The cake was out, the candles lit, and the familiar and expected tune rang out across the dining room - "Happy Birthday to You..." Well, perhaps it might be expected by you or I. I was surprised, however, when Diane looked across at out youngest daughter T.J. and spoke gently in a way that was both directed to her but meant for all of us at the same time, saying, "Do you know that no one has sung to me in 25 years." Diane is our next door neighbour, of whom I have written before. We have been reaching out and trying to be community for her in very practical ways, and a birthday party was just one more fun way. Diane has been a key reminder to us of one of the key foundations to our new work - community. God has been using Diane to remind us of the things that He has been teaching us over the last two years, and to remind us of what we are here to do. (For a look at what we we hope to be doing click the label John 13:34-35 on the right hand side of this blog). Diane was the first to express to us that when our weekly meeting gets going she wants to be a part of it.
I would also like to ask you to pray for another women from the city that we have met named Rose. Rose is a Jehovah's Witness. When I think of Jehovah's Witnesses any number of reactions come to mind, frustration, hostility, a desire to debate and sometimes the thought of witnessing. Well, this time I thought I would try to engage. I have to say I am thankful to God for Rose coming into my life. It has really taught me a lot, and at the very least, it has been very good practice. I am learning how to really listen and am learning a lot about what Jehovah's Witnesses actually believe. It is one thing to read it in a book somewhere, it is another thing to sit down and hear it first hand from them, be able to ask questions and hear their heart. Another thing it has done for me is help me to recognize the person. I am not "evangelizing a JW", I am conversing with Rose who deserves my attention and respect. I am learning how to share the truth in love. My relationship with Rose has also helped me to get practice supressing my urge to debate. I know where some of the JW theology differs from what I believe, and some areas where I think they are missing truth. I also know, however, that they have been trained in their evangelism, trained to expect certain questions and challenges, and are prepared to defend what they believe. An aggressive debate that jumps directly to the questions that they are expecting would just be a polarizing experience in which both sides entrench themselves and would not result in anything being accomplished. I am growing increasingly aware that I cannot be naive in my exchanges with other people. They have a deeply entrenched belief system that they believe to be truth. They are just as skepticle of me as I am about what they believe and they think that they are right and are trying to help me. But rather than debate, I am learning to listen (actually listen and not just be letting them speak long enough to prepare my next point), I am learning to ask subtle, but intentional questions to sow seeds of doubt about the society that is JW and the Watchtower, and I am learning to trust the Holy Spirit to be at work. I am thankful that God had brought Rose into my life and for all that I am learning through it. I would ask that you pray for Rose. She has been back four times now and we have had her into our living room despite the fact that we have asked some challenging questions and she knows that we know our bibles well. In most cases other Witnessess have stopped coming long before this point so we are wondering what God may be up to in this relationship. At the very least, I have grown in my walk and my work.
We would also like to ask you to be in prayer for an event we are hosting on September the 10th. This is a busy day in our city and our neighbourhood as it is the Locke Street Festival right down the street from our house and it is the date of the Super Crawl downtown. You will recall that it was at the Locke Street Festival of 2010 where God really confirmed to us the neighbourhood to which He was calling us to begin this new work so it is a bit of an anniversary for us. We thought we would piggy back on these events and host an open house to which we can invite all our friends, supporters and partners as well as all our new neighbours. It will be a drop in between 11am-5pm and we hope to see a real mixing between or new and old friends as well as churched and unchurched individuals. This will also mark the official beginning of our new house church community. We will be starting the next phase of our ministry shifting from "meet and greet," to growing our missional community here in the neighbourhood. Please also be in prayer for the development of our first home church. This is really foundational to what we think God is asking us to start here in the city.
Lastly, I would like to ask you to pray specifically for our youngest daughter T.J. Ever since the break-in a few weeks ago she has been very nervous around the house. She is scared to go anywhere by herself (at any time of day) and is very unsettled in the evening, especially at bed time.
We thank you for continued prayers, support and partnerships.
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
Hamilton and the Third Great Awakening
I don't know what made me think about it, but yesterday I was reminded about a statement someone once made about the significant role that Hamilton played at the beginning of the Third Great Awakening. I took some time to look it up and I found this interesting article yesterday (see the link below). I continue to consider the possible lessons for one like myself planting a church here in Hamilton on 2011.
Hamilton and the Third Great Awakening
Hamilton and the Third Great Awakening
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
Update Tuesday 23/8/11
Yesterday we were up at 4:00am, out the door at 4:20am and on the phone with AAA at 4:25am to come help us with a flat. We were heading home from Alabama when we realized we had a nail in our tire. After putting on the spare we managed to put in an hour of driving before we found a garage that was open. An hour after finding the garage and a new tire we were on the road again. Even with the delays we managed to do the whole drive in one day! I suppose that the delays could have been discouraging, but to be honest, after the week that we had we could not see those delays as anything but mildly annoying. After the week of blessings that we had just experienced, the tire was nothing but laughable.
Nine days ago we left Hamilton, crossed the border at Windsor and headed south. We had been invited by a friend's church in Alabama to come and be a part of their Global Impact Celebration, a week long conference to educate their church about and to celebrate mission work around the world. We drove to Nashville the first day where we totally lucked out with tickets to Vince Gill's 20th anniversary at the Grand Ole Opry. My wife had seen that Emmylou Harris would be on the bill and so bought some cheap tickets a number of weeks before. She did not realize that it was an anniversary celebration and how many other great acts would be on the lineup. We were treated to an amazing show with a sold out crowd.
The next morning we decided to go to church, and a friend let us know of one that was right by our hotel. We spent the morning worshiping with The Fellowship at Two Rivers. We received a really warm welcome from a number of members and even met Matt and Philip, two of the pastors. We had a great time worshiping with them.
From Nashville we made a bit of a detour and headed to Alpharetta, Georgia where we visited the North American Mission Board. Liam got to do some voice over work for a video that they are working on, got a video camera to record the upcoming GIC conference from his perspective and we had a good time catching up with friends from NAMB. From Georgia we were off to Alabama.
We arrived in Alabama the day before the conference was to begin in order to get ourselves organized. We had been asked to lead the Children's GIC that ran concurrently to the adult sessions on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday evenings. It has been a while since I have worked with kids in grades 1-5, but it was a great opportunity and we had a blast. I am really thankful, however, for the week that I had spent at Ryerson camp earlier in the summer. I realize how much I learn about caring for and teaching kids when I am with that staff, and how many little practical tips I pick up from the director Cam about group dynamics within children's ministry. We had an amazing time teaching music, memorizing scripture with full body actions, making crazy crafts and getting to hear from missionaries from Alaska, Uganda, Indonesia and Papua New Guinea! We also had an opportunity to share some music and a testimony about all that God is doing here in Hamilton at their Sunday services. There is something about hanging out with missionaries from around the world, hearing about how the church is serving by doing everything from digging fresh water wells, to learning and writing tribal languages that have never been written and teaching villages to read, that is inspiring. Even more amazing is to hear how God is at work all around the world, doing incredible things in the lives of people globally, things of an eternal nature on a scale that only God could do. It was a real blessing to be there!
I would be remiss if I did not take the opportunity to thank the people at Parkview Baptist for the opportunity. I love visiting this church. They have such amazing hearts. It starts from the top down as they have an amazing staff. I love watching Pastor Jim, his love for his people and his love for the Lord. He is always in the front row for everything, the first with his hand up and voice raised in singing, the first out with an "Amen," the first with a tear in his eye as someone shares about what the Lord is doing, and his excitement is always all over his face. Scot, their missions pastor offered us the invitation and we have known Scot for a number of years now, when the previous church that he served in became a key partner church for our work in Milton. His passion for the Lord and for missions is amazing and he has such a genuine interest and concern for those with whom he is serving and partnering. Our relationship with Scot and the churches in which he serves has been a real encouragement for us over the years. Casey, who serves with the youth, is a fellow Mac man and becomes my de facto tech helper and he is such a servant. I got to see him with the youth this week, however, and his passion to see them really grasp what this faith thing is all about and to see them live committed lives to Jesus was amazing. Steve is the minister of music (among other things), and this week, he and his wife Kaye hosted us in their home. They were such servants, totally spoiled us (Liam may never be the same) and even in the midst of planning the music (and numerous other details) for six different services, Steve still managed to get up at 5:00am to take Liam and I fishing on Saturday! From the staff down to the congregation, Parkview has such an amazing spirit and amazing hearts that it made it a real blessing to be there.
God really showed up this past week. We witnessed two people from the community come to faith, four or five be called into mission work of some type and over $60,000 given for the purpose of mission work around the world. I also have to mention the generosity that we experienced. Upon hearing of our break-din a couple of weeks ago, an the theft of my laptop, they purchased me a new laptop to replace it. I want to thank them for such generosity. The amazing thing about Parkview that is such a lesson for me is that they are not a huge church (especially by Southern standards) but they have such huge hearts for the Lord. God is doing amazing things there and I cannot wait to see all that He has in store in the days to come!
Well that about sums up our week. After an inspiring week I am excited to be home and to get to work here in our neighbourhood in Hamilton. We again thank you for all your prayers and continued support. After sharing about all that is going on here again this week, I have been reminded about just how important and how instrumental your prayers and support continue to be. Thank you for praying so faithfully.
Nine days ago we left Hamilton, crossed the border at Windsor and headed south. We had been invited by a friend's church in Alabama to come and be a part of their Global Impact Celebration, a week long conference to educate their church about and to celebrate mission work around the world. We drove to Nashville the first day where we totally lucked out with tickets to Vince Gill's 20th anniversary at the Grand Ole Opry. My wife had seen that Emmylou Harris would be on the bill and so bought some cheap tickets a number of weeks before. She did not realize that it was an anniversary celebration and how many other great acts would be on the lineup. We were treated to an amazing show with a sold out crowd.
The next morning we decided to go to church, and a friend let us know of one that was right by our hotel. We spent the morning worshiping with The Fellowship at Two Rivers. We received a really warm welcome from a number of members and even met Matt and Philip, two of the pastors. We had a great time worshiping with them.
From Nashville we made a bit of a detour and headed to Alpharetta, Georgia where we visited the North American Mission Board. Liam got to do some voice over work for a video that they are working on, got a video camera to record the upcoming GIC conference from his perspective and we had a good time catching up with friends from NAMB. From Georgia we were off to Alabama.
We arrived in Alabama the day before the conference was to begin in order to get ourselves organized. We had been asked to lead the Children's GIC that ran concurrently to the adult sessions on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday evenings. It has been a while since I have worked with kids in grades 1-5, but it was a great opportunity and we had a blast. I am really thankful, however, for the week that I had spent at Ryerson camp earlier in the summer. I realize how much I learn about caring for and teaching kids when I am with that staff, and how many little practical tips I pick up from the director Cam about group dynamics within children's ministry. We had an amazing time teaching music, memorizing scripture with full body actions, making crazy crafts and getting to hear from missionaries from Alaska, Uganda, Indonesia and Papua New Guinea! We also had an opportunity to share some music and a testimony about all that God is doing here in Hamilton at their Sunday services. There is something about hanging out with missionaries from around the world, hearing about how the church is serving by doing everything from digging fresh water wells, to learning and writing tribal languages that have never been written and teaching villages to read, that is inspiring. Even more amazing is to hear how God is at work all around the world, doing incredible things in the lives of people globally, things of an eternal nature on a scale that only God could do. It was a real blessing to be there!
I would be remiss if I did not take the opportunity to thank the people at Parkview Baptist for the opportunity. I love visiting this church. They have such amazing hearts. It starts from the top down as they have an amazing staff. I love watching Pastor Jim, his love for his people and his love for the Lord. He is always in the front row for everything, the first with his hand up and voice raised in singing, the first out with an "Amen," the first with a tear in his eye as someone shares about what the Lord is doing, and his excitement is always all over his face. Scot, their missions pastor offered us the invitation and we have known Scot for a number of years now, when the previous church that he served in became a key partner church for our work in Milton. His passion for the Lord and for missions is amazing and he has such a genuine interest and concern for those with whom he is serving and partnering. Our relationship with Scot and the churches in which he serves has been a real encouragement for us over the years. Casey, who serves with the youth, is a fellow Mac man and becomes my de facto tech helper and he is such a servant. I got to see him with the youth this week, however, and his passion to see them really grasp what this faith thing is all about and to see them live committed lives to Jesus was amazing. Steve is the minister of music (among other things), and this week, he and his wife Kaye hosted us in their home. They were such servants, totally spoiled us (Liam may never be the same) and even in the midst of planning the music (and numerous other details) for six different services, Steve still managed to get up at 5:00am to take Liam and I fishing on Saturday! From the staff down to the congregation, Parkview has such an amazing spirit and amazing hearts that it made it a real blessing to be there.
God really showed up this past week. We witnessed two people from the community come to faith, four or five be called into mission work of some type and over $60,000 given for the purpose of mission work around the world. I also have to mention the generosity that we experienced. Upon hearing of our break-din a couple of weeks ago, an the theft of my laptop, they purchased me a new laptop to replace it. I want to thank them for such generosity. The amazing thing about Parkview that is such a lesson for me is that they are not a huge church (especially by Southern standards) but they have such huge hearts for the Lord. God is doing amazing things there and I cannot wait to see all that He has in store in the days to come!
Well that about sums up our week. After an inspiring week I am excited to be home and to get to work here in our neighbourhood in Hamilton. We again thank you for all your prayers and continued support. After sharing about all that is going on here again this week, I have been reminded about just how important and how instrumental your prayers and support continue to be. Thank you for praying so faithfully.
Friday, August 12, 2011
Free Art Friday - 12/8/11
I was out taking some specific shots of signs that either mentioned Canada of Hamilton for a project I am working on. Here are a few of my favorites:
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
Update Tuesday - 08/08/11
I am a bit tired as I sit and write this morning. Last night was a bit crazy as we had three kids from the neighbourhood for a sleep over. Add that to our four kids and it was a busy place last night. It was shortly before eleven when I could still hear my son talking. I was just about to yell at him to get to sleep when I overheard what it was that he was saying. He was sharing the gospel. What followed was a conversation in which he shared the gospel, discussed the divinity of Christ, argued for the authority and reliability of scripture and spoke of spiritual things. I am glad that I did not yell. This is what we are here for.
It has been an up a down last few weeks. Yesterday, we hosted a Canadian Baptist Builders Team from Milton (OK, my father in law...it was not that big a job) who helped my oldest son fix the steps on my neighbour's porch. It was a great opportunity to serve in our community and to build relationships. Although this lady is already a believer, she has not been able to attend a church since her car died over a year ago (and it seems that no one even contacted her when she stopped attending). She is not currently a part of any particular faith family and being an only child, single and just recently retired she does not really have any community at all. She has already expressed interest in being a part of what we are starting.
Last week we had a great week as we were serving at a Christian camp. It was startling to recognize that I have been serving there in some capacity for 15 years! We were helping to lead the "Family Camp" week and I had the privilege of doing all the teaching for the adult sessions each day. We saw God do some amazing things in the lives of some of the families. Perhaps the coolest story is that of a lady who arrived with her two sons for their first ever week of family camp. If I am not mistaken, it is the same lady that I had heard about from my friends a number of weeks earlier. They had told me about a lady they had met who answered a Kajiji add for a kitchen table. After meeting her and hearing her story they gave her the table and invited her to camp. She, and her three sons (two of whom made it to camp with her) have currently going through the greatest challenge they have faced as a family. One of the key themes for the week and a key emphasis in the teaching was weathering the storms of life. She said that it felt as if everything was directed right at her. During the week she saw her boys begin to smile again as they felt the love from the staff and were given the freedom and the safety to be kids and have fun. She was also introduced to Jesus and what she had always sensed intuitively was brought into focus as she learned the specifics of this saviour who loves her. She spent the week in a small group with my wife as they talked more about Jesus, discipleship, how to read the bible and other things to equip us to grow in our faith. Please pray for this family as they continue to weather this storm and please pray for the journey of discipleship upon which they have just embarked!
The week did have one significant challenge. When we arrived home from camp we soon realized that our house had been broken into while we were away. They stole an iPod, my laptop, a bit of cash and some jewelery. The jewelery was not expensive. Its value was more sentimental being Kim's Grandma's wedding ring. The laptop will be a bit more annoying as I continue to remember things for work that I have lost, but I did back it up not too long ago so I still have access to most of the information. When we consider all that they did not take, the newest laptop that was in the kid's room, my music equipment and guitars and the one piece of expensive jewelery that we do own we can't help but feel blessed. I am also thankful that has not seemed to affect us emotionally too much either. We feel fairly calm and still at peace. The kids are also doing really well under the circumstances. The first night was a bit unnerving as the broken window still hung in our back room as we awaited the police. Since then, they seem to have gotten right back into the swing of things having fun with their friends and living life to the full. T.J. does still get a bit nervous around the house, especially at night and so we are trying to be sensitive to that. Your prayers would be greatly appreciated, and although we can certainly live without the things that were taken, it would be great to have them back so if you could pray for that as well it would be great.
Well that about sums up another week (well two weeks I guess, since I did not post last week). Next week we will be traveling to Alabama where we are participating in a Global Impact Celebration mission conference. We appreciate your continued prayers and support!
It has been an up a down last few weeks. Yesterday, we hosted a Canadian Baptist Builders Team from Milton (OK, my father in law...it was not that big a job) who helped my oldest son fix the steps on my neighbour's porch. It was a great opportunity to serve in our community and to build relationships. Although this lady is already a believer, she has not been able to attend a church since her car died over a year ago (and it seems that no one even contacted her when she stopped attending). She is not currently a part of any particular faith family and being an only child, single and just recently retired she does not really have any community at all. She has already expressed interest in being a part of what we are starting.
Last week we had a great week as we were serving at a Christian camp. It was startling to recognize that I have been serving there in some capacity for 15 years! We were helping to lead the "Family Camp" week and I had the privilege of doing all the teaching for the adult sessions each day. We saw God do some amazing things in the lives of some of the families. Perhaps the coolest story is that of a lady who arrived with her two sons for their first ever week of family camp. If I am not mistaken, it is the same lady that I had heard about from my friends a number of weeks earlier. They had told me about a lady they had met who answered a Kajiji add for a kitchen table. After meeting her and hearing her story they gave her the table and invited her to camp. She, and her three sons (two of whom made it to camp with her) have currently going through the greatest challenge they have faced as a family. One of the key themes for the week and a key emphasis in the teaching was weathering the storms of life. She said that it felt as if everything was directed right at her. During the week she saw her boys begin to smile again as they felt the love from the staff and were given the freedom and the safety to be kids and have fun. She was also introduced to Jesus and what she had always sensed intuitively was brought into focus as she learned the specifics of this saviour who loves her. She spent the week in a small group with my wife as they talked more about Jesus, discipleship, how to read the bible and other things to equip us to grow in our faith. Please pray for this family as they continue to weather this storm and please pray for the journey of discipleship upon which they have just embarked!
The week did have one significant challenge. When we arrived home from camp we soon realized that our house had been broken into while we were away. They stole an iPod, my laptop, a bit of cash and some jewelery. The jewelery was not expensive. Its value was more sentimental being Kim's Grandma's wedding ring. The laptop will be a bit more annoying as I continue to remember things for work that I have lost, but I did back it up not too long ago so I still have access to most of the information. When we consider all that they did not take, the newest laptop that was in the kid's room, my music equipment and guitars and the one piece of expensive jewelery that we do own we can't help but feel blessed. I am also thankful that has not seemed to affect us emotionally too much either. We feel fairly calm and still at peace. The kids are also doing really well under the circumstances. The first night was a bit unnerving as the broken window still hung in our back room as we awaited the police. Since then, they seem to have gotten right back into the swing of things having fun with their friends and living life to the full. T.J. does still get a bit nervous around the house, especially at night and so we are trying to be sensitive to that. Your prayers would be greatly appreciated, and although we can certainly live without the things that were taken, it would be great to have them back so if you could pray for that as well it would be great.
Well that about sums up another week (well two weeks I guess, since I did not post last week). Next week we will be traveling to Alabama where we are participating in a Global Impact Celebration mission conference. We appreciate your continued prayers and support!
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