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This is a statement that is a cry of the ’so-far’ disappointed in anything.

But whenever the children of God look at the way life transitions–this is really our cry!

Today, I begin another process of performing a funeral of someone who had to pass from this life to the next far too early.  Bruce and Ora were both only in their mid-60’s, they have one son and two grandsons that Bruce would have enjoyed spending a lot more time with.  He had a bad case of skin cancer and this eventually took his life.

The apostle Paul is always an encouragement to read whenever faced with life’s difficult questions.

Paul has a very simple message: there must be more than this!

Whenever Paul spoke about the horrible sufferings that people can experience here, there was always a note of promise that the best is yet to come.  (See for example Romans 8 & 2 Corinthians 4 & 5)

The challenge for Christians is to live life today in the light of God’s promised future.

So, what will I say again tomorrow? 

While looking at the unfairness and difficulties that we can experience here–there has to be more!

God Bless and Have a Good Day

Well, we can’t put it off any longer!  It is time for all my girls to get ready for school.  For the first time ever–I will have three daughters in school.  What shall I do with myself?

For starters–all the girls are growing–socially, intellectually and believe it or not–spiritually.  This is a sure way as a parent I could allow myself to grow very anxious or very pleased.  I will choose the latter for now.  My girls have been exposed at their school to many different cultures and experiences (they presently go to school with many Jewish, muslim, hindu, and all brands of Christian children).  They also experience many children of different social class.  One thing that my girls have taken from this is to develop a healthier respect for all people.  While holding on to the truth that Jesus Christ is the Saviour of the world–they are also holding on to Jesus’ teaching of attempting to do to others as you would have them do to you.  The education arena is a great place to foster kind relations and the like towards others before the propaganda machine of the outside world drills things into their heads.

When do my children begin to have suspicious feelings towards others who are different?  I hope never!  Instead, be the person Jesus wants you to be as light in the midst of darkness, lambs in the midst of wolves and some may hurt you and some may learn to be more ‘lamblike’. 

Too many Christians I fear are attempting to live with what they would see as a ‘healthy fear’ and thik it better to live suspiciously around people rather then allow themselves to be vulnerable in the hopes of redeeming some.  Some might be tempted to live in the thinking, if we could just be around everyone kind of like us who never threatens our way of life–then we can be the people Jesus wants.  That is the opposite of Jesus though!

Learn to live in the trust that God is above all and if life gets bad here it won’t be there.

Maybe by living like that we will learn that our strange neighbours are not people who we should hate (or who hate us) but can be people we can learn to love and who need to be loved.

God Bless and Have a Good Day!

My friend Larry & I were among the 1000 people who attended Rochester College’s evening with the above named speaker on the subject of language and reconciliation.

This guy was aweseome to get to listen to and hear his words onthis type of subject.  Most people are familiar with him through his writings, particularly his recounting of the holocaust in the book, Night!

I had chills when he first walked on stage and then when the college honored two other couples who were holocaust survivors who wanted to meet Dr. Wiesel.

I kept thinking to myself after listening to this man, how could someone not come out of that experience without intense rage at everything and everyone including God?

The basic message: every person made in the image of God is deserving of respect, compassion, love, and can be seen to have something to celebrate in.  He had an important thought: not all forgiveness should require forgetting.  For example, no one should forget the holocaust.  For Christians, we would say no one should forget the cross even.

It was interesting to note how people intent on hate or violence will often make language their servant and twist words to no longer have the meaning they should have.

So, what should we do?

1) Have a thirst for reconciliation and the stopping of cyclical violence.  It was interesting that as a Jewish man intent on speaking for those who are victims he made a plea that if Christian and Jewish leaders could have included Muslim leaders in dialogues of peace decades ago–we might have averted a lot of violence today.  So, often even Christians want to keep hate going by generalizing Muslims as being people who cannot have peace with us–we need to be careful with our language.

2) Use our words to not inflict pain or influence others to inflict pain.  Use our language to build up and influence others to ease suffering.  That really is Christ’s call to the church with regards to our mouths!  See James 3 and others.

Well, in other news, Canada’s olympic team is doing quite a bit better.  Loved the men’s triathlon run and how Simon Whitfield stormed back to take silver.  (U.S. networks probably didn’t run that one)

Cheering on Canada in the 4X100 relay–if they can run their best–maybe a bronze or silver is in their future (and if Jamaica drops the baton–maybe a gold)

God Bless and Have a Good Day

I had a meeting with a couple who are about to get married on August 30th.  It is nice to have a good story happening right now and not just all the sickness and suffering.

We went over the first couple of lessons in Building A strong Marriage workbook.  It is a book that stresses looking at the positive of your spouse while talking about negative things and being able to be a good communicator and also living your life together in pursuit of both your dreams.

What would you call it if one spouse never cared really about the dreams of the other and simply lived self-focused?  What would you say if one spouse had a hard time complimenting the other but not so difficult a time insulting?  What about speaking words that hurt a lot but never built up?

Hopefully none of you are experiencing this, but really wouldn’t you call it a lack of love? 

How many couples really need to examine what the Bible meant by loving and respecting each other in marriage?  So many people enter marriage forn’t turn reasons alone and then wonder why it doesn’t turn out to be the ‘blessed state of bliss’ after all!

I really hope this young couple make it, they seem to have a genuine heart of care for each other.

On the other side–our church had a special prayer meeting tonight to gather and offer our prayers on behalf of the many in our church who are struggling for one way or another.  It is always good and important for fellow church members to gather and pray and this seemed to be a really good thing for many of us who were there.  I hope and pray that more member can take advantage of this opportunity the next time it comes around.

God Bless and Have A Good Day

On Saturday night (late–at midnight and on) Sara and I watched Rick Warren’s Presidential dialogue with both Obama and McCain.

If you didn’t catch it–look it up on CNN’s web page and read some of the answers both men gave to questions from the ‘evangelical’ viewpoint.  Might be pretty impressed with some of them.

In Canada, we might be heading to an election-despite what a lot of people say–we Canadians really haven’t had too much to complain about as far as our governments have treated us for a good number of years.

As Homer Simpson would say: ‘if you don’t like it, move to Russia.’

God Bless and Have a Good day

I crashed yesterday afternoon and again last night.

I went and sat on my loveseat at about 2:30 and slept solidly until 5 and it was time to head back to the church building.  Then last night at 11:30 I again crashed.

Life hopefully will settle a bit this week.  Many in our church are still suffering acutely.  Have a meeting tonight, a pre-marital session with a couple on Tuesday night followed by a church prayer meeting.  Then the last kids club on Wednesday night and a possible Bible study on Thursday night.  Hopefully nothing big planned for the weekend.

Anyway–thanks for all the concern expressed about the sufferings of our church–

God Bless and Have a Good day

This was a good week to not be on holidays.  This would have been a good week to be on holidays.

Excuse my ‘Dickens’ moment.

I had one night ‘off’ this week to spend with my family and it ended up being a date night with my wife because my girls were over at our friend’s house.  I don’t mind date nights, but had I known it would be the only night of the week to spend with the girls–I would have changed plans.

Monday–was a full work day and then Sara and I ended up having a counselling session/talk about God with another couple from 6:30 until 11:00 that night.

Tuesday was a full work day with two appointments and this was the night that Sara and I were able to spend the evening together–first for dinner then a nice walk by the river (then Sara’s back is really sore after her fall).

Wednesday were some appointments I had to make a couple of visits to the hospital and was informed that Saturday (today) I would have a funeral to conduct and then church at night!

Thursday was being at the office all morning waiting for the air conditioner guys to come and service the unit.  Prepare some lessons for Sunday and start thinking about today’s funeral.

Friday was a mixed blessing–I had a visit with a cancer patient who requested to be baptized after a study so we arranged for his baptism at 4:00 p.m.–in between we had an elders/evangelist meeting and then another call from another member really sick with cancer and some difficult decisions ahead for them.

We met at the building at 4–did the baptism–this was really exciting–and then after I got home–another member called whose husband was rushed back to the hospital following severe back pain due to his blood clot in his spine.

Finally home–finally had 6 hours of sleep last night and today I find myself writing the last two lessons for Sunday and looking over the funeral talk.

This was not a blog designed to say ‘poor, poor me.’  It was a blog designed to simply say–there are moments where life gets hectic and there are moments where life is busy!  What is the difference?  When I’m simply busy–I am doing things that I voluntarily agreed to and really the reason I am busy is because of my selfishness and it is terrible at those times that I have not left time for ministry.  There are times when I’m hectic–these are the times when I am attempting to fulfill the law of Jesus by helping to ‘bear another’s burdens.’

This was a good week for me not to have filled my schedule with plans for myself.

As for tonight–if all is said and done–the four girls who have had to do without–are going to get my full attention–as long as….

What about you–do you agree with the difference between selfish busy and ministry busy?

God Bless and Have a Good Day

Michael Phelps has won me over!!!!  Yes, I am anti-american when it comes to the Olympics, yes I cheer always against the red, white and blue–but man this guy has won me over and this guy gets my vote for greatest Olympian ever!

Come on Yankees & Tigers–pull it together!

Do you find the above command easy or difficult to obey?

Most of the times I’m pretty good at following those orders (this was the one command my Dad could feel I had mastered except when it came to eating), but other times appointments and people to see take over my life to the degree that there is not just what some people call ‘me time’ but I prefer to call ‘our time.’

My children and Sara have to be left to live apart for awhile.  With the hectic pace the past couple of weeks–this week I managed to take ‘our time.’

I went with Sara for the first time to a meeting she has been attending on Monday nights and though it ended up taking approximately 5 hours of my time–she really thought it was neat that I would just go with her (score 1 for Drew)

Then last night our kids were sleeping over at a friends house–so we did something we hadn’t done all summer–we just ate dinner and went down by the river for a long walk (score 2 for Drew)

You realize something when you do slow down–that is, or can be, as much a part of ministry as anything else!  Why do some people think it is more important for a minister to minister to their families and neglect his own?  Why do some ministers think so?  Now, I don’t think wasting time watching t.v. is ‘ministry’ and we have to be careful that we don’t slide into the ‘I can’t do too much for others or I’ll burn out’ trap, but I still wonder why?

Probably because ministers and the people of the pew who think this way see the effort he puts in behalf of others as ‘his job’ but the effort he puts on his family as ‘his own time.’ 

How many of you really do see your time spent with your ‘own’ as a responsibility from God?  How many homes would be happier if instead of pursuing jobs, careers, promotions, ‘fame’ in the eyes of others–we spent time as we should by slowing down the outside world and focusing on the first order of God’s business–our families?

Well, it looks like Michael Phelps might do it–who knows?  Canada’s team I must say is really lousy so far–hope things will turn around.  What about those Yankees?  Come on, pull it together!

I really enjoy the Olympic Games.  I love remembering great moments of past Olympics.  While many people (especially south of the border) are focusing on Michael Phelps (Yes I know, the guy really is awesome) the most amazing swimming spectacle that I have ever seen was the albatross from West Germany–Michael Gross.  The event I remember him most for was the silver medal he won in the relay event and not the gold.  The guy just flat out was way behind and came within an inch of winning it for his team.

Okay–you ever have those rare moments in your history where you wish you could go back and recognize what was happening before your eyes?

I played ball with a kid who taught us things we never really could appreciate at the time.  I never thought I would be able to locate him or tell him how awesome it was to play with him. Well, it’s been over 25 years–I preached about him in a sermon 6 years ago and all of a sudden I received an e-mail from his mother.

She has no idea who I am or what my name is–but she found my e-mail on our church’s website–she found the sermon I preached about him and sent it on to him and both of them claim to have been really touched by my remembrance of him.

It sent shivers up my spine–I went back and read what I preached about–and it really is something that I was able to share with him the appreciation I have for his lesson to me on patience and perseverance.

Another time last week I found through facebook my old teacher’s wife and this is the teacher that really changed me with only one statement–we have been writing and I haven’t had the courage to call him this again yet, but Old ‘Sparky’ really still does encourage me.

Look into your past–who are the people that really inspired you and if you had the chance would love to say thanks to!

Maybe if you can’t, God will let them know.

God Bless and Have a Good Day

Perhaps my all time favourite event I ever participated in was in 1988 when I was privileged to carry the Olympic Torch for a short run around McKerrow.  I was the last runner of the day–three hours behind schedule and it was with great pride and joy that I ran into the crowd waiting to see the Torch–I remember having to run past the crowd and my parents and sister then started to run alongside.  The organizers let us take a bunch of pictures and it really was something special for a 17 year old kid in grade 13.

So, I watched last night the opening ceremonies of the games in Beijing.  I think the organizers made a mistake with all the horrible living conditions in China to allow the games there but at the same time–with all of it’s history–China seems to be a remarkable country.  After all is said and done–one of my favourite parts is the opening ceremonies when all the countries march into the stadium.  I enjoy watching the Canadian team but I also like seeing the teams with only a few members.  What must it be like to be say one of four representing your country at the world’s greatest stage.

Pursuing greatness is a worthy journey.  The excitement, nervousness and, surely for some, surprises and disappointments.

How do you make sure your pursuit doesn’t end in disappointment?  Stay true to your strength.

For the Christian–this doesn’t mean natural ability (for all of us with our natural ability didn’t do very much as far as ‘righteousness’ was concerned) but it does mean grasping on to the things of God that make us able.

Prayer, fellowship, worship, study, devotion, meditation, faith are among the few things that make us what we ought to be.  Paul said he ran the race, keeping the faith.

May all of us do the same and all of us who enter the stadium on the opening night can be rewarded with crowns by the time of the closing ceremonies.

God Bless and Have a Good Day

Sara and I are going through the Becoming One book and workbook with another couple–this is written by Joe Beam–one of the best (if not the best) book on marriage for intimacy and the like.

We really have had a good time and a growing time with this.  Think about picking this book up and just see yourself in it.

Another good one that is coming out written by Beam is one we heard at the Pepperdine lectures: The Love Path.  Watch for that as well.