Update Tuesday 26/04/11

God is so good! I have been reminded of that again this evening.  Kim and I are in Georgia, to visit and do some work at the North American Mission Board.  We just finished having dinner and getting to know some of the folks that we will be with tomorrow.  There were many questions about who we are, what we are doing and how we got to this place, which provides such an amazing opportunity to reflect on all that God has done for us over these past number of years.  When we have the opportunity to share, I always come away amazed at all that God has done and continues to do.  We were able to share about how we got connected to the Sanctuary, how we came to be in Milton and about our church family there.  We were able to share about our home church experiences and all that we have learned and what those groups have meant to us.  We were able to share all about Liam's story, how God brought us through and about all the opportunities to share that that has provided.  We were able to share about how God used Liam's story to put Hamilton on our hearts.  I was reminded about how God led us to our new neighbourhood in Hamilton.  God really has been doing amazing things and I am once again astounded, in awe and overwhelmed by all that He is doing. 

There were also opportunities to share about our family.  It was amazing to hear Kim share again about the process to adopt Daniel and Caroline.  Kim recalled Caroline's baptism, at which Caroline shared about how her brother Liam first told her about Jesus when she was 5 and he was 3.   Kim recounted the day when Liam came to her in a panic declaring that "we have a problem!"  Kim asked what the emergency was, to which Liam responded "Caroline does not know who Jesus is!"  She does now, thanks to Liam.  I can't wait to see how many others may have an opportunity to hear about Jesus through them. 

Thanks to everyone who left comments or e-mailed about the new song "Yes, This is Grace" we posted on Friday.  If you haven't had a chance to listen, then feel free to head back to last week's Free Art Friday.

Free Art Friday - Good Friday 2011

If you have been following over the past few weeks you will know that I have been working on a Good Friday poem, one stanza a week.  Here it is with the final stanza.  I have also put it to music and with help from my wife Kim on vocals, and my ten year old son Liam on drums, we recorded a quick demo of it this morning.

'Tis truth you suffer'd in my place.

Through fists and spit upon your face,

And mocking voices to disgrace,

You loved me; You loved Adam's race

Yes, this is grace,

Yes, this is grace.

'Tis truth you suffer'd there for me,
And hung instead upon the tree
That was my due, and there to bleed
The crimson flow that washes clean.
Yes, this is grace

Yes, this is grace.

'Tis truth you suffer'd in my stead,

The wrath of God and all its dread,

Body hanging, pierced and dead,

I'm ransomed by the blood you shed

Yes, this is grace

Yes, this is grace. 

'Tis truth you suffer'd their forlorn,

Became my sin and faced the scorn,

That I might live, and be reborn,

Now with Your righteosness adorned.

Yes, this is grace 

Yes, this is grace

A Great Poem

I have been reading a bit more poetry lately and I came across a poem by Steve Turner that I just love.  It seemed timely so I have copied it below:

Christmas Is Really For the Children Christmas is really for the children. Especially for children who like animals, stables, stars and babies wrapped in swaddling clothes. Then there are wise men, kings in fine robes, humble shepherds and a hint of rich perfume. Easter is not really for the children unless accompanied by a cream filled egg. It has whips, blood, nails, a spear and allegations of body snatching. It involves politics, God and the sins of the world. It is not good for people of a nervous disposition. They would do better to think on rabbits, chickens and the first snowdrop of spring. Or they'd do better to wait for a re-run of Christmas without asking too many questions about what Jesus did when he grew up or whether there's any connection.

Jesus and Ghandi - a brief response

One of the most challenging ideas to come from Jesus is his claim to be the exclusive way to the Father (see John 14:6).  Although, I tend to see Jesus' words as an invitation to faith, there is no getting around its exclusiveness as well.  This, of course, is a direct challenge to a pluralistic notion that all religions/philosophies are really different paths to the same place.  In more common terms, "all roads lead to heaven."   There is perhaps no greater struggle with the idea of exclusivism (that eternal life in the kingdom is reserved for those who have faith in Jesus Christ and the substitutionary atonement for sin that was his sacrificial death), then when we look at someone who was really a very good person but who did not have faith.  The ultimate example of this would probably be Ghandi who seems to always be referenced in a discussion of this sort.  It seems that once again the question where Ghandi spends eternity has come to the centre of the question even within the contemporary Evangelical community (see the recent time article regarding pastor Rob Bell - time).  I know that on the surface it seems unfair and dishonouring to Ghandi to suggest that he might not be in heaven.  I would like to suggest here, however, that it would be more dishonouring to suggest that he is, to force him into something that he himself chose to reject.
The Christian understanding of the cross is one of substitution.  Jesus sacrificed himself to bear the full penalty of death that our sin deserved in order that we might be "justified", or declared in right standing, before God.  The relationship between man and God that had been severed by sin was now reconciled.  It is based on this that one can then expect to spend eternity with God.  This is not just a later teaching about Jesus, but rather a central teaching that is found in the words of Jesus himself.  In the gospel of Matthew for example, when Jesus was leading his disciples in the last supper, He would state that his blood was shed "for the forgiveness of sins" (Matt. 26-28)  Jesus would also state that he came to "give his life as a ransom for many." (Matt. 10:45) There are numerous other examples we could turn to in order to show that Jesus himself understood his death in this manner, and the rest of the scriptural witness then follows suite by teaching this same thing.  There is no way to get around the fact that this is what Jesus taught about himself. 
It is fairly common knowledge that Ghandi read the bible.  I wont go into a lot of specifics, but rather invite you to check it out for yourself.   I will simply share here, that it does not take much digging to find some of his thoughts and interaction with the person and teaching of Jesus.  Some commonly known facts are that Ghandi read the bible, he was intrigued with Jesus, he saw him as a great example of non-violence,  he was particularly influenced by the Sermon on the Mount (found in the gospel of Matthew) and that he encouraged people to read the words of Jesus.  There are a few other things, however, that we need to keep in mind.  Although, he was particularly influenced by the teachings of Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount, which is found in Matthew, he did reject the idea of any mysterious or miraculous events in his death.  He did not accept the idea of  substitutionary atonement, or any cosmic significance to Jesus' death.  And yet, we clearly saw above that Jesus, in the gospel of Matthew, clearly taught such an understanding.  Ghandi then, felt free to take what he appreciated, but to reject other parts Jesus' teaching.   Ghandi read about who Jesus was, what Jesus said about himself and his death, and came to his own conclusion.  His conclusion was different from what Jesus said about himself.   The key thing to recognize, however, is that Ghandi's conclusion was an informed one.  He considered the evidence and made his discision. 
It is here that I return to the idea of Ghandi and his eternal existence.  Ghandi read the bible, he read of Jesus and in the end made an informed decision not to believe.  It seems to me that we dishonour him rather than honour him when we try to adjust our theology in order to find a way that he might be able to spend eternity in the presence of the God that he rejected.  Not only do we dishonour Ghandi, but more importantly we dishonour Jesus and the sacrifice that he made on our behalf.  We also, by not recognizing Jesus teaching about himself,  fail to give Jesus the position of authority that he rightly deserves.

Upddate Tuesday 19/04/11 - Lessons from Bilbo

We are plain quiet folk and have no use for adventures.  Nasty disturbing uncomfortable things!  Make you late for dinner!  I can't think what anybody sees in them..."

Bilbo Baggins in The Hobbit

I read the Hobbit this past weekend in preparation for helping my son who is reading it for school.  When I came across the above quoted statement from Bilbo Baggins, the protagonist of the story, it made me laugh out loud.  Having read the whole book now, I see that the passage was really setting up one of the main themes to run throughout the book, that being the development of Bilbo's courage.  Even at the end of the story he is still a little hobbit, a bit odd, longing for the comforts of home and an unlikely hero.   We have, however, seen this rather ordinary person find his courage, raising to a challenge to become the hero on a number of occasions, proving that even he is quite capable of achieving great things. 

Next week my wife and I will travel to Alpharetta Georgia to the headquarters of the North American Mission Board (NAMB) in order to be a part of a video they will be shooting highlighting some of the work being done across North America.  There has been a restructuring of their operations to focus on church planting in specific designated regions, of which Canada is one.  We will help to show a bit of what is going on in Canada.  The day after we return another film crew will be visiting us here at home where they will be collecting footage for a video that will be a part of the 2012 Annie Armstrong Easter missions focus for North America.  (If you are unfamiliar with the Annie Armstrong offering you can read more about it here: www.anniearmstrong.com  )  To be honest, I am honored to be a part of such things, but really wonder what we might have to offer.  I often feel like saying, "I don't know what your expectations are but don't set them too high...I am a pretty ordinary guy, not too flashy and probably the least likely poster child for 'church planting'."  But maybe that is the story that needs to be told.  If God could use me to do this, then he could use anyone.   And again, our church in Milton is quite the same.  We are a small group, we are not the slickest, the coolest, not the richest by far, nor are we the most obvious choice to use to plant a new church.  We do love the Lord, however, and do our best to be faithful, and have a real desire to be used for the sake of God's Kingdom.   So maybe like Bilbo Baggins, our story is one of ordinary people being called on to do extra-ordinary things.  The difference, of course, is that in our case we can explicitly state that we are called upon by the most extraordinary God, working in and through us.  It is He that is able to do amazing things for the sake of His name and glory.  We have only to be faithful as He leads us on the most incredible journey of adventure.

With all this in mind, I may not be able to post an update next week.  I will aim to let you know how all the filming etc. goes the week after that.  In the mean time I would ask you to pray as we travel next week.  I would also ask that you continue to pray for our family.  It was a very tough week last week and it seems that we continue to live in the lingering residue this week.  Please pray specifically for my wife as she is emotionally weary.   On top of everything else, there were some logistical snags in our mortgage process (having to do with the renovations being done) which just added to the stress.  We think that they have been resolved as of this morning and we are good to move forward, but it seems every step has a snag and requires much more time and energy than it should.     

On a more positive note I would ask you to also be praying for The Sanctuary Milton's annual Taste the World - Good Friday event.  We will once again be inviting the community to a service followed by an event that celebrates the diversity of our congregation as people prepare food from their ethnic backgrounds.  We have moved it to Thompson Arena, a larger location, this year and are expecting it to be a great event.  It is a bit strange for me as I have lead this event every year we have done it, but stepped back this year in order for others to take the lead.  They have done a great job! 

Celebrating 105 Years!

This past weekend I had the privilege of being a part of a memorial service for my wife's great aunt Ag.  It is not often that you are called upon to participate in a service for someone who was in her 106th year (as she like to state it).  There was much to be remembered, and much celebrating to be done.  Agnes Rankin leaves behind a beautiful legacy in the friends and family who will remember her so fondly, and in whose lives she made such an impact.
Being a person of faith, I was especially touched as I heard members of her family comment on her commitment to the church as well as the example that was set by her rich prayer life.  I have come to appreciate the legacy of faith that she leaves behind.  I see that legacy alive in my own family.  I know my father in law has commented many times about how significant the example of faith that both his parents their siblings has been on his faith life.  After immigrating to Canada from Ireland, the families remained extremely close as he grew up, and their influence was great.  My father in law would not only have a significant influence on my wife spiritual life, but on mine as well, serving as a youth group leader during my teen years.   So as I heard people reflect on Agnes' life of faith, I could not help but think that my children really carry on a legacy that was significantly influenced by her. 
One of the amazing things about Aunt Ag, was just how sharp she remained so late into her life.  At well over a hundred she could still ask me about each of my children by name, remembering details that had been shared on previous visits.   This always amazed me, until she would go on to then ask about each of my two dogs by name!  At 105 years of age then, we can say that she truly lived an amazing, abundant and long life.  What is even more amazing is the thought that, as a person of faith, although this opening chapter of her life has come to a close, a new eternal chapter has just begun.  There was always a sense with Agnes, that the only thing that was holding her back was her aging body.  She has now been set free from that and so I can only imagine what things must be like in the heavenly realm.  Even more amazing to think about, is what it might be like when Jesus returns to establish his kingdom in its fullness, when she is raised to life again in a new resurrection body ready to dance upon the streets of gold!

Free Art Friday 15/04/11

One more week, one more stanza to add to a new poem for Easter.  I have gone back and forth on the last line.  I am stuck between "and yet I live because you bled" and "I'm ransomed by the blood you shed."  "And yet I live" contrasts with the line before which mentions death, but "I'm ransomed" provides an opportunity to introduce  a biblical and theological concept of the cross.  Any thoughts?
The new stanza appears below in bold:

'Tis truth you suffer'd in my place.

Through fists and spit upon your face,

And mocking voices to disgrace,

You loved me; You loved Adam's race

Yes, this is grace,

Yes, this is grace.

'Tis truth you suffer'd there for me,
And hung instead upon the tree
That was my due, and there to bleed
The crimson flow that washes clean.
Yes, this is grace

Yes, this is grace.

'Tis truth you suffer'd in my stead,

The wrath of God and all its dread,

Body hanging, pierced and dead,

I'm ransomed by the blood you shed

Yes, this is grace

Yes, this is grace. 

I have to admit that I have cheated a bit and have already been experimenting with putting it to music.  If there is time to finish a last stanza and then record something I will post it next Friday - Good Friday.

Update Tuesday - Prayer Streets Story

Last week, we were able to launch our prayer street initiative in which we have endeavored to assign a prayer partner (or group) to each street in our new neighbourhood.  I thought I would pass on a great story that I heard from my mom last night.

My mom works at a public school, and recently there has been a new staff member added to the team.  One evening, this new staff member was at the school late and so my mom struck up a conversation.  As it turns out, she takes a bus to the train station in order to take the train home to Hamilton.  It was raining and so she was waiting at school rather than in the rain at the bus stop.  My mom offered to drive her to the train station and as they were driving, they were talking about Hamilton.   She told my mom that she lived on Bold St. and that it was not too far from where we will soon be living.  That, however, is not the end to the story.  When my mom got home, my Dad told her that he got an e-mail from me with the street that they could be praying for...Bold St.  It seems that God keeps bringing our attention to where He is already working and making connections.  We are excited about all that God is doing and will continue to do in our new neighbourhood.  Thanks to all those who have partnered with us in this Prayer Street Initiative.  I do have a few streets left, so if you were thinking of praying for a street then just send me an e-mail.

We are seeing God doing amazing things and so we continue to celebrate all that is happening.  I would be being less than honest, however, if I did not say that we seem to be facing a bit of spiritual push back as well.   Things around the house, our home schooling, our relationships with each other and our schedule seem fragile these days.  There is a noticeable tension and it does not take a lot to seem to push things over the edge to overwhelming.  We would appreciate your prayers for our family and the ins and outs of our daily routine.  Although it is not as exciting a thing to think and pray about, it is so foundational for our success in any other endeavor.

Great Conversation

This past week I had the opportunity to have a great conversation.  Although it did not have to do specifically with our work in Hamilton it was a very good opportunity to think through and work with some of the ideas about evangelism and discipleship in a practical setting.  I initially shared some of our thinking on the subject in a previous post that you can find here:
Discipleship
To summarize for the sake of this story, there are two things that I have really been thinking about lately.  First is the centrality of the death and resurrection of Jesus.  I recently had the opportunity to preach in Oakville during which I made a comment that at some point all discussions about Christianity had to get to the resurrection.   I said "if He came back to life, you might want to listen to Him, if not then just sleep in on Sunday."  (As an aside, when I got home I noticed that someone had Tweeted the quote while I was still preaching.  Times are changing fast!) The basic premise is that if Jesus was not who He said He was, and we do not have the proof of his authority from the resurrection then who cares about the rest of it.
Secondly, I have been thinking a lot about just encouraging people to try to get to know what Jesus said about Himself and what He did for themselves.  There are a lot of people and groups etc. who claim to know about Jesus and either represent Him or tell us why we should not believe in Him.  I have been wanting to encourage people to let those voices fade to the back, to pick up a gospel and read it for themselves to see what Jesus actually did, said and asked of his followers in order to make an informed decision for themselves.   
Well,  I was at dinner with a couple and the conversation steered towards the interaction of faith and science.   I know that they are not "believers" because, for one thing I know them, and secondly, because someone had asked one of them that morning... 
Going on a complete tangent for a moment - I have come to appreciate what an unhelpful term "believer" is when interacting with those outside of the Christian faith and culture.  We all had a great laugh about the "churcheese" that tends to get thrown around but that does not really translate universally.  Someone asked her if she was a believer during the question and answer session of a lecture she had been giving on a subject that had nothing to do with faith.  In the context, faith in Jesus may have been the least obvious interpretation of "are you a believer" that there could have been.  It created a very awkward moment as they tried to figure out what each other was referring to.  Good thing she has a great sense of humour.   So...back to the story...
The question of faith and science came not as a debate but rather what it was like dealing with the question within the Christian community, between believers.  Did I ever feel at odds with those who disagree, was there pressure to think one way or the other etc.  I was able to share a bit about how I see the issue of faith and science, and how it plays out within the larger Christian community.   I was able to share that there is quite a wide spectrum of thought with regards to how the two interact and that there is not unanimity across the Christian world on the subject.   I also shared that  like many other things, those at the polar ends of the spectrum, who like to lob grenades at one another and sensationalize the discussion, often get the most media attention. 
The other thing I shared, however, was that I do sometimes find the question a bit frustrating.  As important as the question is, it is not actually a central question.  At this point I just shared a bit about what we hope to do in Hamilton.  I shared that to start with, I would hope to encourage people to pick up a New Testament and have a look at what Jesus did and said.  I then shared a bit about the resurrection.  One first has to came to a decision about the resurrection.  If Jesus came back to life, one may want to listen to Him and the biblical record that Jesus himself treated as authoritative.  Only then does what the Bible have to say about anything really matter as anything more than just an interesting sociological or anthropological survey.  It did lead to a discussion about whether Jesus could be seen as just a good teacher or prophet.  Borrowing from C.S. Lewis, I suggested that if He was not who He said He was then he was either lying of crazy, either of which would not make him "good."  I was presented with a thought that I had never heard before, about whether he could have just been a great, charismatic salesperson (or politician I suppose), casting this vision that many would want to follow.  The only thought that I had was that it lead to the most horribly gruesome and cruel death imaginable and so it did not really work out all that well for Him.  If there was no real substance I don't think that anyone would choose to follow after that.

All in all, I really appreciated the honest and yet respectful conversation we were able to have.  It was immensely helpful for me to have a chance to put some of our thoughts into practice.  It was also really important for me to hear from others outside the Christian faith about their perspective.  I am looking forward to more conversations like these. 

Free Art Friday 08/04/11 - a new stanza

I have been working on a new Easter poem that I started last week.  I have been aiming for a stanza a week leading into Easter.  The new stanza is in bold below.  As I mentioned last week, it is a work in progress and I would love any feedback you might have.

'Tis truth you suffer'd in my place.

Through fists and spit upon your face,

And mocking voices to disgrace,

You loved me; You loved Adam's race

Yes, this is grace,

Yes, this is grace.

 

'Tis truth you suffer'd there for me,

And hung instead upon the tree

That was my due, and there to bleed

The crimson flow that washes clean.

Yes, this is grace

Yes, this is grace 

Update Tuesday 05/04/11

It is a bit later in the day then I usually like to get out an update, but Liam had an all day appointment in Hamilton at MacKids for his psyco-educational assessment.  While he was doing that I tried to make the most of the time in Hamilton.  I had been meaning to get together with a friend and pastor named Tim Cooper, who works at one of only two SBC works in the entire city of Hamilton.  His church is in the east end of the city, where he has been serving for many years now.  I was finally able to connect with him today, share a bit of what has been going on with us, and to hear from him about serving in the city.  He had some amazing stories to share about ministering to the city. I enjoyed hearing his heart about some of the unique groups that his church has been able to serve and about the unique neighbourhood in which his church is situated.  I appreciated all that he was able to share about the city and I look forward to hopefully being able to work together in the future. 
On a similar note, I just recently learned that the Royce family, who has been leading the only other SBC work in the city, will be transitioning out of Canada as they pursue a new calling.  Although I was looking forward to being able to work together, we wish them God's best for the future.  I can't help thinking that this may be another reason that God has laid Hamilton on our hearts.
I should also mention that while Liam was at his appointment, Kim and I were able to make a visit to the real estate agent's office and officially sign the paper work!  The offer is official with the usual conditions of a home inspection and financing, neither of which we anticipate being a problem.
Thanks to everyone who wrote me to express an interest in being a part of our new prayer initiative.  I will be working to organize that this week and will have a street name for you to be praying about.  We are also planning our next prayer walk for the afternoon of May 1st.

Free Art Friday 01/04/11

Whenever I speak about song writing, there comes the inevitable question about what comes first, the music or the lyrics.  Until lately I have always said that sometimes it is one or the other, but most often it is both together.  It starts with a nugget of melody, harmony or lyric at which point I sit down with pen, paper, guitar or piano and work the rest out together.  Lately, however, I have been mixing this up a bit.  The impulse has come from a desire for new inspiration that sometimes comes from new process, but also a desire to develop my lyric writing.  This is one area in my songwriting that I would like to grow even deeper.   I have been reading a bit more poetry, and have been trying to write more as well.  I have been writing just for the sake of writing, focusing on words and structure for their own sake and without the underlying thought of "how will this work with music?"  I have since been able to put a lot of it to music and there has also been a freshness in the music process.  Setting existing work to music is different from working it all together and it has been a refreshing exercise. 
So, as Easter approaches I thought that I might try to work on an Easter themed poem.  I thought it might be fun to share the process here, and so I will share what I come up with each week.  I was thinking about the theme of substitution this morning.  It is hard to see Easter and miss the incredibly important theological concept of Christ taking upon himself the punishment that our sin deserved in order that the penalty of sin might be paid, a relationship with God that was severed by sin might be reconciled and the gift of salvation and eternal life granted.  In other words...grace.  With that in mind here are some words that I came up with as a start.

'Tis truth you suffer'd in my place.

Through fists and spit upon your face,

And mocking voices to disgrace,

You loved me; You loved Adam's race

Yes, this is grace,

Yes, this is grace.

This is what I am starting with and we will see where things go from here.  I would love to hear any thoughts, comment or suggestions that you have so feel free to share as the process progresses.