Free Art Friday - 27/05/11

Our house closed!!!!!  That means we are moving in starting today.  I did have some time to fool around with the camera a bit last weekend while at the cottage.  Kim used my photos for a post over at her blog, so feel free to follow the link and have a look.

zoo-ology

You can also check out the music I put up last week if you have not had a chance yet.

Last Week's Post

Cool Things in the Hammer

A couple of links to share about cool things happening in Hamilton.  The first link comes courtesy of my brother who is from down the highway in the Big Smoke - Toronto.  This article was found in the Toronto Star.  I sense just a bit of jelousy from my brother.

Article

This second story was sent to my by my lovely research assistant.  It is from a reporter from the Hamilton Spectator who is doing a five day tour of Hamilton by canoe, shoe and bike.  Here is a link to the videos, but be sure to poke around a bit and check out the live tweet section as well.

Jon's Journey

I can't wait to get there!

 

Update Tuesday 24/5/11 - John 13:34-35 Message

I had the privilege of sharing about our new work in Hamilton at the Oakville Sanctuary back in March.  Below is a link to the audio recording of that message.  It is a pretty good summary of what God has been doing in our hearts over the last while, and what we believe He is calling us to do in Hamilton.

Message 

We are now madly packing in preparation for our big move on Saturday.  Please be praying for all the details for our closing.  The house is done, the appraiser booked and so if everything goes smoothly it should close on Thursday. 

Free Art Friday - 20/5/11

Another song from the drama Iron Will, produced by Scene Change.  .  The fun thing about doing music for a drama is that you end up working on stuff that you may not have otherwise done.  This one I wrote for a dance sequence with some amazing Haitian dancing.

A change in Perspective

I don't often comment on the "cute" and "sweet" things that kids do, it is not really my thing.  I might mention the funny things occasionally, but not too much more than that.  There is, however, every once in a while, where my kids say something rather simple and yet profound.  They are the kind of things that make me stop and think and to readjust priorities and perspective.  Monday afternoon was one of those times.
On Monday I made a 2 hour trip to Colborne Ontario in order to take my pedal steel guitar to the only repair guy I could find in all of Ontario.  Coloborne is east of Toronto, out past Oshawa and Bowmanville, two towns in which I have family.  I arranged to drop off the instrument at 12:00pm and then made plans to stop and visit each of my grandparents on the way back.   As I was leaving, I offered to take my youngest daughter with me partly to have the company and partly to to give my wife and other children some uninterrupted time for school.  We made the long trip out during which my daughter, finding a set of sermon notes from the day before, realized that her developing reading skills meant she could now read passages of scripture.  We have now both memorized John 13:34-35 to the extent that I doubt either of us will ever forget it.  Although cool in and of itself, that is not actually the moment I meant to write about.  That moment came a bit later, after we had visited over lunch with my Grandmother in Bowmanville.  My Grandmother lives in a small subdivision that is right on lake Ontario and is surrounded by some undeveloped land.  As we were driving slowly through the neighbourhood, we came across a small red fox sitting in the middle of the street.  As we approached, the fox slowly got up and walked away allowing us a very clear view.  As the fox drifted out of sight, my daughter exclaimed:

"That was a very special privilege that God gave me, to see that fox.  And you too daddy!"

I have no idea where she learned a phrase like that but she is right, it was a privilege that God gave us.  It has been a reminder to me to both recognize and celebrate the small things and not to just let them go by.  It has also been a reminder to recognize and celebrate the source of those privileges - an active, living and sovereign God.  And this is worship, to be intentional about recognizing God's presence, activity, and revelation and to respond appropriately. 

Update Tuesday - 17/5/11

Our final move date is May 28th and it seems to be approaching like a freight train that has just continued to pick up speed since we first announced the idea.  Amazing things have been happening, and life continues as well, all contributing to this crazy ride we have been on.   As exciting as it has been, sometimes moments of reflection have been few and far between.  Last Thursday, however, provided one of those moments. 
We were hosting our weekly band practice and bible study, when someone remarked that it would be the last one that we would be hosting in our current Milton home.  I was aware that this was the fact, but between preparing the meal and getting ready for the study, I had not put much more thought into it.  During our prayer time, however, one of the guys in our group was praying prayers of thanksgiving for all that had gone on in our home and in the room in which we were gathered.  He also prayed for the future of the home and the residents that would be moving in.  His prayer gave me pause to reflect on all that we have experienced in this home and in particular with the groups that we have been privileged to be a part of.  
We have hosted numerous different small groups and worship team practices over our almost six years in this home.   We have walked with people through celebrations, and through tragedy, we have seen good times and we have seen hard times.  We have celebrated new jobs, we have rallied, prayed and collected groceries through unemployment.  We have mourned death and celebrated new life.  We have seen many people deepen their walk with the Lord and be discipled.  We have seen individuals give their life to Christ and we have welcomed them into the Kingdom.   We have lifted our voices in worship through it all.
It really has been an amazing time, and we have been privileged to see God do many amazing things here in this home.  It has been a bit bitter sweet since realizing that last week really was our last week to host a group here, a group that has been such a big part of who we are and what we do.  We are praying, however, that we might see a repeat of some of what we have been able to experience here as we move to a new community, a new neighbourhood and a new home.
I would like to ask that you would pray specifically for the last stages of the renovations being completed over the next few days.  The renovations need to be completed and appraiser needs to go through the home in the next few days to complete the paperwork by the 26th, which is the closing date.  Monday is a holiday here in Canada, so the timing is a bit tight.  If everything goes smoothly there should be no problem at all, so please be praying with us that it all goes smoothly!

Developing the "Worship" in Worship Team

Here is a link to a video of a workshop that I gave last year about bringing small group principles into a worship team setting.  It can be found at e-quip.net, an online learning community hosted by the CNBC.  If you have a bit of time feel free to have a look:

E-quip Session

Update Tuesday - 10/05/11

I thought that I would do something a bit different for the update this week.  I have mentioned before that I really think that Hamilton is a city in transition, finding itself in a time and place where it can and must begin to redefine itself for the future.  Kim and I where at a West Hamilton Artist Tour in our new neighbourhood this past Sunday (where artists open their doors to the public) and one of the artists noted how things are changing, how the arts are growing and how people are flooding to the city.  I don't mean to suggest that it is happening overnight or that the whole city has undergone urban revitalization, but something seems to have started.  With this in mind, let me share a link to an article from the Hamilton Spectator that my research assistant found (by which I mean my wife who has an amazing knack for finding really cool stuff about the city online).  This article mentions a number of things that are starting or have started in the city, and provides a bit of info and evidence of what we have been mentioning.

The Spec 

Free Art Friday - 06/05/11 - Incidental Music

I was going through my itunes library when I came across this demo.  It is a demo of some incidental music that I wrote for a drama production about Haiti entitled Iron Will.  The drama was written and produced by a friend of mine, and I had the chance to write some of the music and to be a part of the pit band for the premiere.
What is below is a piece that went underneath an intense storm scene.  In the live production we were able to add a lot of percussion and electric guitar noise to help create the intensity.  But here is the underlying piece upon which everything else was built. 

Today I am of the the Ontario Christian Home Educators Conference to do a session on putting the Bible in Bible Study and then I will be preparing for a lawn sale tomorrow.  We need to get rid of a lot of stuff before we move so if you are in the Milton area come and buys something cheap...it would be a big help!

Conflicted

I am distracted today.  I am finding it hard to concentrate and work on anything.  As news continues to circulate around the death of Osama Bin Laden I find myself utterly conflicted.  What should my head and heart be feeling and thinking?...I am not sure.  I am conflicted because  I see in the teaching and example of Jesus, an undeniable direction away from violence and retribution towards transforming initiatives of peacemaking.  I also know that there are some passages that may suggest possible exemptions.  I am conflicted by how to best interpret the biblical witness.   I am even more conflicted with how to best apply those verses to current situations and contexts.   And all through the searching my heart is heavy.  I feel a sense of sadness and a sense of grief.  I am starting to recognize, however, that this heaviness is not because of the struggle and sense of being conflicted, but despite it.  It is this grief and sadness that is my honest, heartfelt response.
No matter where the intellectual searching may lead, no matter what conclusion I may draw, if any, I think that grief and sadness may still be the appropriate response.  In the end, there is one thing that is so clear, and that is how broken the world really is.  The mere fact that any of this ever happened, from 9/11 to the events of this week, is evidence of just how deeply flawed the world is and how pervasively sin has infected God's good creation.  The world is fallen and sinful and I believe that breaks God's heart.  Should not our hearts be broken as well?  Justifiably or not, another life has been taken, another soul is condemned to hell, another soldier may relive the trauma of taking a life, and more violence is likely to follow.   Add all this to the tragedy and horror of the events of 9/11 and maybe sadness and grief are the most appropriate response. 

Update Tuesday 03/05/11 - Dedicated

Wow, what a crazy, busy and fun week!  As I mentioned last week, we were in Alpharetta, Georgia visiting NAMB.  We took some photos, shot some video, had many great meals with some new friends and colleagues.  It was great to begin some new relationships, as well as put some faces to the names of those who had previously been on-line acquaintances. 
We did spend a fairly nervous night in the hotel our last night as we were glued to the news tracking the tornadoes that tore through the Southern US.  As it turns out, the tornadoes travelled just north and just south of the area we were in, and by about 1:00am we were able to go to sleep in preparation for our 5:00am wake up and departure.  Although, we were not affected by the tornadoes, we did see some of the aftermath as we drove north.  One tornado had obviously crossed the highway reducing the steel highway median barriers to what looked like a ball of crumpled tin foil, and ripping open a transport trailer as if with a can opener.  What we saw, however, paled in comparison to some of the photos we would see on the news and on the Internet.  We were especially shocked by the images from Alabama.  We are praying specifically for our friends from Parkview Baptist Church in Alabama.  They did not suffer any damage, and all of their families are safe, and so now they have an enormous task as they reach out and organize efforts to serve their friends, family and neighbours who have suffered greatly in this tragedy.
We arrived home on Thursday evening with just enough time to plan for a busy weekend.  We welcomed some new friends, Matt and Tony, on Friday evening.  They are a video team from NAMB visiting to get some footage of our new neighbourhood in Hamilton, as well as some footage of our sending church here in Milton.  We spent most of Saturday filming.  In  the morning, were interviews here in our home and then off to Hamilton for the afternoon.  What an amazing time in our neighbourhood!  The weather was great and we got to visit our new home as well as visit the sights.   It is amazing how conspicuous you can be when walking down the street with a video camera following you.  We had many opportunities to meet and talk with people, including a number of people who will be our new neighbours.  As part of our neighbourhood prayer initiative, I was able to share some names of residents from particular streets that we met with groups from our church who have adopted those streets.  They were timely encounters seeing as we had a prayer walk scheduled for the following afternoon.
On Sunday the video guys joined us for worship to get some footage of the set up (although not as much footage as they may have hoped seeing as our new set up team has gotten so proficient and fast!), of the music and the rest of the service as well as some interviews with our sending church.  It really is a great story, this fairly small church plant is now preparing to plant its own daughter church.
After the service, we hosted a lunch for all those from the church who were planning on joining us for the prayer walk that afternoon.  We had over thirty people over for lunch, including the video team, after which we all made the drive into Hamilton.  After meeting up together in the park, we all headed out to our particular adopted streets praying for what God will do and how He wants to use us to impact this community for His Kingdom and His glory.  It is here that I must stop and mention, in particular, the dedication of the video crew and our church family in Milton.  We began our prayers under a dark and drizzly sky, which eventually become the wet, rainy and fully saturating day that we ended in.  And yet, I did not hear one word of complaint but witnessed dedicated servants joyfully serving despite the circumstances.  
We woke up the following morning to run out to the polls and vote (what a crazy election this one turned out to be!)  before the crew arrived to film a few last shots.   We finished up with the crew by spending time on the front porch of our new house singing 'Tis So Sweet, which has become a very meaningful hymn for my wife and I.  Again, we caught the eyes of some of our neighbours.  Our only fear now is that they will be disappointed to find that we are just regular folks and not rock stars after having a camera following us around for days!
As we continue to move forward, I would invite you to pray one of the scriptures that I gave to our prayer walk team this past week, John 13:34-35.  This really has become our central verse, summarizing what it is that we hope to accomplish in Hamilton.  You can read some of our thoughts by going backwards through these past posts: John 13:34-35