Free Art Friday 12/31/10

I shared a photo a few weeks ago that Kimberley took of an amazing sunset.  Here is an interpretation from that photo. 

Stupid Health Care

Sometimes you just want to scream.  I am off to take my daughter to MacKids in Hamilton because of some stomach trouble she has been having all week.  It was not an immediate emergency situation, so we thought we would do as we are encouraged, and go to the doctors before just hitting the emergency room.  Why clog the emergency room with non emergencies right?  Well, we found a doctor who was actually open today, who after examining our daughter ordered blood tests and an ultrasound.  So my wife called the Milton hospital who let her know that they could fit her in on February 11!  My wife was sure that that was much longer than the doctor had in mind and so went back to the doctor.  The doctor said that the test needed to be done before the weekend and so called the hospital who then informed her that the only way my daughter could get a test any sooner was to come to the emergency room!  So we have wasted an afternoon trying to be good citizens and do as we are told, simply to find out we should have just gone to the ER anyway because, no matter what they actually say, there is no other alternative!!!!!!!! 
So seeing that we have to sit and wait for hours in an ER anyway, we are heading to MacKids where the experts are so that if there is anything to worry about we can at least skip one step and have her to pediatrics.
Sometimes you just want to yell BOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 
At least the visit won't bankrupt me anyway.

Painting

Painting started.
1 room down, 8 to go!

Update Tuesday - 12/28/10

This past weekend marked a few "lasts" for our family.  It marked our last Christmas with our family in Milton, and Sunday marked my last service as a full time staff member in Milton.   I am not an overly sentimental person and so this week could have gone by just like any other week, without me even noticing at all.  It is good, however, to stop every once in a while to reflect.  Our time in Milton has been so full - full of celebrations and tragedies, excitement and discouragement, victories and defeats, highs and lows, successes and mistakes but through it all a true sense that God was with us, and along with God a community of people we have come to see as family.  We are not disappearing right away but will be spending a few months transitioning out.  For those whom I only really see on Sunday morning, it may not seem very different at all for a while as I intend to be at church in Milton most Sunday mornings as we transition out.  But I do wonder what it will be like as behind the scenes we begin to move out, spend less time working on the specific details of the Milton ministries, and work to equip others to do it.
Although we continue to pray daily from Luke chapter 10 (see here for details), we would as for specific prayers as we enter into our time of transition.
1) Please pray for Milton - that God would be stirring in hearts and raising people up not just to fill the spots that we may leave, but fill all the needs of the church and all its ministries as it continues to grow and thrive and serve its community.
2)  Please pray for my time - although we are not in Hamilton as of yet, there is much that I can do in Hamilton in  preparation.  Please pray for guidance to discern where and how I should direct my time and attention as we prepare for our arrival this year.
3)  Please pray for the preparation and sale of our house.  Today I buy paint!
4)  Please continue to pray for the right house in Hamilton - our house will be a key connection to our community as well as serve as the centre of our ministry.
Thanks to all who have been praying and supporting us as we begin this new phase of ministry.     

The Sound of Music

Last night my wife decided she wanted to watch The Sound of Music.  She had rented it a few days ago from the library with the hopes of watching it for the first time with our kids.  I assumed that she really meant the girls because, in my mind it was a really girly flick.  Am I wrong to think that, does it not have a kind of girly reputation?  There are definitely some girly moments, the romance, the dancing, the kissing etc.  But regardless, there was nothing else on and so I thought "why not, let's watch it as a family."  Well, I was pleasantly surprised.  It has been a long time since I have scene it and, over and above the few girly things about it, I can definitely see why it was so popular and has endured for so long as a classic.  There are a number of striking features about the film that would rate it such a quality artistic endeavour.  Here are a number of things that caught my attention last night:
1)  Christopher Plummer's suits were amazing - totally cool threads.
2)  Christopher Plummer's hair rocked - serious do.
3)  Julie Andrews - that girl could sing - serious pipes.
4)  The songs - some are famous, some were schmaltzy, some were cute but when you take a close listen some of it was really quite incredible.  If you ever doubt the musicality or depth of some of the music because it was sung by children and laughing nuns, just have a listen to John Coltrane play " My Favourite Things" some time:

5)  The soundtrack was incredible - the score that accompanied all the action was amazing.  I was fascinated to hear how all the themes of the famous musical numbers was so intricately woven underneath the action really undergirding and propelling the drama along.
6)  It has an intermission - I spent it waltzing with my five year old - fun!

Just a few reasons that it was worth spending the three hours!

Free Art Friday

Merry  Christmas Eve!!!!!

You may have already seen some of these shots from my wife's Facebook page, but credit where credit is due here, these are the ones that I took.  Last Friday we had our annual Before the Flood (a band I play in) and Kensington Prairie Christmas concert at which we raised funds for a local charity called Kerr Street Ministries.   I managed to sneak in a few shots of Kensington Prairie and these are some of the ones that turned out.  Just so that no one thinks I am a scrooge, I added one that Kim took as well - it is the close-up of the orange Gretch (nice shot Kim!)

When Life Forgets That it Is Christmas TIme

It is not that I have anything against Christmas at all, I will be gathered with family on Christmas day and enjoying the company, the cheer and the food.  I love to walk the streets at night and see the houses all aglow with the beams of Christmas lights.  I love the festive cheer, the warmth and the celebratory nature of the season.  But I am reminded that although it all may be fine indeed, that sometimes it is not enough.  Sometimes life does not follow our calendar.  Despite what is going on in the world around us, everything is not all happiness and cheer.  Sometimes life forgets that it is Christmas time.
This year the advent season began with my cousin in the hospital with a serious infection that threatened her health and the health of her unborn child.  Thankfully she is at home now and the worst of it seems to be over, but she arrived home just in time for my grandmother to be admitted with heart trouble.  There is the possibility that she may be in the hospital for Christmas.
My friend has had two friends pass away over the last two weeks, and so his Christmas season has been marked with saying goodbye to friends.
And perhaps the hardest story of all so far came when we heard a friend of ours and a member of my congregation lost his wife this week.  So he, along with his two grown children and his 16 year old daughter, will be grieving this holiday.
Sometimes Christmas cannot be about family and feasts when our situation has us separated from the ones we love.  Sometimes Christmas cannot be gathering with friends.  Sometimes Christmas means saying goodbye.  It is then that we need our Christmas to be a bit more, a bit more concrete than the abstract "Christmas Feeling," and a bit more than just the "happiest season of all."  Sometimes Christmas needs to be...well...Christ mas.  When Christmas is about the Christmas story then, despite the circumstances in which we might find ourselves,  we can find hope and reason to celebrate.
When Christmas is the Christmas story we celebrate the child who was Immanuel - God with us, and we can trust that no matter what our circumstance, we are not alone.  God continues to be with us.
When Christmas is the Christmas story we celebrate the coming of the child who was called Jesus - the LORD saves.  And although we may say goodbye to friends and family, if they knew Jesus, we know that they will not perish but have eternal life and we will see them again.
When Christmas is the Christmas story, then we celebrate the birth of Christ, knowing that it was the beginning of a life that saw Jesus go to the cross but then raise again three days later - conquering sin and death.  Although our present Christmas celebrations may still be marred by effects of the fall in a broken world,  Jesus has promised to return again, has promised a new heaven and new earth where God will "wipe every tear from their eyes.  There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain..." (Rev. 21:4)
When life forgets that it is Christmas time, and it always does somewhere for someone, there is still hope and joy and celebration to be found when we let our Christmas truly be...Christmas.

Caroling in the Park

If you have been following this blog, or that of my wife, you have been reading about some of the experiments that we are doing this advent season to help us focus on the true meaning of the season.  With this in mind, we were really happy to get an invitation from Cam, a friend of ours from camp who works at another local church here in Milton, to a carol sing in a park not too far from our house.  Kimberley, T.J. and I bundled ourselves up and headed out into the dark and quiet of night to walk to the park a few blocks away.   The walk in and of itself would have been worth it; a chance to get out into the calm, quiet, starry night and walk down the streets all aglow with Christmas lights.  Even before we reached the park we ran into Cheryl (Cam's wife) and had a brief opportunity to catch up before she headed off to knock on more doors and invite some more neighbours.  We arrived at the park where we were greeted with hot chocolate and a song book handed out by some familiar friendly faces.  Soon there was a whole group of people all gathered in the glow of a street lamp singing songs of the season together, and the name of Jesus was lifted high.
Thanks for the invite Cam!   

Update Tuesday

Well, this week we decided to combine our advent experiment (during which we have been trying to do something each day to break the commercialism of the season and focus on the spiritual) and our Hamilton update. We had some free hours on Saturday and so decided to slip into Hamilton and spend some time there. We went to the Locke neighbourhood for a bit of prayer walking and while we were there managed to do a bit of Christmas shopping. Before we headed for that neighbourhood however, we made a quick visit to McMaster Children's Hospital. The girls had dance class in the morning, but while they were gone Liam and I took some time to bake some cookies. For those who may not know, Liam is quite good a baking cookies and it sort of became his thing. Each time he would return to the hospital for check ups etc. he would bring cookies for the team that he was going to see as a sort of the thank you and an encouragement. So even though he did not have an appointment we made a trip to the hospital to deliver cookies. Specifically, we took them to the Ronald McDonald Room which is just outside the Pediatric Critical Care ward of the hospital. This is a very special room, run by the Ronald McDonald House, but that is right inside the hospital. It functions like a little retreat room, furnished with a living room, kitchen and laundry facilities, it provides some moments of normalcy for patients and their families to help break the stress and intensity of a hospital stay. We found ourselves using the room a lot while Liam was there and are happy to give back in any way we can, even if it is just a small gesture of home baked cookies for the kitchen.
For those who may not know about our connection to McMaster Children's Hospital, our son Liam was there in November of 2008 for two surgeries to remove a brain tumour. God has used this experience in a profound way over the past few years. It would be hard to overestimate the impact that this time in our lives has played in our discerning where God may be calling us to plant a new church. For those of you who continue to support and pray for our work and who are interested in really trying to understand about us, our work and our connection to Hamilton, I would encourage you to visit my wife's blog. If you scroll down the page, on the right sidebar, there is a documentary as well as a label a bit father down, both of which will take you back to some of our experiences with the hospital and with Hamilton over the past two years. You can find it at the link below:

Kim's Blog

Lottie Moon

I am still back at Matthew 8:20 and have been stuck thinking about it. It is where Jesus tells someone who wishes to follow him that :

“Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.”

Jesus was homeless. He intentionally left behind comfort, convienience, safety, security and family and so many of the things that we in North America spend our time persuing. What would it look like if more of his followers were willing to follow his example? These thoughts are once again brought to mind as I have been reading a short biography of Lottie Moon. This time of year, Southern Baptist churches collect an annual Lottie Moon Christmas offering for international missions. It is named after Charlotte (Lottie) Moon, a missionary to China from 1873 until her death on Christmas Eve 1912. At one time the "most educated woman in the South," Lottie would be one of the first single woman to serve as a missionary overseas and she would go on to give her life wholeheartedly and sacrificially to her mission in China. As well as her mission in China, however, she was also instrumental in sharing with those back in her home country of the United states the need for missions, missionaries and support, for sharing the true nature of missions and the true cost and conditions for those serving on the mission field. It was Lottie's persistence and tenacity as well as her incredible example that would lead to many policy, procedure and program changes that would improve the situations of those sacrificially giving of themselves for the sake of the Kingdom. Lottie reminds me, however, that no matter how many improvements we might make, that truly serving Christ and working for the sake of His kingdom is not easy. Kingdom and comfort are not compatible.
Am I more concerned with comfort than the Kingdom?
Do I pursue the American Dream (really the North American Dream) more passionately than my Christian Mission?
What can Lottie Moon teach us today?

How Is This For An Evangelism Technique...?

I am still reading through Matthew and today I read chapter 8:14-22 when it struck me, when was the last time you heard this proposed as an evangelism strategy?...

"Give up your house and your security and you can be a follower of Jesus."

Or,

"Give up your family and you too can follow Jesus."

Or what about,

"Give up all your resources and you can follow Jesus."

Then there is,

"If you become a follower of Jesus you too can face beatings and persecution."

Or

"Become a follower and you too can be killed for the privilege."



I have to admit I have not heard those particular phrases in most evangelism programs but, strangely, as I read the gospels I see this technique being used by Jesus. Maybe it is because it is Christmas time when we think and speak a lot about presents and gifts and credit cards, and we hear a lot about family and warm and fuzzy feelings, but these words of Jesus seem to stand in contrast to a lot of what I see, hear and do.
Is it just me or am I missing something?

WOW!!!

My reading of Matthew led me back to this prophesy today:

Isaiah 53

¹ Who has believed our message
and to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?
² He grew up before him like a tender shoot,
and like a root out of dry ground.
He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him,
nothing in his appearance that we should desire him.
³ He was despised and rejected by mankind,
a man of suffering, and familiar with pain.
Like one from whom people hide their faces
he was despised, and we held him in low esteem.

⁴ Surely he took up our pain
and bore our suffering,
yet we considered him punished by God,
stricken by him, and afflicted.
⁵ But he was pierced for our transgressions,
he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was on him,
and by his wounds we are healed.
⁶ We all, like sheep, have gone astray,
each of us has turned to our own way;
and the LORD has laid on him
the iniquity of us all.

⁷ He was oppressed and afflicted,
yet he did not open his mouth;
he was led like a lamb to the slaughter,
and as a sheep before its shearers is silent,
so he did not open his mouth.
⁸ By oppression and judgment he was taken away.
Yet who of his generation protested?
For he was cut off from the land of the living;
for the transgression of my people he was punished.
⁹ He was assigned a grave with the wicked,
and with the rich in his death,
though he had done no violence,
nor was any deceit in his mouth.

¹⁰ Yet it was the LORD’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer,
and though the LORD makes his life an offering for sin,
he will see his offspring and prolong his days,
and the will of the LORD will prosper in his hand.
¹¹ After he has suffered,
he will see the light of life and be satisfied;
by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many,
and he will bear their iniquities.
¹² Therefore I will give him a portion among the great,
and he will divide the spoils with the strong,
because he poured out his life unto death,
and was numbered with the transgressors.
For he bore the sin of many,
and made intercession for the transgressors.

WOW!!!!

Advent Update

Our advent experiment has been interesting if nothing else. We have been trying to focus less on the commercial and the hype and more on the spiritual. We have had some wonderful moments of worship, wonderful devotional time as we trace the history of God's redemptive plan through the Old Testament, wonderful family time and some great opportunities to serve. But lest we paint this rosy picture and make it seem like we have it all together and that it has been a wonderfully deep and spiritual season of our lives, here are some moments of reality check:
First, there was our sidewalk chalk experiment. There are a number of buses that stop right across the street from our house so we thought that would be a great place to write out a part of the Christmas story from Luke's gospel on the sidewalk in chalk. We planned and planned. We planned which verses would be written by whom and on how many sidewalk blocks etc. We planned which direction to write it in so that it could be read as you walk down the sidewalk...or so we thought. We rushed out of the house, not considering how cold it was and without dressing appropriately. When we got to the spot we quickly realized we did not all have the same picture as to how it was to be laid out. So confusion and cold led quickly to bickering and complaining. Not quite the Christmas spirit and witness we were hoping for!
My favourite moment however, came last Thursday when we were to spend some family moments decorating the tree. We do this as a family and we unwrap ornaments that had been carefully stored form the year before and share the story about the year we got it and to and from whom it was given. We take turns hanging them one by one. As it seems to go theses days, we were stealing these few minutes together in the midst of a pretty busy day. Our weekly home church and band practice was to be starting soon and so dinner was in the oven. I was slipping away every once in a while to prepare the meal while we decorated the tree. Things were going well and it was a beautiful scene. The family gathered around the tree, the warm glow of the Christmas lights, Bing Crosby singing "O Come All Ye Faithful" playing softly in the background and stories of Christmases past being told to the children...when...the door to the stove was opened...and an overly sensitive smoke detector started to blare its ear piercing siren! As I stood there in the kitchen I saw the most amazing sight. The living room scene just carried on as if nothing was happening with the sole exception that a few of the kids had fingers in their ears. What a crazy juxtaposition of the cozy and the cacophonous, the family and the frenzy, the serene and the surreal. It really was our own Christmas Vacation moment being lived out in front of my eyes.
In some ways that sums up our experiment so far. In some ways that sums up our life!
I am brought back to a recurring theme to me this Christmas as I reflect on what that first Christmas must have been like. It too was not a perfect and serene moment despite how we might like to see it. This amazingly special moment in time, when heaven and earth would connect in the form of a child upon which the future of the world would be hung, came down to child birth in a barn. A crazy world whirred around them, so full there was no room for them to lodge and so crazy that most of the world missed it. In the midst of that craziness were some shepherds who heard from the angels, and a young girls who "pondered these things in her heart." A moment of peace and reflection in the midst of the chaos. Is that not the serene in the surreal?
So there you have it. Two reality check moments in our advent experiment.

Update Tuesday

For the last few weeks I have been sharing some of the thoughts and reflections that God has laid on our heart about how our new work in Hamilton will begin and what it might look like as we start. I took those basic ideas and came up with the following summary and vision. Being a musician, I took the idea of a lead sheet and played with it. A lead sheet is a piece of music which has the basic information to communicate the foundation of a song: the melody, the harmony, the rhythm and the lyrics. Fuller arrangements, instrumentation, interpretation etc. may be left up to those who will play the music, but the basic building blocks of the song are well established and laid out. So with that in mind, here is a summary of what we plan to be doing:





What We Envision...
A network of interdependent home churches playing from the same lead sheet...








The Lyrics:
John 13:35 - ... “As I have love you so you should love one another. By this all men will know you are my disciples...”

The Melody:
Discipleship
a) Who Is Jesus, What Has He done for us - Study a Gospel using COIN.
c) What does He want to do through us - Five Marks of a Disciple

The Harmony:
Community
A home church setting in which families share meals, their lives, study, prayer etc in a highly relational way.

The Rhythm:
Mission
We will be a missional community that seeks to be a foretaste of the Kingdom living and proclaiming the kingdom.




The logo and name are just temporary working titles that we will put more thought into as things progress, but we would love to hear thoughts and comments about the things that we have been sharing as we continue to think through and refine our ideas about our new work in Hamilton.

Free Art Friday

One of my favourite photographs. I did not take it but my wife did so I am keeping it in the family at least. It is a summer sunset at my family cottage. I dedicate it to all who are buried in over a metre of snow, living in London. A dream of warmer days.

Bondage to Self

So, I am still reading through Matthew, and currently am part way through a slow reading of the Sermon on the Mount. I was reading through the "turn the other cheek" verses and thinking about what it may mean about non-violence and pacifism etc. when it occurred to me that maybe this verse is actually about something different. I wonder if at the heart of it this verse is really about pride. The verses that follow have less to do specifically about violence and yet they are grouped together. If someone sues you for something, give them more than what they expect, even to the point of being naked! If they force you do do something, do more than they expect. Add to this the turning of the other cheek, a conscious choice not to retaliate to an overtly insulting and violent act and I start to see this chunk as a comment on avoiding pride. What is it that often leads us to want to retaliate, or return violence with violence? It is pride..."you can't do that to me"..."I will show you"...etc. Our ego is hurt so we fight back. The last point in this passage ask us to give to anyone who asks and not to turn away from one who wants to borrow. It challenges us to turn away from our self interest and to the interests of others around us. This whole chunk from Matthew 5:38-42 could really be a call away from pride and self interest, the bondage to self that sin creates, and a call to turn to others in love.
So, it got me thinking...could this really be the heart of the whole Sermon on the Mount? I have been going back, and then reading forward and asking if this theme of bondage to self could really lie beneath all that Jesus shares in this famous chunk of teachings. Have a look and tell me what you think. Does it fit, or are there some sections for which that would be a big stretch? I would be interested in what you observe.
Whether it is a current running through the entire sermon, or just some parts of it, it should come as no surprise. Reading this sermon during the advent season, I am reading it in light of the Christmas story. There is perhaps no greater example of humility and turning from oneself then the story of the divine High Prince leaving the glories of the heavenly realm, power, prestige and status, omnipotence, omnipresence, and omniscience, to be born as a human baby in a far of nowhere special place and put in a feed trough because there was no room for you.

Advent Update

As we mentioned, the weekend got a bit crazy. It was fun but hectic, so when Monday rolled around there were some pretty tired kids in our house. I was off early to my part time job but when I checked in with home part way through the morning I learned from my wife that she had declared a rest day. I have come to appreciate the flexibility of schedule of Homeschooling which allows us to adapt to our lifestyle and ministry! So, half of the kids slept in until after ten and the rest of the day was spent just doing some tidying up around the house, trying to prevent it from becoming a disaster that would require an epic cleaning. Although this was not on our advent idea list, it struck me that perhaps it could have been. When you are trying to slow down a bit, be a bit more reflective and not let the season get away from you, sometimes the best thing to do is to do nothing at all. It was a day of rest, a Sabbath. Rest was one of the earliest gifts given to man was it not? God paused from His work at creation to rest, leaving for us a model and example to follow. He would later command that His people do the same, and although Jesus would challenge the Pharisees about their interpretation and legalism regarding the Sabbath, He did declare that "the Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath," (Mark 2:27) both affirming the Sabbath while reinterpreting it. Rest is an important thing; rest from the day to day grind and time to rejuvenate physically, mentally and spiritually.
We followed Monday up by again tweaking our regular schedule and carving out a few hours in the morning to go and get our Christmas tree. We were excited about the opportunity to head out to Rena's, our favourite Christmas tree farm. Bundled up in our winter warmest, and with saw in hand, we hiked out into the bush to find the perfect tree. For us, it is about more than just getting a tree, it is about a tradition of family time. We have been doing this ritual for years now, and it is a time that we all look forward to each year. We remember back to the first time when we went with friends from our small group at church and the many years that we are able to do it together when schedules permit. We remember the times that it has just been our family. We remember the years that we tried to save time and money by finding something closer to home, driving around all morning, only to make a mad dash to Rena's in the end anyway where we always find a great tree. And although we have never had a squirrel jump out of our tree after we have brought it home, we did find a hummingbird nest in our tree this year! So that was Tuesday, pancakes and tree hunting, before heading back home for school and work.
Today is another day, so we will have to see what can figure out for today.

Update Tuesday

I can't believe another week has passed already. I have been using the last few Tuesdays to share some of the thoughts and reflections that have been stirring in our hearts and have been influencing our thinking about what our new work might look like in its earliest formation. I have been sharing specifically about John 13:34-35 which has been a very influential passage of scripture for us (to read the last few updates please feel free to follow the Hamilton Update label at the right of the page and scroll through the last few weeks). This week I thought I would share about the part of the verse in which Jesus states "by this all men will know that you are my disciples."
As I was sharing about what I thought God was trying to help us see about community, and in particular a fellowship of faith, I mentioned that Jesus was in an intimate setting, with his 12 disciples when he gave this commandment to "love one another." I believe it says a lot about his expectation for His followers to be in relationship with one another. There is something powerful and unique about being in community with other believers. But even here, in a passage in which Jesus is commanding a community of love amongst believers, He never losses His attention for the world around them. I really believe that these words are a keen reminder about our mission here on earth. The church has a responsibility, in imitation of Jesus, to always be aware of the world around us with the intention of being a positive influence for the Kingdom in what we say and what we do. Even the way in which we interact with one another is a part of our mission and witness to the world. And here is how I see what being missional is about. It is about all that we and all that we do being a positive example and influence on the world around us, where ever God may have us, and being intentional about living out that role and responsibility. I think Jesus challenges us to consider how we see mission and evangelism. It is more than just words, as if the right question or script could introduce people to the fullness of Jesus and His kingdom in 30 seconds or less. It is so much more than just a program that we might run. It is, rather, all that we are. I am reminded of Jesus' words as he taught about prayer, praying "Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven." I believe that this is the purpose of the church, to be a community that does its best to live out the Father's will, that others may see Kingdom principles and Kingdom living being lived out before them, while being invited to consider participating themselves. Now of course, we could look missions from this angle and come to a mistaken conclusion that it is all about what we do and little about what we say. Let me be clear in saying that this is not what I believe, nor what I am suggesting. Sharing our faith and sharing the gospel particulars are a must if we are truly going to invite people to consider Jesus, consider a relationship with Him and consider His Kingdom. There is a sad discussion I often hear in which words vs. deeds are debated as if they can ever really be separated in a full and robust missional effort. They cannot and so we must endeavour to do all, and to consider all that we say and do as a part of our witness to the world. And, of course, if we take this more wholistic view then we realize that all that we say and do, for good or bad, are a part of our witness.
I am reminded of a term that I learned years ago with respect to missions, and an image that I found quite helpful. The church is supposed to be a "foretaste," of the Kingdom. What do we mean by "foretaste?" No matter what we think about the specifics of the end times there is general agreement in evangelical circles that it is not until after Jesus' return that we will see the Kingdom come in its fullness. In the meantime, we the church endeavour to live it out and demonstrate on a small scale, what is to come in its fullness later on. So this idea of a foretaste was described to me like this: Imagine the Kingdom to be a banquet, a big feast that is to happen. Currently however, the preparations are being made. Imagine that you sneak into the kitchen and there on the stove is the sauce for the main dish. You pick up the spoon and sample the exquisite sauce. You cannot say that you have experienced the banquet, not in its fullness, but you have had a sample. It was amazing and from that sample you know that the feast is going to be amazing. And that kind of sums up what it means to be a "foretaste," a sample of what is to come. The church is supposed to be that spoon that people get to lick!
So, as well as being based on discipleship and community, we will strive to make our new work a missional community. We hope to start with a neighbourhood fellowship that seeks to impact it's neighbourhood for Christ. Right from the first house church that we grow, we hope to be that "foretaste" for our community and then, as we learn to do that, to multiply and seep into the surrounding neighbourhoods. And, although we don't have a sense of what everything will look like before we begin and before we meet who God brings to us, we can state that we intend to take Jesus' words in Acts 1:8 seriously as well, and consider where and how He longs to use us globally.
So there are the three key foundations to our new work as we see it so far: Discipleship, Community and Missions and so we would invite you to pray for those three things and for the specific ways in which the community we start will live them out.

On another note, I would like to thank all of you who have joined us in praying thus far. I shared some key requests in an update a number of weeks ago that came from Luke 10, those being finances, workers and people of peace. It has been an amazing week for the finances part of that prayer. We are praising God for the ways in which we have seen Him respond to this request this past week. Between what our small Milton church has been able to sacrificially give in support over this next year, an incredibly generous grant from a long time friend of the Sanctuary church planting efforts and the generosity of some new friends we have come very, very close to covering the costs of the whole first year of our new work! Thanks be to God and thanks to all of you who have been praying. We thank you for your continued prayers in support of the work beginning Hamilton.

Advent Update

Well we have just got through one of those kind of crazy weekends that happens this time of year. It was all good stuff, but there was a lot of it. An association Christmas party on Friday night, two family Christmas parties on Saturday, church on Sunday, our church Christmas dinner on Sunday night and then Kim and I were invited to our sister church in Oakville to share about our plans for Hamilton. So this weekend was jam packed. In the midst of it all, however, we were able to carve out some special opportunities for our advent experiment.
Friday began with our children going online to look for children who are in need of sponsorship through Compassion International. They had done a project last year about sponsoring children and after all their research, they chose Compassion as the organization with whom to work (to read more about it check out Kim's blog: www.zoo-ology.blogspot.com). Well, they found Silvan from Kenya who had been waiting for a sponsor for almost 500 days. We chose to sponsor a child in place of getting small gifts for each of the families in our extended clans as we have done in some years past. We were able to share a picture of Silvan with note explaining the sponsorship to each family as we let them know that we have sponsored Silvan in their honour this Christmas. The amazing thing was to see our kids make the decision to use what money we would ordinarily spend on small gifts to sponsor Silvan instead and then decide to step up and cover the sponsorship for the rest of the year themselves, with their own resources.
Saturday was the busy day, but before we went to the parties and were able to deliver the cards with Silvan's picture, the boys and I were off to the grocery store to volunteer for the Salvation Army's Food Drive. Our good friend Mike made the arrangements for us and so we were able to go and spend the morning collecting food and cash donations. My favourite part was when an older lady approached us to make a cash donation just because my son Liam, who was manning the kettle, "was such a cute little girl." Liam - I don't care what your grandpa Bob says, I still like your hair long and I think he is just jealous!
Of course Sunday morning was church, and what a great time to really focus on the meaning of this season.
So that was the weekend, crazy and busy, and yet a meaningful time altogether.

Free Art Friday

If you have been reading the blog for the past few days, or have read my wife's blog, you know that we are trying to do a few things differently this Advent season. So in keeping with that Advent theme, here is a song I wrote during the Christmas season last year. I was inspired by Linus from A Charlie Brown Christmas and the passage that he reads from Luke 2. I took some of the thoughts and lines from that passage and wrote this song. You can find it at the link below:

This Is Christmas

To read about yesterdays advent activity check out Kim's blog:

Z00-ology

Off to today's advent adventure!

Advent Conspiracy

Well, yesterday was the first day of our advent experiment where we hope to do one special thing each day leading up to Christmas to buck the commercial trends of Christmas and to help focus on the spiritual (if you have not had a chance to read my wife's blog on the topic then check out the last few posts over there: www.zoo-ology.blogspot.com ) We decided to start off simple and reflective, focusing our hearts at the beginning of our journey and so we gathered together by our nativity scene in the living room and with lights dimmed we read the Christmas story from Luke 2 together, sang Away in A Manger and prayed together. Two moments still stick out to me. First was when we began to sing Away in A Manger and my youngest daughter T.J. reached up behind her to the nativity set, carefully took the baby Jesus and began to rock Him...oh so cute. Soon after we finished singing, and just before we began to pray, again T.J. had a moment. She stopped us to ask,
"What is baby Jesus in?"
"A manger" said her mother.
"What is that?" asked T.J.
"A feed trough, where they would have put the food for the animals to eat." explained her mother."
"Blechhh." whispered T.J. expressing her disapproval, yet in a hushed, reverential tone.
And that really brought things home to me. This juxtaposition. The reverence of the occasion, the wonder of that night, the holiness and otherness of the nativity, the incarnation and yet the very real, humble and irreverential circumstances by which the King of the universe entered the muck and mire of our world.

It also reminded me about taking things for granted and assuming what people know about Jesus and the bible, but perhaps I will save those thoughts for another time.

Update Tuesday

Last week I began to share some of the things that have been impressed upon my heart and mind after spending time with words of Jesus in John 13:34-35. Last week I shared about what we have been learning about discipleship and how we intend to incorporate those ideas into our new work in Hamilton. The next important thing that we have seen in the above mentioned passage is community. The words "one another" have really begun to stand out as extremely important.
The new command that Jesus gives in this passage is to "love one another," and thus the most obvious place to start is to say that in order to live out this command there really must be a "one another," other people with whom to be in relationship. When we consider the context of the passage in which we find this verse we notice that Jesus is in the intimate setting of the last supper with just his disciples. Although we have many other examples of where we are called to love everyone in our midst, our neighbours, our enemies etc. in this example I believe that Jesus is saying something about community and fellowship with other believers. I have heard many people say over the years, that they can be a good Christian without church. I suppose that really depends on how they are defining "church," but if what they mean is that they can do it without other believers then I would suggest that they are not following this command from Jesus, and if they are not following this command, are they being disciples? And is there really being a Christian apart from being a disciple? Jesus seemed to start with his disciples by calling them to himself and then putting them into relationship, the group of twelve, with whom to work, serve, learn, make mistakes, encourage and find accountability. They were never perfect, and nor will we be perfect. They got mad at each other and offended each other (Mark 10:41), and so will we, but that did not seem to change things for Jesus - he still saw it as important and still continued to use community as a key in his approach. I think that the early chapters of Acts also give us some important glimpses into how the early church saw fit to continue to live out this command.
There is more to community, however, than just being a command. As it turns out with so many of the commands, there is much wisdom in them and much benefit for those who follow. I have had many experiences that have demonstrated to me just how powerful this idea of community is.
Our first experiences probably comes from our time spent at the Oakville Sanctuary where we worshiped and served before coming to Milton. We got involved in the small group ministry fairly early on, and as we look back on our time there, the best and most powerful memories come from the small group we were a part of. It is where we forged deep relationships, where we were able to not only explore questions of faith but had the opportunity to walk with each other as that faith hit the realities of life. Together we walked through birth and death, good times and tough times, family struggles and celebrations and even a few lost jobs and unemployment. We saw all that life had to offer and were able to walk with each other through each situation.
For Kim and I, we remember making the decision to go through the process to adopt children. It was our home church that prayed with us through every step. It was that same group who came and rallied around us and painted our house (interior and exterior!) and cleaned it and did all the things, including selling our house, as we moved to a bigger place preparing for whomever God might choose for us to adopt. I will never forget the night when our biological son Liam, age 3 at the time, got to announce to the home church that he had a new brother and sister and bring out a picture of Daniel and Caroline. We were able to laugh and cry and celebrate together that night, as God saw fit that we would receive the phone call telling us that we had been chosen to parent Daniel and Caroline just as we were preparing to host our weekly gathering. And again, it was our home church that threw us a giant "not babies" baby shower, inviting our family and church, as we prepared to welcome our new children into our life.
With these experiences behind us, we sought to bring something similar to Milton. We have had the privilege of walking with those in the worship team in a small group experience each week. One of the things that God had been impressing upon my heart was that if we were to be a worship band, then we needed to be growing as worshipers and thus early on we added a bible study time to our weekly band practices. It has grown to be the most significant part of our time in Milton. As we walk and grow together, similar to our experience in Oakville, we have been faced with life and death, unemployment, celebrations and struggles. Again, it has been this small group were we have experienced growth and encouragement, accountability and support. One significant factor in this has been our sharing a meal each week. No one can take credit for the idea, certainly not me. It came out of necessity and practicality. If you live in the GTA and commute to work then you know that the traffic is about as bad as you will find in all of North America. It was a real challenge for our group to get home from work, have dinner and then make it to our place early enough to have both a bible study and practice. Breaking it up over two nights would mean a commitment of two weeknights, Sunday morning (which includes packing your instrument at home, bringing it to church and setting up, playing for the service, tearing down, heading home and again unloading and setting up your equipment) and again at special occasions. So in order to meet the challenge, we offered to host a meal so that people could come straight here. Well, the meal has been far more significant then we could have imagined. It has forged much closer relationships, it had deepened our bible study and discipleship as people trust more deeply and share more honestly. It has even affected our music. Knowing and trusting each other more deeply somehow means that we play together better as well. Once again we continue to learn about what relationship and community can mean for those following Jesus.
I need to be honest, sometimes people bug me and get on my nerves, and often times I know I bug others and get on their nerves. Sometime we really blow it with each other and, yes, sometimes people in the church are downright cruel. I don't think that this, however, nullifies the need for community. We don't give up on it when we make mistakes. It was to important to Jesus and it has proven too important in my own life to give up on.

So what does this mean for our future work in Hamilton? It means that what we hope to do will be highly relational. One of our core principles will be developing community. As we seek to live out the discipleship that I shared about last week, it will be done in the context of community. We will begin by having people into our home, sharing our lives and sharing meals together. We have been praying that God would lead us to people of peace. We hope to meet them as we meet people in our neighbourhood, have them over and build relationships. We will then prayerfully begin the discipleship and grow a home church in our home. We will share meals together, share the word together, share in prayer together and share our lives together as we seek to live out what we learn about God and all that He has for us. I cannot say with certainty where God will take it and lead it, and I certainly won't pigeon whole Him, but if you were to ask me now, I would suggest that what we will be starting is a network of interdependent house churches that will continue to spread across Hamilton.
Again, I hope that you can see why we have asked for prayer for people of peace. We hope also that you can see how strategic the right home in our community will be and that you will continue to hold that in prayer.
So, Discipleship and Community - two of the core fundamentals our our new work. Next week we will look at one further observation and the last core fundamental with which we will move forward.

Advent!

Can you believe it is already Advent? it is crazy to think just how fast Christmas is coming. As I think about my calendar, I can already see places that I am double booked and I know that if I am not careful with all this Christmas stuff going on I am going to miss Christmas. So in order that that does not happen we are going to try something a bit different this year. My wife has posted a few thoughts about this season over at here blog, including her most recent post in which she shares a bit of an experiment that our family will be doing this year. If you want to check it out then follow the link below:
www.zoo-ology.blogspot.com
Don't forget to check back tomorrow for Update Tuesday!

Free Art Friday

Another painting this time. This one was done at Ryerson Camp where my family spends a week each summer at family camp. My daughter T.J. loves to go to the craft shack and make crafts which is a perfect excuse for me to head in there and get out some paints myself. There is a little clump of red pines that I love. They sit atop the bluff overlooking lake Erie that is just outside the doors to the craft shack. So, I took a chance a capturing them with paint. They are far cooler in person, but at least my interpretation reminds me of being there.

BB King Christmas Album

If there is not a single sacred song, is a Christmas album really worth anything at all? Yes, if it is BB King. Although as a general rule I try to focus on the true heart of Christmas - which is Christ - there are some Christmas albums that have nothing to do with Jesus that I just can't help but enjoy (and then the flip side is also true, there are many albums with a lot of Jesus that I just can't stand!)
This morning I was walking to my bible study and so I took my Ipod along for the trip and thought I would have a listen to one of my wife's Christmas album purchases from a few years back - BB King's Christmas Celebration of Hope. This album is great, and here are a few reasons why:

The band - recorded a few years back when he ducked into the studio with his touring band, this group is great and the rhythm section, in particular, is tight.

The voice - the voice is the blues, and when you hear him sing there is a depth and experience that just makes everything sound like wisdom personified. So despite the trivial lyrics of most of the album, it still sounds like it should be meaningful, and that I could get a lot out it, and that I should be listening to what he has to say.

The guitar - when you listen to BB King you know that you may hear some guitar licks, and hear them often...but can there be too much of a good thing? And you know that there wont be any blistering moments of virtuosity but with that tone, and those tasty licks you want to savor every moment.

The strings - OK, so generally I hate string sections. Give me a fiddle any day, but a schlocky string section drives me crazy. But on this album everything else was so good I almost forgot that the Nashville String Machine was there.

The Lyrics - I have already said that most of the lyrics are nothing to write home about. There is some of the standard secular Christmas fare, which compared to the rich theology of the season always comes up short and trivial to me. But then there is the perverse side of my musical taste that had me laughing right out loud to the lyrics of Back Door Santa. They are terrible, but terribly funny, and having fun with the notion of Santa always makes me laugh.

So those are just some reasons tho check it out. I would love to hear what you think, or hear some suggestions as to great Christmas albums.

Walking

My family is a one car family. I admit that at times it is hard to be a family of 6 in the burbs and have one car. Sometimes it is a bit crazy, sometimes we make scheduling gaffs and have to scramble around or borrow a car or ask for a ride. That part probably drives me the most crazy. It is always humbling to have to ask for help, and in all honesty I would always prefer not to have to. But it is probably good for me to have to ask every once in a while.
Today we had one of those times where we had to be a bit creative with the schedule because I had an appointment booked at the same time that my wife had to work. It all worked out well however, as I had her drop me off early at the hardware store where I could then pick up a few things to finish a home repair project. I then walked from the store to my appointment. The one car thing creates opportunities to walk that in any other circumstance we would not take. My kids walked to art class yesterday, and today was my turn to walk to my appointment. Walking is good. Firstly, there is the physical benefit. It is so healthy and I love to be able to make it a natural part of what I am doing, as opposed to trying to fit in some exercise around an otherwise jammed schedule, probably in some fabricated environment like a gym that I would have to pay for. Secondly, it makes one slow down. Let's face it we live in a face paced hectic world, but when I have to walk somewhere I have to plan for some extra time to get to where I am going. That then leads to the last benefit, time to think. What a great chance to be by myself, be quiet and just think. There is something about walking that gets my brain active so being out there walking is a great creative time, even more than had I just been able to find time alone at home.
It got me thinking about how much Jesus walked, mostly because he had to I suppose. He was on to something however, and I wonder how much of that we, who live in the automotive dependent environment of the suburbs, have been missing.

Update Tuesday

Well, it is Tuesday again and time for another update. I have alluded to John 13:34-35 as being a very influential verse as we think about what we are going to be starting in Hamilton, so I thought that I would use the next few updates to flesh that out a bit. Hopefully it will help to bring a bit of definition to what we hope to be doing and will also help give a bit more direction to those of you who have been faithfully praying with us.

"A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."

As we were reading these verses that come from the lips of Jesus himself speaking to his disciples on his last night with them before his arrest, it struck me how important this command must have been to Jesus, and how central it should be for those of us coming after Him and in His name. As I looked closer there were three things that really began to jump out at me as we considered what it would mean to live out this command, the first of which were the words "As I have loved..."
I have come to see the words "As I have loved" as a call to discipleship. If we are to live out the command to love as Jesus calls us to do then it will mean doing so in obedience and in imitation of how Jesus himself did so. This really begins with learning who Jesus is and what He has done which then leads to a response, what He wants to do in us and through us including this command to love. I am indebted to my friend Mike for helping to show this simple but deeply important foundation of discipleship. Could it be that simple - Who He is, what He has done, what He wants to do in us and through us? I believe that it is, and again keeping it simple, the best way to get there is to go right to the source and read the words of Jesus himself and the stories about him as recorded in the gospels. I have noticed over the last few years, just how many people's ideas about Jesus are based on any number of things other than the life and words of Jesus. They have never had, or taken the opportunity, to go to the source themselves and thus make an informed decision about Jesus. They have notions about church or religion from what others have said, from the media or past experiences with the church or church people. They have not, however, had the opportunity to make a decision about Jesus from Jesus. So a big part of our "strategy" or plan is to offer people the opportunity to go to scripture and check Jesus out for themselves in order to make an informed decision and to walk with them through that process.
It is interesting as I think about it, that so many of the terms and ideas and definitions of church life that I once understood are bleeding into one another or dissolving. There is a de-compartmentalizing going on. Whereas I once may have seen evangelism and discipleship as distinctly different I am coming to see discipleship as much broader. I can introduce people to Jesus and walk with them as they get to know about Him with the goal of making an informed decision. I think that this may come closer to what Jesus meant when he encouraged people to count the cost of following him. So we don't see a very big difference between what we hope to do in evangelism and what we hope to do through discipleship. Rather, a key to our evangelism will be an invitation to discipleship.
As an aside, I see this same overlapping happening when I consider worship. Perhaps because I have spent much of my time in the last number of years "leading worship" (by which is meant music in the church), people are interested to know what we will do for worship in the new work. But again, where my heart has taken me over these last few years of exploring worship, is to a place where I recognize that discipleship and worship are not exclusive or different. As I read Romans 12:1-2 I recognize that worship is a wholistic response ("offer you bodies as living sacrifices"...) to who God is and what he has done (the "Therefore... in view of...", in 12:1 following 11 chapters of theology that culminates in the Doxology of 11:33) and that this is our "spiritual act of worship." I have not actually thought very much about the specific ways in which we will express our worship. I think that if we focus on introducing Jesus and helping people through a process of getting to know who he is and what he has done then together we can explore what he wants to do in us and through us, including our expressions of worship. So again, the distinctions that I once held seem to be dissolving a bit, or at least overlapping and I am excited to see what God may do with that.
So how do I sum up this rambling into something that will be helpful. Maybe I can summarize like this:

We want to meet people and invite them to consider checking out Jesus for themselves.
We want to take them directly to scripture.*
We want to walk with them through a process of looking at:
Who Jesus Is
What He has done
What He wants to do in us and through us.

* we will most likely use a simple approach to looking at scripture that I put together and have been working on (by which I mean I stole from multiple sources and mashed together) that you can read about in a previous post entitled Snowbirds: check it out HERE.

So that sort of summarizes how we see discipleship as one of the key foundations of our new work in Hamilton. I hope that it also helps to see why we have invited you to be praying with us for people of peace, those who are receptive to hearing about Jesus, as we move into the new community. We will not be starting with an event to which to invite people and from which we can then steer them towards discipleship opportunities but rather the opposite. We hope to invite them into discipleship, who Jesus is and what He has done and ,prayerfully, to the response of what He wants to do in me. From here God will have the freedom to work in hearts that are committed to Him to then grow whatever he wishes to grow.

Thanks again for all the support and prayer. We look forward to this journey together.

If It Ain't Broke Don't Fix It

So, I was reading in Matthew again today when I read that "From that time Jesus began to preach and say 'Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.'" (Matthew 4:17) What struck me is that it is exactly the same message that John the Baptist had been preaching just a chapter earlier. It struck me that not even Jesus himself saw the need to really improve upon it or make a more grandiose statement. He kept it simple, didn't change it for the sake of changing it and really demonstrated the principle that if "it ain't broke, don't fix it." So how about us today? Are we willing to keep it simple? Are there things that we change just for the sake of change? Are there things that ain't broke that we insist on fixing? How many times have we tried to reinvent the wheel as we do church, or take our message to the world? Has our message suffered because of it?
Just some questions that I found myself thinking about today.

Free Art Friday

In an attempt to keep things different, today I have some photos. I was backing up my hard drive, but in order to do it I had to partition my external drive so as to keep the things that were already on there (are you impressed by the techno wizardry? My cousin is laughing right now because of the flury of e-mail back and forth yesterday morning as she walked me through the process...and all my problems). Anyway, I was going through some of the older photos on the drive and came across a few of my favourites that I took at a barn that is just a short walk down the street.

Here's to Uncle Muzz

Last night I had a great chance to visit with my cousin Sarah and her partner Joe. She is most often jet setting around the world so we keep in touch through technology, but it is always great to be able to see each other in person. We were fortunate that our families were pretty close growing up so there was a lot of funny stories and reminiscing going on. Thinking back to last night I am noticing how many of our crazy stories revolved around her dad, my uncle Muzz (no that is not his given name, but it is what almost everyone I know has always called him...which says a lot I guess). They say every family has one... you know... that uncle. Well he is ours. Now in all fairness it might to be right to classify Muzz along with all those other uncles, because truly, there is no one quite like Muzz.

So here is to Muzz, my self declared tone deaf uncle who taught me to sing my first Buck Owens song (a la Ringo)
So here is to Muzz, and jalapeno peppers (remember Adam?)
So here is to Muzz, and late night drive by's of Niagara Falls (remember Leenie? - no you wouldn't, you were lying down and missed it and we never did go back.)
So here is to Muzz, and candy rocks (or are they candy...better watch you teeth kids)
So here is to Muzz, who is making the ukulele cool again.

And these are just a few of the stories that came out last night, but I am sure if my family reads this it will bring to mind so many other great stories.
So for making life so memorable we say...

Here's to Muzz!!

Bob Dylan Christmas Album

Ok, so my wife comes home from the library with yet another Christmas album being the Christmas music freak that she is. I see it sitting on the dresser for days, with this weird looking old fashioned cover that looks like it came form the bargain bin at Zellers full of bad, no name recordings of Christmas favourites. Eventually we are standing in front of the dresser together and I make a crack about her obsession over Christmas music when she says "no, this is Dylan..seriously look..." and sure enough I take a closer look and it is a Bob Dylan Christmas album. I have to admit that I was in a bit of disbelief as that is a combination that I would never have thought of. My wife says, "I had to see what this would be like," a bit perplexed herself. Well, last night she headed out to take the girls to dance and took the CD to listen to on the way. When she returned she had an even more perplexed look on her face. The best response, however, was from my daughter who barely had words to describe it, but whose face had a look that said, "I don't know what kind of experience I just had but I think it was traumatic." Bob Dylan, whose voice just seems to get more raw and raunchy with each passing year, and Christmas music is just a odd combination to experience.
As soon as they got home, it was my chance to head out to a meeting so I took the CD with me, by this time very intrigued. I have to admit it is the best Christmas CD I have heard in a long time. I might even go as far as to say it comes second to "A Charlie Brown Christmas"... maybe. Regardless, I loved it. What I found was an beautifully weird juxtaposition of the sacred and the secular, the graceful and the gruff, the cherished and the cheesy, the consecrated and the campy. Now, I know that I have a bit of a perverse streak when it comes to music so these things, which might be all the reasons to hate this album for others, are what bring me to love it.
The album, entitled "Christmas in the Heart," is an album of 15 songs, some sacred and some secular. It has the usual secular fair including "I'll Be Home for Christmas" and "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas," and some campy numbers like "Christmas Island," but what I found myself drawn to most were the secular songs. First off, kudos for including them, and so many. It doesn't shy away from the religious roots of the season. It is also here that the the sacred songs, with the wonder and awe of the story that the lyrics communicate, so abruptly collide with the gruff, gravel, I gargle with razor blades voice. But after all the versions, sung by the greatest, most refined voices in history, these versions were refreshing. There is something so real about it, and as I think about it, there is an added dimension that is missing from almost all other recordings. When he sings something like "O Little Town of Bethlehem," the lyrics capture the wonder, the arrangements and instrumentation bring us to this sacred moment in time when God, in human form and as a helpless baby, breaks into our earthly existence to be the King of Kings and Lord of Lords and just then Bob's voice becomes the scratchy straw, hay and wood of the common feed trough into which this Mighty God would be thrust. to me, it captures the brilliant biblical juxtaposition that is the incarnation, that is...Christmas. That and it is just plain weird at points.
Have you heard the album? What are your thoughts?

Update Tuesday

Wow, is time flying. Only how many days until Christmas? Only how many days until January when we switch to half time at the church and start to focus more on Hamilton???!!!!???
Apparently that math got away from me a bit. Here is some math that I am getting a pretty good handle on:

6 people+2 dogs X 5 years / 1 house = big mess

One of the things we will be focusing on in the new year will be all the arrangements for our relocation to Hamilton. That, of course, means selling our current house and there is a lot of work to do in order to get it ready for the market. One of the big to do items, however, was just recently crossed of the list. In the war that had been waged between our family and the carpet on the main floor, our family came out squarely on top. There was no doubt at all that the carpet had been soundly defeated and it bore the many scars and wounds of defeat. The good thing is that a few months ago some laminate flooring came on sale at an incredible price and so we bought it and had been storing it until we had time to install it. That time came last weekend when a number of guys arrived from the church to help us install it. My kids and I spent time during the week lifting all the carpet and padding, my father took it to the dump with my son Daniel on Friday, and then the crew arrived Saturday with saws and skills etc. ready to get down to work. It went so smoothly, and we had enough help, that we got the entire floor done, including trim, in one day. This was aided in no small part by the contribution of another friend who brought over chili for dinner so that our family did not have to break to prepare a meal.
To me, the day was another great reminder of the importance and the blessing of community. It is one of the key lessons that I have learned over the last few years, and that I have seen in action over and over again. It is also one of the lessons that we will take to Hamilton with us. There is a verse in John in which Jesus states:

"A new command I give you: 'Love one another'. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples if you love one another."
- John 13:34-35

It is a verse that I have spent a lot of time with, that has profoundly influenced how I think about what we are to be doing in Hamilton and one that I am sure you will read more about here at the blog in the coming months. Today, however, I will just mention the obvious, Jesus commands us to be in relationship. If we consider the context in which we find this verse, Jesus with his disciples at the last supper, I think we can see that he means with other believers . Although we in North American Evangelical circles focus a lot upon a personal relationship with Jesus (and rightly so) this is not to the exclusion of community. Jesus put his first followers into community, modelled it for us, commanded them to continue in relationship and we see amazing examples in the early church. I can add to the biblical witness by sharing that I have been profoundly effected by such communities of love, the least of which is not my current church in Milton. Like many of the commands we read in scripture we see that it really is for our best and is an amazing blessing for those who follow it. It is not always easy, we don't always get things right and , in fact, sometimes we down right mess it up, but it is still worth striving for and risking for.
A big thanks to Bob, Gerald, Will, Gerry, Daniel and Bev for being community for us this past week and beyond.
thanks you also to each of you who have been reading, supporting and praying for us. We are truly blessed by your love and community as well. Please don't hesitate to follow the label "Hamilton Updates" on the left of this blog to see past posts and prayer requests if you have not already read them.

Next up, painting...and then painting...and then a bit more painting!!

The Geneology of Jesus

I have recently begun reading through the Gospel of Matthew again after quite some time. I have been looking forward to reading through it again with somewhat fresh eyes. It didn't take very long before I was struck by something, in fact, it was the first section of the first chapter. Matthew begins with the genealogy of Jesus, His family line. It has the big ones, tracing His line through the exile, then back to David and finally to Abraham showing Jesus has the proper lineage and is the fulfillment of promises and covenants. There are a few interesting additions to the genealogy, most notably perhaps is the inclusion of four women. Much has been written about how unique this is and what it means to have included women. Much has also been written about the fact that three of the women are Gentiles while the fourth was married to one. It hints towards, and helps to reveal the universality of God's love and His gospel, that His intention was that Jesus would be the means by which people from all tribes and tongues and nations might find access to the kingdom. What stood out to me this time, however, was the particular stories of these women, and what it might reveal about God's heart for the disenfranchised.
The women in Jesus' genealogy are Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, and Uriah's wife who is Bathsheeba. When one looks closer at these women, who they were and what they did one notices that in each case, with perhaps the exception of Ruth, there are some very questionable things about them. Bathsheba committed adultery with David, Rahab was a prostitute, and Tamar seduced her father in law in order to become pregnant - not necessarily top choices to intentionally include in your genealogy if you didn't have to. What I have been struck by is the fact that they were included, that there stories were not glossed over or ignored and that by inclusion in Jesus' genealogy we get amazing stories of God's redemption. The best example is perhaps Tamar.
Tamar is found in Genesis 38, and is the daughter in law of Judah. Basically, the story goes like this, Tamar gets married and her husband dies without any children. Because this would leave a widow in a very vulnerable position with little or no means to provide for herself and her future, there were family obligations to be performed by her husband's family to take care of a widow. When her husband's family would not honour their obligations, it left her in a desperate situation. Desperate times call for desperate measures and thus she enacts a plan to pose as a prostitute, seduce her father in law, and get pregnant which would then ensure a future for herself. Now, to be clear, scripture never excuses sin. It does not shy away from calling it what it is, and despite the situation, Tamar's actions cannot be ignored or excused. But having said that, toward the end of the story we see that Judah recognizes that there is blame to go around. It was his sin, and the sin of his family that created the desperate situation in which Tamar found herself. I find myself wondering about the situations about the other women. In what situation did Rahab find herself, for which prostitution was an answer? What would it have been like for Bathsheeba to have the most powerful man in the known world to trying to seduce you? Again, it does not excuse the choices made by the women, but it does have me stopping to consider the reasons. It is here that I think about the numerous people in my life who are engaged in prison ministry who are often confronted with such stories. They work with individuals who are paying the consequences for their poor choices, and in most cases, rightly so for they have in fact broken the law. But how often do we consider the situations that put them into those positions of having to make such choices in the first place? The cycles of abuse, poverty and the list goes on. I am wondering if the story of these biblical women speaks to this at all? Does it speak to God's heart for the disenfranchised? Does it give hope to such desperate situations? Does including the story of Tamar in Jesus' lineage tell us about God's heart to bring redemption to even the most desperate of situations? If the offspring from such a sordid union as that of Tamar and Judah could go on to eventually produce the Saviour of the world, what does that say about God's grace and redemption?
Those are just some thoughts from the first chapter.

Free Art Friday

Yesterday was remembrance day and the rest of my family had an amazing experience at the Legion's service held here in Milton. You can read about that experience here. I had an appointment in the morning and was unable to make it there, so I found myself at home alone with some moments of quiet to remember. I watched a bit of the service from Ottawa on T.V. long enough to hear the The Last Post, a moment of silence, Taps, the bagpipe lament and the last verse of the famous poem In Flanders Fields. I was thinking about that poem that I have heard so many times, and as often happens, my reflections began to take a musical turn. Sometimes art is as much about the process as it is the final product, it is a natural part of how I reflect and explore and yesterday, in the quiet, that is what I found myself doing. I took a couple of moments to record a rough demo of the outcome. If you follow the link below you can listen to In Flanders Fields set to a tune that I wrote yesterday.

www.myspace.com/jasonmcgibbonproject

November 11

Lest We Forget

T.J.'s First Job

Yesterday, was my youngest daughter's first job! With the help of her aunt and uncle who are both in the business, T.J. got an agent a few months ago and has been auditioning for acting work. Yesterday, was the first official job and so she and her mom spent the day on set for a commercial. She was actually the stand in (the backup actor) on this job and so she won't actually be in a commercial that airs, but she totally used the day for all it was worth. She got a ton of on set experience, learned all the lingo and proved that she is a total natural in that setting. She also used her time to do her usual schmoozing and networking, learning the names of almost every crew member on site and ensuring that they all knew her by the end of the day. She came home with names and e-mails and has already got messages in her inbox. The crazy thing is just how opposite a personality she is from everyone in our family! If she didn't look so much like her brother Liam, and have so many other family resemblances, I would have serious doubts about which of my kids are the adopted ones.
Here are a few shots my wife took:Nice job T.J.!

Update Tuesday

As mentioned last week I am reserving Tuesdays at the blog for updates about our new work in Hamilton. I shared some of our thoughts and the things that God has been using to lay Hamilton on our hearts a few weeks ago. We have continued to pray about where that would mean more specifically. As we have been considering what our work will look like, we have begun to have a bit more clarity and direction and we will be sharing some of those thoughts in the coming weeks and months. One of our key goals, however, was to determine a neighbourhood in which we could plant ourselves as we seek people of peace with whom to begin discipleship and grow a fellowship. We have narrowed our focus down and have begun to pray very specifically about a particular area in the southwest section of the city commonly referred to as the Locke Street area, referring to the funky developing commercial strip in the heart of the neighbourhood. As we were praying about where we might begin to focus, a number of interesting incidents occurred that I thought I would share with you today.
Narrowing in on Hamilton was one thing, but then to try to figure out where specifically in Hamilton was another thing, and number of months ago we were a little overwhelmed and a bit discouraged. Where could we go where we would be able to make connections and most be used by God? We had been visiting the city, going to neighbourhoods, playing at parks with the kids and praying etc. There is no shortage of neighbourhoods or needs in Hamilton, so how do you look at a large city and determine where to plug in? Well, with all of this going on in our minds we decided to head into the city to attend a street festival that was in one of the neighbourhoods that we had heard about. We had actually visited the street once before and while we were in the cheese shop, the lady gave my son a free sample. I think that he had been sold on the neighbourhood before any of the rest of us would come to the same conclusion! Well, it was the Locke Street Festival during which the whole street is closed down and the neighbours, community groups, retail shops and restaurants get together and host a street party. There are booths and rides and entertainment etc. all along the street. We started at the south end of the street and began to make our way north. We were even not a block up the street when we met someone that we knew from Ryerson Family Camp where we have helped serve for the past number of summers. As it turns out, our friend lives in the neighbourhood, and although he goes to church in another part of the city, he began to introduce us to friends and neighbours, and by the time we were hitting the second block we had already begun to make connections and build relationships! We had not yet announced anything about our plans to move to Hamilton so our friend knew nothing about it. I was able to share with him a few weeks ago just what an answer to prayer he had been.
Well, as we continued down the street we made it to the end and then began to slowly make our way back south as we checked out the booths that lined the other side of the street. As we hit the half way point we came to the main stage on which a number musical acts were performing throughout the day. As we got to the stage there was an amazing acoustic group playing and so Kim and I stopped the kids so that we could listen. The musicians were incredible and so we stayed for a number of songs. It was the third or forth song when one of the lady performers began to sing. As I listened there was something really familiar about the voice and part way through the song I turned to my wife Kim and said, "I know that voice." So we waited around until the end of the set and I approached the singer to ask if she had sung in the Toronto band called Rang Tango back in the 80's. As it turns out, she was the lead singer in a band that my uncle had played bass in, the last band that he played in before leaving for Austin. It was a band that made quite an impact on the Toronto scene at the time. And for me of course, who remembers going to see my uncle at festivals and shows, and sneaking up to the Labatt tent at the EX (the national exhibition - a huge annual fair held in Toronto) to hear him play, it was an influential band in developing my own love of music and desire to play. So here I was, twenty some years later, meeting this person from my past in the heart of a Hamilton neighbourhood. We shared with her that we would be moving in the new year at which point she began to give us some advise about neighbourhoods etc. and then made a plug for the Locke area. As it turns out, not only was she playing there, but she lives there just a few streets over from the stage! She began to share about when and why she moved to Hamilton and it began to sound like the list of observations that Kim and I had begun to put together. She was a musician, she had begun a family, Hamilton was more affordable, the neighbourhood was great for kids and yet she could still be part of an urban arts scene etc. We were amazed.
So, we consider that day a real answer to prayer and have begun to focus specifically on that area. We are praying, continue to visit and prayer walk and are excited about what God may have for us there.

We want to thank all of you who have joined us in prayer. As I shared last week we continue to seek guidance form Luke chapter 10 and pray for workers, finances and people of peace. If I could add one more specific prayer we would appreciate prayer for a home in that area. Specifically we are praying that God would provide a home in our key target area and one that has enough space that we could rent out a part of the home. Our goal, as part of our financial plan, is to find a home that will pay for itself (cover the mortgage) through rentals which will significantly bring down our family's monthly payments.

I actually have another story about the neighbourhood that happened when we took some friends who were visiting from a church in the States for a tour, but I will save that for another time.

Thanks again for all the continued prayers and support!