Bread We Break - Stories

We seek to lift high the name of Christ in Worship, remember Him constantly through Communion, and see His Church united in Fellowship. • Winnipeg, Manitoba • 1 Corinthians 10:15-17 www.breadwebreak.com

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Mental Health

Psalm 57:1 says “Have mercy on me, my God, have mercy on me, for in you I take refuge. I will take refuge in the shadow of your wings until the disaster has passed.” I wish I had a little more time to break this down but six months ago my life was flipped upside down and two months ago I started seeing doctors for the panic attacks I was having because of it. Up until this point maybe a dozen people knew that about me, and now it’s public. How many of you know what a panic attack really is? For those of you who don’t – it’s a terrifying thing. It feels like you could be dying. Your heart starts racing, you’re short of breath, even if you’re not claustrophobic – you feel like you need more space. You’re anxious about everything and your hands start to tremble.. Even something simple like standing up straight becomes a difficult task. The scariest thing? You never know for certain when they’ll happen or what might trigger it. When you begin to have one, your focus shifts to just one thing: calming yourself down. For some people that could mean deep breaths, for others it could be medication. Then after a while the panic starts to fade away and you just feel exhausted. Adrenaline finishes running through your veins and you don’t feel like yourself for maybe a couple of days. I would never wish an attack on anyone but going through one really opened my eyes to how I actually worshiped when going through a rough patch. I found that the act of worship was like a deep breath when you’re feeling under attack. Let’s say you were just fired, or dumped, or even lost a loved one. When you go through something like this isn’t it easy to let it consume you? Why would you worship in that moment when all you can focus on is what’s next? To me that is a human reaction to something bad happening in your life. I want to challenge everyone to have a Godly reaction through the tough times. Like David in Psalm 57, or Jesus in the garden before he was crucified. The act of worship is like a deep breath when I am having a panic attack. My focus shifts to calming myself and the only way I can do that is through worshipping our father. Maybe that means singing and dancing – or maybe that means sitting in the back at a worship night. Wherever you are, just worship the Lord, and He will meet you where you’re at. Mental health is a serious thing. If you are going through something right now, and you feel like the world is caving in on you. Please, please, please talk to someone about it – find a friend, talk to your pastor, go see a counselor. If you are going through something and it is affecting your mental health, you need to talk to someone about it. And for those of you who are in a good place mentally, reach out to someone. Let’s be a proactive community. Don’t just wait for someone to say something. Let them know you’re there for them, and check up on them. We are the body of Christ and we are called to look after one another. - David Metcalfe

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Identify Lost and Found

I have struggled with my identity for most of my life. I felt lost for 16 years, I was incredibly lonely, I hated myself, and I had no idea where God was. When I was 12, I tried to curb this emotional pain and developed an eating disorder. For a long time, I built my identity on awful thoughts and trying to make myself smaller. I struggled like this without anyone realizing it because I was constantly lying to myself, my family, and my friends. I lived what seemed like a good life outwardly. I did well in school, had friends, and excelled in sports. As high school graduation approached I accepted a scholarship at the University of Oklahoma, where I would row and continue school. Unfortunately, after about two weeks of being down there I hurt my back so badly that I would never be able to row again. I lost part of my identity in this, and I started clinging to my only other identity, my eating disorder. I was incredibly sick, but God started searching me out and I began going to church, where I tried to find a purpose for myself and feel the love that Jesus promised. But I couldn’t fathom that anyone could love a sinner like me, I couldn’t accept that Jesus died for me, I felt incredibly unworthy, and wouldn’t let myself experience God’s love. As things continued to spiral, I ended up in the ER after a suicide attempt. I stayed there for just over a week, and in that time I started to realize I would never be worthy of God’s love, but I have it anyway, God loves me regardless of my sins, my size, and my suicide attempt. God was always seeking me out, and loving me, but my mental illness would not let me feel that. As I began my long road to recovery, I started being transformed by God’s love. I found community in my church, I found grace in God, and peace from the tyrant my brain can often be. I realized that my only identity will always be an imperfect daughter of God. Recovery was incredibly difficult, and everyday I was forced to make choices that would bring me closer to or farther from God, almost all of them were choices I didn’t want to have to make. But after a year of recovery I am constantly strengthened by God’s love, by the love of my brothers and sisters in Christ, and by the overwhelming grace that is poured out over all of us everyday. - Megan Linton

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Lighting as Worship

Romans 12 says “Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” This verse directs us to use everything we are, all of the gifts we have been blessed with to worship God.

One of the ways I have done this is by running lights. Lighting is my art form, the way I express myself visually. Lighting is all about creating an atmosphere and building emotion, using lights in worship allows me to channel those emotions up to God. Every time I light a worship service it’s like a dialogue with my Creator, I express my love and appreciation through light and colour and He responds with the renewing of my mind.

In addition to the creative aspect of lighting, I have found that while I am using my gifts to run lights, I am also more receptive to the lyrics in the songs and the ideas shared by the teacher. I am more able to absorb God’s word and the message he wants me to hear. The reality is that none of this, no part of this service, would be possible if God didn’t take the little bit each of us can contribute and turn it into so much more.

Every week in the tech booth here at TMP, right before the service begins, we read a prayer from Ephesians 3; it reads “and now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we could ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us, to Him be the the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus”.

- Jill Neufeld

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Conversation as Worship

Worshipping God for me always seemed to be a formula. Like there is one specific way to worship an infinite God. But when I started to think about what worshiping God means to me I could begin doing it in a way that meant the most to me.

I think worshipping God is experiencing Him in a way where you know more of who He is through what you are doing. I think there are lots of ways to worship God and I love to do it through conversation. I think talking is the best way we are able to express ourselves and God is in that expression. I sometimes leave conversations feeling like my world has been rocked because of how connected I felt to the other person. That’s a great testimony to God and how he wants to connect to us in everything we do, and how he cares about even the small things that happen in our lives.

When I’m talking with someone and we are honest and comfortable enough to allow encouragement. That’s really special and I think it’s a great way to honour, love, and worship God in that conversation. When you are talking with someone and you start crying and feel safe enough to go there, I feel so much of God’s heart towards us and how vulnerable we can be with him. And when you can just be truly joyful with a group and create an atmosphere where people feel included and excited to be there. It speaks to how inclusive God is and how much he wants us all to be connected with him and each other.

Whether it’s someone you’ve known your whole life or just met today I believe there’s a way to worship and know God better by having a conversation with them.

- Taylor Brown

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Stillness as Worship

A form of worship I really connect with is through song. I’ve always had a heart for worship but I found myself pushing so hard to have those ‘God encounters’ that I forgot what worship really meant.

A couple months ago I found myself at the peak of this ‘dry worship’ period. I was doing a lot of big things for God. I attend church/small groups and worship services but found myself caught up in the logistics of it all. I’d get distracted by what the band was going to play next or if I knew the words or if I was singing in the right key.

I remember one evening this summer I was at Orientation in Gretna on the MBMission ACTION program. Worship had begun and I remember that day being spirtually challenging. A song started being played that I didnt know and I got frustrated because it felt like I was failing God, I was pushing so hard to sing and do what I thought was ‘praise’ that I completely missed actually giving him what he desires most. My heart.

In that moment, I learned the beauty of stillness in the Lord. I stopped singing and opened my heart, ears, and mind to tune into the others around me. I listened to the cry of their hearts and in that I was filled with the presence of the Holy Spirit. His love and life became so alive and energetic to me in that moment. A whole new aspect of worship was revealed to me. In Psalm 46:10, His Word says “Be still, and know that I am God”.

- Naomi Ratte

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Praying for Our City

BWB bi-weekly prayer meetings have been providing focus to my prayer life and my vision to our city. Before I started attending this past semester, I have been getting nudges to start contending for our city. But the reality is I felt discouraged because I had no one to share this vision with, plus that I simply didn’t know where to start. I started asking God to send me a group of individuals that have experienced God’s transformation in their lives, and willing to corporately seek his will and his presence in every inch of our city….And then I found BWB prayer meetings. The turnout fluctuates, but the Holy Spirit continues to stir in us dreams, longings and burdens for both our lives and our city. The Dec 16th meeting has topped my experience so far… When a handful of us got together and started praying for joy over our lives and over WPG. Our prayers shared the same theme: God’s reign in our city. But this time I felt that the prayer of one person complimented the other’s; the holy spirit was starting to align our thoughts and words with his, and the worship contained the cries of one heart, one body interceding for one cause.

I want encourage you to come check out the prayer meetings. You don’t even have to have that zeal for a city-wide transformation yet. But I guarantee you that as soon as you start praying with us, you will realize that Winnipeg has been on God’s mind way way before it has been on any of ours. You will be challenged (and maybe stretched out your comfort zone) to be specific and intentional in your prayers, and you will meet fellow believers that TOGETHER can build a church that no gates of Hell can overcome !

Andrew Laban

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Changing Lives Through the Word of God

I have been working at Canadian LifeLight Ministries (CLLM) as their Administrative Coordinator for the past 4 months.  CLLM is a Christian non-profit organization that serves Christ by helping provide Bibles in contemporary language to churches and individuals for outreach and personal learning. We carry paperback Bibles, leather like ones, study and foreign language Bibles, children's and youth Bibles as well as tracts, so there's something for everyone! By having a good selection people can find exactly what they need for the individuals they are giving it to, so it's more personal, like a gift, which makes it easier to evangelize too. What a great resource this is for our community! I have been so encouraged to hear stories of what God is doing in the North and in Winnipeg as people distribute our Bibles.

God's Word is changing lives, and more people than I realized are doing street ministry right here in my own backyard. I have seen a range of people anywhere from the ages of 8 - 80 picking up Bibles to distribute throughout the city, and it makes me so happy to know that even though there are many lost souls here, God is reaching them one by one. We have been able to partner with other missionaries who are making a difference by getting Bibles into people's hands, which may seem like a simple task, but is not, considering that we are a non-profit organization and must raise funds for all our Bibles and other costs, so God has been coming alongside of us to help us keep doing the Great Commission. It is daunting at times, yet I am encouraged to be a part of this ministry as I know that God will Bless us. And as we partner with new ministries and individuals, all helping to spread God's Word, we will continue to grow closer as a community and in fellowship with one another which is so important too. We need to be as one Body, the Body of Christ, and this is one way God is helping us to do that - Praise the Lord!

Roxanne Fuchs

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Prayer Happened

Normally I really get into it and really feel the Spirit fill me in worship at BWB and I was sooo ready to experience that again this past BWB (Sept 29), but I must confess that that evening, I just wasn't feeling it and I kept getting distracted.

I right away thought that something was wrong with me or that some sin or something was weighing me down and so I sat down and prayed for God to eliminate these distractions and help me be in a better place spiritually to worship Him...and all of a sudden, PRAYER HAPPENED.

I've never been much of a pray-er, never really been good at finding the right words, but that evening it just poured out of me. I wasn't even thinking as I did so, it all just spilled and gushed out of me and as I sat there mumbling these prayers I felt the overwhelming spirit of our Lord filling every inch of me. And yet the distractions persisted, and so I tried to figure out what it was that was distracting me. Eventually I realized that they were people, programs, events, and communities that God had placed on my heart and I kept praying as I never have before.

And so I had gone into BWB that evening expecting to be fulfilled and experience His presence in one way and was initially disappointed when I didn't, but God had a whole 'nother plan for me. I also met and spoke with so many amazing people, both who I really needed in my life, and who in some way really needed me in theirs. I know that God has amazing plans for those relationships and I know there are many blessings still to come.

Noah Falk

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Bread We Break blog

This page is a place for the stories of our community. We want to be able to read and share what God is doing in our city through the lives of his people. This is a place to share your story.

How has God impacted your life recently? Where is He leading you, or what is He calling you to do? Where have you seen God at work in our city? How is the ministry that you are a part of, helping to bring the Kingdom of God to the streets of Winnipeg?

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