Upcoming Speaking Engagement at CCCF in SE Calgary
A few weeks ago my friend Rick Bayer at Canyon Creek Christian Fellowship asked if I would speak there on Sunday July 26th, 2009. I of course accepted with great enthusiasm but was unsure to what I should speak on. He left the book wide open to me and I was nervous as to how I might speak or what I should say after not having done so for quit awhile. Or so it seems anyway.
It wasn’t to long after that that I was having a conversation with a close friend in our near by Second Cup with regards to our ministry plans in Re:Genesus in the fall. I was explaining a number of the themes and avenues to our gathering and used the word spirituality to describe how we approach themes of faith while reaching out to the people who face challenges or disabilities in our community. It was in that moment that he interrupted me expressing a mistrust or grievance against Christians using or being involved with a word or activity such as spirituality.
To be honest, it took me off guard and I was puzzled by my friend’s fear towards Christians expressing spirituality. The more I thought about it and looked at the number of examples where the church here in North America has become increasingly more resistant to the idea of spirituality being a part of the Christian faith I was alarmed at the loss which we faced in our relationship to Jesus and the disconnect it seemed to have with Jesus’ call to be born again in water and in Spirit (John 3:1-15).
At the same time I could see why so many would be afraid of spirituality when you consider the times religion has been abused as a sense of power and led to horrible misrepresentations of what it means to be a follower of Jesus. My thoughts were of Lee Camp’s statement “‘Jesus is Lord’ is a radical claim, one that is ultimately rooted in questions of allegiance, of ultimate authority, of the ultimate norm and standard for human life. Instead, Christianity has often sought to ally itself comfortably with allegiance to other authorities, be they political, economical, cultural, or ethnic.“
You don’t have to go back as far as the dark ages to see how the church or Christianity has been abused through misplaced spirituality. As near as the 1990′s and early 2000′s we can see the murderous practices and abuses of such powers in such groups as the LRA in Uganda and South Africa.
At the same time here in North America spirituality has been under a different form of social attack; namely the practices of economic abuses and consumeristic excess. To some extent I think we can place the blame on New Age theology where the individual bases his or her “spirituality” on whatever they feel fits. I think of the many experiences Bonnie and I had last September at the Body, Soul, and Spirit Expo here in Calgary and it was not long before we understood; spirituality was based and measured upon how much you are willing to spend. L. Ron Hubbard himself as the founder of Scientology was quoted famously for his statement, “Writing for a penny a word is ridiculous. If a man really wanted to make a million dollars, the best way would be to start his own religion.” (Time Magazine April 5th, 1976 Page 57)
At the same time we cannot exclude the Christian church from there own misrepresentations of spirituality. The health and wealth gospel has had great damages on what it means to be a follower of Jesus. We can look at the great persecutions of the church in China and see how they have neither health nor wealthy church budgets and yet it is considered one of the fastest growing movements of today.
With the consideration of these issues I suppose I cannot argue my friends reasoning for being afraid of or disliking Christianity being involved with such a word as spirituality. Yet I still ask the question if I am born again in water and sprit; what does my spirituality look like? What is Christian Spirituality?
And there you have it. This upcoming Sunday July 26th, 2009 I will be speaking at Canyon Creek Christian Fellowship in SE Calgary on the Rebirth of Christian Spirituality. I would love to have you come along for the journey!
Just Some Things I’ve Been Working On for September… Questions for God
I’ve been doing some writing and planning for next September with regards to the Expressions Community and thought I’d share a bit here as well. I am sure I will put out more of a formal invitation in the next month but if you are interested at all please feel free to send me an email!
Why does God allow suffering in this world? Is marriage really important in the long run? Does Christianity matter on any other day then Sunday? Why do I go to church? What is the church? How should I deal with violence in my life? What is a good parent? Did Jesus really have to die on the cross? Am I a Christian if I consider myself to be Spiritual? What is Spirituality? Where does God come in to the reality of today? What is the truth? Does truth exist? Does God exist?
“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.” – Matthew 7:7-8
Ever since I was a kid I struggled with the deeper questions in life and what their relevance was to me. I wanted to understand everything and deeply needed to know that God was really truly involved in this world. In some sense I wanted to know that God thought this world mattered. That I mattered. Maybe you are like me.
The truth of it though was the answer I seemed to always receive was paralyzing as people would turn to me and say, “There are two things you don’t talk about in this world. The first is Politics and the second is Beliefs.” Ironic when you think that it is our beliefs which shape the basis for everything that we do!
So then where can we go to express these beliefs and seek out honest open dialogue? Where might we gather to share and to live out a journey of exploring faith in today’s reality?
Questions for God is an open group which meets at the Starbuck’s in the SE Calgary community of Cooperfield where we gather together on the Friday evening of every second week to seek out, converse, and explore our faith in today’s reality. Each week we take home a new article with some suggested questions for journeying into some of your own self discovery before we will share and explore together as a group in the next gathering. We might not always agree but, together with a practice of grace we can explore with the confidence of knowing God is right there with us waiting, wondering, and struggling for the moments of inspiration to which we will all find.
If you would like to know more or if you would like to join us please email erik@expressionscommunity.org or visit www.expressionscommunity.org.
“Jesus is Lord” is a radical claim, one that is ultimately rooted in questions of allegiance, of ultimate authority, of the ultimate norm and standard for human life. Instead, Christianity has often sought to ally itself comfortably with allegiance to other authorities, be they political, economical, cultural, or ethnic. – Lee Camp
For Such A Time As This… I Have Arrived
Check it out for yourself: Ecclesiastes 3
“He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, he has put eternity into man’s heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end.” – Ecclesiastes 3:11
Time. It is a perplexity of life and something which we seem to never escape. In honesty, I had thought of many things I might want to share with regards to my thoughts of time and the way in which we treat it. Ways which seem to treat time as though we poses it and have the right to use it as we see fit to our own desires. I think often of the statement “Don’t waste my time!”
Likewise, we never seem to exist in the moment of time which we are currently in. When we are at church we are thinking about what we will do when we get home. When we are at home we are thinking about what we will do when we are at work. When we are at work we are thinking about what it will be like to be on vacation. The dichotomy we create between what our bodies are doing and what our minds are doing develops such a rift that I wonder if we ever really truly arrive in the moment to which we are presently in.
It was when I was in this thought pattern that a friend of Bonnie’s and mine wrote an email to us that just seemed to strike right at this thought of time and our inability to see the whole picture to which God was present and aware of. We met Katie about five years ago as she lived in a group home here in the SE side of Calgary while adjusting to living with MS. She has since become a good friend of ours and in many ways an inspiration to following Jesus. A part of the Center Street Church community, Katie is greatly involved with social activism and fights for many of the rights for the disabled community here in Calgary and Alberta. She also is a very talented creative arts painter and promotes her work on her website www.oralart.ca/.
In any sense I felt moved by the timing of her email and wanted to share it with you as part of my devotional to Ecclesiastes 3 and For Such A Time As This… I Have Arrived.
When do you know that you have arrived? Have you arrived when you get married and move into the house of your dreams? Have you arrived when you have your first child? Have you arrived when you get the perfect career and have assured your security? When you have grown old and actualized all of your goals?
I started taking my trip on a bright red, reliable and strong bicycle to get to the ends of the earth and find adventure. I soon came across a Village of Fatigue and crossed over a bridge of Uncertainty. I came upon a dirt road that led to many scary turns and frightening hills. I had to get off my bicycle and I had to stop in a worrisome and unpredictable city called Exacerbation.
My tires started to go flat and I had to lay my bicycle down since my kickstand broke off while navigating around a rock of Depression. While momentarily stationary, I found a place to live, found some work, got a cat, and found love but I never found rest or a sense of direction.
Overnight, my bicycle was stolen, my house burned down, the business went into receivership, my cat died and my boyfriend left me. In desperation, I caught a bus that ended up on the road that was muddied and impassable. It eventually crashed in Suicide Gulch and I became broken. I was lost.
While in the hospital, I was introduced to a wonderful Man [Jesus] who tried to comfort me and heal my wounds. He became my new Map Reader. The road continued to be long and hard and my pain continued. We were unable to find a place to convalesce. There was an Apartment of Despair, a Townhouse of Inequity, and finally a House of Horrors.
We continued to reach dead ends but I think that my misplaced self-reliance kept grabbing the map out of the Man’s hands. I needed to follow. His acute navigational skills found me in a House of Care with a backyard that stretched out for miles. The old house still needs some major renovations but I was safe. In the backyard, I was planted in enriched soil, grew strong roots, and was sheltered from unpredictable storms. My many gardeners fed, watered and pruned me and soon I was able to learn some gardening skills of my own.
I was able to plant bright, sweet smelling flowers of fun, excitement, confidence, perseverance and gratitude. I spread grass seeds of hope that grows lush and green every year, provides comfort when I lie down and its fragrance reassures me. At times though, I still feel sad and grievous when some of the blooms fail to open but I am optimistic some will thrive in the next season.
I grew trees that scattered pollen of awareness that attached themselves to anyone who was willing to listen. I started to paint fences of isolation, with my art, to inspire and motivate those who were weary.
With a convicted spirit, I took the harvest of my garden and shared it with others who were able to change the landscape, pave roads that were once unsafe, to find those lost on their journey and to relieve them of their heavy loads.
I have a new bicycle now. It sits in a sturdy bike rack called trust and I take side trips to build my character. It’s a bicycle built for two because my Map Reader needs a comfortable place to sit. My journey is over and I am now on a mission. I have finally found a new Place — in my heart — called Joy and Contentment. I have arrived.
Vanity of Vanities and the Pursuit of Wind: Let’s Take a Deep Breath!
Check it out for yourself: Ecclesiastes 1-2
“For to the one who pleases him God has given wisdom and knowledge and joy, but to the sinner he has given the business of gathering and collecting, only to give to one who pleases God. This also is vanity and a striving after wind.” – Ecclesiastes 2:26
As a teenager I dreamed of being a pilot. For years I would stick my hand out the window of my parents moving car and day dream of being in a British Aerospace Sea Harrier with the wings carving through the air as my hand drifted this way and that through the wind. I was no Top Gun but I loved the sense of freedom and adventure it brought. There was nothing I couldn’t make that plane do high up in the sky. At least nothing my imagination couldn’t do.
I was thirteen years old when I took my first flight as a copilot in a single prop Cessna 150. It was my thirteenth birthday and my best friend and I were both given the flight at Springbank Airfield as a gift from a family friend. There wasn’t really enough room in the plane for the three of us to fit so I just stood in awe of the other planes on the tarmac while my friend went up first. After a couple of hours it was my turn and we circled the plane a few times on foot before climbing in to do the take off check list.
Being that it was my first flight; the pilot did most of the take off procedures. After being in the air a few minutes he looked over at me and said, “OK, well why don’t you take over the wheel for a little while.” It was then that it struck me. The unrelenting reality of independent responsibility. The rules and gravitational laws which dictated the possibility of human flight. It was an over whelming sense of fear and self doubt. I remember looking over at him and thinking, “Who Me?!”
I gripped the wheel with slow hesitation; scared to push, pull, or turn the wheel the wrong way or too much. I looked at the pilot and said, “Where do I go?” He smiled and answered, “Any where you like!” In that moment my mind and body was paralyzed; transfixed solely on the destination which to me was to land safely back on the ground without crashing. The pilot looked at me again; “Just enjoy the flight.”
The memories of my first flight seemed to resonate with me as I looked at the characterizations Solomon struggled with in the first two chapters of Ecclesiastes. Solomon finds this internal struggle where part of him is striving for the complexities of truth, wisdom, and the legal realities or reason for life. He desperately wants to get it right and arrive safely at the destiny or destination to which his creator so desires for him. On the opposite side he finds himself freeing his imagination in the pursuit of creative desire, passion, and the fulfillment of enjoying his life’s ambitions.
Locked between them he is paralyzed with the thought,
“What has a man from all the toil and striving of heart with which he toils beneath the sun?… For to the one who pleases him God has given wisdom and knowledge and joy, but to the sinner he has given the business of gathering and collecting, only to give to one who pleases God. This also is vanity and a striving after wind.” (Ecc. 2:22;26)
For Solomon it seems that all things both between the legalities of wisdom and the creative pursuits of pleasure; everything comes to the reality of striving after the wind. But why the wind? What does he mean by wind and where do we find this wind so to speak within our own sails?
In English the word wind commonly means “a natural movement of air of any velocity; especially: the earth’s air or the gas surrounding a planet in natural motion horizontally”; but Solomon wasn’t really talking about the earth’s wind. The Hebrew word he used was ruah which in a more liberal sense means spirit. So in a sense what Solomon was trying to say was that all things pertaining to an individual’s life, whether done for wisdom or for pleasure, become an expressionism to their pursuit of spirituality. A spirituality which for all comes to a head when faced by the presence of God.
Jesus had a common saying throughout the gospels. He would often recite that, “the Kingdom of God is near.” (Luke 21:31; Mark 1:15; Luke 17:21) His revelation to the Kingdoms presence though was never meant to place us in a state of fear so as to focus solely on our destination and save as many souls as possible before we go to heaven. The nearness of God’s kingdom was meant to free us with the awareness that ruah is not only in the wisdom of the Holy Spirit but also in our own individual strivings for creative passionate dreams and ambitions.
In essence Jesus is our pilot and is now turning to you saying, “Why don’t you take the wheel for awhile?” Where will you go? How will you express your spirit? What does your imagination tell you that you can do?” However way you choose to express your spirituality and strive for ruah remember… enjoy the flight!
“All the way to heaven is heaven.” – Catherine of Siena
A Word on Absence
Life has been a bit of a circus as of late. After my computer’s main board crashed a month ago; I will hopefully have it returned this week and not have to try and keep up with emails via our PS3 in the living room. It is hardly conducive to typing or writing though.
More towards the circus… Bonnie has been in the hospital the past week after a kidney stone blocked her kidney from functioning which resulted in an infection in her blood stream. She spent quit a few days on some heavy duty medications followed by minor surgery on Tuesday to remove the stone. She is still very weak and having difficulty standing in order to get into her wheelchair however; it was great to get her home yesterday for our 10th Anniversary. She is a great inspiration to me and a driving force in our faith. I can see the many miracles Jesus is already doing and the daily strides she is taking on the road to recovery!
I have been reading through Ecclesiastes these past few weeks and I am looking forward to exploring through it deeper in the near future. But, first I need to get a real computer. Is it true what they say about the Mac? Any suggestions?
It’s Not Just Creation Vs. Evolution
My friend Rick Bayer wrote an interesting article recently over at SE Calgary News on Creationism and Evolution. Check it out here but, just to get a taste here was my response:
Not long ago I was outside of my work waiting for a bus to pick me up. A friend and coworker walked by and noticed I was reading a book titled ‘The Tangible Kingdom’ and questioned me why I would read such a book. After explaining to him that I was a pastor he jumped with enthusiasm saying, “Really?! I never took you as being a particularly religious person!”
And then came the questions; “So you believe in God then?”
“Yes I do.” I responded.
“Do you believe in Jesus?” he asked.
“Yes.” I answered with a little bit of hesitation and internal wondering where he was going to take this conversation. Before I could question him on his own intentions he quickly threw out his next question… “Do you believe in Aliens?”
I must admit to being a little thrown back by the question. It’s not exactly your normal everyday conversations which make you contemplate faith and the vastness of space. I quickly hashed my thoughts in my brain in that moment. If I say no then I will be deemed a fundamental creationist, judged irrational with no liberal freedom, and banished from any sense of acknowledgement to intelligent dialogue. If I say yes then I am just a kooky, science fictional “Star Trek” lover, who probably leads some whacked out cult!
I must admit to contemplating the realities in which we treat the idea and existence of Truth in our culture. Is it objective or subjective? And how does it relate to religion and science? It seems that in the mind set of my friend religion or faith is based on a creed, doctrine, or traditionalism set out by a denomination or organizational affiliation which is stated to be a fact or truth. Perhaps he is right in some cases of fundamental ideology but that is not what faith is; at least that is not what faith is to me. Faith is a holistic approach to our relationship to Truth as it encounters culture, context, tradition, and the crux of what it means to be human. This is something which encompasses not just the beliefs and formation or religious ecclesiology but also transfigures the practices and foci of science.
I often think of truth in the image of a prism. Truth is a white light fragmented into a million different colors, shapes, and sizes. Each color being a conception whether it is religion, science, or philosophy which resembles some part of the original whole. It is when we are willing to look beyond our own rigid borders and ideologies that we might recognize a relationship we have with not just each other in experiential subjective truth but, the source we embody or resemble in the white light of objective Truth. We can leave the conversation of whom or what the prism is for another time.
As for my friend who wondered if I believed in aliens I simply said, “I don’t know if there are aliens or not. But, if there are I believe God loves them just as he does the rest of his creation.”
I might also ask the question though; if evolution is about a truth that constant change is always plausible then is it not logical to assume that scientific fact has the plausibility of changing?
Lynda Belisle Passing
It is with a heavy heart that I pass along the news which I received this morning from the family of our friend Lynda Belisle. We have known Lynda now for about a year after meeting her one Sunday morning in worship. She was a person of great character and we loved her smiles and laughter. It is without a doubt that richness of spirit which touched all of us as she grew to be a part of our community here at Re:Genesis. Lynda accepted Christ as her Lord and Savior several months ago and it is in this deep faith that we know she is in God’s Kingdom with renewed passion in life and undoubtedly reunited with her husband at her side.
Please keep Lynda and her family in your thoughts, words, and prayers over the coming week as together we mourn and look forward to the time we see each other again.
“For we know that if the tent that is our earthly home is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.”
After a long couple years and several ups and downs Lynda’s poor health became more than what her body could handle. For thoes who were close to her, it was obvious that she was not quite herself for the past 6 months or so. The last couple weeks in particular were quite trying and Lynda ended up in the hospital with severe dehydraion and was experiencing some delusions as a result of a bladder infection. Her appetite had not been well and she was not eating and drinking properly.
We were able to spend some time with mom last night prior to her pasing and at that time she continued to display the same symptoms as she has the past couple weeks. She played littlest pet shops with kendra at the end of her bed and I gave her a wonderful back rub. We left mom at approx 8:45 pm so she could rest and we received a call at 11:00 pm from the hospital saying that she had taken a turn for the worse. When Dan and Rob arrived at the hospital she had been recessitated and was on life support. It was decided that it would be best to take her off life support and mom passed at approx 3:30 am on April 03, 2009. Her passing was a result of a massive heart attack.
Dan, Stephanie and Kendra
Bad Journalism in CBC’s Fifth Estate with Regards to AARC
My friends Steve and Dawn have recently been affected by some of the bad journalism presented by CBC’s The Fifth Estate. It has no doubt affected them both personally and in their community supports. In those regards here is their response which I would like to share.
Dear friends,
As you are undoubtedly aware, the CBC’s Fifth Estate recently presented a very disturbing report about the Alberta Adolescent Recovery Center (AARC), entitled “Powerlessness”. I have taken great exception to what I firmly believe to be inaccurate comments and unethical journalism. Without AARC, I do not know where my family would be today.
As such I have written a letter to the CBC, a copy of which is on my face book account, if you care to read it. In addition, I have done some searching and have found the following video and news clips that I feel will shed some true light on what many trusting CBC viewers might be feeling about AARC at this time.
Included in these is a news report on Jordon Remple who was the only”grateful” AARC graduate shown on the Fifth Estate together with his parents. Unfortunately, the Remple’s were not given much air-time despite what I understand to have been quite a lengthly interview.
Many of you spent an hour watching the Fifth Estate, please do our family and many of the other 403 families who have passed through the doors of AARC a service by spending about 13 minutes watching these.
With sincere thanks,
Dawn Driediger
My Confession to Atheism
For some of you I know this statement probably comes as a bit of a shock but just give me a few moments. For those of you who know me however, this probably will come with easy understanding. Here is something which I have been wondering about over the past week…
Re:Genesis – Finding New Life in the Midst of the Greatest Challenges
Do you face physical challenges in your life? Emotional or psychological challenges? Or are you connected to anyone who does?
It is said that, “Adversity is the foundation of virtue” and together that virtue can lead us to new life and a community of friends which can support and lift us up. We will find friendship, inspiration, acceptance, spirituality, purpose, and transformation as we hear encouraging words and engage with one another.
Join us in gathering once a month for an Engaging Speaker, Dinner, and time to find fellowship with one another. Together we can Find New Life in the Midst of the Greatest Challenges.
Where Life Begins…
My friend Perry sends me a monthly quote which she calls Power Thoughts from Perry A. every so often. Anyways, I found myself reflecting on her latest and the connection to Liminality and so I thought I would post it here too.
“Life begins at the end of your Comfort Zone. You don’t know what you can do until you do it; what you can be until you become it; or what you can have until you have it. The Comfort Zone is always expanding and leading to new treasures of discovery.”
In Thought of the Social Justice Movement
A few days ago Bonnie and I sat in our living room with our coffee in hand as we watched the Inauguration of Barack Obama into the 44th Presidential office. I must admit that even as a Canadian I may not have always agreed with Obama’s policies but, my heart leapt at the thought of the American people electing an African American into office for the first time. What a huge step of honesty, integrity, and commitment for the social justice movement which started sixty years ago!
In the same breath and moment I felt convicted as a follower of Jesus while listening to Rick Warren’s Invocation and prayer. I have always been inspired by the stories and lives of people like Martin Luther King Jr., Mahatma Gandhi, and Malcolm X. People who stood for social rights, justice, freedom, and the strength of integrity through social integration and diversity. But, here is where my conviction came. Where is our Social Justice Movement today? What are the oppressive natures which create division and segregation within our nation’s society and communities? Who are our leaders in such movements and why do they not stand out as strongly as they once seemed to back in the 50′s and 60′s?
I’m not trying to say that the Social Justice Movement does not exist today. I still hear echoes from musicians like Lenny Kravitz ‘s “We’re Back in Vietnam” and John Cougar Melloncamp’s “Nooses in Tree’s” as a symbolism to artistic freedoms along with people like Rick Warren and his wife who take the needs of addressing such issues as AIDS, Abortion, Orphans, Religious Persecution, and Human Trafficking through interviews and articles like that as the one in last February’s issue of Reader’s Digest. But, are we as individuals willing to still march the streets for such causes? Are we as holistic beings created with spiritual, psychological, and physical integrity free and willing to accept the possibility of imprisonment, oppression, and even death for such radical needs for social transformation?
I end up asking myself the question, “As a follower of Jesus; what bus am I willing to sit on in the hopes of Jesus showing up?” In part, I think I began trying to answer this question while sitting in an office last Wednesday afternoon with my friends Tim Schmidt and Ron Fraser. Tim who lives with Cerebral Palsy; myself who lives with a spinal cord injury; and Ron who with his brother has been involved with the disabled community for several years began to ask the question of, “What are the ways in which the city of Calgary has reached out to the individuals who face disabilities with the hopes of offering a sense of belonging and support?” Perhaps in a secondary sense we were also asking as individuals who follow Jesus; “In what ways does the Church offer support and belonging to those who face challenges in life?”
We spent the next hour and a half mapping out just how we might approach these issues and what our major focuses might be over the coming few months. I’m not sure where this might take us and in truth I am continuing to push myself as to how committed I am and if Jesus might be calling us to something more within this movement. That said I realize that sometimes God takes the momentum of such journeys and catapults them into the stratosphere. Who am I to deny my creator a Lord? Perhaps we just might find ourselves saying, “I have a Dream…”
“When we feel lonely we keep looking for a person or persons who can take our loneliness away. Our lonely hearts cry out, ‘Please hold me, touch me, speak to me, pay attention to me.’ But soon we discover that the person we expect to take our loneliness away cannot give us what we ask for. Often that person feels oppressed by our demands and runs away, leaving us in despair. As long as we approach another person from our loneliness, no mature human relationship can develop. Clinging to one another in loneliness is suffocating and eventually becomes destructive. For love to be possible we need the courage to create space between us and to trust that this space allows us to dance together.”
Thus says the Lord:
“Keep justice, and do righteousness,
for soon my salvation will come,
and my deliverance be revealed.
Blessed is the man who does this,
and the son of man who holds it fast,
who keeps the Sabbath, not profaning it,
and keeps his hand from doing any evil.”Let not the foreigner who has joined himself to the Lord say,
“The Lord will surely separate me from his people”;
and let not the eunuch say,
“Behold, I am a dry tree.”
For thus says the Lord:
“To the eunuchs who keep my Sabbaths,
who choose the things that please me
and hold fast my covenant,
I will give in my house and within my walls
a monument and a name
better than sons and daughters;
I will give them an everlasting name
that shall not be cut off.“And the foreigners who join themselves to the Lord,
to minister to him, to love the name of the Lord,
and to be his servants,
everyone who keeps the Sabbath and does not profane it,
and holds fast my covenant—
these I will bring to my holy mountain,
and make them joyful in my house of prayer;
their burnt offerings and their sacrifices
will be accepted on my altar;
for my house shall be called a house of prayer
for all peoples.”
The Lord God,
who gathers the outcasts of Israel, declares,
“I will gather yet others to him
besides those already gathered.”
Memorable Thoughts of 2008
It’s been a little difficult as of late to find time and perhaps motivation to sit and write. I’m not sure if it is a loss of direction or the presence of possible burn out. I suppose it is something which I will have to explore over the coming months.
2008 was a busy year for sure and there have been many memorable moments. I have been going through some of my old posts over the last year and taking some time to reflect on the meaningful events which have stood out in my mind. These are perhaps some of them.
- Bonnie’s and my 9th Anniversary in May. It seems thematic that we have been focusing our thoughts to next may when we will celebrate being married for 10 years. I know I have to come up with something BIG for this one! Any suggestions of how we might celebrate?
- This past summers coffee markets have been a great way to engage with our community and I have loved and appreciate everyone who came to be a part of these projects with us.
- The Body, Soul, and Spirit Expo – This was an amazing experience and I am so thankful to everyone who was involved. No matter whether you were a follower of Jesus who was involved in volunteering or a person who attended the expo out of exploration; we were all touched by the Spirit of Jesus and our faith grew because of it!
- Norm and Rys’s resignation from the staff at MTC – Whether for good reasons or bad this was a feeling of shock which I will never forget as I sat in church that Sunday and watched as they both stood before the congregation and stepped down from their ministry roles at MTC. I pray and hold faith for them both that God will bless them wherever he might lead them.
- A growing friendship with Brad, Aaron, Lori, and Janet at MTC – I will be the first to admit that my relationship with the corporate structures of MTC has not always been on steady ground. All said, the staff at MTC have been very good friends and I am glad that together we have been able to collaborate on many things both in ministry and in the sharing of our personal stories over coffee at Starbucks. I look forward to what we might accomplish together over the next year and more importantly how are friendships might grow as we encounter the Kingdom of God in the midst of our community.
- New Work at Home Depot – To be honest, I don’t know the slightest thing about power tools, home hardware, or the business of home construction. I simply love people. For that reason I am so thankful to the people at Home Depot as they have shown me great graces while there and given me great opportunities to grow and work with the people in their staff and those who would come into the store.
- Christmas celebration – I have always loved the Christmas time of year. It is so full of the Spirit of Emmanuel and I always enjoy sing carols, and celebrating the birth of Jesus with friends, family, and the new people we meet. Who can forget the 12 Days of Christmas at the MTC Banquet and Christmas at Expressions was beautiful with all the laughter and fun.
Hopes for the New Year
- I hope that in the New Year there might be an eldership which will give Expressions a bracket in which to function as a recognized non-profit and future church plant.
- I hope that we might raise enough funds to be a part of the next Body, Soul, and Spirit Expo either in April or September or both.
- I am looking forward to our Re:Genesis project and hope that the word spreads to others in our community who might find support within it.
- I hope Expressions will continue to grow particularly our worship times Sunday night. I also pray that other leadership will come to be a part of Expressions and its development.
- I hope to find a more supportive and meaningful way in which to provide for Bonnie’s and my physical and financial needs. – Perhaps a more permanent position.
Just some thoughts…
MTC Christmas Banquet
Last Sunday was a lot of fun and Bonnie and I enjoyed the time we had with our friends at MTC’s Christmas Banquet. I am no professional photographer but I think I captured some of the magical moments and I hope it keeps the Christmas Spirit high. I found Rodd’s story of the power of Christmas being found in the missional value of Emmanuel to be very moving and I couldn’t help but reflect on a story of my own when I encountered a stranger on the road to Vancouver a year and a half ago (Click Here for that Post).
Well anyways, here is some of the video and I must pass along my sincerest congratulations to Sean and his family at their reengagment!
It’s a Snow Day Here in Calgary!!!
Just some pic’s to which Bonnie and I woke up to this morning! Happy Snow Day Everyone!!!
WWJB: What would Jesus Buy?
Right. So after my rant on the WWJD question in my thoughts on Tony Campolo’s Justice Presentation; I came across this:
Talk about Hilarious! What do you think Jesus would buy?
Everything is amazing and nobody is happy…
O.K. So Bonnie and I watched this video last week on my friend Steve’s blog and it was hilarious. Bonnie would not leave me alone about it saying, “You need to post this on your blog too.” So… here it is:
Re:Genesis Project
O.K. So I have been preparing for a new group which I am hoping will meet once a month starting on Saturday, January 17th, 2009. My thoughts are that it would be a support and social group for local people who face great challenges in their daily lives. I am thinking that it would be mainly for those who have physical challenges but I would like it to be open and inclusive to those who face other challenges too whether they are psychological, emotional, physical, or spiritual in nature.
To start it off in January I planned on us gathering for dinner followed by my friend Brad sharing his thoughts on how we can “Find New Life in the Midst of the Greatest Challenges.” Something which I thought could be a bit of a catch phrase and theme to the group. Anyways, I was designing some logo images to share with the community and was unsure which would be the best one and I wanted to share them here and see what you thought of them.
Which image do you think is the best fit?
Things I’m Thankful For…
Things I’m Thankful For…
- A beautiful wife who loves and cares for me despite my looniness!
- The provisions and home which God has provided for us and the future to which he holds for us.
- Friends who support our hopes and dreams while traveling the journey of life with us.
- Faith which supports and guides us as we take on life’s ups and downs.
- Jesus’ leadership and authority in and over my life as he speaks through his truth in scripture, context, and community.
- The small moments in life where I get to experience and encounter the many inspirational and radical people who help make and build God’s Kingdom in extraordinary ways. These are truly the greatest of friends whether known or not yet known!
- A Church Family who accepts me despite my many fallacies.
- A God who continues to reach out to me with love despite my assumptions and prejudgments.
- Close family for prayers, care, advice, inspiration, and everything unsaid!
What are you thankful for?
Top Sins According to Gandhi
My Friend Steve just posted these and I had to share them also. Mohandas Gandhi, considered these traits to be the most spiritually perilous to humanity…
- Wealth without Work
- Pleasure without Conscience
- Science without Humanity
- Knowledge without Character
- Politics without Principle
- Commerce without Morality
- Worship without Sacrifice
Visiting Mars Hill in Calgary: The Body, Soul, & Spirit Expo
Perhaps one of my favorite stories in Acts is of when Paul and Silas visit Athens and the home of the Olympics. Surrounded by their art, there architecture, culture, and the people who were in desperate need to seek a god to which was unknown to them; Paul brings a message of truth, of love, of acceptance, and makes an unknown god become a known God.
Even today his opening statement to the philosophers and teachers seems to reach through the fabric of time and speak to the people of Calgary and even the world as we know it.
“People of Athens, I perceive that in every way you are very religious. For as I passed along and observed your many objects of worship, I found also an alter with this inscription, ‘To An Unknown God’.” – Acts 17:22-23
This coming Friday September 19th, 2008 through Sunday September 21st, 2008 the Body, Soul, and Spirit Expo will be coming to Calgary. As I picture the many people walking up and down the rows of different objects of worship and “temples to unknown gods” I cannot help but sense the calling of Jesus to follow in his footsteps as Paul did and live out the gospel message in the midst of these people.
That is why I would like to invite you to join us as we ‘Relax, Sit, & Pray’ with those who will be at the Body, Soul, and Spirit Expo that weekend. Come out with us as together we can Encounter, Experience, and find Expressions of Jesus in the midst of those who are seeking him most. Together we can bring the Way, the Truth, the Life, and a Light into a place where there once was darkness!!
“What therefore you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you.” – Acts 17:23
Expressions
A Million Miles in a Thousand Years By Donald Miller
Follow Me to Freedom By Shane Claiborne & John Perkins
Journey to Significance By Neil Cole
Organic Leadership By Niel Cole
Sacrilege By Hugh Halter
Forge Canada
Friend of Missional
Missional Apologetics
The Missional Network
Verge Network
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