The Guardian

Last Sunday we looked at the movie The Guardian and attempted to draw out some biblical themes…there was one last clip that I purposely left out so that I could blog about it. Let me set up the scene. In this scene Ben Randall appears to be “passing the mantle” to his former student Jake Fisher, the new rescue swimmer asks about that mysterious number, the one spoken of in hushed voices at the Coast Guard elite training school. Is it 200 lives, or 300 or more that Ben has saved? What is his number?

Young Jake, has graduated and been assigned to Alaska with his Senior Chief Ben. They are having a discussion in a locker room and Jake asks the question he has wanted to know throughout the movie…

(Jake) "I've got to know; How many saves did you have?" After a long pause, Ben says "22".

"22!” Jake says in a somber moder.
“Not bad...it's not 200." Jake is taken aback; you can see the wheels turning as he imagines how easily that record will be broken.

Ben’s explanation shakes him back to reality
"22 losses" Ben says. “That’s the count of the ones I didn’t save. It's the only number I kept track of."

In the powerful silence that follows, the implications are clear: Ben never bothered to count the hundreds of souls he snatched from a watery death, but he carries the weight of every individual life that might have made it but didn’t.

So when people ask "Hey Gerry, how big is Soul Sanctuary?" my response will be "over 600,000". " I can see it now… “600,000! Impossible!" No church in Winnipeg is that big!” “Gerry, why are you so focused on numbers?”

But “over 600,000” is the population of the city I live in. It's the approximate number of people that are still ‘lost.’ It's the only number I as a pastor really need to keep track of. In other words, my ministry will not be shaped by the number of people in our church--the number of saves-- but by how many more GOD wants to reach. One hand at a time.....

Thoughts?

Call to Prayer and Fasting!

Fasting is a spiritual discipline that our culture will not make easy for us. WE LOVE FOOD. In fact, the messages of almost every commercial urge us to buy, buy and buy and eat, eat and eat. Oh, and I love to eat!

But this post is to call our community and our readers to prayer and fasting. OK, the prayer is easy but what is fasting for? Since our community is seriously considering purchasing a building we are desiring the direction and blessing of GOD on this process. So, we call you the reader to not only pray but also set a time aside to fast.

The primary purpose of fasting is for focusing on God. If you do fast, you find out early on, the pangs of hunger may serve as reminders to focus our hearts on God. As we develop in this practice, fasting will result in an increasing spiritual sensitivity. We will be more "tuned in" to the Spirit's leading. We will be more aware of our own inner condition. We will be more aware of the needs of others.

When Jesus was fasting in the desert he was tempted to turn stones into loaves of bread, but he said, "Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God" (Matthew 4:4). Another time, Jesus' disciples urged Jesus to eat some food (here, Jesus was not said to be fasting), he responded, "I have food to eat that you know nothing about…My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish the work" (John 4:32,34). In abstaining from food and/or drink, we discover an alternative source of strength.

One reason to fast is to eliminate the things that keep us from experiencing the fullness of life in God. Through this practice of abstaining from food and/or drink, God can break our bondage to satisfying ourselves. Fasting reveals the things that control us.

Fasting will reveal much more than our dependence on food. As we focus on the character and presence of God instead of food, our character will be revealed to us. We will have a heightened spiritual awareness not only of God, but of our own hearts. As Richard Foster writes, "Anger, bitterness, jealousy, strife, fear-if they are within us, they will surface during fasting." This is a benefit to us because with these things revealed, they can also be addressed.
Fasting is not commanded, but is assumed. Jesus said, "When you fast…" (Matthew 6:16). As with any discipline, there is the danger to turn it into law, but we must not make it so. Fasting is not for impressing others. Jesus essentially said, "When you fast, don't make a big show of it." If you fast, it does not make you superior to others. In fact, if you think yourself better than others because of it, that will only display your spiritual poverty.

Fasting is not magic. The teaching of some may imply that fasting can be used to influence God to act. We do not go on hunger strikes to force God's hand-that is an attempt to manipulate God. Neither do we need to make extravagant pleas to move Him to action (Consider the parable of widow and judge in Luke 18:2-8; also Jesus teaching about prayer in Matthew 6:7-8 and 7:7-12). Fasting is not to try to get God to change his mind, but to help us "see more clearly" what God is doing.

How do we fast?
1) Keep your focus. As you begin the practice of fasting it will be important to keep reminding yourself of the purpose of fasting. Your body will argue (grumbling, weakness, headaches), but don't let those things distract you from your goal. Allow them to serve as reminders to pray or to be still before God.

2) Start out small. Take baby steps into it by fasting one or two meals, one day a week. Then you may increase that as is appropriate (read Richard Foster's book, Celebration of Discipline and the chapter on fasting).

3) Meditate on Jesus' teaching and practice of fasting along with related Scriptures. Read Matthew 4:1-11, 6:16-18, 9:15; John 4:42-34; Luke 12:22-34; Phil 3:19; Rom 16:17-18; 1 Cor 6:12-13).

Thoughts?

Teaching in the Classroom

Summer is over and school is starting and I am just getting back into routine. So, as I was doing that, I had the opportunity to be a guest on our local radio station CJOB with Richard Cloutier.

(You can listen to the show via the audio vault: Sept 2/10 am)

The subject of the morning was talking about sex with kids, specifically in the school system. It was felt that attitudes have positively changed regarding sex and its discussion with parents. Today, kids and parents are more likely to communicate regarding the issue but most kids and parents will say that it is not a comfortable or easy conversation.

However, with all the openness regarding sexuality in the media and airwaves one school division in Winnipeg has The “HAM rule.” This rule basically says that teachers are not to talk about homosexuality, abortion and masturbation unless the kids bring it up. And if the kids bring it up the teachers are warned not to offer a personal opinion. What!!!? No personal opinion! How can one not have a personal opinion on these issues?

I realize, as a parent, that when a teacher pours into my kids they are pouring more than just unbiased facts, whether I like it or not they are pouring their own biases. I am wondering what you think about this topic? I know that many of you are educators and your opinion is valued. Thoughts?

Summer is Almost Gone

Summer is almost over and school is soon to start for many. I would like to say thank you for all who have been patient waiting for me to post. I have been just trying to unplug a bit and will be back at it in September.

Every once in a while I get a great quote thrown across my screen and here it is...

Many of us would rather watch a noisy demonstration of miracles, signs and wonders than have a quiet Bible study. Yet we are faced today with the sad reality that our untempered zeal is a sign of immaturity. Our adolescent craving for the wild and crazy makes us do stupid things. It's way past time for us to grow up.

Now, let me say that in no way am I anti charismatic, actually quite the opposite contrary to some people's opinion! What are your thoughts on this quote?

Are you listening? Part 2

Hi

All is well here. Very busy though. But what else is new? I have to stop saying that. People will start wondering. After all, everybody's busy nowadays! Too busy.

We're doing concrete work today. The floor slab for the final floor of the large building is going in today. I think it will be (at least) a two day job. They have to throw the cement up grade, one shovel at a time, in order to get it up to the fourth floor. I can't imagine people even DREAMING about doing it that way in Canada! Very labour intensive. We need to maybe see if we can get a winch lift or something the next time. Incredible amount of work!

We don't want to go through the same thing as last time, where people "striked" on us, refused to finish the job. So this time we tried to just find people whom we know. We pray, in that way, that we've avoided hiring any trouble makers. Prior to working I then got everybody to agree to the terms and sign a paper. It's not worth the paper it's written on, but it's better than nothing I guess. Anything just to prevent the problems that so many people have here in ********* when they do concrete work. It's awful! We had over 200 people outside the gate waiting for a job this morning. When our foreman opened the gate to let one person in, they all stormed into the centre. Once they do that they then insist that you MUST hire them. So I immediately went to the gate and threw them all out. At least they listened to me. We were then able to get the people in that we wanted, one by one. What a drama!

In addition to the local people, we also have about 13 people from the refugee camp whom we've been able to give a temporary job. They are so glad for that! Dad's even been able to hire two of the pastors to help, including the guy who lost a hand in ******. He used to be a construction supervisor apparently and thought he'd never be able to do that type of work again. So he is so grateful for the opportunity!

Since we now have a cook we're also able to provide all the workers with a cooked meal. Even have some meat in the meal which is a special treat. The cook tells me it's "African meat". You wouldn't get me eating it! It's pieces of stomach, stuff like that. All the things that are cheap but at least give the flavour of meat. And that's what people like, especially as meat is so expensive!
53 people working up there today! It'll cost us about 60,000 Ksh (at least!) on labour alone to finish that slab. A lot of money. But it'll be good to get that done. Then we can put the walls up for the final floor, and then the roof.

The drama continues down at the Kedong Camp. The police came at night again and tried to get people to get into lorries so that they could be transported "elsewhere". They refused. The police then returned in the morning, yesterday, and confiscated all the tents and other shelters people had set up, including some personal effects, threw them into a waiting lorry and drove off with them. Now the owners wonder if they'll ever get their stuff back. They don't even know where it was taken. Anybody else doing stuff like that, it would be considered theft. But of course, not the police. So people are starting to get tired and slowly are drifting away. Nobody is taking any notice of their plight. It really is sad! We went down yesterday and gave out some food and some more clothing. Someone from our church had donated some brand new stuff. Lovely clothes! People were so grateful! It made it all worthwhile.

Anyway, that's just an update from us. Hope you and yours are doing well.

God bless

Kenya Update

So, it is summer and I will be a little late posting my updates...but keep the replies coming!

So, Kenya....here is one of two emails from our 'friends' in Kenya.

Dear Friends and Family,

Shortly after 06:00 AM this morning my mobile phone rang. "Of all the…!" Why do people always insist on calling us so early? There's no such thing as office hours. We get phone calls at any time of day or night. It gets rather tiring. So I turned my phone off – which in this case happened to be the wrong thing to do. But I only found out about that this evening.

I was just returning ******, (a teacher), when the chairman of the.... refugee camp came up and told me what had happened at the other refugee camp. All of the inhabitants of the Kedong camp – the one set up by the flower farms for many of their employees – were supposed to have left last weekend. We had been to the camp last week to give out some clothes to some of the more desperate souls still there. On Monday I went to see what was happening and found a few tents remaining, about 100 people. I spoke to the camp chairman, and he told me that those still in the camp had nowhere to go. None of them had a job and all of their businesses had been destroyed. Nor did they have anywhere to go in their tribal ancestral homeland.

That all changed today. The camp inhabitants had a rude awakening when the police and DO (District Officer) showed up at 0430 this morning to throw them out. This wasn't just a courtesy call. The police meant business. They went from tent to tent, tore them out of the ground, and threw the people's meagre possessions about, indifferent to what was damaged or destroyed. In the process one little boy's arm was broken. But that didn't stop the police. In the end everybody was thrown out of the camp and out onto the road. There they were left, to fend for themselves.

That's when ****** tried to call me. The news was all the more shocking as we know some of the people who were involved in the attack. ****** himself has expressed the desire to join one of the courses we are running here at the centre for the displaced people from the camps. He just needed to sort out first what he was going to do, where he was going to live.

By the time I heard what had happened it was already dark – too dangerous for me to be travelling about. I needed to leave the ***** camp and get back to the centre. I'll head down to the other camp first thing tomorrow morning to see if there is anything we can do. But for now the refugees will have to find a place beside the road to sleep. Some will now be taken to their tribal ancestral homes where they will be "dumped" (their words, not mine). Others are still waiting to find out what other options they may have.

The displaced who are living in the other camp in ****** are now all terrified. They fear that the police will come and do the same thing to them. And, like the stragglers at Kedong, they too feel they have nowhere to go. But the government is desperate to close the camps. As long as people are in these camps it shows that there is a problem.

On another note, there is a cholera outbreak in our area, from Naivasha to Nakuru. The news reports that 4 people died today in Naivasha and more than 50 have been admitted into hospital. It's all the more worrying as there is a large open sewerage leak in one part of town! The stink is bad enough. But now with cholera in town, it's downright worrying!

This week a couple from our church, good friends, were attacked by four thugs (one with a gun). Fortunately they were able to get away from the carjackers. Our friend's arm was quite badly cut by the flying glass from a broken window but they were otherwise okay. Praying for God's protection is a very real and necessary part of our lives here!

And so our work continues. Thank you for thinking of us and remembering us in your prayers.

God bless

Thoughts on Discipleship

Discipleship, what is it? Many are talking about it, but many do not have a workable definition that eventually leads to a desired result, even I don’t! Wait, maybe I do…I “believe that we exist to walk with people, guiding them into a growing relationship with Jesus Christ, nurturing them towards a Christ-like maturity and equipping them for ministry to release them into the world.”

So a while back I threw open the idea that I wanted to make myself available to “do life” with a number of men from our community. So, here I am trying to meet with a number of individuals and find it incredibly difficult to connect, other than the internet!!!!!

Here are some of my thoughts and I would love to read some of yours.
(For some of you read CAREFULLY [that may mean s-l-o-w-l-y as well] before your respond)

I, and many other believers are following Jesus and living life as broken, fractured people – and by that I don’t mean that we are bad people; we are redeemed and we have a position, a new identity in Christ, so I’m not talking about walking in shame and guilt when I say that - but what I am saying is that we are still broken. We are not fully reclaimed. We are, thank God, redeemed, and there is a difference. But the process, or this theological concept is what we call sanctification and it is ongoing and lifelong.

So, in a nutshell I wonder if being a disciple of Jesus is messy? I know in Christianity we want things nice and neat and churchy, PERFECT almost like 'Shiny happy People' but hear me out! While following Jesus is a passion, following Him is a daily struggle, a daily commitment (Just drive the streets of Winnipeg). Even as a pastor, I think about my own life and how much further “down the road” I should be and I’m not. So, before you start criticizing those of us who take discipleship very seriously because we refuse to make it a program or a religious process or a set of rules, or a book where you fill in the blanks remember, being a disciple of Jesus Christ is messy.

It is wonderful. It is worth it. It is fascinating. It is a blessing. It is life changing. But at times we gain and then lose ground, we step forward and then fall back, we attempt to step over it and then sometimes we end up stepping in it. I wonder if the key here is not the process, but progress.

So, if you’ve made progress in your walk with God as a spiritual being then you’re a disciple, and you’re in the process that the theologians call sanctification. One day we will be fully restored to a glorious state. But today you feel like a mess, and if you feel like a mess, that is OK. OH, I said it!!!!!! Yes, even if you feel like a mess, there is someone who is there to walk with you…carry you…be with you…pray for you…encourage you…help you…listen to you… and the list goes on…sometimes all we have to do is just ask.

Thoughts?

Monday Mind Dump

One of the greatest privileges I have is to be a Dad. I have four great sons: Joshua, Jordan, James and Jesse. It has been the joy of my life to be their father. They are wonderful young men and I couldn’t be prouder of all of them and then to see three of them playing at Soul on Sunday in the band. I love my kids because they are all very different and they all have great hearts, amazing talents, they are strong, and smart; all a winning combination.

One of the things I have to admit regarding Father’s Day, is that while I love being a father, I haven’t always been a good one. I’ve been too flawed, and too self-centered and selfish too much of the time. So on Father’s Day when we thank fathers for all that they do, why don’t we as fathers take time to re-double our effort to be the godly men that our children need and deserve?

My prayer or my pledge to my boys is that I will love them, lead them, bless them, to pick them up when they fall, and to follow their lead when they outrun me, as they’ve already begun doing, and I will also love thier mother.


On a separate note!

"The greatest opposition to what God is doing today comes from those who were on the cutting edge of what God was doing yesterday." - R.T. Kendall, pastor of Westminster Chapel

Well Said....

I get confused at times...really I do. I get confused how people "do church." I wrote a post a while back on McChurch but recently an fellow blogger wrote one that I found interesting.

Give it is a read and tell me what you think....

http://www.kinnon.tv/2008/06/whats-wrong-wit.html

Tattoo Testimonies

Tattoo's, currently a cultural phenomena, yet something that has a history! I received an email that got me thinking and the email went like this...

Hi Gerry,
Sunday {at Soul} I met a young woman who had an amazing Tattoo on her left arm. Chatting with her a little during the coffee break this crazy thought hit me. Could we do a "Tattoo Testimony" service . . . or something similar, where we get those folks from Soul with Ink to share the meaning behind their artwork.

This young woman had her Tattoo done in Indonesia, and although I didn't get any details, I walked away knowing there was a story behind it. It would be a very cool opportunity for people that aren't really "mainstream" in the church to get the opportunity to share their story and journey. I have three Tattoos and they all have meaning and a story to them.

So this got me thinking...why tattoos? and what is the story behind them? I would like to know...

Personally, there is no way that you would stick me a thousand times to leave a mark that Goof Off couldn't remove! Ok, fine...I hate needles....but I am still a man! So, I threw this thought out on Sunday and I promptly recieved and email that went like this...

"Pastor Gerry, On the topic of tattooing- I quote Lev.19:28 'You shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead, nor tattoo any marks on you.' However, I do believe in the temporary kind of tattoo, the impression of my hand on the BUTT of my child. this kind of tattoo is visible for a short time but has lasting results in responsive children who now serve the Lord and minister to people. MOM ."

Ummmmmmm......

What are your thoughts?

New Thought!

That cartoon made me snicker! Thought I would share it and it has nothing to do what I am going to write about.

I have a collection of old books and everyone once in a while I pull one out and read it, along with the 5 other books that I am reading. I was struck on a quote in a small daily devotional. The topic is on holiness...here it is and I would love to hear your response....

"One great characteristic of holiness is never to be exacting - never to complain. Each complaint drags us down a degree, in our upward course. If you would discern in whom God's spirit dwells, watch that person, and notice whether you ever hear them murmur."

Gold Dust - (seriously, that is the name attributed to the quote)

Thoughts?

Interesting Quote

In the industry of rock, Alice Cooper has been quoted in the book "Life on Plant Rock" by Lonn Friend. I would love to hear your thoughts...

"I was pretty much convinced all my life that there was just one God, and there was Jesus Christ, and there was the devil. You couldn't believe in God without believing in the devil. I always tell bands that the most dangerous thing you can do is to believe in the concept of the devil or the concept of God, because you aren't giving them full credit.

When you believe in God, you've got to believe in the all-powerful God. He's not just God, he's the all-powerful God, and he has total control over everyone's life. The devil on the other hand, is a real character that's trying his hardest to tear your life apart. If you believe that this is just mythology, you're a prime target, because you know that's exactly what Satan wants: to be a myth. But he's not a myth, of this I'm totally convinced of that.

So here we are. We have God pulling us one way and the devil pulling us another, and we're in the middle. We have to make a choice. And everyone, at some point in their life, has to make that choice. When people say, "How do you believe this? Why do you believe this?" I just say nothing else speaks to my heart. This doesn't speak to my intellect, it doesn't speak to my logic-it speaks right to my heart and right to my soul, deeper than anything I've ever thought of. And I totally believe it. That being said, I'm not a very good Christian. I mean, none of us are ever good Christians. That's not the point. When you're a Christian, it doesn't mean you're gonna be good, it means you've got a harder road to pull."


Thoughts?

New Thoughts

Sorry that I have not been able to post, it has been kinda crazy and I felt that I really did not have anything to say!!! (Please keep comments to yourself)

I have just got back from a conference, in Toronto, for the fellowship that I belong to. During the business sessions and workshops, I got thinking...

How would you answer,"A church is..."

How would you answer "The primary the primary purpose of the church is..."

Finally, how would you answer "A Christian is..."

Simple Question

So, here is the question.

CD's or MP3's?

When was the last time you bought a CD?

When was the last time you bought/shared a MP3?

Space...

So, Sharon and I were having a conversation rearding the fact that the lease for Soul is ending and we will need a place to gather. So, what about calling everyone to begin to pray? Many times we just take things for granted and expect GOD to just show up. Soul Sanctuary has always been GOD's idea and I believe we need to listen close to His direction.

So this week, be praying for Soul this week. We are looking for property/a building either to purchase or lease. There are always a few options but we need GOD to open a door for us. We are believing GOD will provide us a building that will meet our needs and also that will become a hub to reach out to the community in a more effective way. So, my request my request is that you would make it a matter of prayer that we would lease on property or find a building to purchase and that in this process GOD will move and give us favor.

Confrontation

Sorry for taking so long to post!!!!!

I love this picture because it is so disturbing. I stumbled across an article on confrontation that I will share with you. In the past I have heard people say to me "Gerry, you love confrontation." The fact is I don't, but I am not afraid of it. The reality is that no one really likes confrontation, and if you really like it, you’re a bully more than a person. But the truth is, we do have to confront. So, here are 10 signs it’s time to confront the people you love, care about, work with, or are responsible for.

1. It’s time to confront when things aren’t working out even after you’ve given them sufficient time to do so.

2. When you’re avoiding each other.

3. When your silence is more about fear than the truth.

4. When allowing the contact to go on is hurting the other person.

5. When the contact is hurting other people.

6. When you see there is still time to redeem the relationship, the job, the person, or the potential future.

7. When you’re responsible for the health and well-being of the people involved in the situation. You have the power to do something, therefore you have the obligation.

8. When you’re able to separate the behavior from the person. You love the person always, even though you can’t support the behavior.

9. When your integrity and reputation as a friend, manager, leader, or business owner is on the line, it’s time to confront.

10. When you understand that sometimes love must be tough if it’s truly love. Love that is based on a lie is indulgence. Love that is based on truth and applied with mercy and grace is truly a gift from God.

Are there people in your life that it’s time to confront? Really good things can happen at the other end if done in the right way, at the right time, for the right reason, with the right tone, unlike the picture above...

Adoption

So, this weekend Geoff Moore of famous 80's and 90's 'christian' rock fame was a special guest to our community. He was there on behalf of Compassion International. "Compassion International exists as a Christian child advocacy ministry that releases children from spiritual, economic, social and physical poverty and enables them to become responsible, fulfilled Christian adults." What I didn't know was that it was founded by the Rev. Everett Swanson in 1952, as they began providing Korean War orphans with food, shelter, education and health care, as well as Christian training. Today, Compassion helps more than 1 million children in 24 countries. We have been sponsoring a child for quite some time from Uganda.

But I would like to talk about something else...adoption. What are your feelings out there on adoption? Should Christians be more open to adopting children from other countries?

Thoughts?

Update From Kenya

Dear Friends and Family

It has been a while since we've been in touch – we thought we'd give you a break from hourly emails! As I write, we've just had a very dramatic thunder storm here and torrential rain. The short rainy season has now started which is great for the garden and it's wonderful to have no dust for a while. The kids love it too, the combination of water and lots of mud has to be a child's paradise!

We're all doing well here, at least things are calm now which is a relief. (the children) are also much happier these days, I think it has been good for them to have the routine of school again and to be with all their friends. We do wonder sometimes how they are processing the events of a few weeks ago. ****** never speaks about it but ******* still has restless nights sometimes and the other night he prayed before going to bed 'Lord Jesus, please keep the bad men away from us all the time.' We're all feeling rather tired … and we're heading off to the coast next Thursday. We've rented a house by the beach and we're aiming to do as little as possible for 10 days! I can't wait.

****** and I have been visiting the nearest IDP (internally displaced people) camp quite regularly. About five minutes drive away from us you are suddenly faced with a sea of white tents. Each time we go we see that more tents have gone up. Apparently, 3000 people now call the place "home". The Red Cross is no longer accepting any new arrivals as there is no more room to put them. At one end UNICEF has put up 4 tents to be used as classrooms for the children. Over 400 children are crowded into these 'classrooms', sitting on the dusty floor trying to balance their exercise books on their knees. The teachers (all volunteers) bravely try to teach the children, writing on wobbly blackboards that form part of the tent partition. It's very hot and not really conducive to learning, but I guess it's better than nothing.

We have offered our premises here for the children to come to school and to ease some of the congestion. You'd think people would jump at the opportunity. But that is not so. I think it's because there are a few large NGOs involved in these camps and it seems that there is much to be gained from other people's misery. There is also a new District Education Officer in town and the wheels of bureaucracy run slowly. Although we have a much better solution to offer than the tented classrooms, we fear nobody wants to make a decision (especially if it involves spending money) so the youngsters will have to make do with less than adequate teaching facilities. We find this so frustrating and feel our hands are tied despite all our efforts.

We've also been looking for people in the camps who have particular skills that they might like to teach to others. The other day we met **** and ***** who are both hairdressers. They lost everything, including their businesses when they had to run away from Eldoret. **** seems particularly traumatized by what happened to her and is struggling to come to terms with her life now. We've suggested to them that they come and teach a hairdressing course here and get some students from the IDP camps. We're also looking into starting a tailoring course and a basic computer course. There are a lot of people in the camps who are sitting around doing nothing, so we trying to think of practical solutions that would help people earn some money too. Just about everyday we have people coming here looking for jobs and it's always the same story 'I've lost everything.' So tragic.

Meanwhile, our youth discipleship courses continue to grow. We've started our second 'Basic Christianity Course' (now including young people from the camps) and we're onto the next module which is 'the Bible' – an in-depth study of Mark.

We have been pushing lots of doors over the past few weeks which is both time consuming and exhausting, but everything seems to take so long to actually work out which can be very disheartening. Please pray for us that the right doors open and that we can make better use of this place to help those who are struggling so much. We don't want to be spinning our wheels unnecessarily. I have to say though that my priority right now is to get ready for our holiday. I think it's definitely time to hit the beach! **** wants me to pack the suitcases right now and is busy looking for all the buckets and spades that **** has deposited all over the Centre as he likes to pretend he's a 'fundi' (expert builder!) - he will tell you that he's WORKING, not playing! We're all getting excited.

We'll keep you posted about what develops here.

Thanks as always for all your prayers and support.

I Am Not the Only One Who Rants!

Mark Beeson (a pastor in the states) blogged a rant about maturity in the church and what it means. This is what he wrote:

"Three days ago Rick Warren proffered this question for me to mull over. What is the mature church?

I knew immediately how I would respond: "The 'mature church' is the church filled with immaturity."

Anywhere in the world, whether plant or animal, the clear delineation of maturity is the ability to reproduce. Immature animals can't reproduce. Immature plants can't replicate themselves. The definition of maturity is being fully ripe, fully aged, so the connotation of maturity is obvious. Where you see maturity you'll observe new life, babies and immaturity all over the place.
Maturity desires reproduction. Maturity tolerates juvenile behavior (from juveniles) while training its progeny for success in life. Maturity means little [babies] running all over the place.
If you attend a mature church, be prepared for immaturity. Where you find mature Christians you'll find little babes in Christ running all over the place. In fact, if you have been looking for a church where everyone tithes and everyone serves--you're not looking for a mature church, you are looking for a dying church - aged, impotent and bereft of spiritual newborns because everyone is mature.

Few things are more disturbing than a flock of adult believers standing around complaining that no one has come to Christ while refusing to do something that might result in new life. So when you bump into someone who acts immature at one of our services, don't complain, and don't be surprised. Instead, thank God the mature in Christ are busy delivering newborn babies to the family of God."

What are your thoughts?

Darker Side of Chrsitianity Part 2

This last week I had the opportunity to share how I really felt about a few things. I decided to place an excerpt of that on the blog...

Although I love GOD I have a hard time loving other Christians. Actually I really dislike a lot of Christians. (now, this is a huge statement of admission because how could a pastor say that!!??? I just did, and if you were honest with yourself you would say the same thing!)

I wish I could tell you that I like a lot of Christians, but that would be a lie…because I don’t. To be honest with you, I would rather hang out with fouled mouth, beer drinking, rock listen, woman chasing heathen, than I would a self righteous, hyper critical, narrow minded holier than thou so called “Christian.”

There are a few reasons why I said what I said and to get the full context you will need to listen to the podcast. I went so far as to categorize the type of Christians that drive me crazy. But for the purposes of this blog I want to focus on one type; The Anonymous Christian.

It is the Anonymous Christian who loves to send letters, emails, and even post on the internet behind a veil. These people tend point out fault and error and usually criticize other believers (and believers they have never talked with in person) and they hide behind the veil of anonymity.

So here it is…Shame on those who cannot be honest and place a name to a letter, an email or a post. Shame on those who deceive people and use false names or no names and call themselves Christians and criticize other believers.

Scripture is full of references about speaking truthfully to one another. Read your Bible!

Psalm 52:3 You love evil rather than good, falsehood rather than speaking the truth. Selah

Proverbs 16:13 Kings take pleasure in honest lips; they value a man who speaks the truth.

Ephesians 4:25 Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbor, for we are all members of one body.


(Now, let me say that there is room for anonymity when it comes to people sharing personal details about themselves, like on this blog. This is NOT what I am railing against!)

Thoughts?