Free Art Friday 25/02/11

As I mentioned earlier this week, when we were in Memphis, my friend Bill was kind enough to take Kim and I into his studio for a few hours.  We had a lot of fun and even managed to do this quick recording. 
Here is what we recorded while visiting Gumball Studio:

The Waiting is the Hardest Part

When we arrived home on Saturday from a week long mission trip there was an unexpected message on the answering machine.  MacKids, the children's hospital where Liam receives treatment, had called on the Friday that we had left asking to move Liam's March 8th appointment up to February 15.  We obviously missed that appointment as we were away.   We knew that the reason they were calling must have been because they had found something on his latest MRI, taken the Sunday before we left for our trip.  I remember before leaving that Kim had mentioned to someone that in her experience, if they were to have found anything on the scan, then they would call right away.  After almost a week, we were confident that there was nothing.  Little did we know, it would be the day that we left that they would call.  The hardest part about the whole thing was that by the time we got the message it was Saturday, and with the Monday being a holiday here in Ontario it would not be until Tuesday that we could get in touch with anyone to get some information.  As Tom Petty once sang, "The Waiting is The Hardest Part." 
Part of the irony of the situation is that during our time away we had so many opportunities to share about all that God has done for us through Liam's story.  We had not planned on sharing about it as much as we did, things just seemed to naturally lead there.  In fact, it was a bit eye opening for Kim and I as we considered all the things that have gone on in the past few years, the things that God has laid on our hearts, and our ultimate decision that God is calling us to begin a new work in Hamilton.  We came to realize just how profoundly God had used that time with Liam in our lives.  Not only are there all the direct stories of Liam's health, of how we have had so many chances to share because of it, but also all the indirect effects.  We came to recognize that it started a period in our lives of re-evaluating priorities,  considering what we were really supposed to be focusing on, and seeking God's will for us.  We never thought that it would lead to a new church or a relocation, we just thought that it would be a fresh look at what and where we already where.  But now we see clearly all the things that God had been lining up for us and Hamilton.  I still don't know exactly what this latest episode means, what God may have been doing or what exactly was going on.  But I do know that after all that focus on Liam's story over the last week, it made that phone message quite a shock. 
We were finally able to get in touch with the nurse who oversees Liam's follow up care on Tuesday afternoon.  She was able to share with us that, yes, there was something on Liam's MRI and that initial observations concluded that there may be some new growth and that is why they wanted an early appointment.  Since that time, however, the whole team has had a chance to thoroughly examine the scans and there is agreement that it is almost certainly not new growth.  Whatever it is, it is in the shape  of a perfect rectangle, and tumours would not grow that way.  They still don't know exactly what it is, but Liam's surgeon thinks that it is most likely a mark left by the forceps from the surgery, and so it is nothing to worry about at all.
That was good news, and a relief to hear.  We will have a follow up appointment next Tuesday, and maybe a bit more follow up just to be sure, but as far as anyone can tell, everything is still fine. 
I wonder what God may be doing, and how he intends to use this last incident.

Update Tuesday 22/02/11

We had a great trip last week as we set out on a mission trip to the Memphis area.   It started out with a great night of music in Nashville, where we stopped on our way down.  We went to a venue recommended by a friend and heard some fantastic musicians.  The next day we headed further south to Tuscumbia, Alabama, where we were able to visit with our friend Scot and his family.  We had an amazing time catching up, sharing about what God has been doing in our lives and hearing about what God has been doing in their ministry in Alabama.  We had the opportunity to worship with their church on Sunday morning and then had an invitation to share and do some music for their evening service.  We ended up staying an extra night in Alabama in order to share at the service and then go out for a meal with Scot, Jim (the senior pastor) and some others from the church.  It was a great evening where again we got the chance to share about so many of the things that God has been doing over the last number of years.   There is something amazing about taking the opportunity to sit and reflect and then recall all that God has done.  The chance to share was actually really encouraging to me, more so than I would have thought.  Sharing all the stories of what God did for us through Liam's journey, then all that God has done since his surgeries, and how that really caused us to re-evaluate priorities, the searching that it began and the ultimate decision to go back to Hamilton in a new capacity, allowed us a fresh encounter with our living and active God.  We ended our visit with excitement for all that God has done, anticipation for all that God is going to do, and with the hope that we may be able to work together in the future.

 

We then headed over from Alabama to a camp just outside Memphis.  We met up with some friends that we have worked with in the past that live in the area.  For the past seven years or so, these guys have been faithful friends to the Canadian Baptist Builders.  Being a smaller group, and with the border crossing, it is difficult for our Canadian teams to travel with too many tools.  Our friends have so generously given of their time, energy, talents and resources to travel across the States bringing their tool trailer and their expertise to come alongside the Canucks as we serve on building projects.  This year we had to opportunity to go to them and serve as their church has recently purchased a camp that they are trying to refurbish for the purpose of ministry to the greater Memphis area.  We spent the week at The Grove, constructing a new building that will be used as a tuck shop and ministry building.  We worked with a great team, had a great week, used some great power tools and built a great structure.  We are praying for all the ministry that will happen at the camp, the kids from the Memphis area that will visit, and for the mission teams serving the Memphis area that it will house.

There were a couple of really neat God moments that I should share that I still find mind boggling.  When we were in Alabama, Scot asked us about what kind of work and with whom we would be working in Memphis.  We shared the name of the camp, the church and some of the guys that would be with us.  He let us know that a group from his church had been at that very camp a few weeks before, that they do lots of mission work in partnership with the church in Tenessee and some of the people we met in Alabama had been on mission trips with the guys that we were working with.  Small world!

The other really uncanny moment has specifically to do with Hamilton.  One of the guys we were working with, whose name is Bill, actually used to play drums for Conway Twitty in the early days, before he was called Conway Twitty.  He is so full of stories about the music scene around Memphis in those early days of rock 'n' roll, including Elvis, Sun Studios etc.  He loves to tell the stories and we love to listen!  Well, one day my father in law was chatting with him when Billy mentioned that he played with Conway (Harold at the time) until he left and moved up to Canada.  He mentioned that Harold had moved to Hamilton, which sort of shocked my father in law Bob.  Bob asked him about Hamilton and Billy said that he actually remembered the address and that it was on Herkimer.  Bob's jaw dropped and he was almost speechless.  He did manage to share with Billy, however, that he had personally been on that street prayer walking just a few weeks earlier.  Bob had been with us on our prayer walk back in January. He prayer walked on Herkimer, which is in the neighbourhood in which we will be beginning our new work.
It is amazing to think that God could take us all the way to Memphis, and then back fifty years on a history of rock 'n' roll lesson,  in order to give us some further confirmation of our future. 
 
As a bonus, Billy owns a music studio and had Kim and I over one evening.  Don't forget to check back for Free Art Friday to hear what we came up with.

Free Art Friday 18/02/11

Here is an old recording I did while fooling around with an instrumental guitar arrangement of I Have Decided to Follow Jesus.  We had just recently returned from a mission trip to Chile where we had sung this hymn at a baptism service, and it had really stuck with me.
I literally just plugged my guitar right into the computer to see what would happen, and this is what I got.

Update Tuesday 15/02/11

Today I am just outside Memphis on a mission/building trip.  One of the perks of this trip has been the opportunity to connect with friends down here in the south and share a bit about what God has been doing in our hearts and about the plans that are being laid for our work in Hamilton.  This will be a great experience for me as I get to practice sharing about all that is going on and what we are planning.  It is also a great chance to hear about some of the things that God is doing in other parts of the world.
For those who have been praying, I would ask for prayer for the opportunities that we might have to share.  Please pray that we might be able to develop some strong prayer partnerships.  Please also pray that God might reveal ways in which we might be a blessing to others that we are meeting.  Partnerships work best when they go both ways, and although we are small (well OK, we don't even exist yet) I think that there are opportunities for us to be serving even outside of Hamilton.

Free Art Friday 11/02/11

I am off on a Mission trip to Memphis and should be making my way to about Nashville today.  Things should be warmer and it will be a great chance to take a break from winter for a bit.  I like the winter a lot, especially if there is snow to enjoy.  The short days, however, and long, gray, overcast intervals can be a bit draining.  So here is a poem I have been working on for a few weeks about the season.  Sunshine here I come!

A barren tree stands leafless, still,

In hibernation waits until

The sun might shine, its warmth to spill,

Over the earth and winter kill.

Oh January's gloom

Oh January's gloom

The sky so dark, so bleak, so gray,

The air so biting cold today.

Let not my spirit go this way,

Nor temper feel the winter weight.

Oh January's gloom

Oh January's gloom

Oh sun where is your quickening ray,

Reflecting off the snow to break

This heavy melancholy state,

And set my heart free from this fate

Oh January's gloom

Oh January's gloom.

Road Trip

Tomorrow morning I am off for a road trip to Memphis!  Kim and I will leave before the sun comes up tomorrow morning and make the long drive south.  We love to take road trips, and it has been a while since we have been able to do so just the two of us, so we are really excited.   We will be heading to Alabama first to visit a friend that we made through a partnership that the Sanctuary Milton had with a church in South Carolina.  Scot has since moved to Alabama where he has been serving as Missions Minister in a church down there.  I am looking forward to the chance to connect again.  It will be a good chance for me to share about what is going on in terms of the new work in Hamilton, as well as to hear about how things are going for him since beginning to serve in Alabama.  I am hoping that we may be able to form a prayer partnership as we move forward in our respective ministry endeavours.
After Alabama, we head to a place just outside Memphis where we will be helping with a building project and some mission work being done there.  This is Kim's first chance to experience a mission trip so she is excited.  It will be a chance use our hands for the Lord while reconnecting with some friends that I made last year on a similar trip.
Seeing as I will be away and traveling, I probably wont be blogging everyday.  I will try to have my regular Tuesday and Friday offerings even if i am unable to send out a reminder about their postings.

According to T.J.

(This event occurred one evening on a drive from Milton to Oakville for dance class.  The names have not been changed or concealed...I hope I don't get in trouble for that.)

Caroline:  There is the school that Grandma works at.

Kimberley:  No actually, that is the Catholic school.

T.J.:  I know Catholic - They go to church on Sunday, but they still believe in Santa Clause.

Kimberley: No...not exactly.


Have you ever tried to explain denominations to a five year old?!!?  Not easy.  

Update Tuesday 08/02/11

This past Sunday Liam was back at MacKids for his yearly MRI, which is a part of his follow up protocol after his surgeries in 2008.  He now goes back once a year for the MRI, followed by a visit to the neuro-oncology clinic.  Because Liam has become an old pro at the MRI, and does not need to be sedated and therefore does not need a doctor or nurse, he often gets a weekend slot when just a tech is on duty.  Although he is quite experienced with MRIs by now, he does need to have an IV inserted in order to inject contrast, which is a dye that required to see the imaging of his brain.   Liam hates the IV, and so, it is kind of a big deal for him still.  Liam also know his mom really well, and is pretty good at... well...manipulating her weaknesses, especially where his health is concerned.  All this is to say, that Liam was able to work an angle and ensure that his "bravery" would not go unrewarded.  What is it that Liam requested?...a visit to the West Town restaurant for their triple decker grilled cheese with bacon!  So Kim took him to the restaurant where he ordered the sandwich (which comes with tomato) with bacon- hold the tomato, thus eliminating any possible redeeming quality of the sandwich. 
This may not seem like much of an update on our ministry plans for Hamilton, but for me there are two aspects to the story that are directly related to our future plans.  Firstly, is our connection to the children's hospital in Hamilton that continues to be a place of mission for us.  I have mentioned this connection numerous times before, but in case you have missed it, you can always go back and read about it here:

Liam's Story

The story still continues as last week the hospital called again asking if they could use Liam's image and story in their upcoming fundraising campaign.  God does not seem to be finished with the story and we continue to have opportunities to make connections and share about what God has done through all of this.
The second reason that Liam's sandwich is worthy of an update, is that the West Town restaurant is actually a restaurant in the neighbourhood that we are looking at moving into and beginning our work.

 
To me, it was an example of how our kids are taking to the idea of moving to Hamilton, are beginning to appreciate the neigbourhood and are developing, if only in small ways, a positive relationship to the community and to the idea of going there to live and work.   It was amazing to see our kids involved in the prayer walk last week, going around with different groups of people and leading them through the community, sharing and praying as they went.  It is fun to see them excited about visiting and looking forward to the amenities.  I am keenly aware of what a sacrifice it can be to for kids to give up their home, their friends and relationships and all that is familiar, to go and follow their parents into a new ministry endevour.  I am also aware of what a key role that they can have as we go together to serve.  I am thankful for the small ways that God has been showing us that He is in control, that he is with us and for how gracious He has been. 
This week we have a meeting with a real estate agent from the neighbouhood that we met at the first open house that we went to in Hamilton.  She is from the area, actively involved, and we had a great connection that first encounter even though she knew we were not ready to buy!   Please be praying for this relationship; for both the finding and purchase of the right home as well as for the possibility of a  a relationship to develop with someone from the community..

Words of Wisdom from my Brother

So, my brother has this saying.  It goes something like this, "there is a reason that it is a stereotype," meaning basically that if there is a stereotype there may be some kernel of truth behind it.  He always says it half jokingly...but only half.  I found myself thinking about that saying this morning after reading some scripture.
There is a stereotype about the church that it is full of hypocrites and that it does not practice what it preaches.  It is perhaps, the number one complaint leveled against the church form those on the outside looking in.  I am sure that like every stereotype, in many cases the accusations are less then honest, based on far less than fact or experience and are just that, stereotype.  But then the question arises...is there a reason that it is a stereotype?  Could there be a kernel of truth in the sentiment?  I am asking that question again today after reading Matthew chapter 23.   Jesus is teaching his disciples and the crowds when he states:

"The teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat.  So you must obey them and do everything they tell you.  But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach..."   

 - Matthew 23:2-3

Here was Jesus, two thousand years ago or so, speaking about the religious establishment and leadership of the day and criticizing them for being hypocrites and not practicing what they preach.  Is that same dynamic at work today when we look at the church?  Is there something about the religious establishment that leads towards hypocrisy?  So the question I am asking today is, is there is something to this stereotype?

Free Art Friday 02/04/11

There is not anything particularly special about this photo except the subject...and the hat...the hat is mine.

To see some more shots from our snow day check out my wife's blog:

zoo-ology

Washed and Waiting

This past week I spent time in a neighbourhood in Hamilton, that my family and I are planning to move to in order to begin a new fellowship.  As I was walking the main street through the community I noticed how many rainbow flag stickers there were in the shop windows.  These, of course, are the symbol of the gay and lesbian community displayed, I imagine, to express support.  I found myself asking myself what it would look like to minster to this community, to share and reach out to them?  I found myself asking, what if it is members of this community that God brings into our path?
I have a heart for this community.  Kim and I have some friends, even more friends of friends and through different industries in which we have worked, have had many acquaintances that are from the gay community.   It saddens me to know that for many of them, they feel totally isolated from the church, unwanted, unwelcome and persecuted.  I have often wondered about what it looks like to, on the one hand, hold to what I consider the biblical position that same sex orientation is a part of the fall, and yet still welcome, love, serve and walk with those with such an orientation.  We do this everyday with other sins like pride, gossip, lying, worry, greed and materialism - our churches are full of individuals with such struggles.  But somehow, we as the church treat same sex orientation differently.  The other problem that I face, is that I won't ever know what it means to experience such an orientation, to struggle with what that means to my faith and relationship to God, and to know that my sexuality, which is so closely tied to identity, may not have a safe means for expression within a biblical context. 
With these questions and thoughts in mind, I turned to a book that I remembered hearing about from my friend Tim's blog, that addressed this issue entitled "Washed and Waiting," by Wesley Hill.  It is a book written by a gay Christian, a man who has a same sex orientation, who believes that homosexual practice goes against God's express will and has thus chosen to live life as a celibate, faithful follower of Christ.   I am not much of a reviewer, but when I find something helpful I do like to try to pass it on.  What comes below is a bit of my experience with the book.
What I found in the pages of this book was deep theological reflection that was at the same time very accessible, and most importantly, personal.  Hill bravely opens up his life and experiences to us in a poignant and personal way, helping us to better understand what it must be like to try to walk as a faithful follower of Christ who experiences same sex attraction.  He leads us through his experience of self discovery,  his understanding that homosexual practice is against God's express will, his struggle with the fact that God has not taken this "thorn in his side" away, and his decision to thus live in celibacy.  All the way along Hill shares with us the painful emotional struggles that came with his discoveries and decisions.  Most importantly, however, is the honest depiction of what it still feels like as he lives out his faith; the acute feelings of loneliness and isolation that sometimes flood his heart.  As mentioned earlier, this personal sharing comes with a mix of deep theological reflection and this reflection would benefit all who are seeking to live a life of faith.  I found his thoughts on the nature and struggles of sin, sanctification, suffering, the body of Christ and more, to be most compelling, thought provoking and helpful to Christians of all walks.
I have come away from the experience of reading this book both enriched as well as better equipped.  I may not ever be able to fully sympathize,  but I do thank Hill for helping me to better understand.
 

BOOOOOOO snowplow!

I guess I should be thankful that I can now drive on the street if need be...but how am I supposed to get to the street??!!

The pile is up to my son's knees, but it is still snowing.  I guess we had better dig out before round two...and by "we" I mean my boys. 

Update Tuesday 02/01/11

This past Sunday we held out first prayer walk in the Hamilton neighbourhood that we are looking to begin our new work.  It was a great chance to bring some of our Sanctuary Milton family to the place where they are helping to start a new fellowship.  We first gathered at our home in Milton for an amazing lunch prepared by my wife Kimberley, and then the brave group ventured out into the bitter cold to walk the streets of the new neighbourhood, praying for God's blessing and guidance  for the future.  We so appreciated their efforts to help us ensure that we are entering this venture on our knees.
I took some time to snap shots of some of the sights: