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Lieutenant Jennifer Ivany shares the representative speech for the Friends Of Christ

We, ARE the FRIENDS of Christ.

We make ourselves visible here today a mixed bag of vulnerable dependents…

Alcoholics, workaholics, rage-aholics, addicts, pessimists, and misfits, rebels, pride-mongers, attention-hoarders, and finger pointers… That have been REDEEMED, MADE CLEAN and NEW by the blood of Jesus Christ.

We represent a people who are NOT confident in and of themselves—

We DON’T have everything figured out on our journey with Christ.

• OUR love means nothing.
• OUR perfecting of sermonic wording means nothing.
• OUR capacity to lead means absolutely nothing

IF NOT rooted in Jesus Christ and empowered by the Holy Spirit at work within us.  In THIS we are confident.

We have sought out our place besides streams of living water, grabbed ahold of the soil and draw our nourishment from HE WHO GIVES US LIFE. We have packed our bags and left our shacks that we had built upon the sand. And our prayer is that we would be emptied daily so that the FULLNESS of Christ may pour forth from every fiber of our being.  That HIS word would dwell within us richly.

Like Jeremiah, when he said:

“If I say, “I will not mention his word or speak anymore in his name,”
his word is in my heart like a fire,  a fire shut up in my bones.
I am weary of holding it in;  indeed, I cannot.” (20:9)

Indeed WE too cannot!

YOU Friends of Christ,

Be BOLD and be STRONG for Emmanuel is with you.

“Seek justice, encourage the oppressed.  Defend the cause of the Fatherless, plead the case of the widow.” (Isaiah 1:17)

Align your footprints in Christ’s and do not turn to the left or to the right.

 “Be free—love others.” (Galatians 5:13)

YOU Proclaimers of the Resurrection, it has been our privilege to spend this past year in community with you.  Go—PROCLAIM HIS RESURRECTION.

Be light bearers, water holders of the springs found in Jesus Christ.  May the life you hold be holy, pleasing, and supernaturally contagious.

And I will close with this:

1 Samuel 3:8-10

“A third time the LORD called, “Samuel!” And Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, “Here I am; you called me.” Then Eli realized that the LORD was calling the boy.  So Eli told Samuel, “Go and lie down, and if he calls you, say, ‘Speak, LORD, for your servant is listening.’” So Samuel went and lay down in his place.

The LORD came and stood there, calling as at the other times,

“Lance, Monika, Tina, Keesom, Jason, Kristen, Dennis and Mary,

June, Brian, Kelly, Cory, Laura and Stefan, Bethany, Kim and Josh…”

 And we all say, “Speak, Lord for your servants are listening.””

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Lieutenant Jennifer Ivany and her husband Lieutenant Joshua Ivany (along with Aiden, Liam and their new baby) have been appointed to the community of Maple Ridge, British Columbia.