Update Tuesday - Christmas Baskets and other things

It was while standing on the street corner serving coffee and sandwiches to my homeless and underprivileged friends that the strange irony of the past week really hit me.  It was only a few days prior that my 17 year old son had been released from the psychiatric ward of our local pediatric hospital with a list of homeless shelters.  To be honest, this is the situation that has consumed most of my mental, emotional and physical energy this past week.  We told our story to our local paper, have asked people to share the link or retweet it, and asked Ontario residents to write or call their MPP, the Minister of Health Deb Matthews and the Minister of Child and Youth Lorel Broten.  We are asking people to request that they intervene and help us find some solutions as well as asking about what is being done for this huge gap within our healthcare system for youth between 16-22.  You can read the story here:

The Spec

But, although this has consumed most of my attention, I do not want that to dominate this post, nor do I want to miss the opportunity to share a few moments that have really shone in the darkness these past two days.

Firstly,  we had our monthly LoveLoud event in the downtown core where we took coffee, sandwiches as well as coats, blankets, hats and mits that we have collected over the past few weeks.  It was an amazing scene when we served a few of our neighbours on the street, who in turn brought other friends and began to serve them themselves, helping to organize hats and mits and coats.  We are truly thankful for all those who dontaed and who came out to help us hit the street.

Kim's Buttons

Jason with Dave and Shirley

Perhaps the highlight of the week was the opportunity I had to deliver Christmas Baskets to my friends on the street corner outside the Beer Store that I meet with each week.  Members from our church, and even some of our Sanctuary brothers and sisters, adopted one of my friends and put together a personalized basket.  We were also able to add a few extras from things that have been donated by many of our friends across the US who have sent us donations of gift cards, winter items and bibles.  I delivered the last of the baskets this morning, and in each case, we saw expressions of disbelief and smiles of thanksgiving. 

Rick with his Christmas Basket

Paul with his Christmas Basket

I will end with this image.  As we were leaving Paul, and getting back into the van he quickly made his way back over to us, pushing his basket in the shopping cart that he had been using to carry his recyclables.   He wanted to thank us again, and said that this was the only present that he would be receiving.  He had not really received a Christmas gift since his mother had passed away a number of years ago.  That story right there made it all worth it.
Thanks to everyone who helped us to make this happen!!!

Friday Art - Waiting

With the arrival of the Advent season I thought I would post a link to a song that appears on my first album, and on my web site, called Waiting.  It is based on some reflections on the world as it was waiting for the arrival of the Messiah, as well as seeing the parallel to our present time as we await Jesus' second coming.

Waiting

Feel free to check out other free music at the site

www.jasonmcgibbonproject.com

Update Tuesday - Dec.

December, which brings with it the beginning of the Christmas season, is definitely upon us.   Our decorations are up, radio stations are beginning 24hrs of Christmas tunes and the malls are getting busy (so they tell me!).  The calendar has also become packed to overflowing.  Although I try not to get carried away by many of the trappings of the season, there are a few things happening in our Fellowship that I am happily anticipating and for which we would ask for your prayers.

First, we have our annual winter coat and blanket drive.  We will be doing our first LoveLoud outreach and handout on December 16th, during which we will be giving out coffee, sandwiches, coats and blankets to the cities less fortunate.  We have had some "Christmas in August" donations, including hats, mits and scarves, that we will be delivering and we are currently gathering clean blankets and warm coats.

Secondly, and something new for this year, is that we will be preparing a number of Christmas baskets.  Specifically, we will be putting baskets together for a number of the individuals that I meet with every Monday morning.  Meeting with them each week gives us a unique opportunity to know them better and thus to serve these neighbours in a more personalized manner.  We will be gearing each basket to one of our friends specifically. 

Lastly, we will be hosting a Christmas dinner with our Fellowship on December 19th, to which we are encouraging our people to bring a friend.  Prayerfully, this will be an opportunity to introduce a few new people in our circles of influence to our Fellowship.

We are also already looking ahead and working on a LoveLoud Valentine's event, but I will share that at a later time!

Friday Art-painting

Here is a new painting of a door at Herkimer and James S.

Update Tues - Street Corner

It may seem like  small things, but I think small things are worth celebrating.  If you ask me, however, I am not sure that they were as small as they might seem at first.  As I have mentioned here before, I invest every Monday morning on the same street corner serving coffee and sandwiches to the same small group of underprivileged men.  There have been times that I have really appreciated each moment I spend on the corner, even in the midst of sub-zero mid winter mornings.  There have been other times that I have wondered what the heck I am doing week in and week out and why the heck I bother.    This week, however, I had two experiences that make me think that maybe the investment of time is beginning to pay off.
I was away two weekends ago and missed my regular Monday morning appointment.  The next day I got a call from one of the guys I meet, to whom I had given my business card months ago.  He called just to check in and to say that he missed meeting.  I was able to invite him out to lunch the following day, where we had an opportunity to spend some time together and where I got to learn a bit more about his life.  We even had the beginnings of some spiritual conversations.  I am praying this is the net step in a deepening relationship  that gets beyond just Monday morning.
This past Monday, as I returned home from the street corner, Ray was at my back gate waiting for me.  I have a slightly deeper relationship with Ray, and although he does not come to the street corner on Monday mornings any more (that is a whole other story!) he does stop by every once and a while.  He has hung out with me in the neighbourhood, as we chat in the backyard, and he has even had coffee on the front porch.  He has never been willing, however, to come inside.  It is as if that is one step to close or something, and he has always shied away.  This past Monday, a cold November morning, he accepted an invitation to come in for a coffee!  Not only did he come in for a coffee, but he stayed around and had lunch with our family.   Although this may seem like a small step, I think that it was a huge hurdle that we have crossed.  I am now praying that he might jump the next hurdle and join us for a Fellowship meeting in the next few weeks.  Although I am being very realistic, I am also very hopeful.
As you continue to pray, I would ask you to pray for these guys, and for the relationship that we are developing.  Please also pray for our Fellowship as we consider how it is we want to invest ourselves this holiday season.  My hope for us is that we consider the biblical principle that it is truly more blessed to give that to receive and ask how it is that we might be giving ourselves away.  We have a number of ideas beginning to form and hopefully I will have some specifics to share next week.   

Update Tues - M.I.A

Let me first apologize that the blog had been M.I.A over the last few weeks, by which I mean that I have been neglecting it.  Thanks to all of you who faithfully check for updates and pray for all that is going on here in Hamilton. 
Personally, it has been a challenging few months and the last few weeks in particular have been tough.  Our oldest son continues to be in hospital which is hard enough in and of itself.  Making it worse, however, is that because he is seventeen, they have decided to go to him for all medical decisions and have opted to leave his family out, leaving us on the periphery with no means of seeing in.  We have seen some promising things happen this week and are prayerful that at least a small step forward may come soon.  Many days are consumed with trying to fight this fight while other days the emotional toll creeps up and makes trying to do anything hard.  Outside of dealing with this issue, caring for the family and leading our Fellowship, I have let some things like this blog slip.  But we are back today!  We would appreciate prayers as we continue to try to move forward and seek the best for our son.
Although things have been tough, we continue to see God doing some neat things.  The last I wrote I was participating in a church planting Emphasis week a Liberty University.  From that we have has some interest from students who would like to come and do a short term internship in a church planting context.  We are working on the details to see this happen.  I also had the opportunity to speak with the director of the program who was keen to see that Liberty be involved in supporting church planting in Canada.  We look forward to where this may lead.
We also continue to plan and look to the future.  God is bringing a bit more focus to the vision that He has for us here in the Hamilton area and I hope to be able to share a bit more in the days and weeks ahead.
Thanks again for the continued prayer.

Friday Art

Friday Art-another painting

I have been painting a lot of doors lately. Here is one from a few weeks ago. This one used to be a door of some sort, before being bricked up years ago. It is the back wall of Slainte here in Hamilton.

Friday Art - Bernie Soundtrack

I received an e-mail this week letting me know that my uncle Brad Fordham, long time stalwart of the Austin roots scene, could be heard on the soundtrack to the film Bernie.  He can also be seen playing bass and singing backup in the video for "Love Lifted Me" featuring Jack Black.  Watch it at the link below:
Love Lifted Me

Update Tues.

Almost missed Tues. as I have been driving all day with my son Liam. We have the privilege of participating in the Church Planting Emphasis Week at Liberty University in Virginia. We just finished some Cracker Barrel and are about to hit the sack early in order to be ready for program that starts tomorrow.
Check back next week for details about the week.

Theology in 140 Characters

There is no shortage of short, pithy profundities tweeted and retweeted these days. It is amazing to think about how much information is available in an almost instantaneous fashion. This week I read a tweet that made me pause and think about theology in 140 characters or less.
There was a tweet, or most likely a retweet, by someone, quoting someone else who made the a statement something to the effect of "Jesus never asked for people to worship Him but to follow Him and obey Him." The point, I think, was to suggest that we really worship by how we follow and obey. At first my response was to offer an Amen of agreement. If we consider Paul's words in Romans 12:1 to offer our bodies as living sacrifices...(as) our spiritual act of worship it would seem there is biblical support as well. But after further reflection I thought back to my nerdy language study days, Matthew 14 and Jesus walking on water. I was studying Jesus' words "it is I," tracing the phrase in Greek back through Isaiah in the Septuagent (a Greek translation of the Old Testament) and eventually back to God's revelation of His name to Moses in Exodus 3:14- "I AM WHO I AM." I truly believe Jesus' language was meant as a revelation, especially as we recognize that it is in conjunction with His direct control over the elements of creation-walking on water and calming the storm. Is there any doubt as to why the disciples would immediately "worship" Jesus and declare Him to be "God's Son." Surely these events were orchestrated by Jesus to provide a deeper understanding of who He was and to elicit such a response of prostration, reverence and homage-worship. Jesus did not ask for worship in so many words, but it is an underlying theme here. The problem with this understanding from scripture is that it is not easily simplified to a pithy 140 characters.
It is not that the above mentioned tweet was wrong, not in the least, it was just not full enough. Nor could I ever say anything against the individual who was quoted, having not been there when he spoke, I have no idea what he said in full, nor his full understanding of worship. We must be careful, however, when communicating in this medium that we not reduce theology to an anemic state. The concern is magnified when we consider our egos, and the temptation to tweet to be retweeted and be noticed.
When it comes to theology, I am just not sure that it can be reduced to 140 character or less.

Friday Art - Upcoming Gig

Mark your calendars because you don't want to miss the Nzule Exhibit hosted by Hamilton photographer George Qua-Enoo.  It will be an exhibit featuring work from a trip to Ghana, including photography, art, samples of food from Ghana as well as some special musical guests.  It will be held in Hamilton, at George's studio located at 270 Sherman Ave. N.  It runs Oct. 26 (8pm) and Oct. 27 (5pm). 
All proceeds will go towards supporting the needs of a local school in Ghana.

For more information visit the Facebook Event Page :  Nzule Exhibiton

I am really excited to announce that I will be performing at the exhibit, along with my brother for two sets at 5pm and 6pm on October 27th.  This will mark the first time that I have performed with my brother for a number of years and I am looking forward to the opportunity.  My brother Brandon is fresh off a number of very successful gigs, both solo and with the band Elastocitizens, at the Toronto International Film Festival in conjunction with the film Picture Day.  Since we last performed together he has also had successful runs in the Toronto productions of Mel Brook's The Producers (Carmen Ghia), and Andrew Lloyd Weber's Boys in the Photograph (Del).  He has also just finished recording a solo EP which should be released soon.  These, of course, are only some of the musical credits and don't include the acting ones (acting is actually his day job!).  Even with these recent credits I am sure that playing with his big brother, who taught him everything about music and being cool, will be a highlight of his resume.

Update Tuesday - Thanksgiving

This past weekend marked Canadian Thanksgiving.  Let me take a moment to thank all of you who have, and continue to support our ministry here in Hamilton in so many ways.   We are truly grateful for each one of you who faithfully supports and prays for us.
I am looking forward to spending some time with a few key folks in our Fellowship this week as we continue some strategic planning that was begun last week.  It will be fun to focus in on some discipleship ideas and some evangelism ideas that we hope to concentrate on for 2013.
We will also be starting to look at budgeting for 2013 in the near future and so if you think that you might be interested in financially supporting the ministry for 2013 then I would love to chat with you.  Send me an e-mail and we can go from there.      

Friday Art-New Painting

Here is the most recent painting I finished. This wall and door can be found in Hamilton on Walnut St. Just north of King.

Update Tuesday

Well, we had another great Love Loud event within the downtown core this past Sunday.  It was great to see so many of our people getting involved, to meet and serve so many of our neighbours and to see the positive response from those who were intrigued by what we were doing. 

The last few weeks have been pretty challenging for our family.  We continue to attempt to navigate a situation with our oldest son who is suffering from some psychological and neurological issues compounded by his PDD (which is a form of autism).  He continues to be in hospital (it has been almost a month now) which is not ideal, while everyone involved tries to find a program that will meet his particular needs.  There is a lot of uncertainly about the future at this point.  It has been a very emotionally draining time and, although the rest of the family have been real troopers, there is no denying that the ongoing uncertainty is taking a toll.  I would ask for your prayers for Kim and the kids as this ongoing situation continues, for Daniel and for all who are involved in his care. 

Friday Art- finished lyrics

A bit of a crazy week so not a lot of art was accomplished. I did manage to finish lyrics to the song I posted a clip from last week:


Sometimes the sweetest of sounds
Come from the darkest places
Quiet songs of desperation
Like the sound from the inside of an old guitar

Reach, reach for the light
Melody soaring to highest of heights
Reach, reach for the light
There's a way, there's a truth, a life

Sometimes in darkness of night
Clouds can hide their traces
And mask the star lit places
But the light is never further away

Reach, reach for the light
Melody soaring to highest of heights
Reach, reach for the light
There's a way, there's a truth, a life



I stole the idea for the second verse from something my wife was working on...I think she will be cool with it.

Update Tuesday

Thanks to those who prayed for our opportunity at Mohawk College last weekend.  I think that the event was a success over all and that my friend who was organizing everything felt good about it.  I know that from our perspective it was a great chance to engage with a lot of students.  Many of the students seemed particularly interested in our Love Loud initiatives as we were able to share about a number of the community projects that we are involved in.  We actually had a large percentage of the students at the event sign up to be involved with our next homeless outreach which is scheduled for this weekend.  Our hope is that this will be a great chance to further up our initial meeting with the students and provide the opportunity to further build relationships.  We are also very excited to have them join us as we serve some of the vulnerable citizens within our city.  I believe that this will be a great chance to introduce them to some Kingdom concepts being lived out around them as we also seek to introduce them to the King.
As stated by Jeff Christopherson in Kingdom Matrix:

"Kingdom Seekers respond when exposed to the authenticity of the Kingdom of God. "

(pg. 241)

Prayerfully we will have the opportunity to expose these students, who seem genuinely interested in cooperating as we try to address some of the injustice around us, to the Kingdom of God.

 

Missional Monday - Random Act of Kindness?!!?

I had a very humorous experience a number of months ago where I was the recipient of a "Random Act of Kindness."  After going for a walk early one weekday morning, my wife and I stopped into our local Locke Street Bakery for a coffee.  While waiting in line to pay, a young lady in front of me turned around and asked what I was having, and proceeded to pay for my order as she paid for her own.  It was quite a nice gesture.  What made it slightly awkward is that she did not ask, nor pay for, my wife who was standing there beside me.  I assured my wife that she just did not realize that we were together, and I think we are over the incident.
Random Acts of Kindness can be fun.  It is certainly nice when you are on the receiving end and there is a certain satisfaction that comes when you are the one administering such an act.  Let's be honest, however, they are certainly not going to change the world.  A free coffee is not going to meet the deep social and economic needs that I see around me.  They don't really address the reality of deep poverty, addiction and mental health that I see everyday on the streets.  They also will not, in and of themselves, be sufficient to introduce people to the depths a reality of the Kingdom of God.  But having said that, I still think that there is room for them.  What they do provide is a first step, a fairly simple beginning to a process that may lead us to deeper and more significant things.  Thinking in terms of Random Acts of Kindness gives us the opportunity to begin to look at life a bit differently.  It invites us to ask, "where is it that I find myself at this moment", and "how can I make this moment count."  I think these are great questions that can begin to lead us into a more missional mindset.  Being missional entails asking questions like "what is God's Mission and how might I participate with Him wherever it is that He has me?"  What may start with an opportunity to pay for someone's coffee, may eventually grow into a life that better sees the needs around it, asks what God may think of those needs, and longs to actively and compassionately respond to those needs in the name of Jesus.   Meeting the physical and spiritual needs around us is to be a foretaste of the Kingdom, and to be a foretaste of the Kingdom is to be missional.    
  

Friday Art - a song in progress

Here is a short video of the first pieces of a new song I am working on.  Thanks to Kim for helping to sing!

Sometimes the sweetest of sounds

Come from the darkest places

Quiet songs of desparation

Like the sound from the inside of an old guitar

Reach, reach for the light

Melodies soaring to highest of hights

Reach, reach for the light

There's a way, there's a truth, a life

Social Darwinism and Racism in Canada

The notion of evolution with regards to biology can be a sticky enough topic (especially with regards to Christianity).    Timothy Keller points out in his book The Reason For God, that the theory of evolution is more problematic when taken as an all encompassing world-view used to explain the reality of all things.  I admit I have a lot of trouble when evolution moves past a biological discussion to explain the realities of art for example.  I have been thinking about this again after reading an interesting line in the book Nation Maker, Sir John A. MacDonald: His Life, Our Times by Richard Gwyn.  In this award winning biography of Canada's first Prime Minister, Gwyn makes the following statement describing the culture and climate of Canada in the Victorian era:

This creed, now known as social Darwinism, gave credibility to racism, and in Canada it fed the notion that Aboriginals were savages.  

(pg 32)

I could say a lot more about racism, Canada's storied history with regards to First Nations (including the church with residential schools etc).  For now I will just say that I found this commentary by Gwyn, albeit one line,  to be striking, and very thought provoking.  I would love to hear what you think!

Update Tuesday

For this week's update I thought I would post an interesting article regarding a new study on young people and the church in Canada.  There are some interesting statistics, thoughts and insights.  You can read it in Faith Today from the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada:

Hemorrhaging Faith

I was most intrigued by the suggestion that parents out way the church in terms of determining if young adults stay in the church or not.  Perhaps a focus in our children's ministries might be equipping parents to educate and disciple their children as much as running great programs for kids.    
I would also ask for continued prayer for the situation with our son Daniel as we seek the best way forward.  He is still in hospital as of today.
Lastly, this Saturday we will be leading a seminar on getting to know Hamilton for new international students at Mohawk College.  

Friday Art - TIFF

These past two weeks have seen the city of Toronto all a buzz as its hosts its annual Toronto International Film Festival.  I am proud to say that my brother Brandon McGibbon has had two films in the film festival this year.  He has had a role in both "Foxfire," as well as "Picture Day" in which his band the Elastocitizens are featured and contribute the soundtrack.  "Picture Day" in particular has been receiving quite a bit of buzz.
In conjunction with the film festival, my brother will also be performing at the Legendary Horseshoe Tavern in Toronto on Saturday, September 15th (tomorrow night) for a CD release party with the Elastocitizens.  Brandon will also be performing his own material with a trio as the opening act that evening, which promises to be an amazing set.
If you are in Toronto and want a guaranteed great show then head down to Queen Street to the Horseshoe tomorrow!

Religious Liberty in Ontario

I recently read an article in the Huffington Post entitled How To Know If Your Religious Liberty Is Being Threatened In Just 10 Quick Questions.  It was clever and interesting, and I found myself with a smirk on my face saying, "OK, I get your point (as well as your not so subtle and less clever insertions of some obvious bias and agenda)."  Touche on your jovial jab.  But as the week went on, I found myself thinking about this more seriously with respect to the province of Ontario in which I live.  In particular,  I have been thinking about three stories in the news over that past few months.

Firstly, there is the story of the Ontario Government's introduction of anti-bullying legislation.  A few interesting facts - the legislation, among other things, is worded so that students are no longer protected from bullying because of their faith but are protected against bullying by faith groups.  There is also the suggestion that all groups who would use the public facilities of a school must adhere to all the ideas within the legislation, including all GLBT portions of the bill. 

Secondly, is a story from right here in Hamilton, in which a man is having to go to court in order to have the school provide him information and advanced notice about subjects in the curriculum that might be contrary to his faith system so he might make a decision about what he thinks best for his children.  You can read the story here:  CBC.  I am most interested in the fact that he did not ask for changes for everyone, but rather just information so that he might make a decision for his children.  In a province where many school boards are offering Muslim Prayer rooms for students in public school facilities, this request just does not seem like an unreasonable accommodation.

Lastly, is a story that I mentioned in Tuesday's update regarding the Toronto District School Board declaring that faith groups will no longer receive the charity rental rate, and that rates would be astronomically increased.  This story has made it to the mains stream media:  National Post.  

So what to make of all these stories?  I will leave that up to you to make a decision and pronouncement.  Thinking back to the quiz, however, makes we wonder if maybe there might be something here to worry about.  My response, however, is to continue to do what we have been doing.  Sharing Jesus, loving, teaching and planting churches in my community.  

Update Tuesday

A few leaves have slowly begun to show traces of red and orange, there is a nip in the air, the sky is a vibrant cerulean blue, the sound of children's voices at recess fill the air and the sidewalks are all a bustle with students each morning and afternoon; Fall is in the air!

As Fall continues its approach and schools are gearing up to full routine we are preparing for a few opportunities on the campuses of the post secondary institutions.  On September 22nd we will be leading a session about getting to know the city at Mohawk College's orientation for international students.  This is a great opportunity to both build relationships and serve this unique community within our city.  We have also welcomed a friend from Milton into our home to live with us for the first semester as she attends McMaster University.  We are praying for the opportunity to walk with her and to love and serve those that God may bring into our path through her.

I am also including a link here to an interesting story about the Toronto District School Board who has made some changes to rental policies that directly affect (perhaps even target) churches.  Although this does not affect us directly here, it affects our brothers ans sisters in Toronto proper, has implications for future church planting as well as provides an interesting insight into understanding the context of planting in Toronto.  The link is to Challies.com where there is a story posted relating to the issue:

Toronto School Board and churches


Lastly, and on a more personal note we would ask for your prayers as our oldest son Daniel (not Liam and not related to his tumor and surgery in 2008) is in the hospital again.  He spent some time in hospital about six months ago, and he was admitted once again on Sunday with related symptoms.  

Missional Monday - A word from John Wesley

Loved this lesson from the journal of John Wesley regarding trials.    You can read it at the link below:

John Wesley

Thanks to Release the APE for sharing it.

Friday Art- a new painting

Here is a painting I was able to work on while spending a day of the long weekend at my parents cottage.

Boat On The Shores Of Georgian Bay

Intergenerational Fellowships

One thing that we have been experimenting with in our Fellowship group is an intentional, intergenerational worship experience.  We invite our children to stay with us for our whole time together, often having them gather right in the middle of our group while we sing, pray, and study God's Word.   We do provide some simple tools to help them engage such as a themed colouring page or even a felt board that goes along with the passage from scripture we will be studying.  We also, however, encourage them to, as best they can, engage and be a part of what is going on.  Some of our youngest are some of the first to volunteer to read.  Our prayer time was started by a two year old a number of week's ago.  To be honest, it is not always perfect.  Sometimes it is a bit distracting and sometimes a young one is having an off day and we all know it.  What we do not have, however, is a sanitized expression of worship totally distinct and disjointed from real life experience.  We are trying to learn to bring the gospel to bear upon our lives within the messiness of life.
I am excited by the possibilities that exist when our children have been exposed to such a diverse environment in which they have been welcomed and invited to participate and contribute.  I am also excited by the possibilities that exist for the older and more mature members to learn from the children. 
With these thoughts in mind I was interested to come across the following article at The Gospel Coalition site about children in small groups.  There are some interesting thoughts and insights that I thought I would pass along.

Children and Small Groups

Update Tuesday

Today is the first day of school here in Hamilton and things are settling back into routine.  I spent this morning visiting the guys at the Beer Store (Monday was a holiday), and shortly after this post I will be sending out messages to our Fellowship members to schedule a new monthly prayer meeting, as well as our regular community outreaches.  We are looking forward with prayerful anticipation to all that God has in store for this year.  We also know, however, that our city has many challenges.  The beginning of this school year is no different.  Below is a link to an interesting article from the CBC regarding some of the economic realities in Canada and specifically how they present in the context of Hamilton:

Hamilton Poverty 

Although we know there are challenges, we cling to the hope that Jesus is the answer and we move forward with eyes open to the things that He calls us to as well as to celebrate the things He will do on our midst. 

Friday Art - A Canadiana Poem

Here is a poem I worked on a little while ago.  I thought that there might be a song in it, but nothing that I have liked has developed...yet.  It exists in its current form as just words, a poem, and it may or may not stay that way.

I wrote these words after reading Northern Light - The enduring mystery of Tom Thomson and the woman who loved him  by Roy MacGregor.  Tom Thomson is a Canadian painter whose early connection and influence on those who would become the famous Group of Seven, along with his mysterious death by drowning in Algonquin Park, have given him a legendary, if not mythical, status within the Canadian consciousness.   The book explores the mystery of his death with particular attention to Winnie Trainor, a rather strange sad "spinster," who was a love interest of Tomson at the time of his death.

The Lady Left Behind

Who  was the one who cleared the grave,
Of wildflowers mistakenly laid,
Or so she thought, there could not lay
No, not her one true love's remains.

The lady left behind,
The future there denied,
Two lives were lost the day,
The landscape forever changed.

Abandoned with child, some would say,
Or soon to be wed and then slip away,
A honeymoon on Bella Lake,
No one will know 'twas not her fate.

The lady left behind,
The future there denied,
Two lives were lost the day,
The landscape forever changed.

 Two stories cast, one fateful shore,
One mythic tale of Canadian lore,
As a nation comes into its own,
One never told, barely known

The lady left behind,
The future there denied,
Two lives were lost the day,
The landscape forever changed.
 

A Word To My Calvinist Friends - Trevin Wax

I found myself sharing a thought with someone a few weeks ago that went something like this:

The Fruit of The Spirit (love, kindness and gentleness in particular) is not an excuse for poor doctrine,
But neither is sound doctrine an excuse for no Fruit of the Spirit. 

It always concerns me when we preach at the world with no grace, love or kindness.  It also concerns me when, within the larger body of Christ, our in house theological discussions show no evidence of grace or the Fruit of the Spirit either.  It makes me wonder about the true inspiration behind our discussions and makes me wonder about its effect on our witness to the world.

Today, over at the Gospel Coalition blog, there is an interesting piece by Trevin Wax entitled
A Word To My Calvinist Friends
that touches on one aspect of this idea.  I thought it was a great read, a great reminder and a worthwhile investment of time. 

Update Tuesday

It has been a whirlwind, crazy busy summer for us with travel and conferences as well as hosting mission teams and leading our Fellowship to be involved here in the city. A lot of amazing work got done as well as a lot of things coming together in the background. With this in mind we are very much looking forward to what God is going to do this year!
This week marks the last week of summer vacation here in Ontario, with school starting up next Tuesday. In many ways this marks the beginning if the year as vacations come to an end, schedules and routines begin to set in and regular life with regular neighbours (as regular as life in the city can get) returns. Please continue to pray for The Hamilton Fellowships during this important and strategic time. In particular pray for opportunities within schools including Mohawk College and McMaster University both of which we have people involved with. Please also pray for a number of things going on in the background that could lead to possible new Fellowships in the future.
Lastly, if you have not had the opportunity to read last week's update then please do and join us in prayer that God might stir in the hearts of individuals that he has in mind to join our work in various ways.
Last Week's Update - How to Help

Missional Monday

How many non-Christians do you know?
How many do you personally engage with?
How many would you say you have a relationship with?

These might be helpful questions to think through as we think about living Missionally.

Friday Art-Pencil Lake 3 complete

Here is the finished version of my latest painting, the last is a series of works from Pencil Lake.

A Sobering Thought

Often when one is involved in church planting, or even any other form of ministry, there is a temptation to get caught up in numbers.  We are growing a plant or a ministry and thus numbers show whether we are having success or not...or do they?   It is here that I had a sobering thought recently.  What if truth actually means the exact opposite?  And not just in planting, what if revitalizing a church actually has the opposite effect, at least to begin with?

 If making disciples in a church plant or while revitalizing a church means introducing the real Jesus, understanding who He is, what He has done and leading people to what He asks of them, there will be little room for those who are looking for an easy ride and for comfort.  To get back to the heart of what Jesus expects may actually drive more people away from the church to begin with, the many sitting in pews, chairs (benches, floors or whatever variation our church plant might use) who have been content to just do that, sit and be comfortable.  But this was exactly Jesus' pattern was it not?  Preach and heal, gather a crowd but before too long give some of the tough stuff and weed out that crowd.  One clear example comes in chapter six when Jesus begins talking about eating His flesh and drinking His blood (John 6:51-60).  Eventually, we are told that "many of His disciples turned back and no longer accompanied Him."  (John 6:66)  Jesus seemed less concerned with numbers and church growth than with truly devoted disciples.

If we are really concerned with true discipleship, church planting or church revitalization it is probably best to leave aside some of our notions of numbers and church growth, at least at the beginning.  Big numbers don't mean big numbers of true disciples.  Although numbers can be important, and at some point we all would like to see them going up, for the sake of souls in the kingdom, we may need some other indicators of vitality, revitalization and health.  Church Growth and Revitalization don't always go hand in hand. 

Update Tuesday-How to Help

As God continues to develop and refine the vision that He has for us and the Hamilton Fellowships we recognize that we cannot do it on our own.  The Hamilton Fellowships has always been intentionally plural as we see our task as catalyzing a network of interdependent fellowships.  Lately we have begun to think in terms of a fellowship within walking distance of everyone in the city.  Hamilton, however, is geographically diverse, encompassing more than just the downtown core and thus the outlying regions are on our heart as well.  There are suburbs and even rural outlying regions.
I am also frequently asked by friends, neighbours, colleagues, churches and individuals across North America about how to be involved and how to help.  What follows is an attempt at more fully answering that question, a list of ways that one might consider becoming involved.  It differs in degree and commitment so please read through and prayerfully consider if God may have a place for you within the Hamilton Fellowships.

1)  Apprentice Church Planter

In order to be able to have an impact of the outlying regions, we will need individuals who are committed to overseeing new works in those areas.  Apprenticing with us allows one to both see, experience and learn what we are doing while at the same time exploring the particulars of a region of Hamilton in preparation for penetrating a new area.

2)  Move In

Consider moving into a part of the city with the intention of hosting and or leading a future Fellowship.  Plug into an existing Fellowship to experience and learn what we are doing in preparation for being a part of a new work.

3)  Join a Fellowship

Are you already in the city?  Consider joining an existing Fellowship and plug into the life of one of these spiritual communities. 

4)  Advocates

We will continue to be looking for partners to join us as we seek to provide for all the needs (spiritual, financial and physical) of continuing a movement of new works.  As the work here grows it becomes more difficult to both be on the ground serving as well as out raising partners.  There is a great need for individuals and churches to advocate amongst colleagues, friends, associations and conventions, sharing what they have seen God doing and inviting and encouraging others to consider being involved.

5)  Partners

We are in need of more great partners, individuals, groups and churches willing to be involved in helping us provide the spiritual, financial and physical needs of a growing number of Fellowships.   By developing partner relationships with a longer term commitment in mind (3, 5 or more years) we can begin to see the Hamilton Fellowships live out the vision of being a plurality that extends across our region and beyond.  

If you are interested, have questions or even see yourself as being involved in one of these ways then please send me an e-mail to jason@jasonmcgibbonproject.com  I would love to chat!!
  

Missional Monday-Actions Count

It was a little bit last minute, rather unplanned and spontaneous but one of the things from this past week I will most remember. We were hosting a mission team and serving in the community. Having some extra time I asked the team if we could walk down the street with some gardening tools and weed an overgrown lot around a vacant building. It has been vacant for some time, is unkept and, frankly, has become an eyesore. As we weeded we had numerous visits from neighbours and shop owners from the area who, while surprised, all expressed their thanks.

This one act of service provided numerous opportunities to share who we were and why we were there. We also had many requests from people asking to participate in any future things we do in the neighborhood. Our reputation, in an area with great distrust for the church, was very positively affected. And, of course, our neighbourhood now looks a little bit neater.

Friday Art

A work in progress...

The Kingdom Matrix

The Kingdom Matrix
(read about it or purchase it here)

It has certainly been a different experience these past few weeks as I have made my way through The Kingdom Matrix by Jeff Christopherson.  Reading through a book in which you know many of the individuals mentioned, remember many of the stories that are recounted and, in fact, lived through a number of them, provides a unique reading experience for sure.  It is a bit hard to distance an objective reading of the points being delivered from my nostalgic memories of being a part of much of it.  I have also had the advanced drafts, so to speak, as many of the ideas from this book were being developed, introduced and lived out in the churches that where a part of the Sanctuary movement.  Looking back, I remember the amazing things we have seen God do, I remember hard times when we didn't get it right or when God may have been pruning and refining, and in all I am overwhelmed by who God is, what He has done and all that I have learned these past eleven years.

I say this is simply to point out that anything I say about the book is not unbiased.  Having said that, however, there is some thinking in this book that could be very important for the church.  I have probably come to take for granted much of what I have learned over the years and the culture in which I have been blessed to be a part.  If, however, concepts such as "giving yourself away," "community transformation," "church planting," "reproduction," or "radical self sacrifice" are not a common part of your church context then this book may be a significant part of challenging you and your church for the sake of the Kingdom of God.  

A Question About Spiritual Gifts

Ask anyone who knows me and, depending on their definition of Spiritual Gift, you are likely to hear something about music and worship or preaching and teaching. If I were to take a spiritual gift inventory it would likely say the same. The thing is, if I had ever done an inventory before I was a Christian and before being indwelt by the Spirit that inventory would likely have come out the same. Even before becoming a Christian I could do music well, was a good performer, was comfortable before large groups was a decent public speaker and was a teacher. So what does that say about my Spiritual Gifting? I wonder how often we confuse Spiritual Gifting with natural ability. But should not our Spiritual Gifting be different? Could it be that we should see God working in us to do something we would not naturally expect to find success with? When the Apostles spoke in tongues, speaking in a language they had never learned or spoken previously, that must have seemed rather drastic and immediate-no doubt about it, a gift of the Spirit.

Only time will tell I suppose, but I wonder if what I am doing right now is evidence of Spiritual gifting, as it is really out if my comfort zone, my natural defaults and at times seems crazy. We are trying to start fellowships with a very real sense of community, reaching out primarily through relationships. Although I can stand in front of a large group and perform, I am very introverted and shy. And yet, I am passionate about what we are doing, and we think we are starting to see some amazing fruit.
Not only are we starting our fellowship, but God has been stirring in us a vision to catalyze a whole network throughout the city and the region. This is going to require a lot that is out of my comfort zone again-networking, finding leaders, developing leaders, developing partnership and developing systems. This is a lot to think about for a drummer. And again it will require a lot of relational energy, not my natural default.

But as I look at this, as I look at the developing vision I wonder if perhaps what I am seeing is a vision to be what is described in scripture as an "apostle." If this be the case, then perhaps I am not just crazy and insane as we move toward this vision. Although on paper I might say that I am not the man for the job, maybe the reality is that God is equipping me through His Spirit for a task that He has laid on my heart. It may use my natural gifting, but needs His Spiritual Gifting even more.

Update Tuesday

We are having a great time with our friends from Mt. Yonah Baptist Church in Cleveland, Georgia serving our community. We had some time last night to prayer walk a school here in Hamilton. As I was walking the perimeter of the school yard I came across a patch of thistle whose dried white seeds had begun to be scattered by the wind. I was reminded about a similar image of a dandelion that our National Ministry Leader, Gerry Taillon has shared, and I began to think about how this thistle represents the vision that God has been growing for our work here in Hamilton.

The main purpose of the thistle is not to grow one big, beautiful, healthy plant. Rather, the thistle best lives out its purpose when that beautiful flower dries and dies and the pocket of white seeds is dispersed. It lives out its purpose by dying to self, and giving itself away so as many small seeds as possible are dispersed, seeping out and covering the area around that first thistle. This is how I see my church, existing to die unto ourself and give ourself away to see many more small works begin to pop up across our city and multiply to seep across our region.
My vision is starting to become clearer and a thought is beginning to form of a fellowship within walking distance of everyone in the city.

This vision could only be a work of God, and such works only come to fruition when they are given by God through prayer and enacted through prayer. We have been praying a lot this week with our visiting friends. It is amazing to see that during these two days of mostly prayer how often our phone has been ringing. There have been friends trying to connect other friends who live in Hamilton to our group (one friend from as far away as Tennessee!) and students planning their return to the city wanting to plug in with us.

We keep praying and dreaming. We appreciate all those of you who faithfully pray for the ministry here in Hamilton.

Missional Monday-assuming

You've probably seen them before, a bracelet with coloured beads meant to be prompts to help us share the gospel story; black-sin, red-Jesus' blood, blue-baptism, yellow-streets of Gold representing heaven, and any number of other variations.
My youngest daughter recently made one of these bracelets and the first thing she wanted to do when she got home was share it with her friend on the street. Her friend does not know Jesus and my daughter has begun to share with her a little. My daughter did a great job sharing what she had learned using the bracelet, she wasn't however, expecting as many questions in response.
Her friend, having no exposure to biblical themes had questions as basic and fundamental as:

Who is God?
What is Sin?
What is Baptism?
Who is Jesus?
What is heaven and why are there streets of Gold?

As she struggled to understand these basic building blocks, many of the more abstract concepts such as separation from God remained...well, abstract.
I have been reminded again that as we seek to share with others around us, in an increasingly secular and multi-cultural context we cannot assume anything. Not only should we not assume any basic understanding of the biblical story, we must also be very conscious about the language that we use, recognizing that many of the themes, terms, concepts and words we take for granted really are foreign to the culture around us.
So we take a few steps back, begin at the beginning, recognize that sometimes it is a slower process but continue to faithfully share.

Friday Art

Tonight is another art crawl down at James Street North here in Hamilton.  I am heading there tonight and look forward to seeing all the sights!  If you are in the Hamilton area and plan on going here are some thoughts about things you might want to see:
CBC Hamilton - 5 things to see

Ed Stetzer at Send North America

Some of the main sessions from the Send North America conference are becoming available.  Here is one from Ed Stetzer that I appreciated:
Ed Stetzer

An Open Invitation

Dear friends, family and acquaintances. If you, or someone you know, are at all interested in learning about Jesus (no gimmicks, pushing or hard sells-just an honest exploration where lots of questions are welcome), and you live within (reasonable) driving distance of the GTA contact me and I will do my best to make this happen.

If you are not within driving distance still contact me and we will figure something out.

Update Tuesday - Up and Downs of Serving on the Fringes

Serving in the city, and serving some of the cities underprivileged comes with up and downs.  This week has seen a bit of both.  I started this week by returning from a number of weeks of travel and going through my mail.  There was one letter from a church in North Carolina that was particularly encouraging.  Although we have never met anyone in this church in person, they have been faithful prayer partners ever since hearing about our church a little over a year ago.  They joined our prayer initiative and adopted a street to pray for in our neighbourhood and have continued to follow what is happening here and continue to pray.  A few months ago I received an e-mail letting me know that they had a VBS planned and that they usually took up an offering during the week that usually ended up being about $150, and that they would like it to go towards our work here in Hamilton.  They also asked if there were any specifics that they could share about where the money might be used to help the attendees feel a bit more connected to the offering.  In my e-mail response I suggested that they talk about our work with the underprivileged,  I shared an estimate for what it costs to serve one meal and suggested they could talk about providing meals.  When I opened the letter this week there was a cheque for over $380!  It was encouraging to see a church who continues to pray for us, who has a heart for Hamilton although they have never even been here and who feel connected to our work with the less fortunate in our city.
This morning was also the first week after a number of weeks away that I was able to connect with they guys at the Beer Store again.  I must admit that although I has a great time away, and that a lot of significant things happened, this was one thing that I missed being able to do.  There is always a bit of confusion when there is a holiday Monday and the numbers where a bit lower than usual and some of the regular faces were not present.  I was sad to hear, however, that one friend in particular was not there for different reasons.  It seems that my friend is in the Barton Street Jail.  From what I gather, he was found drinking in public which was a breach of probation that landed him back in jail.  I suppose that this is not an altogether surprising set of events for a homeless alcoholic.  I have managed to track him down however and will be heading over to visit him this evening.  I am praying that this might be a bit of a wake up call and the impetus to seek some real change-to seek Christ.

Missional Monday - Evangelism in Context

I had an eye opening moment last week during a session I attended at the Send North America Conference.  The session was on planting in urban contexts, led by Ellis Prince who has planted The Gallery Church in Baltimore. 

Ellis was sharing about evangelism and how many of the "techniques" or "programs" used to share the gospel are designed to take someone to the bible, to share what the bible says regarding sin, Jesus, His death and resurrection, and salvation.   For example, "The bible says in Romans 3:23 that 'all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.'"  What do you do, Ellis asked, when those you are sharing with those who don't believe the bible?  At this point I found myself in complete agreement with his observations when it hit me...there may be people for whom this would be a real foreign concept, in whose context this would not be the norm, and for whom this might be a real paradigm shift. 

I have often shared with visiting mission teams that many Canadians are suspicious of the church, don't trust it and don't trust the bible.  What I realize I may have been doing is underestimating what a significant difference this might have been and what a radical shift in thinking that this might require.

As I work here in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada my default position is that those around me do not know, have rejected what they do know, or both, with regards to the church and the bible.  I assume that people do not believe that the Bible is the inspired word of God, that it is trustworthy, true, and that what we have today is a reliable account of what is found in early and authentic ancient sources.  In fact, there are many who believe it is a source of evil in the world today.  This means that apologetics and especially basic information about the authenticity of scripture are necessary tools in ones evangelism tool kit.

I also believe that this is another key reason why relationships and trust are so central to sharing our faith these days.  In contexts with so much doubt and skepticism a real sense of trust must be earned if anyone is going to give a second thought to what we may have to share.   

Friday Art

This was my Thursday. Photo by Kimberley McGibbon.

Greatfulness

As I sit in the lobby of the hotel on our last day here in Georgia, I am reflecting on some of our experiences here from the NAMB Send North America conference. I have so much to be grateful for.
This morning we had the privilege of meeting and sharing a little with the 2013 Annie Armstrong Week of Prayer Missionaries. It gave me pause to consider what a ride it has been for us in 2012, what an encouragement and a blessing. I am so thankful for the team at NAMB that works so hard to see that this happens, many of whom are now friends, and although separated by geography, we consider them to be special relationships.
I also had chances to connect with others at NAMB like Micah Millican and his Church Planter Relations team who have been such an encouragement to us, and we are excited about the possibility of helping them with the work here in Ontario.
I have to thank Kevin Ezell, the president of NAMB who has been doing so much, giving such great leadership, and who mentions and speaks to our Canadian context every chance he gets.
I spent the rest of the morning in a meeting with the Toronto team and with some significant partners. I came away so grateful for the team, so thankful for the partners (without whom I would not be in Hamilton doing what I am doing) and very excited for what God has in store for the future.
Lastly, I am extremely thankful for the friends, family and colleagues with whom I have had the privilege of serving over these past 11 years. We have had so many Kingdom principles and sacrificial Kingdom living modeled for us over the years that have informed who we are. I have taken for granted so much of what has been passed down, taught and modeled. From the first three families that started the first Sanctuary in Oakville, Jeff and Laura Christopherson, Garry and Anita Kolb and Jim and Joy Danielson, there has been a culture of sacrificial living and serving-"whatever it takes". I often tend to think of myself as the new guy, still learning and with little to share. Being featured in the week of prayer this year meant that people would come up and talk to us at meals or in the hallway. Older pastors serving in churches of 15-20 people would ask about reaching out to their communities. Others would ask about a new concept they heard like "giving themselves away" and what we thought that would look like. We have 11 years of great examples, and a culture of seeing this being lived out around us. I realized that I have insight to share because of what I have experienced being lived out around me. So to all those who have sacrificed around me, and even for me, as you have sought to do "whatever it takes" for the Kingdom of God, thank you. I am truly grateful.

Sorry if this one was a bit long Micah.

Update Tuesday-SNA Conference

This week marks the second leg of our epic adventure bringing us to Georgia where we are attending the North American Mission Board's first ever Send North America Conference. Although it is a bit strange to have complete strangers come up to you who recognize you from the videos it has been really fun to be here. There is a growing heart for missions and for church planting and it is amazing to see and feel that growing tide.
Last night was a worship time at which both Ed Stetzer and Louie Giglio shared. I will leave you with a thought provoking quote from each:

"We are the rebellion against the rebellion." - Ed Stetzer

"Has the resurrection worn off on me?" - Louie Giglio

Missional Monday-missions assumed

If you have ever studied or been involved in Missions then you have probably come across Romans 10:14-25 at least once.

"But how can they call on Him they have not believed in? And how can they believe without hearing about Him? And how can they hear without a preacher? And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: How beautiful are the feet of those who announce the gospel of good things! "(Romans 10:14, 15 HCSB)

Two things struck me as I read this verse again recently.
Firstly, and obviously, is the fact that Paul ties salvation to hearing and responding to the Gospel. Although obvious, it is important to be reminded that this is how salvation happens.
Secondly, however, and the point that struck me most, was the fact that this is not an appeal to send missionaries. If one considers the context, Paul is not making an appeal to send more people. These verses actually come in an longer argument that Paul is making
about the nation of Israel. These verses are actually followed by some Old Testament quotes meant to show that people had been sent to Israel and the message had been heard. All that is to say that Paul is not here making an appeal. This fact, however should not take away from our burden and commitment to send but might actually be even more of a challenge to the church.
We do not have an appeal here to send more to share the Gospel but rather the assumption that this vital work of God is happening. I find myself even more challenged by the reality that it is just an assumed fact that the community of God followers is actively sending people to go and share.
When I look at my own church is Missions something that is unique and special, something that we do sometimes or something that is out of the ordinary? Or is Missions just an assumed part of who we are and what we do?

Friday Art - The work of Jeff Boulton

Here is a link to the work of a good friend of mine.  Jeff is an amazing graphic designer and I have had the privilege of having him work on tow of my album covers (Uncle Jason's Rocking Chair and Missiology) as well as numerous posters and advertisements for my Band Before the Flood.  He is also decent drummer and plays with some cool acts here in the Toronto area! 
Jeff's Work

You can also check out my web site (which his very talented wife helped do imaging for!) where you can see some of the album covers and even here him play some drums. 

jasonmcgibbonproject.com

Where Canadians Live

Canada has a little over 33 million people spread across its vast territory. Almost 13 million of those residents live on Ontario and almost 9 million of those live in the Golden Horseshoe (the stretch of province bordering Lake Ontario running roughly from Oshawa just East of Toronto to Niagara Fall to the West). That is approximately 26% of the Canadian population. As I have been sharing with others about Canada and about church planting, I have been sharing these facts. As I share them I am reminded how populace and influential this area is, and why it is here that we have been called to serve.

Update Tuesday...a note from West Virginia

I am writing today from the foothills of West Virginia where we are attending a Missions Camp. As a part of our work with the North American Mission Board we have the privilege of periodically traveling to churches or events and sharing about mission work, sharing about church planting and sharing about Canada, Ontario and Hamilton. This week we have the unique opportunity to share at a camp held by the West Virginia Baptist Convention that is based on inspiring and equipping their children and youth for missions. What has made this a real blessing is that being a camp for youth they welcomed our children to attend. Currently my oldest is out hosting a basketball camp in a local community, my daughter is helping to host a block party, our other son is at that block party practicing some of the illusion tricks that he has been working on, and our youngest is swimming after a morning of preparing stuffed animals with care notes to be sent to ailing seniors and children.
Our week began with an opportunity to share at Fairlawn Baptist Church who were kind enough to open their pulpit and music time and allow us to share about our Ministry. It seems quite providential as the pastor shared that their church had been considering partnering with Canada as a Mission opportunity. They had already begun discussions with some of my colleagues in Ontario. Neither of us realized this fact before the folks organizing the camp connected us for Sunday morning. It has been great to share about the work NAMB is doing in Canada and in our region specifically.
We are looking forward to what God has for the rest of the week.

Missional Monday-One Further Thought...

Last week I shared a thought about music and diversity that arose from a recent Huffington Post article about Evangelicals and art. In that article it was suggested that Evangelicals today tend to create subcultures and within those subcultures, tend to produce very sanitized, safe and unrealistic views of the world. If this be the case (and I think it is) I think the biggest and most problematic concern that arises for the church is our Mission.
Simply put Mission is messy. It means engaging with a broken and hurting world in order impact that world with the Gospel. If the church is unable to watch a portrayal of such brokeness as seen in movie The Blindside (which was specifically mentioned in the Huffington Post article) which did not glorify or promote such behavior but rather tried to give an honest portrayal of the circumstances, how will we ever engage the world? If our hope is to introduce the Gospel to those who have not heard, to those who are in need of a Saviour, then we will experience the harsh realities of the world first hand. We can also expect to engage with people who don't know Jesus and actually act like they don't. If someone does not know Jesus, does not know what He has taught and do not trust Him, how or why would we expect that their life should look like they do? Simply put, we can't. Mission is messy. You will see and hear things you might not want to see. You children might hear things you wished they would never have to experience. The choice then is this, do we live in a self made bubble protecting our kids and ourselves from the world but living in disobedience to the call of God for His church or do we trust God enough to get messy, to engage, and to live out His heart?

Friday Art- a new painting

Here is another painting from my time at Pencil Lake.

Evangelicals and Art

My friend Tony Hudson posted a link to this article from the Huffington Post on his Facebook account a number of days ago.  After having read it, I can only say that I don't disagree.  You can read the article for yourself at the link below:

Huffington Post

Coming from a family of musicians and artist, it has often troubled me that much of what is considered "good" within the Evangelical world is just not that "good" when one looks with artistically discerning eyes.  

Although the article focuses mainly on the relationship between mainstream Evangelical Christianity and art, I think that the same observations that inform this article with regards to art also have implications for other major areas of concern for the church.  Firstly, and related to art in a sense, is our sense of diversity within Evangelicalism.  Secondly, I think there are major implications for missions, a thought that I will address further on Monday in my usual Missional Monday spot.
 Following on from the observation that Evangelicalism tends to create "its own subcultures that often (though not always) prize the neat, tidy and redemptive over the realities of life," I would add that it also packages and markets this subculture in ways that are very worldly.  And some of the same things that are problematic about such marketing are even more troubling for the church.  We tend to find a very highly refined (neat and tidy), highly produced, homogonized product that is marketed and sold to the subculture.  Why is it that when I travel to Chile, or when I visit Quebec I am singing the same Chris Tomlin songs (albeit in translation) or hearing the same Casting Crowns tunes?  Surely, the Latino and Quebecois cultures have proven that they are quite capable of producing meaningful and important contributions to music or art.  Does this reflect the diversity that is represented in Revelation 5?

You are worthy to take the scroll
and to open its seals,
because You were slaughtered,
and You redeemed people
for God by Your blood
from every tribe and language
and people and nation.
¹⁰ You made them a kingdom
and priests to our God,
and they will reign on the earth.

 Until we come to a place where we recognize the importance of such diversity, I think that we will struggle to be as diverse as we can be, or at the very least, continue to see a segregation within the larger church.  I believe this to be one of the great challenges created by an overly homogonized and commercialized industry created to try to serve the needs of the Evangelical community.  

Are we continuing to marginalize art and artists while at the same time marginalizing the diverse groups that are meant to make up the church? 

On Monday I will look further at some thoughts about our missional mandate.

Update Tuesday - Interdependence

It is only Tuesday and it has already been a very jam packed week.  On Sunday, we had the opportunity to head back to Oakville, our home town and where our church planting journey really started.  We were invited to join The Sanctuary in Oakville and to help lead worship.  We had a great time playing, singing and worshiping.  We also had a great time connecting with folks that we have not seen in awhile as well as meeting a few new faces.
From Oakville we made our way up to Milton for a wedding rehearsal for a good friend of ours from our days in The Sanctuary Milton.  Once again, it was a great chance to connect with friends as we hung out at the rehearsal dinner together.  Monday was the big event, and it was a very special celebration indeed.  Again, it was made all the more special as we celebrated with friends and family from our time in Milton.
I have been reflecting today on how grateful I am for these two churches, these two families that have been so instrumental and so special to my family.  I am not just thankful for the roles that they have played, but for the roles they continue to play.  Although it is different when we are not together each day or even each week, there continues to be a significant relationship that these two churches, and most importantly the people that make up these churches, have with our family and with The Hamilton Fellowships.  In many ways they continue to be a source of support and encouragement to our Fellowship in Hamilton.
As we begin this work here in Hamilton, and as we seek to grow and expand I am thankful that we do not do it alone.  Although we start something new, with a unique vision and a unique approach, we are not independent.  We are interdependent, continuing fraternal relationships with these groups, sharing in the history of God's faithfulness and an ongoing communion of love and support.
As we see our vision come to life, and see a network of fellowships grow, I am prayerful that this sense of interdependence would continue and grow and be a central part of who we are as The Hamilton Fellowships.

Missional Monday - Praying

This week's thought comes from a missed opportunity that I experienced last week. 
There was an individual that I had the opportunity to meet while on vacation.  A few days after meeting him, he stopped by  to see my father in law.  This time, however, he was sporting a huge bandage on the two middle fingers of one hand.  He got the bandage after an afternoon at the Emergency Room.  As it turns out, he had got his fingers caught on the back hatch of a dump truck and done rather serious damage to his fingers.   Although the thought crossed my mind, I neglected to offer to pray.  I have prayed for him in private, but I did miss the opportunity to allow my prayer to be a part of my outreach and mission. 

Prayer is, of course, good in and of itself.  I think, however, that it can also be a very important, strategic and effective part of mission.  What better way to steer a conversation or newly formed relationship into a spiritual direction.  As I wrote last week, we can aim to learn the names and build relationships with those that God puts in our path.  As small talk progresses, and as relationships are formed, offering to pray for someone as you hear about needs in their life can be a really significant thing.  It is a non threatening, non pushy way to turn the conversation to spiritual things in the context of serving and loving.  At worst someone can say no, a bit awkward perhaps but nothing more.  On the other hand they can feel loved, cared for and noticed.  Who knows what else God can do with it.

I think that this also seems to fit into what Jesus commissions his disciples to do as He sends them out to both preach the kingdom and, with the authority He grants, to do works such a healing and casting out demons etc.    
     

Friday Art-A painting from Pencil Lake

Here is a painting from my time away at Pencil lake.

An atheist's defense of religion

Since I am on vacation I will keep it short and just let you have a look at the following article. Some interesting thoughts:

The Globe and Mail

Update Tuesday

Below is the view I am admiring as I post today. We took a few days vacation on our way back from the CNBC convention in Montreal. We are resting up for what promises to be a few crazy weeks.
We will be leading worship in Oakville this upcoming Sunday, followed by a wedding on Monday.
I then have a NAMB speaking engagement at a missions camp in West Virginia the following week. I am looking forward to being able to bring the whole family to this one, and having the kids participate in the camp. What a blessing!
I will end the month by heading to Atlanta to participate in the Send North America Conference hosted by NAMB.
I can't forget to mention the opportunities for meeting with my own Fellowship in the Hammer in between the travel dates. These are some of my favorite times.
Lot's on the go so today I am recharging the batteries!!

Missional Monday-By Name

The doorkeeper opens it for him, and the sheep hear his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. (John 10:3 HCSB)

Recognizing that Jesus knows us each by name as He calls us, it gave me pause to think about how many of my neighbours I can call by name. I actually know more of my neighbours after just a year in Hamilton than I did in 6 years in Milton. This has a lot to do with the different nature of the neighbourhoods. Milton was a commuting town and many people left early and returned late each day. My neighbours now spend a lot more time in the neighbourhood, on the street and hanging out on the front porch. To be honest, however, there are still many neighbours that I do not know. And more than just neighbours, there are many other people with whom I will interact on a regular basis as I go about my day whose names I might endeavor to learn. What it requires is being intentional.
I think that there are people in each of our lives that we will see or interact with on a regular basis. I truly believe that God can, and wants, to use us where He has us. Some of us may be sent to specific places for specific task at points in our lives, but God wants to use each of us at all points in our lives.
A good place to start is to look and see who God has put in our path. There may be many strangers who are simply one introduction and a few conversations away from being an acquaintance and even friend. When we have learned a name we are building a relationship. It is often through such relationships that we find the opportunities to serve and share and make a difference for the sake of the Kingdom.

Friday Art - a great recording

Here is a great recording I managed to get of my father in law, Bob Rankin, doing a classic Buddy Holly tune It Doesn't Matter Anymore (written by Paul Anka).  Having recently heard a recording by Serena Ryder, Bob said that it opened him to the possibility of hearing the tune done differently.  Here is what came out when he sat down to sing through it.  

I think that slowing it down and hearing it in such a stripped version helps to bring out the heartbreaking story that is actually communicated in the lyrics.

This Is The Co-operative Program

Last night was another great night with many moving moments as we heard about what God is doing across the nation. Particularly moving was when Jeff Christopherson shared one story of one church planter who impacted his father and the legacy of faith that was begun.
Another highlight was certainly the moment reserved for the Co-operative Program. The CP, at its heart is the recognition that we as churches can do more together than alone. We can and must participate together to have the greatest impact for the Kingdom.

Standing atop a small step ladder, Paul Johnson demonstrated the limits of mission when done alone. This is what followed, working together a team holding a ladder made it possible to reach the roof.
This is the Co-operative program.

CNBC Annual Convention

It was a great night last night as we gathered together just outside Montreal. It is always a great chance to see friends and colleagues from around the nation, many of whom we only see a few times a year.
Canada is large and diverse and that was certainly reflected last night. We had the opportunity to worship through music and message in English, French and Haitian Creole. It was fun for me to exercise my French ears as I tried to go without the translation device. For the most part I did alright, although I may have missed some of the jokes.
The one thing that I did not miss, however, was one of the statistics about Montreal. Growing up and ministering in the Greater Toronto Area I am used to hearing low statistics of evangelicals. In Toronto and Ontario the statistic is about 3%. In Montreal, however, it is much lower. Montreal is the world's second largest French speaking city (behind only Paris) and the percentage of evangelical Christians is 0.5%.
And so we gather, we listen and we pray. Our hearts desire is to hear from God this week. We know His heart, we know His commands to go and make disciples, we know the statistics, but we know God's power.

Update Tuesday

We are very blessed to be coming off another great week with a mission team who helped us to serve in our community.  This time it was a team from Harrison Hills Baptist Church in Indiana.  After twelve hours of "bonding" in a passenger van they were in Hamilton and ready to serve!
We spent the week together engaged in a number of projects which included serving at Mission Services (an organization here in the city serving the underpriviledged), preparing and serving meals to the homeless and prayer walking.  They also had a contractor on their team who lead a group consisting of mission team members and locals to build a shed in our backyard.  As our fellowship group and our fellowship network grows, and as our opportunities for serving the underpriviledged in our community also grows we have found that we were quickly running out of space in our home to house all the necessary supplies and donations.    We are so excited now that we have a lot more room and look forward to how we might use this space as our work continues to grow here in the city.  Below are some pictures from the week.

Outside of Mission Services

Setting up to serve the homeless

Measure twice cut once...the precision team of Tony and Dave

The team in front of our new shed!

We really have been blessed by two great teams this summer.  We have one more to go and look forward to all that we will be able to accomplish.

Today, we leave for the Canadian National Baptist Convention annual convention which takes place in Montreal this year.  I am sure there will be some great things to share in next week's update.