Paying Tribute

REVEREND WILLIAM (BILL) PETER MICHALSKI
January 13, 1930 – October 5, 2009

Dad, was born January 13, 1930 in Winnipeg, Manitoba. On Monday October 5, 2009 he passed away peacefully with me at his side. Dad was predeceased by parents Fred and Mary, infant daughter Pearl Hope, brother Fritz, sister Ann, and nephew Kevin. Dad is survived and remembered by his wife of 58 years Elizabeth. After a lifetime of dedication to his wife and family, and service to his Lord and Savior, dad leaves an indelible legacy to us and our families; Ron and Jill (Elise and Fred, and Todd and Rayael with their children Brendan, Andrew and Chloe), Bruce (Jessica and Joel) and myself and Sharon (Joshua, Jordan, James and Jesse). Dad is also survived by his brother Ed, sisters Olga, Eleanor, Jennifer and Lydia as well as many nephews and nieces.

Dad was a North End Winnipeg boy who graduated from St. John’s High School, with great stories. He quickly went to work to help support and care for his family as times were tough. As a young man he excelled at swimming, diving and gymnastics. He was a lifeguard and swimming instructor at numerous camps in Manitoba and City pools. Dad came to faith as a teen and never waivered from the call of God on his life. In his early twenties he got the courage and asked a particular woman out for a coffee at the end of a church service and the rest is history. He married Elizabeth Sedun and together they devoted themselves to their family and building a home based upon a foundation of faith, love and support. Newly married, they moved to Swan River to attend Bible College. Later Dad would begin his ministry at Living Word Temple in the North End of Winnipeg where he served for 27 years as pastor. In order to provide sufficiently for his family, he held a full time position with the City of Winnipeg, ending his career as a Supervisor for the Waterworks Department after 35 years of employment. Dad’s initial retirement was but a brief intermission. He resumed his calling upon invitation, by Rev. H.H. Barber to serve as Visitation Minister for Calvary Temple. At the same time Dad acted as the Supervisor of Phone Counseling Services for the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. He thrived in ministry! Throughout his lifetime, many people were influence by his ministry. His gentle spirit, genuine compassion, and earnest concern is still remembered today.

When we were about to start Soul Sanctuary, Sharon and I approached both my in laws and Dad and Mom. After explaining the vision that GOD had given us to start this new church we asked for their blessing on us. This was not your traditional type of church and one that was going to be out of their paradigm of what church ministry was all about. One statement that rings through our head after that meeting was that it was dad who said “We will know by the fruit.” Well, Dad would often share with me his concerns with the way we “did church,” but he was always supportive. One Sunday dad saw an older man sitting in a wheelchair crying after the service. As dad told me the story he said “I approached him and introduced myself and said, “I cannot help but noticed you are in distress, is there anything I can do for you?” The person responded by saying his name and then added “it’s the music.” To which dad said to himself, “the music makes me cry, as well.” But then the older man responded to dad, “I absolutely love it.” Dad walked away from that encounter with trying to figure out how can an older man like this type of music, especially in church! Eventually, the gentleman would commit his life to Christ. I would say from that point on dad worked really hard with trying to understand the way we did ministry to people in a form that he was not used to. There were times that Dad, and mom, have been more than stretched but Dad would occasionally comment on the “fruit” that he has seen. People committing to Christ, “young people” (I guess when you are 79, most everyone is a young person) in attendance and numerical growth.

A week prior to Dad’s passing I received an email from someone at Soul that I was able to share with him. It reads:

It really resonated with me when… Gerry said on Sunday that Soul would not have been possible without the blessing and prayers of his parents. I firmly believe, without any exaggeration and all the honesty that I can muster, that Soul saved my life. So, in that way, I guess your dad and everyone involved with the making of Soul are greatly responsible for getting me back on track in my walk and with my ministry. The Bible says you can tell a great deal about someone by the fruit of their labor and by that reasoning, your dad was an incredible man. I know it wouldn't mean much coming from me, someone he barely knows...but tell him, "thank you".

A loving husband, a proud father and doting grandfather and great grandfather, dad delighted in the joy of family. This past December, I moderated a special interactive service at our church on “A Father’s Legacy” featuring Dad and the three of us boys. Dad has always referred to that day as “That service was the crowning moment of my life.”

If you still would like to help leave a legacy I would encourage you on your way out to make a donation of any amount, in his memory to the orphanage work that we sponsor in Indonesia, called Wisma Kaseh. It was important to dad that these kids were cared for and this was his request. You can make a donation off our website using paypal! www.soulsanctuary.ca

Lovin the Church!

I am very familiar with a number of people who feel that they need to De-tox from church. The current craze in our “christian culture” is to embrace a Churchless Christianity and for quite awhile I have been bugged by that thought and I finally understood why I was bugged. I can understand people tired of religion and rules but the church is the body of Christ…so in my head when I hear someone saying we need to detox from church, are we in reality detoxing from Jesus himself?

Some people seem to never tire of attacking the church. If it is not from those who are outright hostile because of their own lack of belief or ex-members who complain about the Church’s organization and its institutional quality with its rules an regulations. There are bad churches out there…we have a record of that from Revelation, but because a few are bad doesn’t mean all are.

I have personally struggled against the mainstream organization of our church community and what I am realizing is that an organism needs organization in order to survive, not to mention all the legal responsibilities that our government has placed on faith communities. Those who leave the church because of its organization often fail to recognize that all the other causes they rally behind also demand a certain level of organization. For instance, someone will leave the church mad at its buildings and programs and paid staff and go they go serve at the local homeless shelter instead. Personally, I say fantastic, but some of these people never stop to think that someone pays the bills for that building, someone turns on the heat in the morning, and someone maintains a calendar of events every month, not to mention that someone is on payroll to raise funds!

I am of the mind that people need to truly love their local church no matter how imperfect it may be and serve in it faithfully for the long haul. There is a tension that clearly exists for a church from being an organism and functioning as an organization, a community and an institution, a living entity with relationships and even some rules. There is no need to pit organism against organization, community against institution, or relationship against rules. These things are not mutually exclusive. Indeed, both exist in a healthy church. The problem is not organization, but bad, life-crushing organization.

Christ clearly taught that his mission was to build his church (Matthew 16). Christ is the head of the church, his body. Christ loves his church and gave himself for it (Ephesians 5:25). In almost all cases, those who choose to leave the church out of their faith experience can point back to a negative encounter with another believer. Communicating is not easy, talking is not easy, especially in this culture…and yet to be a part of community we all need to take a risk and attempt to communicate, care and allow people into our lives. If you think about it, it is even more difficult if things are tense in your life…

In our humanness there are times when we hurt each other and the tendency is to pull away and go it alone. I believe that we must resist that tendency. Psalm 17:6 GOD understood that humans are imperfect and make mistakes so scripture challenges us to go to GOD. All of us struggle in life at once time or another and all of our struggles are different for us. To be human is to be want to be listened to, to be cared for, to also be able to care for others…

God didn’t leave us on this planet to improve our understanding of Himself, huddle people into groups, create more effective worship services. Those are merely means God uses towards a much greater end. God left His church in this world so that followers of Christ might be made through the vehicle and power of the gospel for the purpose of drawing near to and worshipping the one who matters most: God. Out of this nearness to and love for God will come a group of people who have developed a heart for what He loves most. God’s heart is set on pursuing His glory, empowering His people, and reaching out to the broken and lost in this world. The church must reflect God’s love in reaching out to the hurting world around us, calling them to become followers of Jesus (1 Pet. 2:4ff).

Someone once said, and I believe it, that “we need to be reminded that the church that Christ loves is not a supermodel, but rather, a flawed and broken bride.” It may be messed up but it is still the Bride of Christ. So in a true cliché fashion. "Drop the ideal…live the real." Bonhoeffer said it best "Anyone who loves the dream of community more than the Christian community itself becomes a destroyer of the latter even though the devotion to the former is faultless and the intentions may be ever so honest, earnest and sacrificial."

September Thoughts

So, I posted this on Facebook. “Is thinking that in of all the stupid things that keep churches from growing, the common denominator is leadership! Ouch.”
So, is there anything wrong with that statement? Some would say “NOPE, you are bang on” while others would say…”what are you talking about…everyone has a part to play when a church is not growing.”

So here I am reflecting and planning for the fall and this is what I am coming up with. As a church I believe that we should be in a growth mode. The church of Christ should be growing but there are a number of hurdles to growth. One is when a Pastor or paid staff member tries to do it all. Many pastors, myself included, have been known to have a Martyr/Messiah complex . We feel that “no one else will do a job or could do a job as well as I could!” This is made more hilarious when I try to picture myself in charge of women’s ministries!!! Many pastors feel that the success of any church rests on them and thus they want or need to be in a place of control. Many times pastors have a hard time releasing control because of the fact that many feel that they are the hired guns to do the work and they have a hard time asking people to volunteer. Or it is simply an ego thing. Regardless of the issue it is safe to say that leadership is the “common denominator” when it comes to different areas that keep churches from growing. Even in Exodus 18 Moses was dealing with people and people were getting frustrated and Moses was getting burnt out until Jethro stepped in. It is a timeless principle when we deal with people on any level life gets messy real quick. Things that appear black and white at times turn out to be very grey and then add emotions and person preferences to the mix and it is a no win situation.

I believe that I am at the point where we must ask some hard questions and find out what the reasons are in which the church keeps people away rather that growing and discipling it. The first question we must ask is what is the purpose of a Sunday gathering? What are we trying to accomplish? Are we focusing on just the saints? Are we there to carry on tradition? Are we trying to entertain visitors who may never come back? Are we driven to make GOD famous and bring honor to His name in whatever way it takes? I guess the question lies in who are we trying to reach? Who has GOD placed in our path that we need to reach with the Good News? Do we really see Sunday morning through the eyes of a first time attender?

I have numerous thoughts rambling through the brain that will begin to pour out on this blog, but I will leave you with an interesting concept from a book called “Made to Stick.” This is for all the CHURCH people out there. It is called the Curse of Knowledge and the basic idea is “you cannot know, what you already know; and once you know it, it is very difficult to remember what it is like not to know.“

I say all that to add that many of us have been in church so long that we have completely lost touch of what it is like not to know.

Thoughts?

Mid Summer Thought - Twitter Will Kill You

So, I have been off the blog for a while. Just taking some time to clear my head and process the future. I stumbled across this add...thought it was fantastic...

Rest….Sabbath….Seriously…that is old school!

Being tired has become an issue in this generation. People get sick, complain about too much work and bills piling up or jobs that they hate or don’t have and, relationships are in turmoil. Add to that, those health problems that are associated with the above like; colds, migraines, weight problems, headaches, gastro-intestinal discomforts, and other body pains, what about those times you have sleep insomnia, when you simply can't fall asleep?

It has been a while since I last posted, simply because I did not make the time or I didn’t have the physical or intellectual energy (don’t go there)! So this is what I am trying to learn….myself.

It is important to re-energize to be functioning properly, simple as that. It doesn’t matter how strong or tough you (I) think you are, we all need to rest. As a matter of fact we need more that rest, we also need sleep and a form of relaxation. These three elements are often taken for granted, we usually practice one, maybe two, but never all three. What I am experiencing is that our body begs for all three of them, but as we struggle to cope with busy lifestyles and wanting to earn more, or in order to cope with endless monthly bills to pay, thinking that the work will never get done unless we do it ourselves…and the list goes on…combine this with other environmental stresses like chemicals and other pollutants, and the list goes on nothing is left but stress and reduced energies.

Sometimes even a night’s sleep may be inadequate, probably due to a particularly stressful day, an emotional crisis in life, or a strenuous physical activity. When you become drowsy, you certainly need rest. A nap, even for five or ten minutes, will help you revitalize, but really doesn’t solve the problem.

What I have learnt is that our body has limitations and we should never take this for granted. How often we neglect to respect and appreciate the fundamental law of life – that bodies have a finite supply of energy. What I did not know is that nerve energy is used up by all kinds of activities and can be recuperated by rest, sleep and relaxation. Under normal conditions, nature forces people to rest sufficiently to thoroughly recuperate from daily grinds. Nowadays, with everyone striving for wealth, social position, fame, dominance, or simply trying to struggle for survival, the regard for nature’s signal to stop and re-energize is often neglected.

Instead, everyone has been driven to self-destruction, opting for stimulants such as coffee, tobacco, alcohol, and tea and whatever... To maintain a balanced physical, mental, emotional and spiritual best, a bodily store of energy has to be abundantly sustained. In order for this to happen our lifestyle should be improved, which means doing things to excess should be avoided, including overeating, overworking, and overplaying.

I have found out that it is important to cut down on the late nights, or at least minimize this activity. Set aside significant portions of your days off or take that needed vacation to re-energize. It may not always be easy, but it can be done.

In Genesis 2:4 GOD took a rest. Some have interpreted these words to mean "he ceased to perform all His creative work." So, the question comes, Why the need to rest? Obviously, it wasn't because of tiredness, He is GOD! But GOD’s resting from creation teaches us that as human beings created in the image of God, we too need to make time for rest and purposely abstain from interfering with creation one day of the week. This has been a hard lesson for me to learn. The passion to work, to create, to accomplish or finish can sometimes be dangerous — especially for a society that prides itself on its ability to create, manipulate and control the world around it!!

Why did God need to rest? Rabbis teach us that work is not an end in and of itself. To be healthy, to be free from the problems of earning a livelihood, we must have rest to renew our strength and spirits to catch our breath and to become a living being once more. When GOD rested he created the possibility of renewal or regeneration, maybe rejuvenation.

For hundreds of years the Jews were ridiculed for being lazy for resting on the Sabbath. For the past 500-600 years, the world was seen as one gigantic clock. The universe was seen as an inanimate machine. Even human beings are considered by the likes of some behaviorists as nothing more than a machine. We have to remind ourselves that we are not machines. Each of us has a soul. Rest teaches us that each of us needs to have some sacred space to enjoy ourselves with our families and friends. Biblically rest provides our tired spirits with nurturing and healing and time to enjoy the world in silence and respect and sacred time to feel one with our Creator.
Some of the best ways of resting is actually stop doing work. If you were to die today, your work will be carried out by someone else…eventually. We need to renew our bodies and soul weekly by resting. And one way to do this is to add GOOD FOOD! No kidding! Even in the toughest of times, the Jews made every effort to buy the special food and candles that mark keeping the Sabbath. The table became a holy place where the family shared their joys and wishes together.
How is your table?

One of the most terrifying aspects of the technological society is the loss of intimacy. We are always wired and connected. Many people in our culture are desperate for affection, and most do not know how to give it or receive it, but they Facebook/Twitter or email it! Taking time to rest actually gives us a special time to deepen our relationships, especially when we unplug.
We/I need rest especially in our wired, turbulent times, perhaps more so than ever. Rest is not a luxury; it is a necessity for a long, healthy life.

Thoughts?

Growing Pains

Seth Godin blogs (http://sethgodin.typepad.com) and he writes about business and marketing principles, not too mention that he is so smart that he frustrates me!

I am in the process of evaluation and one of the things that Seth writes is:

Growth is frightening for a lot of people. It brings change and the opportunity for public failure. So if the astrological signs aren't right or the water is too cold or we've got a twinge in our elbow, we find an excuse. We decide to do it later, or not at all.

But uncertain times, frozen liquidity, political change and poor astrological forecasts (not to mention chicken entrails) all lead to less competition, more available talent and a do-or-die attitude that causes real change to happen.

If I wasn't already running my own business, today is the day I'd start one.

From my perspective there is no better time for the church then now. We have a great opportunity to partner with God and have a huge impact on our community and our world.
How can you partner with God to make a huge impact. God wants to use you to change your world and there is no better time than now! What are your thoughts?

Pick a Side?

As I sit and reflect, I find that many groups within Christianity seem to pick a side and stick with it. For example: many feel that churches need to be downtown and working/living with the poor. Or churches need to be traditional and stand apart from culture. Or others feel that churches need to be cool and technologically hip. Or others feel that churches… and the list of comparisons can go on.

Why does it have to be either/or? Can't it be both/and?

So can a church gathering be both relevant and bathed in prayer? Can a church leader both fast regularly and decide to use an entertaining video/culture to communicate truth? Can a pastor both care very deeply for others to be in biblical community and create a series with the very purpose of drawing a crowd? Can a church reach both poor and rich? Better yet, can a pastor use his volunteers and staff to give care to the whole community or is it the pastors soul responsibility? (Add more here….)

It is true that we can find plenty of Scriptural examples of fasting, prayer, personal confession, repentance and biblical community. But we can also find New Testament examples of Jesus, Paul and others being relevant, creating inviting environments, using humor and entertaining stories and preaching to large crowds. So, why is it that people pick sides?

Things that make you think?

Last weeks post raised a lot of questions as to what we can do...stay tuned as I am working with someone to figure out something....seriously!

I just came across this on someone else’s blog. What do you think?

Sometimes it helps to know the kind of churches that you never want to go to. Here are five actual, real churches that I have visited and that I would never go to again. And I hope you won’t either.

1. I will never go back to the church that exists for itself. So many churches just simply exist for their own members, their own comfort. They never seem to care about those who are far from God and yet close to the doors of their church that they could reach. They have a mission-blindness because they are so focused on self-preservation.

2. I will never go back to the church that resists change. It’s the church of Jesus Christ that understands what never changes and what ever-changes. The message of the gospel is timeless, but the methods with which it is delivered are and must be timely.

3. I will never go back to the church where everyone is not welcome. It’s hard to believe even in our day that there are churches that are prejudiced; prejudiced against race, mixed marriage, and a hundred other issues. The truth of the matter is I would never go to a church that just simply doesn’t exist for people. It’s been my contention the church doesn’t exist simply for Christians, it exists for everyone so that anyone and everyone should be welcome. But we all know that’s not true. One of the biggest sins churches commit is when they put up signs reading, “Everyone Welcome” when we all know they are not.

4. I will never go back to the church whose basis of authority is tolerance and inclusion. The basis for authority in any church are the Scriptures. God’s revealed word is the truth on which we are founded. The gospel is the story of redemption based on truth, justice, mercy, grace, and love. So I want to be part of the church whose foundation is not tolerance, but truth; because tolerance without truth is just sentimentalism. I want to be quick to say that I also want to be part of a church who speaks the truth in love; who doesn’t just tell me what I want to hear, but tells me what I need to hear in a way I can hear it.

5. I will never go back to the church that preaches a works salvation. So much of what you’ll hear tomorrow in churches across this land is based on a works salvation; a redemption by being better. How many sermons will we hear about being more like Paul or Peter, or John or Moses, or David or Joshua, or even like Jesus? The good news of the gospel is not that God came to make bad men better, but that He came to make dead men live.
Relationship with God through Jesus Christ is based totally on the work of Christ on the cross and through the Resurrection; not on the basis of my good works or my promise to be redeemed. Christianity is not a sin-management program. It is a life-transforming relationship that you enter in through Jesus Christ to the Redeemer and God of your life.
These are churches I would shy away from. If I were looking for a brand new church, I would simply turn these upside-down and make sure I go to a church tomorrow that is mission-minded, that receives people with joy no matter who they are or where they’ve come from; that proclaims the truth of the Sacred Scripture and elevates the gospel of Jesus Christ as the only hope for the world.

Thoughts?

How are you feeling now?

I wonder if GOD wants us to love others so much that we would go to extremes to help them?
I wonder if GOD wants the church to be known for giving...of our time, our money and our abilities? In doing so, we can begin to alleviate some of the suffering in the world and change the reputation that the church has in our culture.

"I believe in GOD, just not in organized religion." How often I hear that...I am not sure that people would say that if the church really lived like we are called to live.

So, I had a coffee today with someone who is in the process of calling the church and the rest of the country to stand up for the rights of children. In a nutshell this person is bringing attention to the issues of Child Pornography in our nation.

Did you know that the victims of child sex images are getting younger and younger and the images are becoming more graphic. 83% of those arrested for possessing child pornography had images of kids 6-12 years old. 39% had images of kids 3-5 years old. 19% had images of infants and toddlers under the age of 3. How are you feeling now?

Hey, did you know that most pictures involved children who were gagged, bound, blindfolded or otherwise suffering sadistic assault and 21% of those images depicted rape, bondage and/torture? How are you feeling now?

Did you know that in Canada some summary convictions of child sex crimes are only 14 days? Did you know that the sentences are often house arrest and community service or a conditional sentence (thus no jail time). How are you feeling now?

Did you know that these children who are victims will suffer life long trauma and life with the fact that these images will be on the net forever? How are you feeling now?

I wonder if GOD wants us to love others so much that we would go to extremes to help them?
How are you feeling now?

Are You Kind?

"I choose kindness... I will be kind to the poor, for they are alone. Kind to the rich, for they are afraid. And kind to the unkind, for such is how God has treated me." - Max Lucado

Thoughts?

Help Wanted

So, a friend of mine had the opportunity to go to a conference and when I asked him what he was learning he had a hard time to define it all in a brief response. But as I sit back and analyze our community and where we are at and where we need to be at there are a number of things that come to mind, but let me make it brief.

We need to be reaching people with the sacred and life transforming message of Jesus Christ.

We need to use unlimited creative ways of doing so.

We must bring people intentionally along the path of discipleship.

We need to keep the Scriptures as the main source and focal point and then branch out from there.

We must be lead of the Spirit.

My question to you is, how would you expand on the points above?

Giving...a subject everyone has thoughts on, but not all participate in!

Relevant Magazine published a short article a while back regarding giving...

It said that "if Christians (US stats) had given the traditional 10% tithe of their income to their churches in 2004, instead of the 2.56% that they actually gave, there would have been an additional $164 billion available, according to a report released in October called :The State of Church Giving through 2004.” If the churches chose to funnel just $70-$80 billion of that additional income to missions and humanitarian works, the basic needs of every person on the globe would be provided.

What are your thoughts?

Pondering Soul

So, as we approach Easter I have been thinking…no really I have been thinking. Lately, I have had a few emails and phone calls as to what kind of church is Soul Sanctuary. What I find is that many people in our culture want to label or identify something, especially those things that are associated with faith and it sort of drives me crazy.

So, for those who need more of a definitive understanding of what Soul Sanctuary is all about…

Let me say that we teach and hold to the traditions of Scripture, that the Bible is the Word of God, that Jesus was born of a virgin, He lived a sinless life, that He took our place on the cross and died for our sins to make us right with God. We believe in His resurrection, and there is a literal heaven and hell… and we believe God is Sovereign and reigns! So, I guess that makes us kind of traditional.

Soul Sanctuary was started so that people could feel comfortable to bring non believing friends and family members. “So, you are missional?” Um….the church is supposed to be missional! We are called to transform the community that we are planted in as well as make an impact around the world.

“So, you are seeker sensitive then?” This is a hilarious question, at least to me because whenever people ask this question, it is used as a term to attack the church! So, what is a church to be seeker hostile? I like to think that we as a community are seeker friendly because no one who is new to a church feels comfortable at all, they are all scared to death, so it is important that we are friendly. When people walk into Soul Sanctuary we try hard to make sure that the environment is friendly! We want people to come back, but at the same time we want to give people a lot of room to check things out without people looking over your shoulder.

“So, then you are an attractional church?” My first answer would be NO! But as I think about it, I would have to say that is a component to who we are. When a business attracts people we call it successful but when a church does it, there are morons out there who call it compromise! We do want people to come back, and we recognize that our style may not be for everyone but we work hard at trying to keep the environment clean, the kids ministry safe and the list goes on.
We have a purpose…we want people to experience the saving grace of Jesus Christ. We want to see marriages restored, addicts set free, we want to see the excluded included, we want to see teens and children make their faith their own. We want…well…I could go on and on. We have a purpose…and it’s not to be a group that gives our community the middle finger and tells them to go to hell because reaching them would make us uncomfortable! No, we invite all people to be a part…

So, here are some things I learned in our last five years at Soul.
Don’t say “we will never do _________.” BECAUSE…you probably will!

The more our church grows the bigger the target gets on our back. People who don’t even know you will form opinions of you based on something that they heard or thought they heard you said…and bloggers, pastors and such will make it their habit to read what you say/listen to you preach just so they can tear you down. May I quote Bono here “Christians are hard to tolerate, I don’t know how Jesus does it.” Thus, people will always misunderstand you…so I don’t waste a lot of time trying to explain myself.

I have also learnt that there is no formula for growing a church. In my case, the book and the movie are two very different things and comparing Soul Sanctuary to other churches will either lead to pride or feeling like a failure…I need to desperately seek Jesus consistently to see who HE has called US to be.

I need to learn from everyone…despite theological differences and I should spend way less time focusing on being “right” and way more time on being faithful. Add to that I don’t always have the best ideas. This list can go on but here is the bonus: the sleepless nights, the critics, the spiritual warfare, the long meetings, the frustration…IT’S ALL WORTH IT! When lives get changed, it’s worth it. When repentance takes place, it’s worth it! When hell becomes less crowded, it’s worth it. When marriages are restored, it’s worth it. When addicts are set free, it’s worth it. It is so worth everything we go through!!! SO…we won’t ever give up–EVER!

A breakfast speech you need to read...

Well, thank you, thank you Mr. President, First Lady, King Abdullah of Jordan, Norm [Coleman], 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 -- is leather. I'm certainly not here because I'm a rock star -- which leaves only one possible explanation: I've got a messianic complex. It's true. And anyone who knows me, it's hardly a revelation.

Well, I'm the first to admit that there's something unnatural, something even unseemly about rock stars mounting the pulpit and preaching at presidents -- and disappearing to their villas in the South of France. Talk about a fish out of water. It was weird enough to have Jesse Helms come to a rock show. This is really weird.

Now, one of the things I love about this country is the separation of Church and State and although I have to say in inviting me here both Church and State have been separated from something else completely: their -- 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 am Irish.

I'd like to talk about the -- the laws of man, here in this city, where those laws are written. I'd like to talk about higher laws. It would be great to assume that once there's the other, that the laws of man serve these higher laws, but, of course, they don't always. I presume that, in a way, is why you're all here. I presume the reason for this gathering is that all of us are here -- Muslims, Jews, Christians -- are all searching our souls for how to better serve our family, our community, our nation, our God. And some of us are not very good examples, despite what Norm [Coleman] says.

I am certainly searching, and that, I suppose, is what led me here. Yes, it is odd, having a rock star at the breakfast. But maybe it's odder for me than for you, because, you see, I've avoided religious people most of my life. Maybe it's something to do with having a father who was a Protestant and a mother who was a Catholic in a country where the line between the two was, quite literally, often a battle line; where the line between Church and State was, at the very least, a little blurry and hard to see.

I -- I -- 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 even in this country, seeing God's second-hand car salesmen on their TV cable channels offering indulgences for cash. In fact, all over the world -- seeing the self-righteous "roll down like a mighty stream," from certain corners of the religious establishment. I must confess, I changed the channel. I wanted my MTV.
So, even though I was a believer, and -- and perhaps because I was a believer, I was cynical -- not about God, but about God's politics. (There you are, Jim.)

In 1997, a couple of eccentric septuagenarian Christians -- British, as it happens -- went and ruined my shtick, my reproachfulness. They did it by describing the Millennium, the year 2000, as a Jubilee year; described this 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 Irish half-Catholic's point of view, may have had a little more of a direct line to the Almighty. But they got together to declare the Year of Jubilee.

It's a "Jubilee." Why "Jubilee?" What was this year of Jubilee, this year of our Lord's favor? I’d -- I'd always read the Scriptures, actually, 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."

This is such an important idea, Jubilee, that this is how Jesus begins his ministry. Jesus is a young man; he’s met with the rabbis; he's impressed everybody; people are talking. The elders say, he’s a clever guy, this Jesus, but -- you know -- he hasn’t done much public speaking.
When he does, his first words are from Isaiah: "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me," he says, "because He has anointed me to preach the good news to the poor." And Jesus proclaims the year of the Lord’s favor, the year of Jubilee. I think that's 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, is now 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 our distance -- ruining my shtick. I almost started to like these church people.

But then my cynicism got another helping hand. It was a -- It was Colin Powell, a five-star general, called the greatest W.M.D. [Weapon of Mass Destruction] of them all: a tiny little virus called A.I.D.S. And the religious community, in large part, missed it. And the ones that didn’t miss it could only see it as divine retribution for bad behavior -- even on children, even if the fastest growing group of HIV infections were married, faithful women.

Ah, there they go. Judgmentalism is back, I thought to myself. 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. They had conservative church groups hanging out with spokesmen from the gay community, all singing off the same hymn sheet on AIDS. See, miracles do happen. And we had hip-hop stars and country stars.

This is what happens when God gets on the move: crazy, crazy stuff happens.
Popes were seen wearing sunglasses! Jesse Helms had a ghetto blaster now! Evidence of the Spirit moving. It was really -- it was breathtaking. It literally stopped the world in its tracks.
When churches start demonstrating on debt, governments listened -- and acted. When churches started organizing, 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; and you changed the world. So, thank you.
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 -- may well be with us in all manner of controversial stuff. Maybe, maybe not. But the one thing we can all agree -- all faiths, all 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 yoke from your midst, the pointing of the finger and the speaking of 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 will become like midday and the Lord will continually guide you and satisfy your desire even in scorched places.¹
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. You know, the only time Jesus 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." [I] believe that's Matthew 25:40.

(See, I've been doing my homework.)

As I say, good news to the poor.

Here’s some good news for you, Mr. President. After 9-11, we were told America would have no time for the world’s poor. We were told 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 the global health -- for global health. And Mr. President, your emergency plan for AIDS relief and support of the Global Fund -- you and Congress -- has put 700,000 people onto life-saving anti-retroviral drugs and provided eight million bed nets to protect children from malaria.

Outstanding human achievements. Counterintuitive, I think you'll admit, but -- but -- but historic. You should be very, very proud.

But here’s the bad news. There’s so much more to do. There is a gigantic chasm between the scale of the emergency and the scale of the response.

And finally, getting to higher levels, higher callings: This is not about charity in the end, is it? It’s about justice. The good news yet to come. I just want to repeat that: This is not about charity, it’s about justice. And that’s too bad. Because we’re good at charity. Americans, Irish people, are good at charity. 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, and it questions our commitment. Six and a half thousand Africans are still dying every day of preventable, treatable disease, for lack of drugs we can buy at any drug store. 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 would let it happen anywhere else -- if we really accepted that Africans are equal to us.

I say that humbled in the company of a man with an African father.

Look what happened in South East Asia with the Tsunami. 150,000 lives lost to the misnomer of all misnomers, “mother nature”. Well, 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 in the ass. Seriously.

I mean you think of these Jewish sheep-herders going to meet with the Pharaoh, mud on their shoes, and the Pharaoh goes, “Equal? Equal?" And they say, "Yeah, that's what, that's what it says here in the Book, here. We're all made in the image of God, sir."

Eventually the Pharaoh says, “Look, I can accept that. I mean, I can accept the Jews -- but not the blacks. I mean, not the women. Not the gays. Not the Irish. No way.”
So on we go with the 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 -- five million by the next election, I promise you -- united in the belief that where you live should no longer determine whether you live.

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

Preventing the poorest of the poor from selling their products while we sing the virtues of the free market, that's not charity: That’s a justice issue. Holding children to ransom for the debts of their grandparents, that's not charity: That’s a justice issue. Withholding life-saving medicines out of deference to the Office of Patents, well that's not charity. To me, 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 laws of the land and then there's a higher standard. And we can hire experts to write them so they benefit us, these laws, so that they say it’s okay to protect our agriculture but it’s not okay for African farmers to protect their agriculture, to earn a living. As the laws of man are written, that’s what they say. But God will not accept that. Mine won’t. I don't -- will yours?
I close this morning on very thin -- thin ice, probably. This is a dangerous idea I’ve put on the table, here: my God versus your God, their God versus our God, versus no God. It's 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'm 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." It's not a Republican idea. It's not a Democratic idea. It's not even, with all due respect, an American idea; nor it is unique to any one faith.

"Do unto others as you would have them do to you." Jesus says that.²
"Righteousness is this: that one should give away wealth out of love for Him to the near of kin and to the orphans and the needy and the wayfarer and the beggars and for the emancipation of the captives." ³ The Koran says that.

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

It's a powerful incentive: "The Lord will watch your back." Sounds like a good deal to me, especially right now. (Right? The Lord will watch your back. [turning to President Bush] You like that. Okay.)

Alright.

A number of years ago, I met a wise man who changed my life -- in countless ways, big and small. I was always seeking the Lord’s blessing. I - I'd be saying, "Look, I've got a new song...Would you look out [for it]. I have a family; I'm going away on tour -- please look after them. I have this crazy idea. Could I have a blessing on it."

And this wise man asked me to 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, let's get involved in what God is doing. God, as I say, is always with the poor. That's what God is doing. That's 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. I mean -- I -- I -- How does that compare with the federal budget, the budget for the entire American family? How much of that goes to the poorest people in the world? Well, it's less than one percent of the federal budget.
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. And what is that one percent that we're asking for in the ONE campaign? It's not merely a number on a balance reader pulled out of the air. 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. One percent must not be -- or don't give it -- money down a rat hole. This one percent is digging waterholes to provide clean water...like I saw with Bill Frist, there, in -- Where was it? -- Uganda.

Okay, that's what we're after, folks.

One percent is a new partnership with Africa, not paternalism towards Africa; a new partnership with Africa, where increased assistance flows toward improved governance and initiatives with proven track records and away from the boondoggles and white elephants that we've seen before.

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 -- not just transform hundreds of thousands, indeed millions, of communities, but transform the way they see us, which might be smart in these dangerous times.

One percent is national security. One percent is 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.

Thank you very much.

(Delivered 2 February 2006 at The Hilton Washington Hotel by..... Bono)

Oh HELP!

Southlake company 1in3trinity announced that it will soon make available what it claims to be the first faith-inspired energy drink. No SERIOUSLY! That's a shaky claim, of course, because every other energy drink depends on the faith of consumers that a few milligrams of vitamins and less caffeine than a couple cups of coffee will actually have a discernible effect on the body.
Nutritional information and ordering information are available at the company's Web site .

The Apostle Paul was not available for comment, but we can't help but wonder if he'd have approved using the slogan "fruit of the spirit."

http://www.1in3trinity.com/

Thoughts?

Interesting Thought

Sometimes we don't need another chance to express how we feel or to ask someone to understand our situation. Sometimes we just need a firm kick in the pants. An unsmiling expectation that if we mean all these wonderful things we talk about and sing about, then lets see something to prove it.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Thoughts?

Monday Mind Dump That Leaves One Empty?

So, this week we looked at the song 'I still haven't found what I'm looking for' by U2, as we are walking toward Easter. Needless to say, it has been an interesting journey, even a tough one for me, in attempting to bridge culture and faith. The amount of emails and texts following the life lesson also, has been overwhelming...so, that got me thinking...here is a quote....

"I have never found anyone, however religious and devout, who did not sometimes experience withdrawal of grace, or feel a lessening of devotion. And no Saint has ever lived, however lightly rapt and enlightened, who did not suffer temptation sooner or later. For he is not worthy of high contemplation who has not suffered some trials for God’s sake. Indeed, the temptation that precedes is often a sign of comfort to follow. For heavenly comfort is promised to those who have been tried and tempted. ‘To him who overcomes,’ says God, ‘I will give to eat of the Tree of Life.’"

— Thomas A Kempis

Thoughts?

Cards People Play

I believe that there are a number of absolutely meaningless conversations that we should noty be involved in because…you can never win! What I have learned is that one cannot waste time arguing or even attempting to try to defend yourself (especially as a pastor) when it comes to certain accusations or claims. These topics will always exist in the church community but again, we should not waste our time with them. So allow me to introduce some conversations that I simply just avoid!

The Pride Card!
This is when people accuse you (me) of being full of pride or of just being arrogant….Now, I am all for people speaking into my life and give a few people permission to do so to rebuke and confront me when necessary, HOWEVER, when I hear this accusation it is usually in a time of vision casting especially to the direction of our community and some people just aren’t able to deal with it. I am convinced that a confident leader (and there are many in our city) will always be perceived by those who do not like the direction set or are not personally catered too in the decision making process, will make the accusation that the leader is full of pride. When someone tells you that you are full of pride, you simply cannot refute them–you just can’t, so don’t even try! Just walk away.

For me, what really adds to the fire is when people who are not even a part of our community begin to shoot down GOD’s direction for our community and when you refuse to give them an ear…you are considered arrogant! Whatever….walk way.

The Depth Card!
This card used to really bother me whenever it was played. I am a passionate person (contrary to popular misbelief) and my responsibility is to be faithful to my GOD and to be consumed with what he has place inside my heart. I have always attempted to show people just how real and even practical the scriptures are and when someone would tell me “you are not deep enough” it used to crush me, and get me into a Lou Ferrigno fit! I actually began looking at the type of people who play this card and realized that they were usually someone who was more obsessed with information but really cared little about transformation. Although I highly discourage engaging any conversation with people who play this card, there is one question you can ask before the conversation is over and it is… “Can you define ‘DEEP’ for me?” The response that you will get is usually a blank stare and a lot of “ummmmmms.” If I can make a judgment call here (oh, that word just sent a few of you off!): Many people who play the “deep card” are (READ CAREFULLY) actively doing nothing for Christ. They think that the more they know, the more like Christ they are becoming. If you think about it, Satan knows more about Christ…but he doesn’t follow through on what he knows.

So, the person who knows what they should be doing, but suppresses that by saying they want to go “deeper” and know more; aren’t they actually becoming more like Satan! (It is just a joke…relax). I have to realize that if people are not satisfied with the “depth” of my preaching or teaching, then I just have to be OK with that and also realize that most of us are educated way beyond our level of obedience! We can spend our entire life trying to impress those already in the Kingdom with our knowledge…what’s the point with that? Walk away.

The Discipleship Card!
Ask someone to define what making a disciple is and they will usually respond with a blank stare. Should we want to grow in our faith? Without question. Should the church provide an atmosphere for this to take place? Without question, however it is not the church's job to MAKE people grow, but rather to provide the environment for it. What I find bothersome are the accusations that the church doesn’t disciple. This is usually an accusation from someone who isn’t discipling anyone themselves and simply loves to sit around and complain about what they perceive to be the problem. Finally this person usually throws the argument out there like, “I’m not being fed!” Which actually is a reflection of their pitiful spiritual condition! I can understand if you are a baby...but even my preteens know enough to go to the fridge on thier own to get some food. Enough said….walk away.

The God Card!
This is when people say that God “told” them to do something, or said something to them and many times…you just happen to be involved in this conversation without your knowledge. Really?! How can anyone move beyond that card? So, if God is speaking to you, should He not also be speaking to me or the others that are involved in this conversation? I am of the mind that when GOD speaks to an individual it is purely subjective. It is a personal conversation between you and Him. However, if you are going to bring that conversation up to other people (publically) then at that point it is open to questioning; after all 1 Thessalonians 5:11 tells us to “Test everything. Hold on to the good.” So in the process of testing, we should have the ability to question what you believe God told you? If it concerns me or someone else, should we not also be hearing the same thing from God? If we are not, maybe it was the pizza and cucumbers from the night before 'speaking' to you? Unfortunately, many people use the God Card like a trump card…and you just cannot argue or win or even have an intelligent conversation with someone who plays it. So, when someone tells me “God told” them…I usually stand there and smile and realize that chances are, the conversation is over and I walk away.

Those are my thoughts! Do I really want to hear yours?

Random Thought

When God wants to bless you, how does He do it? He sends people into your life.

When the devil wants to destroy you, how does He do it? He sends people!

Looking in, Looking out, a different perspective

I am having problems embedding videos into this blog. Sorry about that. Click on this link and tell me what you think?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cdrCalO5BDs

Thoughts?

Looking In, Looking Out, Looking back....

I had the opportunity to see how another part of the world operates and just how blessed we in North America really are. As we went down to Ecuador as sponsors of Compassion International, I have come back with many mixed feelings and many opinions. Sharon and I had the opportunity to share our experience this last Sunday and now, I am reflecting not just the trip but our stories.

I can honestly say how grateful I am for going on this trip and seeing how things are done and how the children are cared for, but again, I am startled by the fact that we can still do more. This is not a ‘guilt trip post,’ but one to get people thinking beyond themselves, especially in our culture.

I am still choked up by a text I received on Sunday that said “People say we can’t afford to do this (Sponsor Children), but how can we afford not too?”

Having compassion on people should be something that believers must be doing all the time. Having compassion on someone can be time consuming, expensive, and just plain hard—on everyone involved. Compassion just does not mean people in a third world country, but also those in our inner city and province who have found themselves in a bad position.

I am interested to know your thoughts when it comes to showing compassion to our society around us.

My prayer has been “Let my heart be broken with the things that break the heart of God.”

Thoughts?

Ecuador

Off to Ecuador for a little bit!

Big THANK YOU for Compassion International for making this trip possible.

If we have any internet access where we are at, I will add to the comments!

Commitment

Last week I said…
“Yet, a lot of people say they attend “church,” but few have made the commitment to a faith community. “So Gerry, what you are saying it is not enough to say they attend?” YES. I am, it’s a commitment to the community! And when you do that you are also committing yourself to be on a path to spiritual growth and accountability.”

There are many people who are just “dating” a church. It’s an interesting deal. We have a lot of first time people. It’s like the first date. People go and check other churches out then each side spends time trying to figure each other out. It’s even legitimate to go on a second, third, fourth, fifth, maybe even a sixth date! But there comes a point in dating a church, like there is a point in a dating relationship with another person, where you need to have to have the conversation. You know, where you have to Define The Relationship. It’s like—“are we just going to continue to date or is there more here than just us hanging out together?” I think it was a question Sharon asked me… Are we going to commit? I mean, there has to be some kind of give and take. So it is with the church. It’s okay to date the church for a while. But after a reasonable period, shouldn’t you just have this defining conversation? You see, a lot of people like to date the church because it keeps them positioned as “outsiders.” They are up there in the stands, they aren’t down in the game. They are just consumers. They’re not really contributors. They are observers. They aren’t participants. So, a lot of people like to stay in the dating area. News flash: The church is not better off because you come and occupy a seat.

I would like to know your thoughts…

Happy New Year

So, as you look ahead...what are your prayer requests?

Thoughts for the New Year

Thanks to all those who commented in the last post.

Here are some new questions for 2009.

What is the one thing that you want to accomplish this upcoming year?

What is the one thing that you would like to see happen? (a very general question)

What are your thoughts?

Many people stumble across this blog for a variety of reasons from all over the world. What I would like to do is invite all who read this to simply, and even anonymously, post the answer to this question:

WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS RIGHT NOW?

The topic is whatever you are thinking!

So, is this what Christmas is about?

A while back I had the opportunity to read the story of Brian "Head" Welch, who was the guitarist of the band Korn. Here is the book in a short version...from the website I AM SECOND...

http://www.iamsecond.com/#/seconds/Brian_Welch/

So, is this what Christmas is all about?
Thoughts?

Kenya Update.....

Just in.... please remember Bernie and Celia in your prayers.

"Dear Friends and Family

We received the very sad and shocking news that Josephine, our senior teacher at the school, died last night. I only just found out yesterday afternoon that she was very ill and I phoned her straightaway. She was in the local district hospital waiting for the results of an X-ray they'd done on her chest. She was breathing in short breaths and sounded terrible. She told me that last week she had suddenly felt a sharp pain in her chest and then was unable to stand or walk. At the hospital they told her that her heart seemed to be getting bigger but they didn't really have a clue. I urged her to go to the mission hospital at Kijabe (about 40 minutes away from us) as it's a much better hospital. I was very worried about her and had a sense of foreboding. I rang her again in the evening when I knew that our cook, Joram, was going round to see her.

She was back at home. It turned out that they couldn't find anyone in the hospital to read the X-ray results and wanted to keep her in hospital until such a person turned up. She told them that she wanted to leave and try to go to Kijabe Hospital. She sounded better on the phone and told me she was planning to go to Kijabe Hospital the next day. I then received a call at 1.15 am telling me that she had died. Her husband also called me at 6 am to give me the news.

To be honest, I feel completely devastated. Josephine was more than a teacher in the school, she was a dear friend. I used to have lots of chats with her and trusted her and valued her wisdom. Somehow, after you'd spent a little time with Josephine you felt that the world was a better place. She had a strong faith which amazed and challenged me frequently. The children at the school also loved her: she was fun, caring and so concerned about each child's progress. I will miss her terribly. I know that all of her colleagues at work feel the same; we don't know quite what we're going to do without her. I wish that I had known about this sooner, I wish that I had done more, I wish, I wish. I feel full of self recriminations. We managed to rescue her at the beginning of the year during the clashes, so why couldn't we have done something to stop this happening?

If this is the way that we feel, then how much worse must her poor family feel? She leaves behind her husband, Philip; little Marianne, 3, who was coming to our school; Winnie, 8, who is Abbie's best friend; and Sharon, 14, her eldest daughter. Josephine and her family became intertwined with our lives especially from the beginning of this year when she came to take refuge here after the violence. Her family has suffered so much this year, they lost everything they owned and now they've lost their wife/mother. It's too sad.

The other day I dreamt that a Tsunami was coming. I was trying to warn people to get to higher ground but no one was listening. Maybe this is it. It certainly feels like a tidal wave has hit us. One thing is for certain: Josephine is in a place now where she won't be having to face life's Tsunamis anymore. I just wish that we could have got everyone to higher ground with this one.

It has surely been a tough year this year. And now, after we say goodbye to a colleague and friend, we will have to start looking for a suitable replacement, a task which fills me with dread.

Thank you for listening.

God bless.

Celia"

The Meaning of Christmas?

OK…we can now rest for a month until parliament reconvenes. So, I am changing the topic:

Every year as we approach this season we call Christmas, I ask a simple question... “What for? What is all this for?” I do not want to sound like a scrooge....maybe I do.....wait, I guess I must only be happy if I am spending money on something that no one really needs or wants!
What for? I guess this is what Christmas is all about!

Watch the video, and would love to hear your thoughts.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K14c4NGuhDI

Prorogue

So, our government has moved to prorogue Parliament. Here is a new thread to express your thoughts...

Your thoughts on Canada?

With what is happening in Ottawa right now places us in a unique position as Canadians in this moement of history. I know that our spiritual community is made up of all types of political leanings and I tend to stay away from mixing the Bible and the Pulpit...but now, I would like to hear your opinions. (Tastfully)

Thoughts?

Thought of the day?

So once again...people get needled on a Sunday morning. Here is a quote from the life lesson..."very often the way God would have us go is the most sensible way that we would have chosen anyhow. It is only when God wishes us to depart from the expected that we should look for guidance that is spectacular or unusual. I wonder if the church spends too much time looking for GOD in the bizarre and spectacular and we miss Him whispering at us in the every day?"

Thoughts?

WORDS! Do I have your attention now?

Take some time to read through Jeremiah and Ezekiel and you will notice that God seems to be saying the word “whore” a lot to describe how He felt about Israel. Wow, God said ‘whore!’ God (through His inspired authors) uses the term many times throughout the Old Testament. If you think of it, the usage of certain words in our culture tend to slap us in the face to get our attention. I wonder if that is what is going on here?

But the usage of strong words by GOD doesn’t stop in the Old Testament. Look at Jesus! In Matthew 23 he calls the religious leaders of the day “snakes!” (Oooooooo that hurt!) Actually, it was a very strong word for that period of time. When you called a person a snake (in this time and culture) it had reference to Genesis 3 and Adam and Eve’s sin. Jesus was calling these people 'devils!' Jesus goes on throughout the gospels and uses many terms to get people’s attention and to rattle their cage. Even Paul in Galatians 5 makes some statements that will make most men blush. Again, I am reminded that he was inspired by GOD to write…right? (2 Peter 1:20-22)

So…God said called Israel a “whore,” called the religious leaders “snakes” and told religious people to basically go ahead and cut it off; so much for the safe, gentle and predictable God that most churches portray.

What is the point? There are times that a speaker is called/impressed/inspired to say things that will shock and offend people…and that is OK. I don’t personally think a speaker should ever try to be shocking just for the sake of doing so, (I have heard my fair share)…but I do believe, according to Scripture, that there are times when controversial and bold statements need to be made! I often feel that I need to warn people and place a disclaimer in at the beginning of the life lesson…why? Because I know that people will be offended by what I am about to say and it is sometimes easier to take when you know it is coming.

I have used strong language or words in the past…and it has caused a stir. I will often hear from people…”I can’t believe you said that!” My response is “The fact is, we all thought it…I just brought it to the table for discussion.” I do not think that as pastors we need to go out and try to shock or offend people on purpose…but if we are faithful in preaching the scriptures then it is only natural that people will be shocked and offended. “Well, Gerry you often repeat yourself as well!” Have you ever thought that you never got it the first time?

Again, I am reminded of the saying that "I am called to comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable."

Funny thing is…the comfortable, will always walk away…

Church and Starbucks

I need to thank a friend for the link to this clip! THANKS ROB! Rob is a pastor in Ottawa and has a passion for reaching bikers for Christ! His blog is http://www.robdale.ca

Anyway, I made a post on my Facebook a while ago; and in a moment of silliness I posted that "Tim's was the Starbucks of the middle class." Needless to say there were a number of responses on my Facebook and I realized very quickly that many people have no sense of humour! ANYWAY

Watch this...I would love your thoughts...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D7_dZTrjw9I

Personalities BEHIND the Screen

I am one who has a Facebook account, however I am very careful as to what personal information is posted on this trolling tool (www.soulpastor.blogspot.com/2007_10_01_archive.html).

I personally have never taken Facebook seriously but have been intrigued as to how much people personally self disclose. The deeper we sail into the new online world of communications, the sadder I get about its future. I’m OK with criticism, I’m fine with disagreement, I’m perfectly capable of handling angry notes, that’s not the issue here but what’s really stunning is how hostile people are to each other online these days.

The last two weeks, because of imposed boredom of being at a mandatory conference, I needed some fun in my life and began to “update my status” and was amazed at the responses that began to pour in…PEOPLE, Don’t you work!? I began to continue some “status” thoughts with the US election running hard. Again, I am amazed at the responses of people. All of a sudden, I realize that once again, there is etiquette that is needed on the web and that people should not be so serious and personal on such an impersonal sites.

Without question, Facebook is a community of “FRIENDS” but are they really your friends? How many people really know your birthday? How many friend requests does one get from people you do not even know? How many friend requests do you get from people you want to stay away from? Anyway, after the election and messing with people and wanting to be the pope, I thought that should toss out a reminder of internet guidelines and hear your thoughts.

I believe it is important to understand the culture and the community that you are a part of. Every site and community has a different flavor. Myspace is different than FaceBook, Yahoo 360 is different than Linked-In and then add the world of blog spheres. They not only have different technical platforms, they have different personalities on both sides of the controls. One moment you may be having a chat about the latest gadget and political joke on site A, and the other moment you will find insult on answering questions or discussing personal topics.

When you get online, don't try to fake it. There are plenty of people who recognize you from other social circles and environments. What you say online will be noticed in the other circles. It may not be written in the text on screen, but people will take note of places you have long forgotten. I believe that we need to treat people like you were having a face to face meeting. So many people become rude or negative online when they would never do so in the real world. There is a tendency in the web world to make hasty statements or jump to conclusions and coming off like an idiot.

I am convinced that on the Internet, you are anonymous, (to some degree). Since you don’t have to face the person you’re talking to, you don’t see any reason to display courtesy. Because you are somewhat anonymous, you worry that your comments might get lost in the shuffle, so you lay it on thick to enhance your notability.

Many people who spend lots of time online are, in essence, replacing in-person social interactions with these online exchanges (OUCH). With so much less experience conversing in the real world, they haven’t picked up on the value of treating people civilly. That is, they haven’t yet hit the stage of life when getting things like friends, a spouse and a job depend on what kind of person you are.

People used to dream of a ‘global village’ (Marshall McLuhan), where maybe we can work out our differences, where direct communication might make us realize that we have a lot in common after all, no matter where we live or what our beliefs. But instead of finding common ground, we’re finding new ways to spit on the other guy, to push them away. The web makes it easier to attack, not to embrace.

So people, first write your responses or posts in a Word .doc file. This enables you to have a handy reference guide to proper English, grammar and spelling so you really do not look all that stupid. Try and gauge the community before posting. Don't just jump in and shoot off your thoughts. Who is posting? Do they know you? Do you have a relationship off line so that you can further the conversation? Remember the interpretation! We read messages shared in text form based on whatever mindset we are in at the moment. Don’t forget that if I’m in a bad mood, or reading in a hurry I might interpret your sarcastic humor as plain rudeness. Try to remember this reality when you type messages.

People often get grumpy for all the wrong reasons. In a written environment, people often fall prey to a few words that flavor an entire relationship. One brief statement does not make a relationship, nor does it create one. A relationship is made by a consistent level of interaction over a period of time.

Expressing your thoughts are important but make sure what you've written is relevant and encourages people to continue the discussion. Online communities can be amazing tools for making connections for business and personal interests, yet it can also be a detriment to how you are perceived. If you post offensive content, pretend to be someone else (my personal angst), or try to annoy others it can get ugly. It's not worth it and no-one will think you are funny. Have some common decency when you write a post. Don't patronize people with false concern by writing "Sorry, but you're wrong." Don't insult people's views that differ than yours, people deserve respect, and chances are...you are wrong! :)

Be sensitive, if you do step across someone's line, apologize! Treat everyone online as if you are dealing with a REAL friend. Do not take your preconceptions into the conversation. If they say they are offended, offer an apology and move on. If you don't understand a question or comment, ask for clarification rather than posting a knee jerk response.

If all else fails, enjoy a cup of coffee! There are bigger issues in life. I like St. Arbucks.