Ministry Update :: September 26, 2013

Posted on September 26, 2013 by Troy

Evangelism Seminar in Ontario

Last week I made my annual pilgrimage to Owen Sound, Ontario. For the last 12 years, the Word of Life Bible Institute has generously invited GoodSeed to teach a worldview evangelism course to their students. It helps give them the big picture of the overall story of God’s plan of salvation – giving a framework to hang the rest of their studies on through the rest of the year. This is a big commitment from the school, as they are giving us a full week at the beginning of their academic calendar (with no other classes happening!) to let us share with the students a fuller explanation of the Gospel and demonstrate how they can share this message with others. We really appreciate this opportunity and the ministry partnership!

There were 30 students from across Canada (including 3 from the town we now live in), as well as one from Brazil. This year we also had three guests join us, one driving about 9 hours to get to the seminar.

We walked the students through the Gospel, from Creation to the life of Christ using GoodSeed’s book “By this Name“. This year we got do do something a bit different. I’ve been editing video for awhile now to be included in the upcoming “By this Name -Interactive Edition” and Leader’s Guide, and we decided to beta-test them with the students. These clips include footage of teaching with visual aids to help comprehension, and footage from Israel and Egypt.

Here is a short sample:

This is what some of the students had to say at the conclusion of the seminar:

“[This study] very clearly and systematically ties the whole Bible together. Thank you very much for coming and teaching. I am excited about the material and have some people in mind who I would like to go thru it with.”

“It allows the learner to “visualize” how he/she would go about teaching this in a small group setting.”

“It made me realize how much the Bible is consistent all the way through. I thought it was cool how everything tied together into one thread.”

Keep Connected

You can keep up with what is happening with us and GoodSeed by liking our Facebook page at facebook.com/gstroynaomi

God bless!

Troy & Naomi

Outside

Posted on September 25, 2013 by Troy

A few weeks ago the weather started cooling off and it is was getting more comfortable outside than in, so we began eating more meals out on the deck. Soooo thankful for the wonderful, large back yard that we all enjoy so much.

Some grilled salmon.

A tasty meal my fantastic wife whipped up for us!

Adelaine couldn’t help but pose for the camera.

Summer… how I will miss thee.

Get Connected

Posted on September 21, 2013 by Troy

Thank you for your interest in the Ministry of Troy and Naomi with GoodSeed international. Keep updated on what is happening with us and our ministry!

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Ministry Update :: September 3, 2013

Posted on September 3, 2013 by Troy

Earlier this year I got to meet Brad and hear his incredible testimony. He is a family man who works as a veterinarian in Gillette, Wyoming. We travelled to his town to record his testimony about how he grew up going to church and doing “religion,” but being in constant fear of death and thinking he may have lost his salvation. His life was a huge list of things to do, not a life of rest and peace with God. Later on… well, you should hear him say it in his own words.

We really enjoyed getting to know Brad and his family and hearing how God has worked in his life. We spent a few days in town recording the interview and capturing “B-roll” footage, and then made the long drive back to Alberta. Ken, who has been working as an intern with me, got the enviable job of editing it all together and did a fantastic job. Brad is a very likeable guy and he has such an engaging story. I hope you enjoy it.

Ken working the boom mic while I manage the cameras “on set” – a hotel room converted to our temporary studio.

We appreciate your prayers for our ministry,

Troy & Naomi

PS. Today was the first day of school for the girls. Ethan starts kindergarten next week and all are very excited!

A Nation Rejects God

Posted on August 31, 2013 by Troy

I have usually considered the passage in Romans 1 dealing with the slide further into sin being one of personal sin. Recently I listened to a message that opened my eyes to a larger application, that of the progression of a whole nation (or even all of Western society) into rejecting God and embracing sin. The pastor roughly laid out a timeline, showing this slide down to the lowest common denominator of morality. I found this timeline concept instructive.

Romans 1
18 The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness, 19 since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. 20 For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.

21 For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened.		Man abandons God and the rise of secularism. This has been happening for a long time, but accelerated in the early 1900’s up to the ’50’s and ’60’s with the rise of secularism, and the growing idea of man’s ability to solve everything with science.We ceased giving thanks, became futile in our thinking, and our hearts are dark and foolish.

22 Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools 23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like a mortal human being and birds and animals and reptiles.


24 Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another.		1960’s sexual revolution. When God abandons a society it become pornographic, it becomes obsessed with sex.”We objected to the morality because it interfered with our sexual freedom.” — Aldous Huxley, “Confessions of a Professed Atheist” discussing why he rejected God and any system of morality.

25 They exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen.		“A man who ceases to believe in God does not believe in nothing; he believes in anything.” – G.K. Chesterton, Orthodoxy The worship of earth – environmentalism as a religion and the growth of paganism.


26 Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural sexual relations for unnatural ones. 27 In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed shameful acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their error.		1970’s – todayWhen a society rejects God, and God then abandons a society, there is a sexual revolution, then a homosexual revolution.

28 Furthermore, just as they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, so God gave them over to a depraved mind, so that they do what ought not to be done. 29 They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, 30 slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; 31 they have no understanding, no fidelity, no love, no mercy.		Rejection of God’s word leads to this apt description of our modern world.”Murder” – how many millions and millions of babies slaughtered in state approved abortion clinics in the last 50 years?

32 Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them.		The rise of “tolerance” and “political correctness” where you must not only tolerate (in the truest sense meaning to accept it’s existence) but approve and even promote every area of sin .

And that pretty much sums up this world we are in.

How long, Lord, must I call for help
and You do not listen
or cry out to You about violence
and You do not save?

Why do You force me to look at injustice?
Why do You tolerate wrongdoing?

Oppression and violence are right in front of me.
Strife is ongoing, and conflict escalates.

This is why the law is ineffective
and justice never emerges.
For the wicked restrict the righteous;
therefore, justice comes out perverted.

Habakkuk 1:2-4