Update Tuesday - Make A Difference

Sometimes it is about the big splash, an opportunity or event when a lot seems to be accomplished in one concentrated push.  It is easy to point to, easy to see and easy to talk about.  It makes an obvious difference.  

More often then not, however, making a difference is more about an ongoing collection of little things that, over time, add up to be an incremental but sustained push to make a difference.  It is harder to see, harder to point to, and thus often these smaller things are notas heralded and celebrated.  I like to celebrate some of the smaller things and so here are two brief stories.  

A few weeks ago, during one of our monthly street outreaches we got to visit with Jerry.  He is slow, both intelectually as well as physically-he walks at a snails pace.  The last we had seen him he was using a walker but that day he was walking to us very slowly, very unsteadily and with no walker.  When we asked him about it he told us that his walker had been stolen.  This was particularly upsetting to one of our people who had met with and talked with Jerry in the past.  The next week this member of our group was at our sending church in Milton sharing the story when a congregation member stopped him to say she had an extra walker.  We took the walker, and we brought it out to the street with us on the chance that we might see Jerry again.  It was aprovidential  encounter when we saw Jerry shuffling up to us.  We were able to bless him with the walker and to see the smile on his face.

This past Saturday was also a really encouraging time for me.  I have mentioned Roy, a chinese student who had been connected with our Wednesday fellowship since the fall.  He has become a real Person of Peace for us and a gateway.  I asked him if he would like to get together to learn more about Jesus and to practice English at the same time and he said yes.  When he came on Saturday, he brought two friends all eager to read, learn and talk about Jesus.  They have little to no experience with the gospel or any bible stories at all so it is amazing fun to share about things they are hearing for the first time.  To think that this relationship all started with one simple text.  A student in Calgary, who works with a colleague of mine, met Roy in China over the summer.  She found out I work in Hamilton and that Roy would be studying here.  She sent me a text to see if I would contact him.  One simple text and God's providence can lead to great things!!!

So, what small thing can you do today to make a difference?!

Update Tuesday-A Blessing Received

Yesterday I got a phone call.  It was unexpected, out of the blue and certainly a surprise.  When I answered the phone it was our friend Paul from our Beer Store Church.  Paul is one of the recyclers we serve each Monday morning.  After being hit by a car a few years ago, he has injuries, including a brain injury, that prevent him from working full time.  Some insurance money helps him to maintain the appartment he was living with his mother in before her passing.  He collects bottles for hours at a time, multiple days a week, walking the streets into the overnight hours to have money enough for groceries.  Yesterday, Paul called to say that he was thinking about the fact that we said our kids where all home sick.  He was so thankful for all that we do for the guys on Monday that he wanted to do something for us.  He was calling to ask if he could make us a meal.  It was a special call, and certainly a blessing received.  I am touched that he would think to serve us in this way, and to use his limited resources to reach out to us.  

Update Tuesday - Of Healings and Goodbyes

It was a quiet summer evening, or perhaps early fall, when a number of people from our Sanctuary Milton family gathered together for prayer.  The evening was dedicated to prayer for our middle son who had been diagnosed with a brain tumor and whose surgery date was quickly approaching.  Under the leadership of our friend and pastor Jim Danielson, we gathered, Jim anointed our son's head with oil, we laid on hands and prayed.  What followed was a whirlwind year, but one in which we saw the global church surround us in prayer and one in which our son was restored to full health with incredible results. 

Fast forward five years and we are now in Hamilton, a move whose roots we trace back to that time in Milton, and to our son's illness and sickness.  This past fall we had another shock of bad news when my father Gerry, and member of our Wednesday Fellowship@Locke was diagnosed with esophageal cancer.  Thinking back to that time in Milton, and my friend Jim's leadership to gather together, anoint with oil and pray, I gathered our Fellowship.  We gathered, we anointed with oil and we prayed.  This past Wednesday we had the opportunity to hear an update from Gerry who had just finished a very aggressive five week's of chemotherapy, and was about to finish up the coinciding radiation.  He was able to share about his appointment with his oncologist who remarked at his ongoing health and asked out loud, "How do you still have your hair?"  Gerry never lost any hair, has not really been very nauseous or ill and has had very little ill effects from the treatment.  His treatment team is absolutely amazed at how he has come through this aggressive treatment with so few affects to his overall health.  Lord knows that we, and our extended family of faith have experienced times between these two amazing events in which healing has not occurred and we have been heartbroken.  But here, with another case of good news, we pause to celebrate.  What a witness it has been, and what an amazing thing for some of our younger Fellowship members to be able to see.  We continue to pray for Gerry as he prepares for the next stage of his treatment and details for surgery are put in order.

With the celebration last week, also came a bit of sadness as we prayed for and said goodbye to our friend Hitomi.  Hitomi is a young lady from Japan who has been attending our Fellowship.  She has an amazing heart for the underprivileged in our city, often volunteering multiple evenings a week to go out into the cold and serve with street mission programs.  Hitomi is heading back to Japan because of VISA requirements but hopes to be back in a year.  She had fallen in love with Canada and its people and is a great example of a servant.

As we prayed for Hitomi asking that she would take all that she has learned here home with her,  it has given us pause to reflect on the possible impacts of our ministry here in Hamilton.  As we teach, disciple and equip people from around the world, there is a very real possibility that they will be returning home either temporarily or permanently and the implications for world missions is quite amazing.  So we head into the coming week's and months with great humility but also renewed passion and energy for what God may grow out of these small beginnings.  We thanks you for your continued spiritual, physical and financial support.     

Update Tuesday-catching up

It was New Years Eve morning when I was at a brunch hosted by our Fellowship@Fifty crew (our Thurs. night Stoney Creek Fellowship).  I am not exactly sure how the conversation started but the gentleman next to me was sharing about what he did for Christmas. It was a fascinating story for me to hear.  

On Christmas Eve, this gentleman came to visit the open house and evening service hosted by our Wed. Fellowship@Locke.  As he shared he began, albeit somewhat timidly in my presence, with a confession.  I began that service by sharing with the group that we would be reading the Christmas story from the Gospel of Luke, interspersed with relevant hymns and Carols.   His first response, he admited, was "thats it?!"  Having grown up in the church  he had heard this story so many times.  Where was the eloquent and deeply theological sermon?  How would he get anything out if it?  "Really, I came all the way just to hear you read the story?" he thought.  But then, something amazing happened.  As the story was being read, our friend began to look around the room.  What he saw astounded him.  He saw a room full of people who where captivated by what they were hearing, mezmerized by a story that we so often take for granted.  For many in the room that night, it was their first time ever hearing the Christmas story.  Growing up in places around the world, in other cultures, some Budhist, others atheist, they had never heard the story of the birth of Jesus.  We were priviledged to share it with them. 

As my friend recounted this story it reminded me of some lessons I have been learning lately.  These days what we do is often fairly simple.  With many people from different cultures who are just learning English, there are barriers to communication.  With so many who are just hearing of Jesus for the first time, we spend a lot of time just introducing Him and touching on the basics.  I am learning that it is not about me.  As much as I enjoy preaching, preparing and delivering a thorough and well prepared sermon, I do not do it all that often in my own church.  We must currently keep the language and content a bit simpler.  That is what is needed these days.  Secondly, I have been reminded that there is power in scripture and, in particular, the stories of Jesus.  Although simple, we have seen that when scripture is read, or stories of Jesus are told they have the power to capture hearts and minds.  

One if my prayers is that the observation  shared by that gentleman at the New Year's Eve brunch might be shared by more of us.  Can we see the opportunity and invitation to join God in His mission as we serve to help others grow in their knowledge of Jesus?  We can be challenged that it is not what we get but what we give-how we serve.  We can be encouraged that it can actually be quite simple.  

We would asked for your continued prayers as we seek to continue to introduce and teach about Jesus, and for wisdom as we seek to disciple new, young believers.  Please continue to pray that we might be able to make disciples that make disciples.