I Don't Get It

There's something about this picture I don't understand but it really draws me in. i'm not sure I even know what it is. What do you think?

WORD OF THE WEEK (for me anyway)

Lately I have found great comfort from these words. It makes sense to share them with you, my friends:

Lamentations 3:22-25

NIV
22 Because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail.

23 They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.

24 I say to myself, "The LORD is my portion; therefore I will wait for him."

25 The LORD is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him;


MESSAGE
22 GOD's loyal love couldn't have run out, his merciful love couldn't have dried up.

23 They're created new every morning. How great your faithfulness!

24 I'm sticking with GOD (I say it over and over). He's all I've got left.

25 GOD proves to be good to the man who passionately waits, to the woman who diligently seeks.

Coming Clean

At Conference On The Ministry I made the following statement:

"When you start something new in ministry, you measure success differently"

A friend asked me to unpack this statement a little bit and I thought I'd address it through a post just in case someone else heard me say that and needed an explanation:




I'm not sure why I made that comment because in retrospect I actually don't measure success any differently. I was probably saying it to make myself feel good.

OR, I have always measured success improperly. Maybe I've always cared about what I think success is. Maybe I've been too caught up with "closing the deal" with an unsaved person.

OR, success is a term that is totally incongruent with the gospel. Maybe the heart is not a measurable thing.

Or maybe I'm afraid of failing. Maybe I'm so consumed with the need down here that failing will absolutely devastate me.

I'm not sure.

A Word Picture Of My Mission Field - Part 1

The smell of dried urine / Suits / Canuck fans sad / Lions fans drunk / No sunlight / Beautiful mountains / "Hey baby, do you want to party?" / Good sushi / "Can you spare 40 cents" / "Nice place you got here" / Close to everywhere / 15 minutes to drive 3 blocks / "Hi how are you? Fine. How are you? Fine." / "Hey buddy watch where you're going." / Good coffee / "Where do we store this?" / Pay for parking / No grass / Justice for the oppressed / Faith for the faithless.

What Have We Been Up To??

Well We've been around. We went to Alberta and helped out at a youth conference that some of our old youth put on in Slave Lake. Of course that meant we got to spend some time with family which is always good. We got back and headed right into a couple of conferences. We lead worship at Timeout which is a relationship first conference for next generation leaders. Then I was a presenter at our denomination's Conference On The Ministry. I got to talk about our downtown ministry and how life looks different for us.

Tonight I'm sitting at home and reflecting on the last 2 weeks. I'm not really awake enough to draw too many conclusions but here's a couple:
1. God's only measure of success is faithfulness.
2. The church needs to embrace it's community and investigate other ways of "GO"ing.
3. We are so blessed with great friends.

Posting Video

Video Sharing at DropShots.com

I think I found out how to post video. Here's a short video that tells a little bit about what Historymaker does. Thanks to Dawn Block for the tip.

Whew!! I'm OK??

You Are 16% Abnormal

You are at low risk for being a psychopath. It is unlikely that you have no soul. You are at low risk for having a borderline personality. It is unlikely that you are a chaotic mess. You are at low risk for having a narcissistic personality. It is unlikely that you are in love with your own reflection. You are at low risk for having a social phobia. It is unlikely that you feel most comfortable in your mom's basement. You are at low risk for obsessive compulsive disorder. It is unlikely that you are addicted to hand sanitizer.

How Abnormal Are You?

Truce

Ok, ok. The war is over. Thanks for everyone who posted. I've never had 14 comments on any of my posts. i also met some new people and checked out some really good blogs.

Wanda and I are heading to Alberta (she's already there) to take part in a youth conference. We'll be back next week. Love you all.

1,2,3,4 - i DECLARE A POSTING WAR

I get ok traffic on this blog but a lousy amount of comments. So I'm challenging people to actually stop and say hello when you visit this blog. I will do the same at your blog.

Which Muppet Are You??

I took the Muppet Personality Test. Here's how it turned out.

You Are Animal

A complete lunatic, you're operating on 100% animal instincts. You thrive on uncontrolled energy, and you're downright scary. But you sure can beat a good drum. "Kill! Kill!"

The Muppet Personality Test

What Happened to Jesus

This was a great article I saw in USA Today (I don't read USA Today but the editor at a website I go to does). It really speaks to how the world sees the religious right.

5 for the Grammys in '06

The 5 worst moments of Grammys '06

5. Christ Martin's hair. I saw Colplay at GM Place and I was a gajillion rows away but it was good to see that my eyes aren't that bad because his haircut looked just as bad up close in the camera.


4. Madonna & The Gorillaz. Too much time at home with the kids watching Saturday Morning cartoons.

3. Kelly Clarkson's Performance Dress I think I heard it described as "rescued from a garage sale at Anne Murray's house".


2. Billy Joe From Green Day. I thought he was in a punk band. He looked like a total schmoozer up there presenting an award. Good Lord, whatever happened to being anti-establishment.

1. Kanye West & Jamie Foxx. I'm tired of the freakshow vibe in performances. I didn't get it. If you're going for freakshow, at least have some midgets or firebreathers. Even a clown.

DIS-Honerable Mention: Jay-Z, Linkin Park and Paul Macartney sharing the stage, Sugarland's souless performance, Jennifer Love Hewitt being anywhere near anything to do with music.

The 5 best moments of Grammys '06


5. Mary J Blige and U2 singing "One". A timeless, important song that means a lot. And she actually pulled it off with the R&B voice. And she definitely got the spirit of the song. I thought she was gonna pass out she was so excited.

4. Coldplay's performance. Not great but good enough.

3. John Legend. This guy seems fairly well adjusted for one of Kanye's posse. Glad he won. Good vibe to his music.


2. Mariah Carey's performance. Hallelujah, Praise the Lord, Glory Be To Jesus, Sombody Help Me Now. Like church for the pop spiritual group.






















1. Kelly Carkson's Performance of "Because of You". I actually cried. I think I got what she was trying to say. I'm impressed enough that I will buy her album.

Honerable mention: U2 winning Song of The Year for "Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own", the New Orleans thing at the end, Ellen DeGeneres' (non) introduction of Paul Macartney.

Bono And The Gospel Of Justice

Here is a transcript of bono's comments ant the National Leadership Prayer Breakfast in Washington, DC. Man this guy really nails it when it comes to social justice.


Mr. President, First Lady, King Abdullah, Other heads of State, Members of Congress, distinguished guests …

Please join me in praying that I don't say something we'll all regret.

That was for the FCC.

If you're wondering what I'm doing here, at a prayer breakfast, well, so am I. I'm certainly not here as a man of the cloth, unless that cloth is leather. It's certainly not because I'm a rock star. Which leaves one possible explanation: I'm here because I've got a messianic complex.

Yes, it's true. And for anyone who knows me, it's hardly a revelation.

Well, I'm the first to admit that there's something unnatural… something unseemly… about rock stars mounting the pulpit and preaching at presidents, and then disappearing to their villas in the South of France. Talk about a fish out of water. It was weird enough when Jesse Helms showed up at a U2 concert… but this is really weird, isn't it?

You know, one of the things I love about this country is its separation of church and state. Although I have to say: in inviting me here, both church and state have been separated from something else completely: their mind. .

Mr. President, are you sure about this?

It's very humbling and I will try to keep my homily brief. But be warned—I'm Irish.

I'd like to talk about the laws of man, here in this city where those laws are written. And I'd like to talk about higher laws. It would be great to assume that the one serves the other; that the laws of man serve these higher laws… but of course, they don't always. And I presume that, in a sense, is why you're here.

I presume the reason for this gathering is that all of us here—Muslims, Jews, Christians—all are searching our souls for how to better serve our family, our community, our nation, our God.

I know I am. Searching, I mean. And that, I suppose, is what led me here, too.

Yes, it's odd, having a rock star here—but maybe it's odder for me than for you. You see, I avoided religious people most of my life. Maybe it had something to do with having a father who was Protestant and a mother who was Catholic in a country where the line between the two was, quite literally, a battle line. Where the line between church and state was… well, a little blurry, and hard to see.

I remember how my mother would bring us to chapel on Sundays… and my father used to wait outside. One of the things that I picked up from my father and my mother was the sense that religion often gets in the way of God.

For me, at least, it got in the way. Seeing what religious people, in the name of God, did to my native land… and in this country, seeing God's second-hand car salesmen on the cable TV channels, offering indulgences for cash… in fact, all over the world, seeing the self-righteousness roll down like a mighty stream from certain corners of the religious establishment…

I must confess, I changed the channel. I wanted my MTV.

Even though I was a believer.

Perhaps because I was a believer.

I was cynical… not about God, but about God's politics. (There you are, Jim.)

Then, in 1997, a couple of eccentric, septuagenarian British Christians went and ruined my shtick—my reproachfulness. They did it by describing the Millennium, the year 2000, as a Jubilee year, as an opportunity to cancel the chronic debts of the world's poorest people. They had the audacity to renew the Lord's call—and were joined by Pope John Paul II, who, from an Irish half-Catholic's point of view, may have had a more direct line to the Almighty.

'Jubilee'—why 'Jubilee'?

What was this year of Jubilee, this year of our Lords favor?

I'd always read the Scriptures, even the obscure stuff. There it was in Leviticus (25:35)…

'If your brother becomes poor,' the Scriptures say, 'and cannot maintain himself… you shall maintain him… You shall not lend him your money at interest, not give him your food for profit.'

It is such an important idea, Jubilee, that Jesus begins his ministry with this. Jesus is a young man, he's met with the rabbis, impressed everyone, people are talking. The elders say, he's a clever guy, this Jesus, but he hasn't done much… yet. He hasn't spoken in public before…

When he does, is first words are from Isaiah: 'The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,' he says, 'because He has anointed me to preach good news to the poor.' And Jesus proclaims the year of the Lord's favour, the year of Jubilee. (Luke 4:18) What he was really talking about was an era of grace—and we're still in it.

So fast-forward 2,000 years. That same thought, grace, was made incarnate—in a movement of all kinds of people. It wasn't a bless-me club… it wasn't a holy huddle. These religious guys were willing to get out in the streets, get their boots dirty, wave the placards, follow their convictions with actions… making it really hard for people like me to keep their distance. It was amazing. I almost started to like these church people.

But then my cynicism got another helping hand.

It was what Colin Powell, a five-star general, called the greatest W.M.D. of them all: a tiny little virus called A.I.D.S. And the religious community, in large part, missed it. The ones that didn't miss it could only see it as divine retribution for bad behaviour. Even on children… Even fastest growing group of HIV infections were married, faithful women.

Aha, there they go again! I thought to myself Judgmentalism is back!

But in truth, I was wrong again. The church was slow but the church got busy on this the leprosy of our age.

Love was on the move. Mercy was on the move. God was on the move.

Moving people of all kinds to work with others they had never met, never would have cared to meet… Conservative church groups hanging out with spokesmen for the gay community, all singing off the same hymn sheet on AIDS… Soccer moms and quarterbacks… hip-hop stars and country stars… This is what happens when God gets on the move: crazy stuff happens!

Popes were seen wearing sunglasses!

Crazy stuff. Evidence of the spirit.

It was breathtaking. Literally. It stopped the world in its tracks.

When churches started demonstrating on debt, governments listened—and acted. When churches started organising, petitioning, and even—that most unholy of acts today, God forbid, lobbying… on AIDS and global health, governments listened—and acted.

I'm here today in all humility to say: you changed minds; you changed policy; you changed the world.

Look, whatever thoughts you have about God, who He is or if He exists, most will agree that if there is a God, He has a special place for the poor. In fact, the poor are where God lives.

Check Judaism. Check Islam. Check pretty much anyone.

I mean, God may well be with us in our mansions on the hill… I hope so. He may well be with us as in all manner of controversial stuff… maybe, maybe not… But the one thing we can all agree, all faiths and ideologies, is that God is with the vulnerable and poor.

God is in the slums, in the cardboard boxes where the poor play house… God is in the silence of a mother who has infected her child with a virus that will end both their lives… God is in the cries heard under the rubble of war… God is in the debris of wasted opportunity and lives, and God is with us if we are with them. "If you remove the yolk from your midst,the pointing of the finger and speaking wickedness, and if you give yourself to the hungry and satisfy the desire of the afflicted, then your light will rise in darkness and your gloom with become like midday and the Lord will continually guide you and satisfy your desire in scorched places"

It's not a coincidence that in the Scriptures, poverty is mentioned more than 2,100 times. It's not an accident. That's a lot of air time, 2,100 mentions. [You know, the only time Christ is judgmental is on the subject of the poor.] 'As you have done it unto the least of these my brethren, you have done it unto me.' (Matthew 25:40). As I say, good news to the poor.

Here's some good news for the President. After 9-11 we were told America would have no time for the World's poor. America would be taken up with its own problems of safety. And it's true these are dangerous times, but America has not drawn the blinds and double-locked the doors.

In fact, you have doubled aid to Africa. You have tripled funding for global health. Mr. President, your emergency plan for AIDS relief and support for the Global Fund—you and Congress—have put 700,000 people onto life-saving anti-retroviral drugs and provided 8 million bed nets to protect children from malaria.

Outstanding human achievements. Counterintuitive. Historic. Be very, very proud.

But here's the bad news. From charity to justice, the good news is yet to come. There's is much more to do. There's a gigantic chasm between the scale of the emergency and the scale of the response.

And finally, it's not about charity after all, is it? It's about justice.

Let me repeat that: It's not about charity, it's about justice.

And that's too bad.

Because you're good at charity. Americans, like the Irish, are good at it. We like to give, and we give a lot, even those who can't afford it.

But justice is a higher standard. Africa makes a fool of our idea of justice; it makes a farce of our idea of equality. It mocks our pieties, it doubts our concern, it questions our commitment.

6,500 Africans are still dying every day of a preventable, treatable disease, for lack of drugs we can buy at any drugstore. This is not about charity, this is about Justice and Equality.

Because there's no way we can look at what's happening in Africa and, if we're honest, conclude that deep down, we really accept that Africans are equal to us. Anywhere else in the world, we wouldn't accept it. Look at what happened in South East Asia with the Tsunami. 150, 000 lives lost to that misnomer of all misnomers, "mother nature". In Africa, 150,000 lives are lost every month.

A tsunami every month. And it's a completely avoidable catastrophe.

It's annoying but justice and equality are mates. Aren't they? Justice always wants to hang out with equality. And equality is a real pain.

You know, think of those Jewish sheep-herders going to meet the Pharaoh, mud on their shoes, and the Pharaoh says, "Equal?" A preposterous idea: rich and poor are equal? And they say, "Yeah, 'equal,' that's what it says here in this book. We're all made in the image of God."

And eventually the Pharaoh says, "OK, I can accept that. I can accept the Jews—but not the blacks."

"Not the women. Not the gays. Not the Irish. No way, man."

So on we go with our journey of equality.

On we go in the pursuit of justice.

We hear that call in the ONE Campaign, a growing movement of more than two million Americans… left and right together… united in the belief that where you live should no longer determine whether you live.

We hear that call even more powerfully today, as we mourn the loss of Coretta Scott King—mother of a movement for equality, one that changed the world but is only just getting started. These issues are as alive as they ever were; they just change shape and cross the seas.

Preventing the poorest of the poor from selling their products while we sing the virtues of the free market… that's a justice issue. Holding children to ransom for the debts of their grandparents… That's a justice issue. Withholding life-saving medicines out of deference to the Office of Patents…that's a justice issue.

And while the law is what we say it is, God is not silent on the subject.

That's why I say there's the law of the land… and then there is a higher standard. There's the law of the land, and we can hire experts to write them so they benefit us, so the laws say it's OK to protect our agriculture but it's not OK for African farmers to do the same, to earn a living?

As the laws of man are written, that's what they say.

God will not accept that.

Mine won't, at least. Will yours?

[pause]

I close this morning on … very… thin… ice.

This is a dangerous idea I've put on the table: my God vs. your God, their God vs. our God… vs. no God. It is very easy, in these times, to see religion as a force for division rather than unity.

And this is a town—Washington—that knows something of division.

But the reason I am here, and the reason I keep coming back to Washington, is because this is a town that is proving it can come together on behalf of what the Scriptures call the least of these.

This is not a Republican idea. It is not a Democratic idea. It is not even, with all due respect, an American idea. Nor is it unique to any one faith.

Do to others as you would have them do to you.' (Luke 6:30) Jesus says that.

'Righteousness is this: that one should… give away wealth out of love for Him to the near of kin and the orphans and the needy and the wayfarer and the beggars and for the emancipation of the captives.' The Koran says that. (2.177)

Thus sayeth the Lord: 'Bring the homeless poor into the house, when you see the naked, cover him, then your light will break out like the dawn and your recovery will speedily spring fourth, then your Lord will be your rear guard.' The jewish scripture says that. Isaiah 58 again.

That is a powerful incentive: 'The Lord will watch your back.' Sounds like a good deal to me, right now.

A number of years ago, I met a wise man who changed my life. In countless ways, large and small, I was always seeking the Lord's blessing. I was saying, you know, I have a new song, look after it… I have a family, please look after them… I have this crazy idea…

And this wise man said: stop. He said, stop asking God to bless what you're doing. Get involved in what God is doing—because it's already blessed. Well, God, as I said, is with the poor. That, I believe, is what God is doing. And that is what He's calling us to do.

I was amazed when I first got to this country and I learned how much some churchgoers tithe. Up to ten percent of the family budget. Well, how does that compare the federal budget, the budget for the entire American family? How much of that goes to the poorest people in the world? Less than one percent.

Mr. President, Congress, people of faith, people of America:

I want to suggest to you today that you see the flow of effective foreign assistance as tithing…. Which, to be truly meaningful, will mean an additional one percent of the federal budget tithed to the poor.

What is one percent?

One percent is not merely a number on a balance sheet.

One percent is the girl in Africa who gets to go to school, thanks to you. One percent is the AIDS patient who gets her medicine, thanks to you. One percent is the African entrepreneur who can start a small family business thanks to you. One percent is not redecorating presidential palaces or money flowing down a rat hole. This one percent is digging waterholes to provide clean water.

One percent is a new partnership with Africa, not paternalism towards Africa, where increased assistance flows toward improved governance and initiatives with proven track records and away from boondoggles and white elephants of every description.

America gives less than one percent now. We're asking for an extra one percent to change the world. to transform millions of lives—but not just that and I say this to the military men now – to transform the way that they see us.

One percent is national security, enlightened economic self interest, and a better, safer world rolled into one. Sounds to me that in this town of deals and compromises, one percent is the best bargain around.

These goals—clean water for all; school for every child; medicine for the afflicted, an end to extreme and senseless poverty—these are not just any goals; they are the Millennium Development goals, which this country supports. And they are more than that. They are the Beatitudes for a Globalised World.

Now, I'm very lucky. I don't have to sit on any budget committees. And I certainly don't have to sit where you do, Mr. President. I don't have to make the tough choices.

But I can tell you this: To give one percent more is right. It's smart. And it's blessed.

There is a continent—Africa—being consumed by flames.

I truly believe that when the history books are written, our age will be remembered for three things: the war on terror, the digital revolution, and what we did—or did not to—to put the fire out in Africa.

History, like God, is watching what we do.

Thank you. Thank you, America, and God bless you all.

My [LOUSY} Day

So today I try to go to Small Business BC to do some research for our business plan. As I'm leaving I get this great idea to go to the music store and check on guitar lessons. As I'm walking there I come up to a corner and some guy bumps into me. After I cross the street I reach for my wallet in my coat and IT'S NOT THERE!!

I had my wallet stolen today and I'm not really happy about it or anything else right now. In fact about the only thing that could brighten my day right now would be if the Oilers won the Stanley Cup and that can't happen for a number of reasons, biggest of which is the fact that it's February.

Being stolen from is one of those things that you can't really put into words. Somebody was in your stuff and you can't do anything to really do anything about it. It's gone. You know I'm a pretty big guy and I don't much think about being in situations like this because my sheer girth usually scares people off. But I have to admit it's been 5 hours and I still don't feel right. I've lost my wallet a hundred times in my life and suffered the same consequences as far as having to replace cards and losing cash but this feels WAY different.

I did all the right things and cancelled my cards. None of my cards were used in the interim. Thanks be to God.

So I'm not really whining but I have been usingthis blog to sort of verbally regurge when I'm sick about something so today, I'm sick about this.

Brian McLaren on ABC

I ran across this video from ABC News Nightline. Brian McLaren speaks to the Emerging Church movement. Good piece.

Well Hello There

Haven't posted for a week. It's been busy.









Hey guess what?? It's raining in Vancouver.







Go Seahawks!!



Oh by the way condo church
is having a wicked Superbowl Party at Jakab's in Surrey.

Ode to Mario

You say that you're retiring again and I hope this time your serious.

I think if you try and come back a third time you're delirious.

I think it's funny you chose the number 66 to put on your back.

Cuz 99 could turn you upside down and make you look like a hack.

Please don't kick Sidney Crosby out of your house because you're not on the team.

He's got the potential to be better than you and that's not a dream.

So long au revoir adieu to you. You were an offensive force.

But you had the backchecking skills of a broken legged horse!!


Yours Truely,

99 Forever!!!!!!!!

Careful....

Kanye, Kanye, Kanye. Who's the "Gold Digger" now????

My Week

Prime Minister??
Well good luck Stephen. It's gonna be a real challenge to keep parliament together. But hey, maybe Stephen Harper is the new Lester Pearson.












My week will get a lot better when I get to see this guy and his band in concert at GM Place.



We also get to host the Seymours from Kamloops for the weekend. Josh and Carolyn are good friends and are having a baby in May. They're going to the Coldplay concert on Friday. Wanda and I are going Thursday.

Saturday, Josh and I are going to see Proximity 7. They're a local Van band. Good friends. Good band.


Well that's my week. Last night I had a great talk about spirituality with my strata president. It was awesome to talk about God with someone who wanted to talk back, and actually had an opinion.

My Church is Great

So I'm sitting on the couch while Wanda is teaching our church and our neighbor how to play our new game called Carcassonne. I'm thinking that this is how God wants us to communicate with people. No not through boardgames silly but through community. I love watching community. People who have nothing in common in the natural world become part of something bigger and learn from each other. Then they DO have something in common. And this provides the bridge that the gospel walks across. They see Jesus in us.

1 Corinthians 5:4 (Msg) Assemble the community--I'll be present in spirit with you and our Master Jesus will be present in power.

To quote the great....... Hillary Clinton, "It Takes A Village".

Chuck Norris..... Who Knew??

I love the internet. I never would have known all this stuff about Chuck Norris.


if you can see chuck norris, he can see you. if you can't see chuck norris you may be only seconds away from death.

chuck norris' tears cure cancer. too bad he has never cried.

chuck norris does not sleep. he waits.

chuck norris is currently suing nbc, claiming law and order are trademarked names for his left and right legs.

the chief export of chuck norris is pain.

when chuck norris roundhouse kicks people, they do not die of blunt trauma or tissue damage. they simply lose their will to live.

when the boogeyman goes to sleep every night he checks his closet for chuck norris.

chuck norris does not hunt because the word hunting infers the probability of failure. chuck norris goes killing.

the quickest way to a man's heart is with chuck norris's fist.

the grass is always greener on the other side, unless chuck norris has been there. in that case the grass is most likely soaked in blood and tears.

chuck norris appeared in the "street fighter II" video game, but was removed by beta testers because every button caused him to do a roundhouse kick. when asked bout this "glitch," norris replied, "that's no glitch."

Our Winter Newletter

Here's our winter newsletter. Enjoy.

WOW OUCH AMEN

Here's a great quote from a UK pastor as it appears in Emerging Churches:

In the UK, people would no more drop into a church for a casual visit than an outsider might drop into a mosque or a gay bar for a casual visit. It is a big deal to take the initiative to discover an alternative way of life. One wouldn’t quite know how to behave and may wonder what other people think.

Wow. Ouch. Amen.

I Think I'm A Little Sick Of Settlers For A While!

10 games in the last 3 days!

So Long '05

Well Wanda and I are in Slave lake enjoying the lack of snow and the abundance of family. Here are a few pictures to show you what we're up to.

Here we are driving up to Wanda's parents house..... just kidding. that's the ice fishing shack out on the lake.

Here we are after a rather "spirited" game of pond hockey.

Frost on the trees. You just don't get stuff like that in the lower mainland.

Just sitting around. Notice the large table. We had 14 of us for dinner so it requires a couple of folding tables to make the whole thing work.

We'll see you all in 06. Thanks for being our friends and loving us. "WE LOVES YA THOUSANDS"

Have I Passed A Milestone??

The Christmas exchange of presents has already happened for me as Wanda & I exchanged last week and my family exchanged this morning (the 24th) in Kamloops (where I am writing from).

I readily admit to being a recovering selfish person. So for all y'all this probably is old hat. But this year I really felt was more excited about giving than receiving (Acts 20:35). Partially it was because we had made a lot more of our gifts this year and many of them had to do with pictures and memories. We felt a little like we were giving gifts that would last.

This thought brings to mind the following Scripture:
1 Corinthians 9:19-27
19Though I am free and belong to no man, I make myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. 20To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. 21To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God's law but am under Christ's law), so as to win those not having the law. 22To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some. 23I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings. 24Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. 25Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. 26Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. 27No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.


I hope all my gifts last. My gifts of time. My gifts of money. My gifts of talents. I hope you can say of Wanda & I that our gifts to you will last in your life. We don't want to be flashbangs. We want to be people pf authenticity AND character (see my uprising post).

Merry Christmas. We're heading on to Alberta to Wanda's family's place on the 27th and we'll be back in Van city on January 4th, 2006 (wierd, 2006). I'll probably post from Alberta, if for no other reason than to show you a few pictures of the frozen north.

Christmas Madness

Can you feel it?

The crush of shopping that needs to get done, the fear of offending someone if we don't get to their Christmas party, the feeling in your feet that you get when you've been on them for like 10 hours doing stuff at the church and running around, just waiting for the 24th to get here because at least for a couple of days it will slow down. Ever wonder why they call it a Christmas "season". It feels like summer since I've had any rest.

It's no wonder the Psalmist prefaces knowing God with being still (Psalm 46:10). I wonder if I would appreciate if my wife was so busy on my birthday doing stuff for me or for my party that she had no time for me? I need to be still. I feel kind of like the squirmy kid at church who needs a Game Boy or a millions crayons and paper to keep me quiet.

But wouldn't true stillness be the absence of all those things? Isn't being still about needing nothing but Jesus. That if all I did was just stand perfectly straight for the next 2 hours or sit in a chair and stare at my fireplace or the view off my deck I could experience the presence of God as much as any other way with my own works.

When I think about this it reminds me of my Dad. When I go home and my Dad has something to do he wants me to come help. But when I go to help he usually doen't actually need my help. He just wants me to be there with him. I don't have to know how to fix what he's fixing or weld what he's welding, I just have to stand next to him and just be there. It means something to him.

Maybe God wants us to just stand next to him and be still. He'll do the work. He's the qualified one. We can just talk to him and then brag about how good our Dad is.

Wow. I'm tearing up.

Have a great Christmas season. Don't buy what the world is selling when it comes to being busy. Love your family. If there are little kids around you this Christmas, get down on the floor and play with them and their toys. Love you all!!!!!

A Review of Ann Rice's New Book

A fellow resonate user, Jamie, wrote a review of Ann Rice's new book. Apparently she's published his review on her site so I thought it might be fine reading for us all. Visit his site here .

When I heard that novelist Anne Rice, author of the famous Vampire Chronicles, was writing a novel about the early years of Jesus Christ, I was skeptical. When I read that it was being written in first person from Jesus own perspective, I was intrigued. I had heard that Rice had returned to the Roman Catholic faith of her youth in the late 1990's, but had not followed her life or writing in several years. I picked up the hardcover "Christ the Lord: Out of Egypt" on my way out to YWAM Vancouver for a week of teaching, expecting an interesting, if not provocative read.

As is my habit, I stayed away from interviews and reviews until I had read the book, wanting to experience the work with as few preconceived ideas as possible. However, with an author such as Rice, it was hard not to expect, well not the worst, as Rice is an excellent writer and a phenomenal historical researcher- I expected something else. As anyone familiar with so much of the material out there that would undermine the nature, character or very historicity of Christ, you'll understand my cynical expectations. What I found in those pages, however, was something far more beautiful. I discovered a very real Jesus, a man, a Messiah, the Son of God.

The novel opens in the streets of Alexandria, where a 7 year old Jesus and his kin have lived for years. Rice paints a vivid and living portrait of the Egypt of Jesus day, exploring the inevitable influences the the culture and philosophy would have had on His childhood. But Egypt is not to be the setting of this story, as Joseph soon announces their planned return to the Holy Land, to visit Jerusalem to worship before returning home to Nazareth.

And so, echoing the ancient story of Israel emerging out of exile, we follow the young Jesus as He journeys to a home He has never seen. Throughout these life altering events, we begin to see glimpses of the power that Jesus is only vaguely beginning to understand. I recognized many of the stories from extra-Biblical sources, which is sure to stir some discontent from more conservative Christian readers. I would encourage such readers to keep reading, as I do not believe that they undermine the integrity of the story or of Jesus. Even Rice acknowledges that these including the material was based on "assumption", but felt it was crucial to the deeper truth of the story. And I agree.

As the family travels through the Holy Land, we are introduced to a deeply politically, spiritually and historically wounded people in the midst of civil unrest. Simultaneously, we begin to understand what it means to be a Jew in that day. With so much of the material on the "historical" Jesus being so ruthlessly geared to undermine Jesus divinity, purpose, being, etc., Rice accomplishes what few have- to present a fully Jewish (fully human) Jesus of His era, yet equally divine, rooted in the fullness of the Judeo-Christian story.

In the authors notes at the end of the book, Rice shares briefly of the journey she took in bringing this book to being. It reveals the depth of study that she delved into (and continues even today) to do everything in her power to tell the truest story she could. To her credit, she read every source she get her hands on, openly expecting to have her image of Jesus distorted.

"What gradually came clear to me was that many of the skeptical arguments- arguments that insisted most of the Gospel were suspect, for, or written too late to be eyewitness accounts- lacked coherence... Absurd conclusions were reached on the basis of little or no data at all." ("Christ the Lord", by Anne Rice, pg 313, Knopf Canada)

However, it was through genuine study that she became even more deeply convinced and committed in her belief of Christ. (As a side note, Rice credits N.T. Wright as the most positive and influential voices of these studies). So truly has this impact changed her that Rice says she could not return to her former subject matter. While she does not condemn her previous works, as they reflect her journey towards faith that many readers shared (myself included), she know that she could not go back. Rice has 3 or 4 more volumes in this series that I am already eagerly anticipated.

In the end, I believe that this book represents one of the best "fictional" presentations of Jesus I have ever encountered. I do not hesitate a moment in recommending it as a must read for all Christians who want to know Jesus in a deeper and truer way, rooted in His rich Jewish culture and history, as well as the ancient-future vision of God's Kingdom.

Don't wait for the paperback. Get it today.

Heart or Character

Which is more valuable? I've been wrestling through this one this week. Erwin McManus in his book Uprising makes the statement that if he had to choose between authenticity or integrity he would choose integrity every time. It's hard to argue with that but how do you have one without the other? How can you be integral without being authentic? And true authenticity will always have a quest for Christlikeness at it's core.

After reading the afore mentioned statement, this is what I took away. Knowing I am a person who values and models authenticity, I want to live a life where people can also see my character. I want people to see the hope that is inside of me.

See..... But even as I say that, I realize I have 2 hopes inside of me, to be like Jesus (integrity) and to be known (authenticity). Well I guess it's safe to say I'm still wrestling through this one.

Yaaay for the Eskies!!

Well, good on you Edmonchuck. You did it. A great (The Greatest Ever?) game. I got to watch with a bunch of guys at a downtown eastside pub. Lot's of fun.

Vancouver did a great job hosting the game and all the downtown stuff they did with the "Party on the Pacific" wa fantastic. A parade and everything. Wow.

This will be my last football related post (for at least 7 months).

So What Happened To The Lions?

Where did our 11-0 team go? So depressing. I was just coming to terms with letting go of being an Eskimos fan. I was trying to give them my heart and soul. I was going to make this work. It was a new team but I was sure I was mature enough to do it and then they go and lose.... to the Eskimos!!!! Love..uh I mean sports is a wierd thing.

Anne Rice Discover's Jesus

The former vampire writer seems to have "rediscovered" her faith. An interesting article:

http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/
20051116/am_rice_book_051116/20051116/

Deconstruction

It seems that so much of what we "construct" in our lives needs to be "deconstructed" on a regular basis. Whether it's in our relationships, at our workplace, or in our churches, we get into ruts.

We are creatures of habit, so having a routine gives us a feeling of stability. There are things in life that are static. These things are best served by routine. But there are many things in life that are constantly changing. These things need regular deconstruction.

Anything connected to culture will need regular deconstruction. Culture has evolved so much in the last 5 years let alone the last 50 years. These things include: music, art, fashion, communication and other things.

In light of my path in life, my approach to communicating my faith needs to be deconstructed. Yet there are static aspects of my faith. What Christ has done for me hasn't changed but how it applies to others does change.

Do I have the courage to ask there questions on a regular basis?

A Post For Post's Sake

We've gone to Kamloops for a couple of days to see Kevin Corneau and Rebecca Hansen's wedding. We'll be back in time for Living Room Church on Sunday. Hope you all have a great weekend.

A thought for the day - Don't be so proud of your accomplishments that you stop to look back at them. Keep going!!!

With Apologies To All My Union Friends

I've seen the light!! Hallelujah!!!
Our Shaw account jumped $14/month with no warning so we got out. New e-mail will be paulandwanda@telus.net. But PLEASE don't use it. Use our Hotmail.

"A Device To Root Out Evil"

Now here's an interesting piece of art. It now sits on Bute and W Cordova in downtown Vancouver. In case it takes you a while to pick out what it is I'll help. It's a church turned upside down and (apparently) rammed into the ground. The piece is called "A Device To Root Out Evil".

I can't say I have been so stimulated by a piece of art (other than music, because that comes easier to me) ever. Ask yourself these questions:

1. If you attend a church regularly, what emotions does this invoke in you?

2. If you don't, what about this piece do you identify with?

3. What is the artist trying to say (like we could know, but it's fun to try)?

4. What about you needs to be turned upside down?

Who The Heck Am I Anyway??

I can't believe I got Wanda to marry me - I love a long americano with one pump of hazelnut and a dollop of real cream - I'm becoming more aware of the power of film to motivate people - I'm not sure if I like the Oilers or can't let go of the Gretzky era - I love soup - I think people who live in Downtown Vancouver and have questionable values and spend a lot of money on coffee and facials still deserve to hear about Jesus - I'm in love with my new iBook - I still feel like I'm from Kamloops - I read a lot because I'm afraid of being ignorant - I don't think I would vote for George Bush if given the chance - I think I like chocolate more than the average guy - I'm facinated with the idea of integrating the world and the church, believing that it is the way it was always supposed to be - I have great friends - Although I've been a pastor for ten years, I have never had business cards.

Show Me Your Back

Here's a meditation I heard from Leonard Sweet this past week. Hope it impacts you as much as it did me.



What was Paul of the New Testament like? What did he look like?

Below, Paul gives our imagination a working as he describes what he has been through and it may lead to what he may have looked like.

2 Corinthians 11:21
What anyone else dares to boast about—I am speaking as a fool—I also dare to boast about. 22Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they Abraham's descendants? So am I. 23Are they servants of Christ? (I am out of my mind to talk like this.) I am more. I have worked much harder, been in prison more frequently, been flogged more severely, and been exposed to death again and again. 24Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. 25Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, 26I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my own countrymen, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false brothers. 27I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked. 28Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches. 29Who is weak, and I do not feel weak? Who is led into sin, and I do not inwardly burn?

Erwin McManus when referring to this text asks the question “Tell me again that the safest place to be is at the center of GOD’s will!?”

The key verses are 24, 25, 26. Here we read that Paul received 39 lashes – FIVE TIMES! That has to be at least 195 scars on his BACK.

3 times he was beaten with rods by Romans…What was the crime? Paul was a Roman citizen. Was he beaten for insurrection or treason? Did he keep quiet and not let the authorities know that he was a Roman citizen? Or did he start riots? Did he consider himself a citizen of a higher kingdom? Those rods were not broom sticks they were probably baseball bat like. Imagine how Paul had to protect himself, wrapping his arms around his head, protecting the most sensitive parts of his body…so what was left exposed? His back.

How many bones of Paul’s body were broken after these beatings, not just once but many times? Especially his BACK!

He was even stoned once. This was the Jewish form of capital punishment… Was he really saying that he was killed? Because in Acts 14 they dragged Paul outside of the city and they thought he was dead. When people throw objects at you what do you do? You cover your head and go into a fetal position…what is exposed? Your BACK.

Now, try to think of Paul without thinking about his back and all the punishment that it took…

Jesus sent the Holy Spirit (the Paraclete) who is also our battle companion. And even when we have the presence of the Holy Spirit and good friends covering our back isn’t interesting that the whips, and the rods and the stones still get through, do they not? The rods, the whips and the stones…they still connect, they still scar.

As I read Acts 14 “They stoned Paul and dragged him outside the city, thinking he was dead. 20But after the disciples had gathered around him, he got up and went back into the city. The next day he and Barnabas left for Derbe.” I wonder…did Paul die? Did the disciples pray over him and he was raised from the dead? HEY, where were the disciples when Paul was being stoned? I thought they would have his back!!! Why did they gather around Paul outside of the city? Why did they not cover his back?

But look at what Paul did…He got up and went back into the city.
WOW…imagine that…they thought you were dead and then you show up again!

If you consider yourself a leader…show me your back. Is it a clean back? Or is it full of scars, bruises and broken bones?

Followers of Christ need people to “cover our back.” Nobody has made a difference for GOD without them having people “say we will cover your back.” I know this is true in my life and it has been conveyed to me over and over again by people who surround me. And that is a wonderful comfort. But even when our “backs are covered” the whips, rocks and rods still get through. So in spite of our pain and injury, can we still get up and walk right back into the face of the very thing that has caused our pain?

CONGRATULATIONS!!!

Does this guy look like he's ready to be a daddy? Congratulations Josh and Carolyn on your exciting news!!! We love you!!!

FAQ #4 - Obstacles

4. WHAT ARE THE OBSTACLES TO MINISTRY IN DOWNTOWN?

SPACE!!! Space is at a premium in this area. Real estate sells for around $400/sq ft. Retail is about $30/sq ft per year to lease. Although this may be an obstacle, we have chosen to see it as a challenge to be overcome. It has helped us embrace the home church model. This model will eliminate the space challenge because if you get too big for a living room, you start another home church. Inherent in this are some definite "must haves": leadership training and keeping church about the important things. The minute you start thinking in terms of programs for your church, then you need space.

LANGUAGE!!! The people of downtown Vancouver speak a different language, the two main languages being Manderin and Tolerance. Some speak both. By tolerance I mean the prevailing attitude of the day that "if it's right for you then it must be OK". The people that I've met downtown believe in absolutes but don't believe that I can tell THEM what absolutes are. There are things they believe in (look at the charities they support or the volunteer work they do) but there is no sense of "corporate absolutes". The challenge of ministering to Asians is something that is only hitting me recently. Obviously, we live so close to Chinatown that it must be taken into consideration. I have had the privilege of working at Delta Church and in doing so have been able to learn and understand a little bit about the Sikh culture, I am desiring to do the same about the Asian cultures in downtown.

Well, this ends my FAQ series of posts. If you have any other questions, drop me a line and I'll try to answer them.

FAQ #3 - The People Down Here

3. AREN'T CITY PEOPLE UNFRIENDLY OR ALL ADDICTED TO DRUGS OR WRAPPED UP IN THEMSELVES?

Our experience so far with the people we've gotten to know down here is that they're like everyone else I've ever met with a few exceptions.

The desire for true community down here is stronger than anywhere I've ever been. Yes people are quite career focused downtown but that doesn't prevent them from having significant contact with others.

Maybe the biggest obstacle to connection for us has been the fact that 80% of the people we meet have a degree or two. Very smart people, very well read. And if you don't keep up on current events, don't even think you can carry on a conversation down here.

So isn't this FUN?? Having all your questions answered about us?? Next post we'll deal with the obstacles to ministry in this area that we see.

FAQ #2 - $$$

2. HOW DO YOU GUYS SUPPORT YOURSELF LIVING IN SUPER EXPENSIVE DOWNTOWN VANCOUVER??

That part of our life is a constant adventure. We were able to buy a condo down here but it stretched us big time financially. BUT we wanted to "live amongst the people" we were ministering to. We didn't want to "parachute in" from the 'burbs to give 'em the gospel and then head back out in the HOV lane. It is a constant sacrifice but it has been, is, and will continue to be, worth it.

Our budget is a combination of jobs (Delta Pentecostal Church, The Well) and personal support (people whom we share our vision with support us monthly similar to an overseas missionary).

Our long term vision is to establish a coffee business in downtown which would become it's own stream of revenue.

Hope that clarifies some things. Next post, we will address the social climate in this area of Vancouver.

FAQ's

So Wanda and I thought it might be prudent to begin answering some of the questions that people have about our downtown ministry efforts. These next few posts will be an effort to answer some questions that church people have about what we're doing:

1. WHAT EXACTLY ARE YOU GUYS DOING DOWN THERE??
Well, we believe down town Vancouver to be a place of incredible spiritual need. There is a severe lack of churches. This, coupled with the fact that we were wanting to live more in the community instead of in the four walls of the church, plus the encouragement of the PAOC BC District is what lead us to downtown Vancouver. So what are we doing? We are trying to live an authentically Christian life in the midst of people who don't know Christ. We have recently begun to worship together on Sunday nights with others who feel a similar call and affinity with downtown. Our vision is to see a small living room church in every condo building in downtown Vancouver.

Another question we get a lot is about how we support ourselves financially. We'll tackel that one in our next post.

Mmmmm... TURKEY!!

Hope everyone has an awesome weekend with your family and or friends celebrating Thanksgiving. I get to go back to Kamloops and celebrate with my family as well as celebrate my Dad's 60th birthday. It's gonna be fun.

Make sure to tell the people in your life how thankful you are for them. People need to know these things. It helps them keep going.

So.... I want to tell you all how thankful Wanda and I are for you in our lives. We feel so enriched by the friends we have and know that God has brought us to where we are in part because of the people He has chosen to reveal Himself through.

Don't eat too much turkey. Love your families. Spend time with people who don't go to church. Gobble, gobble gobble!!!