake it put it all in writing as well, which we find in Scripture, which outlines his promises to us that in the end he will fulfil. Our Bible, is the book of the story of God’s revelation and redemption of mankind. While some human documents can be violated or nullified, God’s documents never will be. Like God Himself, His Word is eternal and unchanging (Isaiah 40:8). While our soul may faint or grow weary with longing, for God’s deliverance during this life, His Word guarantees His love and our salvation. But we must know what His Word says. The more of His promises we know, the greater our hope and certainty will be. So the bottom line is this. If you truly want to know and understand God’s promises to you, stay in His word and learn from Him. God bless you all. Pastor Phil ..

Friends; We have finally come to the point of starting our coverage of the shortest of the four Gospels, the Gospel of Mark. I am going to begin my message with a high level overview of some of the history on this Gospel. I trust you will be blessed by today's service. Here then is the link to today’s service - https://youtu.be/dktvYyBClQM ... Pastor Phil .....

Mid-Week Devotional White as Snow For most of us, winter is just around the corner. I know you may not want to think about that at the moment, but reality is reality. Having said that, most people love a white Christmasa blanket of fresh snow that has gently fallen like a silent white shroud. But why is snow white when it’s actually just made of crystals of ice? The reason is, when light waves of different frequencies (colors) hit the ice crystals, they are reflected ...off the snow so all the colors blend to create whitethe color that results when all color frequencies are combined. In other words, white is the presence of all colors. On the other side of that picture, did you know that black really is not a color because in fact black is the absence of all color. That is one of the pictures of the sinful heart, so we cry out for purification. I love what the psalmist says in Psalm 51:7 Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. While the writers of the Bible may not have understood the science of white snow, they understood this: Snow was the whitest, or purest, thing they knew. Pure white snow doesn’t have any marks or stains or blemishes, and thus they equated the image with sinlessness and holiness. In Daniel 7:9, Daniel saw the Ancient of Days wearing a garment white as snow. In Revelation 1:14, John saw Jesus with hair as white as snow. When we see our sin, we know we need to be made as white as snow, as we find in Isaiah 1:18. The more we see the holiness of God, the more we become aware of our need to be made pure as well. The late great Ravi Zacharias wrote The purer your habits, the closer to God you will come. Bless you all as you draw closer to God. Pastor Phil ..

Friends; Today we close out our sub series on the Gospel according to Doctor Luke, as he winds up his gospel with narrative about the final days and hours of Jesus on earth, but then His resurrection and ascension into Heaven. Here then is the link to today’s service - https://youtu.be/KOd3vjuFRho ... Bless you all, Pastor Phil .....

Mid-Week Devotional Walk the Talk Do as I say, not as I do or because I told you so or because I’m your father/mother or because I’m the boss. Have you ever heard any of those responses to the question why? I’m sure you have. Now I am not saying those are bad responses but they certainly are not the best responses. How many times have you heard a child say something that they probably heard at home that you wish they had not heard? It is actually quite funny, ...yet embarrassing to the parent. Its true though in that we are easily caught up in the way we do things and we do not want our children or subordinates repeating them. For example, In one family, dad spends all his time at work or in the yard. In another, mom lives on the phone. In another, parents read Bible stories and pray with their children every night. And in yet another family, the parents talk about how much they love their church family and friends. It reminds us of the saying, Careful what you do, ‘cause little eyes are watching you.’ It’s not hard to notice what peoples’ priorities are. It matters less what we say and more what we do. I don’t know how many of you have ever heard Art Linkletter’s Children say the Darndest Things Its hilarious, but If someone interviewed our children today and asked them, What’s the most important thing to your dad and mom?their answers might be revealing in a scary way. When we manifest the fruit of the Spirit in our home on a consistent basis, and lead our family in the things of the Lordour children will notice. Paul kind of addresses this in his letter to the Ephesians in chapter 6 and verse 4 And you, fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord. Remember then, if we imitate Christ and our children imitate us, they will have godly models to follow. So remember to walk the talk. Bless you all, Pastor Phil ..

Friends In this part 8 of the Gospel of Luke, we find Christ referencing events to come as well as arriving at His last supper with His disciples in the upper room. We also celebrate Holy Communion at the end of this service so join us in that celebration. Here then is the link to today's service - https://youtu.be/BRBukdXibHg... Bless you all, Pastor Phil .....

Mid-Week Devotional Deep Breath / Exhale Slowly How many of you have ever practiced any sort of breathing exercises? Some may think really? I already know how to breath. But really, do you. Healthy or health conscious or health help is impacted by practicing good solid deep breathing exercise. Last Sunday in church, I made reference to meditation and how good meditation is for the soul, as well as the body and spirit. But the meditation I am referring to is much mor...e than that transcendental meditation that some people get involved in. But the principle of meditation is the same in both circumstances. It is all about completely relaxing your mind and your body; learning to shut out the noise and busyness of the world and in our case, focus on God and listen for His voice without the maddening crowd. It is all about trust. There is a great verse on this theme in Jeremiah 17 and verses 7 and 8, which reads But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. A life of faith is one of breathing deeply, being filled with the Holy Spirit’s oxygen, and learning to relax and smile. Jeremiah, who wasn’t known for having a naturally happy personality, learned the joy of trusting, and he said, But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. Now take a deep breath and think about that, then exhale slowly. Bless you all, Pastor Phil ..

Brothers and Sisters; Today's video is primarily an advisory video concerning how future productions will be completed and posted, plus a short devotional and a beautiful musical presentation. Here then is the link to today’s brief service - https://youtu.be/sO8TE6vifR0 ... Bless you all. Pastor Phil .....

Mid-Week Devotional Angelic Beings Will we have wings? Will we be floating around like beings not impacted by gravity with halos around our heads. I know, this sounds a bit funny, but in all seriousness we really don’t know a whole lot about what exactly we will look like in the after life. We do know this however, that Paul wrote about in 1 Corinthians 15 and verse 54 So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall ...be brought to pass the saying that is written: Death is swallowed up in victory. Good luck figuring that out, but rest assured, we will be without sin and in the presence of the Almighty. How cool is that! Note this then. In the modern era, cartoonists have pictured saints in heaven like members of a heavenly choir, wearing floor-length white robes. Unlike earthly choir members, the heavenly ones also have halos and angel wingsand some carry harps. From what source did this notion spring? Certainly not the Bible. Rather than embracing the speculations of artists (especially artists in the Middle Ages), we should look to the Bible. The Bible makes no mention of us appearing like angels, but we know this: Our mortal, perishable earthly bodies will become immortal, imperishable bodies in the new earth. When the resurrected Jesus appeared to the disciples, He showed them His hands and feetHe retained His earthly form. Likewise, in Luke 24, when the two disciples on the Emmaus Road encountered the resurrected Jesus, He appeared as another man to thema fellow traveleruntil their eyes of understanding saw that it was indeed the Risen Savior. We so easily get caught up worrying about our bodies in this day and age. I am not suggesting we should give up trying to be healthy. On the contrary, but when it comes to the future people get ready as Ros Stewart sang. Get ready for a new, glorified bodyresurrected and restored to an immortal body by God Himself! John Calvin wrote The human body is formed for immortalityby sinking into death, it does not utterly perish. Bless you all, Pastor Phil ..

Fellow Viewers; This is it. Not the end of virtual services, but the end of not being able to gather face to face in our sanctuary to praise and worship God. Next week, at 11:00 AM, we at OBVU Church will open our doors for in sanctuary services. Until then, may you be blessed by today's virtual service. Here is the link to click on to watch the service - https://youtu.be/M4x-I26TRxY ... Pastor Phil .....

Now we are the church with the BRIGHT Yellow Doors!! Hope to see you next Sunday, September 6; with your mask on from a distance!

I can see a difference, can you see a difference?

The Church with the Yellow Doors is getting ready to open their doors Sunday September 6, but the doors were getting faded.

Mid-Week Devotional All’s Well that End’s Well Where did that saying come from, you might ask? That statement All’s well that end’s well is actually the title of a Shakespearean play. All's Well That Ends Well is a play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been published in in 1623, where it is listed among the comedies. Alas, as Shakespeare might write, that is not the point of this week’s mid-week devotional. But it does bring to mind a beautiful quote from Sc...ripture in Romans 8 and verse 28, which reads And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. While that is comforting, Romans 8:28 does not tell us all we want to know. It doesn’t tell us what the good purpose is. For what purpose is God orchestrating all the events of our life? We are told the answer to that question in the next verse. Romans 8:29 reads - For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. God’s purpose is to conform us to the image of His Son. Our lives follow the same pattern of testing that Jesus followed: He learned obedience by the things which He suffered. As Jesus proved His Sonship by His obedience, we are conformed to His image by ours. Christians love both verses because it says that everythingthe good and the badthat happens in our life will be used by God for a good purpose. In other words, all’s well that end’s well and if God is in control, which He is, all is well and all will end well. Whether this day is good or bad in your sight, it has moved you closer to the image of Jesus. Having said that, at this point in time, in our timeline, we at OBVU Church are still looking forward to a return to worship in our sanctuary, next week. Also on that note, when that happens, the cycle of these weekly devotionals will change slightly, but stay tuned because they will continue. God bless you all as we move into the next phase of our lives as we return to this new normal. Pastor Phil ..