Music Quote

I don't play accurately - any one can play accurately - but I play with wonderful expression.  As far as the piano is concerned, sentiment is my forte.  I keep science for Life.

  - Algernon

The Importance of Being Earnest

by Oscar Wilde

Free Art Friday 01/28/11

The Sign of Jonah Scorned


This was a poem that I shared a number of weeks ago.  Since then I have put it to music.  I usually write words and music together for the most part, so this was a bit of a different experience for me.  It was fun to mix it up, spend some time on just the words, and then have to add music in afterward.  

(I know the video is a bit cheesy but I was experimenting with ways to be able to post the song directly to the blog page without having to use a link. )

Let Your Yes be Maybe?

We had Trinity at the doctor's last week for the follow up to some of her tests as we continue to try to figure out her mystery stomach ailment.  After reviewing the results the doctor shared with us that there was evidence that her body was fighting a food born contamination, most likely from produce from a foreign country that has questionable practices and guidelines.  He shared with us that he has been seeing an increase in this sort of thing lately and went on to describe some of the farming practices in countries that are exporting goods to Canada, including using human waste as fertilizer.  It was more of an extended rant than an informational update as he is really frustrated by what he is seeing and is outraged by the lack of attention that is being garnered by the problem.  So, after T.J's illness, and upon doctor's recommendation we are trying to be much more discerning about our produce, how it is grown, and most importantly, where it comes from.  It is a strange day when you discover that some of your food may have been grown in human waste.  It is stranger still when that is not the most frustrating part of your shopping experience. 
As we were shopping we were looking for more organic produce to purchase, but even more importantly to us, we were looking for produce from Canada or other countries that we know have similar, stringent health regulations.  You think that this would be an easy thing to do, just look at the sign or the packaging and make your choice by what you see.  But here is the catch, you have to look closely... very closely to actually see what you are getting and from where.  The terms "PRODUCT OF," and "PACKAGED IN" are all over packaging in the grocery store.  Apparently, however, they mean different things than "GROWN IN," seeing as if you flip the packaging over and look for fine print you may find that the produce is grown in another country altogether.  How frustrating is that!  And it makes me think, why are they hesitant to let me know where this stuff is grown? 
Is it too much to ask that we just start being honest and transparent about things?  No wonder Jesus had to give the teaching to "let your 'yes be yes' and your 'no be no'." (Matthew 5:37)  There is a serious lack of integrity in our words and it leads to a serious lack of credibility and trustworthiness.   

Time Off

I have missed blogging for the past few days.  Our family actually headed out of town for a Christmas gift we were given, which was a two night stay at Great Wolf Lodge in Niagara Falls.  It is an indoor water park and lodge where we were able to sneak away for a couple of days.  With my regular day off  (Monday) and one added vacation day we were able to squeeze out a mini vacation, which is always a welcome retreat to battle the mid winter January blahs.  We are back at it today feeling refreshed.  The kids had an amazing time on all the rides etc. and hanging out with some friends that also made the trip.  Kim and I had a great time away from the regular routine and watching the kids having so much fun.  I don't mean to suggest that I did not get on any of the rides, quite the contrary, I had my fare share and more.  Kim however, preferred the outdoor hot tub.  
I am reminded of how important time off can be; intentional time away from our regular responsibilities and routines, away from the stresses and rigors of life, to refresh and recharge.  I am reminded that God left such an opportunity for us when he declared that the seventh day was to be one of rest - the Sabbath.  Legalists tend to give it a bad name as evidenced by Jesus' constant challenges throughout the Gospels about what and how it should be kept.  I am reminded however, that rather than do away with it altogether, Jesus declared that it was made for man, and instead focused on reinterpreting how it was to be practiced.  God modeled it for us at the time of creation, included it in the law to be kept by His people and then Jesus taught us about its true purpose.  I think that there is something to it for us, even today, to consider.            

Free Art Friday 21/01/11

This is the piece that got me interested in art again, and painting in particular.  It is not mine, obviously, but the artist gave it to me as a gift and I have it displayed in my home.

Band Practice Tonight

Tonight is Thursday and so it is our weekly band practice.  I call it "Band Night" sometimes, because that is who is coming over, our church worship band.  It is more than just a band practice, however, as sometimes we don't even get to the practice part.  What we will do is come together and share a meal.  We will share in each others lives and hear the good, the bad, the celebrations and the sorrows.  We will try to be community in the best sense of the word.  We will open God's word together and dig and share, ask questions and make observations and together try to learn a bit more about who Jesus is, what He has done and what He want to do in us and through us.  We will put Jesus and His word at the centre of our community as we try to grow in our faith and be the Kingdom community that God would have us be.   We will spend time in prayer asking for God's help and guidance as we live out the task.  Lastly, we will use the passion and talents God has given to us to respond through music to all that God has been revealing to us, and prepare to lead our larger church family in such a response on Sunday.  The way I see it, it is our way of trying to live out what we see the early church doing when we read Acts 2 and it says things like:

They devoted themselves to the apostle's teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer...They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad ans sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favour of all the people.  Acts 2:42-47

Signs

It was a moment of sadness, a moment shock followed by a brief but real sense of grief when my wife heard the man say $18.65.  She then realization that maybe, just maybe, this is another sign, another confirmation that our time in Milton is coming to an end and that we truly are being called to our next task.
For the last few years we have had the most incredible deal at a local pizza shop:

Walk In Special - Two Large Pizzas for $12.99

With taxes in, it came to $14.68.  When you are feeding a family of six that is a pretty amazing deal.  This past week we headed there on a day when we were working on painting the house and forgot to put something in the slow cooker early enough.   My wife was in a bit of shock when cashier rang in the pizza's, and the total came to $18.65.  She came back to the car and with sadness in her eyes, stated:

 "It's time to move."

Update Tuesday 18/01/11

Strangely, or maybe not so strangely, last week's blog was focused on prayer and it really turned out to be a week in which we came to realize how much prayer we need.  Last Tuesday began with my blog that shared some prayer initiatives and prayer requests.  That blog was followed by a last minute doctor appointment as we continue to work on diagnosing our daughter's mystery illness, and a fire in the electrical panel of our stove.  The next day was followed by struggles with the manufacturer over getting the situation resolved which was an exercise in frustration.  We have been cooking out of a slow-cooker as we continue to wait the the parts to fix the stove, and it just seems that every day brings with it one or two other things that just don't seem to work out quite right, throwing a monkey wrench into an already fragile schedule.  The only thing to really do is laugh, and if you have read my blog posts over the last week you would see that that is what I have tried to do.  Have a look if you missed them:

Read Here 

or

Here



As much as I have had a laugh at it all, it would be a lie to say that it has not been trying and that there have not been moments of discouragement as well.  Perhaps the most amazing thing, however, is how God has been gracious throughout.  I don't think that it is a coincidence that these things happened after our request for prayer, nor is it a coincidence to see how God has seen us through.  At the last minute on Tuesday evening I decided not to go out to a meeting that I had been invited to and so was here to put out the fire.  We have also had other God moments.  The morning after our most discouraged moments my reading of Matthew had me in chapter 14, where Jesus walks on water.  I found encouragement in the story of Peter, who seeing Jesus walking on the water, responded to Jesus' invitation to come out of the boat and walk on the water himself.  We all know how the story goes, that Peter gets out and walks on water until he is distracted and frightened by the wind and begins to sink at which point Jesus needs to save him.  We feel we have stepped out to respond to the call of Jesus and are encouraged to keep going after this discouraging week and not to doubt or be afraid.  And there have been other moments of God's graciousness and goodness this week.  I would invite you to read some thoughts that my wife has shared on her blog:

Zoo-ology.blogspot.com 

All in all, this week's update is less of an update on Hamilton than it is a praise of God's graciousness in the midst of turmoil.  I suppose it goes without saying, but we would like to thank you for your continued support and prayer and ask that you would continue to pray for us and our new work.

     

Sweet Find!

 Every once in a while my fascination and adoration with the Salvation Army Thrift Store makes its way into my posts.  Today is one of those days!  I was at the store to buy some paint...yes paint.  The store has begun to carry a line of low VOC, recycled paint and for 17 bucks, it is a deal too good to pass up when you have to paint your entire house.  But that is not actually the story today.  When I was there, I decided to have a quick look at the coats as I was in need of a winter coat that I could use for outdoor activities like snowshoeing and sledding etc.  Imagine my surprise when I found this baby for only $7.99!!!!!...

TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE!!!!!!


Sally Anne you never let me down.

Free Art Friday 14/01/11

My wife has had this wish to go to New York city together for  a number of years now.   She has been a few times, once with work and another time with a group of friends and each time she has come back saying "I really want to go with you."  I think that she really wants to do a carriage ride in Central Park, but that you can only really have the full experience if you are with the love of your life.  The dream is not all hers however, as there are many things that I would love to try to see with her when visiting New York.  We have talked about it, almost made it a few times and she even got some money from a big birthday bash her friends held for her.  So far, however, it has just not panned out for one reason or another.  This past anniversary I wanted to let her know that we have not given up on the dream, even though it looks like it may have to wait for a while again.  With that in mind, I painted this picture as a bit of a joke, so that we can have New York come to us until we can manage to get there ourselves.

 

Life Lessons from Chili Powder

So, our epic adventure of gaffs and misfortune seems to continue.  A sick daughter, a flaming stove, an obstinate customer service agent and now a chili pepper assassin. 
Being without a stove, and preparing to host our weekly dinner, bible study and band practice we thought slow cooker chili would be an ideal fit.  I started by cooking the meat over night, so that we could clean the slow cooker and prepare the other ingredients today, reserve some to be vegetarian and then add the meat back in for the last few minutes.  A perfect plan.  One thing, however, that we did not factor in was the murder attempt by the chili pepper assassins.
One of my pet peeves is when you go to the grocery store and they are out of staples.  That happened last week, no milk and no chili powder!  When we made a stop by the Indian Grocery for some particular chutney, we saw chili powder on the shelf and thought "perfect - we can just grab it here."  Thinking that this is an Indian grocery, and that they tend to have things spicy, we opted to be safe and get the chili powder marked "MILD."  All was good.  So, back to today. 
We prepared the chili and added only a minimal amount of powder to begin.  When we did a quick flavour taste...WOW - ATTACK OF THE CHILI PEPPER ASSASSINS -my wife was almost knocked on her backside and her lips suffered major trauma.  Apparently "MILD" is relative and may have some different interpretations.  What is "MILD" in the context of an Indian grocery store may not be the same as what is "MILD" at the local big box chain store.   
It got me thinking about context and communication.  How often does this happen, that we fail to consider context - who is communicating and to whom, what is the situation, what is the environment or time etc. and how do all these factors affect how we understand what is going on, what is being said or what is being done?  Or how will such factors affect how my words or actions will be interpreted?  These kind of questions become increasingly important as cross generational and cross cultural communication increases.   There are so many factors that can affect context.
As one who is tasked primarily with communicating scriptural ideas to those around me, this gives me pause to think.  I am mindful of how I must handle scripture itself.  One of my biggest pet peeves is how often and how easily we can take scripture out of context - you can make it say almost anything you want if you are just a bit creative with context!  Then there is how I will communicate truth to those around me.  How might they interpret what I am saying and will the concepts be clear.  Will "MILD" mean "MILD" to them? 
I am starting to learn that teaching might require as much listening and learning as it does speaking!  

Doomed

Sometimes it just seems that somethings are doomed from the beginning, that despite our best efforts there is nothing really to be done to alter their fate and we must really just learn when to finally give in and say enough is enough and put it to rest.  That seems to be the case with our homemade bread yesterday.
My wife has taken to making home made bread and over the past six months or so, has gotten very good at it.  There is nothing quite like a fresh loaf of her whole wheat bread.  Yesterday was the day that she set out to make a few loaves for the week.  I could hear the mixer going when I got up in the morning and I was looking forward to the day...the smell that would fill the house...the taste that would fill my mouth...She made the dough, warmed the oven slightly and placed the loaves in the oven to allow them to rise.  This is where things start to go  bit wrong.
Our daughter has been suffering from an unknown stomach ailment for the last three weeks and so we had called the pediatrician to see whether he wanted a further follow up appointment.  They were able to book us in that afternoon, and being both perplexed and a bit concerned over this undiagnosed problem we jumped at the appointment.  I received a call from my wife an hour or so after the appointment time letting me know that they had ordered more tests and that she was heading to the lab to get the tests done.  All in all it took a number of hours which is not really all that bad, except if you have forgotten the bread in the oven to rise.  The bread had risen over the sides of the loaf pan, down the sides of the loaf pan, and onto the oven rack.  By the time we remembered and found it, it was a pathetic site.  We did our best, however, to salvage it and to coax it back to life.  We put it back into the pans, warmed the oven a bit again and tried to help it rise once again.  It never really did return anywhere near to its former glory, and like those sports celebrities who try to mount a comeback only to make it painfully clear that retirement really was the best option at the time,  we forged ahead but probably should have called it quits.
Right after dinner Kim had to take the girls to dance and so they were out the door leaving me to try to work with the bread.  I knew that it really had not risen well, but did not want to give up.  I preheated the oven and put the bread in to bake.  About five minutes into the process, I could smell that very strong odour that only an electrical fire can create.  I walked all around the house trying to identify the location of the smell, when all of a sudden I could see smoke coming from the electrical panel of my stove.  A few pops and some glowing helped confirm the fact that the electrical panel on my stove had spontaneously ignited!  I was able to pull the stove out, get it unplugged and then get a fire extinguisher through the vent grate to extinguish the flames within the stove head.   All the while, however, the bread was in the oven half baked.
After cleaning up from the fire extinguisher I did look up online to see if bread could be done in the microwave and I did find some instructions.  I tried and tried but by then it was too late.  The trauma was catastrophic and too severe...we tried everything we could but could not resuscitated the bread.  I did not have the heart to call time of death however, and so left it on the counter for the evening.
This morning someone else had been up first and by the time I came down they had compassionately disposed of the bread without a word.  It really seems like the bread was doomed from the start.
Today we will try to determine the future of the oven but I have to be honest, it does not look good.  Even if it can be repaired how comfortable am I using a stove that can spontaneously combust?

Update Tuesday 11/01/11

Last week I shared a quote from Hudson Taylor to another Canadian missionary to China named Jonathan Goforth in which he said:

"Brother, if you would enter that province, you must go forward on your knees."

Taking that advice to heart I have been trying to ensure that we enter our new work "on our knees."  With that in mind, I have begun a few initiatives to not only ensure that we are on our knees, but to invite those who have been faithfully supporting us in prayer already, to join us in specific opportunities of prayer together.  Here are a few opportunities to share with you and invite your participation:

1. Prayer and Fasting - I am going to try to use the second Tuesday of each month (that's today!) as an opportunity for prayer and fasting.  
2. Prayer Walking - We are going to try to have an opportunity to visit and pray in the Hamilton neighbourhood that we are targeting at least once a month.  We would love to invite anyone interested is visiting, seeing, and getting to know the neighbourhood to join us.  This month we will be going on the afternoon of January 3oth.  That is actually my birthday, so we are thinking of hosting a lunch at my place after church before heading down to Hamilton together.  If you are available and interested then just shoot me a quick e-mail so we can figure out numbers. 

We want to thank you for your continued support and prayer, and although physically joining us for a prayer walk is not realistic for many of you, we know that you continue to hold us in prayer from wherever God has you.
As you continue to pray, I would ask for prayer for Trinity, our youngest daughter, who has been suffering from a stomach ailment for almost three weeks now.  She has seen the doctor, had tests done at the hospital and had an ultrasound but still we cannot find the cause.  She experiences a lot of pain whenever she eats just a little bit, and if she eats anything close to a regular amount of a meal she gets a lot of pain followed by a bout of vomiting.  Please pray that we might find the cause and then the correct treatment.
I will also be working on a more specific transition schedule as we continue to work towards our transition out of our current roles in Milton.  Please pray for wisdom and guidance for God's timing, and please pray for the transition; that it would be as smooth as possible, that there would be individuals to fill our roles and better still, that God would raise up individuals with fresh passion and vision to surpass our roles and lead the Milton church to new heights in the future!
Thanks everyone!

So Old School You're No School

When it comes to our family we have really run the gamut of roles, from one extreme to the other.  I often joke with my wife that when we first got married she was supposed to be my sugar mama.  She owned her own successful business at the time and that is what allowed me to go back to university and then eventually on to seminary.  I did do some teaching during those years but was able to do it from home.  The way that our schedules worked out I was often able to be home to do most of the cooking and share in a lot of the domestic responsibilities.  Well here we are, about six years later, and we find ourselves in the reverse position.  It is my salary that is the primary income while Kim has opted to stay at home with our four children.  We actually made the decision to home school our kids a number of years ago and so we really are at the other end of the spectrum in some regards.  We do, however,  still manage to share some of the domestic responsibilities.  I actually really enjoy cooking for example and do it a few times a week.  So even though I am a bit lazy, and hate to do laundry, I don't totally leave everyone else hanging, and most importantly, should Kim have to be away for any reason, the rest of us won't starve or have to go naked.  I am thinking about this because of a story about my Grandpa I heard today.  In all honesty, it made me laugh, but then I realized that I don't know whether it should make me laugh or cry...probably both.
My Grandparents have always had a fairly traditional arrangement with a fairly clear cut division of responsibilities.  My Grandpa was the primary bread winner, although my Grandma did work outside the home at some points.  My Grandpa meticulously managed the finances (OK, some would say anally - but we could probably learn something) raising a family of five, owning a home and a cottage on a single police officer's salary.    I always saw him as strong - one who chopped all his own wood, handy - always able to do his own building, repairing, plumbing etc,  and overall very capable.  The one area that was not his, however, was the domestic responsibilities.  My Grandma did all the cooking and cleaning etc.   This became strikingly clear after the story I heard today.  Today, I was visiting my Grandma in the hospital when she mentioned that my Grandpa must be going crazy at home by himself.  She has been in the hospital for over two weeks, which has been much longer than any of us would have predicted, leaving my Grandpa alone at home for longer that we would have expected as well.  My aunt and uncle live quite close and so are able to check in on him and have him over etc. so he won't starve or anything, which is a very good thing.  My Grandma told me that yesterday they brought him down to the hospital to visit and while he was sitting in her room they noticed that he was struggling with the lid to his Tim Horton's coffee.  He couldn't figure out how to get the flap open.  My aunt asked him what he did every time they went to McDonald's for coffee (which is a part of my Grandparent's weekly routine), at which point he could only look over to my Grandma.  He has never actually opened his own coffee as my Grandma had always done it for him!  My Grandpa has been so Old School that he was No School without my Grandma.  
Koodos to my Grandpa, he has learned how to open cans and cook a meal over these last few weeks proving you are never too old to learn new tricks.  I imagine there has been a lot of "Farting Donkey" exclamations (the closest thing to an expletive that I have ever heard him speak) but I digress...  It has got me thinking however, that there is something to cooking a cleaning.  So guys, no matter what situation you may find yourself, or what you think of gender roles or responsibilities etc.  a bit of cooking and cleaning is always a good thing.  No one will ever think of you as less masculine when you can peel back the flap of your own Tim Horton's coffee cup.    

Free Art Friday 01/07/11

Here is a poem that I have been working on.  It is inspired by a passage in the Gospel of Matthew found in chapter 12 verses 38-45.

 The men of Nineveh will stand,

Who did repent at Jonah's words,

This generation to condemn,

Demanding further evidence.

The sign of Jonah scorned,

The sign of Jonah scorned.

The Queen of Sheba, she will rise,

Who came to hear from Solomon,

This generation to condemn,

Whose wisdom stands between belief.

The sign of Jonah scorned,

The sign of Jonah scorned.

There is but one sign we should need,

Yea, greater than sea creatures be,

And wiser still than Solomon,

And from the grave did rise again,

This sign of Jonah scorned,

This sign of Jonah scorned.

Huckleberry Finn

I once read a description of history that has always stuck with me (although the source has slipped my mind) that read something like this:

"History is a conversation between the past and the present about the future."

But happens when one of the parties in the dialogue is being less than truthful?  What does that mean for the future?  These are some questions that I have been asking since I heard yesterday that all future versions of  The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn will no longer contain the "N" word, but replace it with the word "slave."  They will also be replacing "Injin" with "Indian."   Now, I suppose that one could argue that it is just a book, a nice story and not really a history book.  But to this I would respond that literature is one of our greatest sources of history.  If and when we want to collect facts about our past, we may turn to a history text book, but when we want to get as close a look as we can, and come as close as possible to experiencing the history we read about, then there is no greater way than immersing ourselves in a great book.  Books can be windows into our past where we can see, and come as close a possible to experiencing life as it was in a particular culture and context. 

I find it interesting that this news would break this week, right when I was actually reading this book myself for the first time.  My wife just got a Kobo e-reader, which comes with 100 classic books preloaded, and The Adventures Huckleberry Finn is one of those classics.  So while she was not looking, I grabbed the e-reader and began to read.  So here I was, reading and experiencing the book, coming across the language first hand, when the news broke.  I admit that when I first came to the "N" word it was a shock.  I knew it was there, I was expecting it, but when you actually come across it for the first time it is still shocking.  In his notice at the beginning of the book, Mark Twain wrote:

"Persons attempting to find a motive in this narrative will be prosecuted; persons attempting to find a moral in it will be banished; persons attempting to find a plot in it will be shot."       

I tried to take the warning seriously, but although avoiding motive, moral and plot I did find the book giving me pause to consider the time and the culture.  As shocking as I found the language to be, it also caused me to stop and reflect on the race relations that I was reading about.  I was troubled by the mistreatment of slaves and puzzled by the paradoxical relationships of those who cared for their slaves but could still consider another human being a possession.  I was also amazed at the acute tension that troubled Huck himself as he built a strong relationship with Jim as he fled slavery while at the same time feeling the guilt of doing such a terrible thing as setting someone's property free.  

I was very taken with Huck's dilemma as he stated it after deciding not to turn Jim in:

They went off and I got aboard the raft, feeling bad and low, because I knowed very well I had done wrong... Then I thought a minute and says to myself, hold on; s'pose you'd done right and give Jim up, would you felt better than what you do now?  No, says I, I'd feel bad--I'd feel just the same way I do now.  Well, then, says I, what the use you learning to do right when it's troublesome to do right and ain't no trouble to do wrong, and the wages is just the same?  I was stuck.  I couldn't answer that.  So I reckoned I wouldn't bother no more about it, but after this always do whichever come handiest at the time.      

It was a moment like this, where the character was feeling bad about doing what I thought was right and having to justify why he did not do what I thought was wrong, that I found myself really thinking about what it may have been like, about where we are now, and about what that might mean for the future.  Although some might argue that this could be accomplished without such graphic language, I would argue that the experience would not be nearly as honest, nearly as dramatic and give us nearly the same reason to pause and reflect.   This is by no means graphic language for the sake of graphic language, nor was it trying to be sensational, but rather gives us a honest interpretation of the past.  My fear is this, that if we do not have a proper understanding of our past as we sit here in the present, then what is left to stop us from returning to our mistakes in the future?

If I can leave one more thought, one more analogy, let me suggest that we can learn something from biology and medicine here.  The more we try to absolutely sanitize our environment the more problems we are causing.   Our attempt to keep our children safe by creating totally sanitized environments is, ironically, leaving them more susceptible to infections by things for which they have never had an opportunity to build an immunity.  It turns out that maybe playing in the dirt could be one of the healthiest things we can let our children do.  Are we repeating the same mistakes when it comes to our history and literature?  Are we creating such a sanitized version of our past that we really are leaving future generations more susceptible to infection?   

Where Do You See Yourself in 5 years?

Have you ever taken a look at your life and wondered how did I ever get here.  Or at least look back and think "there is no way that I would have ever imagined being where I am today."  I have that thought all the time.  Could I have ever imagined having a child?  Not really.  What about adopting two more?  Hardly.  What about adding a fourth?  No way!  Could I ever have seen myself as a pastor?  I would never have seen that one coming!  Well, how about being a church planter, especially in Hamilton?  I would have said "a church what?"  and Hamilton...well there would have been something derogatory I am sure.  All this is to say that when I think back 15 to 20 years I don't think I would have ever been able to imagine where I am today.
I have come to the place where I know better than to guess my future.  It never seems to be what I expect, especially now that God is a part of it.  God has this way of shaking things up!  But I did have this thought today, where do you see yourself in five years?  I do not mean to presume upon the future, and as I say, I have learned that God does not need to follow my plan and schedule, but I wonder what things might look like.  It might be fun to speculate, if only to see how radically different things end up from what I might expect.
So how about you?  Where do you see yourself in five years?  Do you have any thoughts, any clues, any indication of where your life may be heading?  Has God been stirring in your heart about some possible changes that will see your life head in a very different direction?  Do expect to stay the course?
I would love to hear about what you come up with. 

Upate Tuesday 01/4/10

Coming out of Christmas and jumping into the New Year there is not a lot new going on to update you about.  The painting has begun and I was able to finish off three rooms by the weekend...only four more rooms and two hallways to go!  We are expecting a very pregnant guest this coming week as my wife hosts a baby shower for our sister in law, so we are taking a week hiatus from painting to avoid further fumes.  We should be back at it next week.
I have also been doing some reading lately, most recently I have been working through a short biography of Jonathan Goforth, an early Canadian missionary to China.  His story is quite dramatic even tragic at many times and his ministry really seemed to embody the paradoxes of suffering and joy, triumph and tragedy, persecuted and victorious that we see in the life of Jesus and the Gospel itself.  I won't say any more about him but invite you to investigate for yourself (can I give homework??!!?). 
While reading the biography, however, I did come across this quote given as advice to Goforth from none other than Hudson Taylor, as Goforth prepared to enter a new province in China:

"Brother, if you would enter that province, you must go forward on your knees."

I have been thinking about this statement since reading it.  I think it is appropriate advice to anyone moving forward with new adventures in ministry.  It is some advice that I would like to take to heart.  

With that in mind, I hope to spend some time this first week of the new year planning out some specific extended times of prayer and scheduling them in.

I am also thinking about planning some times of prayer walking in our targeted neighbourhood to which I can invite others to join us.  If you would be interested in joining us for one of these times don't hesitate to drop me a line at jason@jasonmcgibbonproject.com and I can give you specifics as they arise.

I would also like to thank you for your continued support and specifically for your continued prayer as we begin this new adventure.  We continue to pray daily from Luke chapter 10 for finances, people of peace and for workers (read more about this here).  We have already seen God at work in response to those prayers!
We continue to pray for the right house from which to start our ministry.
We would like to ask for continued prayer for strength for our family as we know that physically and emotionally this time of year can become quite draining and a prime opportunity for spiritual attack.
Please also keep our Sanctuary Milton church family in your prayers as we move forward for 2011 which promises to be a year full of the new challenges of planting a church as well as the continued work of sustaining and growing its own ministries.

Thanks for all your continued prayer!

 

Huckleberry Finn on Heaven

"She told me all about the bad place...she was going to live so as to go to the good place.  Well, I couldn't see no advantage in going where she was going, so I made up my mind I wouldn't try for it." - Huckleberry Fin

This made me laugh right out loud before I had the thought - "I wonder if anyone thinks this about the church, or about ...me!?"