The Father Loves You

Recent Conference 17 to 19 May, 2001

Our Guest Speakers were Maxine Davies & Shelley Fortier

Maxine Davies grew up in England. She worked in Sweden for five years. She went to Toronto Airport Christian Fellowship, Canada for the School-of-Ministry program in 1995. Maxine was a leader and staff member at the School of Ministry for some years. She took part in outreaches from the School, and now has an itinerant ministry called Harvest Team Ministries.

Shelley Fortier is from Prince Edward Island, Canada, and has a background in adult education. She went to Canada as a School-of-Ministry student in 1996, and stayed on as a leader and staff member. Maxine met Rebecca Johnstone from Clovelly, when they did the School-of-Ministry program. They were together also on an outreach program in Costa Rica.

Shelley spoke on the inner walls we build to stop us being vulnerable. Most of us early learned to protect ourselves with walls around our hearts. This leads to the building of walls against God. The Lord took her back to a memory when she was eight and they moved to Prince Edward Island, when she gave up everything you know. She made decision in her heart the day they moved. It hurts too much to love again. Shelley also taught on the judgements we make of parents, God and ourselves, and the lies which we allow the enemy to put on us.

She spoke of what it cost the Father to send his Son to reconcile us to God by dying on the cross. She had a picture of the Father walking across the Cross and staining his feet in the blood of Christ to draw her to himself.

On the basis of Psalm 51: 6 "You desire truth in the inward parts", she encouraged people to ask the Lord what is the truth of how he sees them, and shared the affirmation she has recently experienced from God, "You are so beautiful to me. Can't you see you're everything I hoped for, everything I need" While we were sinners, Christ died for us. She encouraged us to keep journals of our dialogue with the Father.

Maxine spoke of her own experiences of her parents and some broken relationships that got her in touch with need for healing. So many people in the church that feel like orphans. She spoke of the need to hand the child within over to our heavenly father, and to realise that we project our expectations onto God. She told how she got real with God about her true feeling and how the Lord dealt with her hatred of men. When she had grieved, she was able to forgive. The Lord wants to comfort you so that you can comfort others.

Maxine also taught that our restoration involves the honouring of parents, which is not based on our feelings. She illustrated this with incidents in which the Lord has taken her through steps of reconciliation with her earthly father. She had suffered from an eating disorder, and when she was able to take steps in giving honour to her father, she began to be healed. In the areas where you are honouring to your parents, in those areas the Lord will bless you.

Many people were helped by the prayer ministry which occurred at each session.

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