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WHO IS PASTOR ROB TOORNSTRA?

Pastor Rob

I was born and raised just outside of the city of Edmonton, in Alberta, Canada. I grew up as the oldest of four boys. I will always be grateful for parents who raised me in a Christian home, and taught me what it means to love and serve the Lord.

When I was in High School, God began prompting me to think about becoming a pastor. At first, I wasn't too enthused about this -- I had my mind set on becoming a lawyer. God had other ideas, and after my second year of High School, I was sure that God wanted me to become a pastor.

After taking a year to work(I was a baker at Tim Horton's, and an employee at a large grocery store), I began my undergraduate work at Reformed Bible College (now called Kuyper College) in Grand Rapids, Michigan. It was there that I met my wife Amy; we were married two years later. I completed my college degree, and began my studies at Calvin Seminary, also in Grand Rapids. I graduated with my Masters of Divinity in 2006.

I have been serving at Sunnyslope since 2006, and my passion is preaching. I enjoy listening to what God is saying in the Bible, and helping others understand what that means for us today. I also enjoy visiting with members of the church, and learning their stories of how God has been with them in times of joy and pain.

When I'm not "pastoring," I enjoy spending time with my family, whether at a local park, or on a road trip to some of the sights in the area. I also enjoy reading, cooking, and aviation.

LAST SUNDAY'S SERMONS:

February 14, 2010 AM Living For More Than The Weekend

PASTOR'S CORNER:

I had just finished sharing with someone about the joy of welcoming our daughter into this world, and they commented on the “miracle of birth.” We hear that an awful lot, but this made me think. Is the birth of a child really a miracle? I’m not so sure. In his novel, “Peace Like a River,” Leif Enger writes the following:

Let me say something about that word: miracle. For too long, it’s been used to characterize things or events that, though pleasant, are entirely normal. Peeping chicks at Easter time, a spring generally, a clear sunrise after an overcast week – a miracle, people say, as if they’ve been educated from greeting cards. I’m sorry, but nope. Such things are worth our notice every day of the week, but to call them miracles evaporates the strength of the word. Real miracles bother people, like strange sudden pains unknown in medical literature. … A miracle contradicts the will of the earth.

What’s so amazing about the birth of a child is NOT that it is a miracle, but just the opposite. The ability that God gives human beings to mirror him by bringing forth life is so remarkable because it is a part of everyday life! We ought to marvel at childbirth because this remarkable occurrence happens thousands of times everyday. God made the “un-miracle” of birth a part of his created order, not a miraculous event

Except when it is. In all of history, there was one childbirth that was nothing short of miraculous. In an animal shed, on the outskirts of a one-stoplight town, the fullness of God himself entered into the darkness of a sinful world. God, dwelling with us! Jesus, “who did not consider equality from God something to be held on to, but made himself nothing, taking on the very form of a servant, and being made in human likeness… he humbled himself and became obedient to death, even death on a cross.” (Phil. 2:6-8). This Christmas, we celebrate the one true miracle of birth! May you have a wonderful season of preparation and joy, worshipping our God who lived among us, that we might live forever with him.


CONTACT PASTOR ROB

PHONE: (503) 363-5159

ADDRESS: 197 Hrubetz Rd SE Salem, Oregon 97302

EMAIL: Pastor Rob
SERMON ARCHIVES
9-20-09 AM11-15-09 AM01-10-10 PM
9-27-09 AM11-15-09 PM01-17-10 AM
9-27-09 PM11-29-09 AM01-17-10 PM
10-04-09 PM11-29-09 PM01-24-10 PM
10-11-09 AM12-06-09 AM01-24-10 PM
10-11-09 PM12-20-09 AM01-31-10 PM
10-18-09 AM12-27-09 AM01-31-10 PM
10-25-09 AMNew Year's Eve 200902-07-10 AM
10-25-09 PMChristmas Day 200902-07-10 PM
11-01-09 AM01-03-10 AM
11-01-09 PM01-10-10 AM
   

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