Update Tuesday

As you may have noticed, I have changed the blog a bit. I am experimenting with new formats as we consider our new developing role for Hamilton and how best to communicate what is going on in our lives as well as with the new work in Hamilton. In order to stream line the process a bit, because I am terrible at multi-tasking and primarily because as we think about our lives and the new work they are so intertwined and I truly feel that our call and or lives are one in the same and not compartmentalized, I am going to use this blog to share about it all. With that in mind, I am going to aim to dedicate Tuesdays (give or take) to share something about the new work in Hamilton. Please check back each week for updates, stories, prayer requests and for thoughts and insights into the new work.
I am also aiming to do a bit more blogging on other things that come up throughout the week so make sure to check back more frequently, or scroll through a few posts when you visit weekly.
So...about Hamilton. I have been doing a lot of thinking and writing those thoughts down and so have a lot to share over the next few weeks. I thought, however, that the best place to start is with prayer. There is a passage that I have been looking at a lot over the last little while and have been using to guide my daily prayer about our new work. The passage is Luke 10:1-12 and it is where Jesus sends out the seventy-two. It has been a reminder to me of the expanding nature of Jesus' call to join him in His work. He originally sent out the twelve, but here the work has expanded, and in verse two He commands the seventy-two to pray for even more workers. It is a reminder to me that His call to go out is expanding and includes me. I am also struck by the statement that there is in fact a harvest ready to be harvested. As we pioneer a new work, a lot of our job may be preparing soil, pulling up weeds or planting seeds etc. but I don't want to forget that I believe God is saying that He has been at work and that there is a harvest as well. As I continue to read the verse there are three other things that have stood out to me the most and that I have been using to guide my prayer.

Firstly, there is the call to be praying for workers to go out into the harvest. I believe that we are among those workers going out, but I also believe that even now I can be praying for those that we come into contact with and eventually disciple. If our work is to grow, be sustainable and then multiply it will require others to sense that call to join us in the work. My heart's desire is that it would be people whom we introduce to Christ and walk with in discipleship that then see responding to this call as a part of their response to Jesus through discipleship.

Secondly, I am taken by the fact that in both verse 4 and 7 Jesus refers to provision for the needs of His workers. In this case He tells them not to take provisions (v4), and to accept provision from those with whom they work (v7). Certainly, their context and that specific journey was different then ours. I am also aware that in Luke 22:36 Jesus tells them that this time they are to take provisions. It does come, however, after a reminder about the time before when He sent them without. He asks them to recall that time and asks if they ever went without. I believe that He is asking them to remember what he did for them, and that ultimately we are called to trust in the Lord for out provision. What I take from this is that I too must trust in the Lord for our provision, and that even though the circumstances are not exactly the same, I trust that He has a plan and that just as he did for the seventy-two, He will communicate that to us. We are praying for faith to trust in His provision and for sensitivity to discern the plans that He communicates to us about how they are to unfold.
Lastly, we have begun to pray for people of peace (v6). We are praying that God would lead us to those in whom He is at work and with whom He is calling us to begin our ministry. We are praying even now, so that when we finally arrive in our new neighbourhood we might meet those with whom we can build a relationship and begin to disciple and eventually work with as we reach out to others.

So, this has been a bit of a long one, but I believe important. We would invite you to join us in this prayer even now, with joyful expectation for all God will do in our new work. For those who have been skimming (like I often do) however, here is a brief, to the point summary:

Please pray:

1) For workers to be sent into the harvest.
2) For financial provision and discernment for God's plans.
3) For people of peace.

If you have any thoughts and comments I would encourage you to leave a comment.
Thanks for all your support.

Best Response So Far

Well, since the big announcement we have been getting lots of e-mails and facebook messages of encouragement. We really appreciate all the kind words and support. There was one that I thought was worthy of sharing and so I have copied it below. It comes from Cam Fraser with whom we have had the privilege of working at Ryerson Camp each summer. It might be helpful to mention that Hamilton often goes by the nickname "The Hammer."

"Cool news. I hope that the Mc at the beginning of your last name might lead to some level of M.C. Hammer allusions as you make this transition!

2 Legit 2 Quit!"

Big Changes

Hey Everyone,
As I alluded to last week, although the blogging has been rather quiet for me, there has been a lot going on in the back ground. I thought the best way to share would be to give a link to a letter that I wrote as an update to some of our church's prayer partners. Some of you may have already read it, but for those of you who haven't read it yet, I would love to share with you as well. Please visit the link below and see the PDF:
Big Changes Link

Nothing to Say

Ok, so many people have made subtle and not so subtle comments about how long it has been since my last post. The honest truth is that I have just not had much to say. I have been thinking about it and I have not wanted to write something just for the sake of writing. It has also been really crazy this fall and being insanely busy has not left a lot of time to think and reflect in order to write something the least bit meaningful. There have been some big things going on in life, however, and so there might be something to share soon, so check back again next week.

Listening and Let it Be

I recently has a unique listening experience with my son Liam. We were working on a music project together and trying to pick out a song to use as a demo. We were considering using Let it Be by the Beatles and so we were listening together. As is usual, I was a bit carried away and so was working right up to the time we were supposed to be leaving for dinner at a friends. Just as we were about to head out the door Liam says "you know what my favourite part of the song is, the part where the guy says 'stop talking'." I told him that there was no such part and asked him what he was talking about. He told us that he could definitely hear someone say something. We looked at him like he was crazy, but to give him the benefit of the doubt ( while still thinking he was crazy) I told him to quickly go and grab his iPod. We hooked it up in the car and while we were driving to our friends for dinner we were blaring Let it Be. The first verse and chorus went by and I was still arguing that there was nothing and that he was hearing things...and then the second verse came. Sure enough, in the second verse, under the lyric "parted" there is a voice picked up by one of the mics which says something. I can't hear it clearly enough to say what the voice actually says although the phrasing could certainly fit "stop talking".
It got me thinking about listening. I was amazed at what Liam was able to detect (and a bit freaked out about how loud he must have been listening to his music!) in a song I have heard many times before but never noticed. As a musician there are so many ways in which listening, hearing differently from others, and paying closer attention to sounds is important. What I have been thinking about, however, is listening in general, the kind of listening that we can all aim to do when it comes to listening to each other.
When it comes to relationships and personal interactions I think there is a lot more listening that we can be aiming to do. I know that if I were to listen as much as I am tempted to talk I could probably learn a lot more, understand much more clearly and better respond to people. There is a passage in James that teaches that "everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry (James 1:19) There is much wisdom in this statement. How many misunderstandings could be avoided, how many conflicts averted if we were to listen more closely? When it comes to listening to others we can listen to the words they speak as well as how they speak them, so that we might begin to hear their heart. What might it be like if we were to take our listening to a whole new level? What might our churches be like, our communities and our families if we aimed to really listen to one another?
I still have not been able to find out about what was said in that second verse of Let it Be so if you happen to know, or come across something let me know.

Where Was I Last Week?

Last week was the first week (the first I can remember anyway) that I missed posting a blog in almost 3 years. I do, however, have a good excuse! Last week I was attending the CNBC convention, which is our denomination's annual convention. I had the privilege of helping to organize a Taste the World event where we helped delegates from around the country get a unique experience of the ethnic diversity of the GTA. Some of our local churches prepared food representing the diversity within their congregations and served the almost 300 people who came to celebrate. Our Milton worship team also had the honour of leading worship for the opening night session and I even got to lead an e-quip session on bringing small group principles to a worship team experience. Even better than those opportunities to contribute, however, was all that I got to come away with from attending all the worship opportunities, the session and the great speakers each night. It is always great to meet with people from around the country and to hear all that God is doing even within a small denomination like ours is in Canada. As well as all the opportunities for inspiration and celebration there are also great opportunities to be challenged. I think that these periodic challenges are good and are needed by each of us as we seek to live out God's call in our life.
On one evening our speaker spoke from Matthew 28:18-20,

Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.

Our speaker challenged us with a realization that he had come to in his life and ministry. He was sharing about the process which led him to the conclusion that he needed not to be making disciples, but "disciple makers," those who are willing to take what they learn as disciples, to share Jesus with others and then walk with them as they learn to be disciples. I was encouraged and challenged by what our speaker was asking of us. Secondly, I found myself asking how is it that the church has gotten to a place where we need to bring in a new term such as "disciple maker" when in reality that is part of what it means to be a disciple in the first place. A disciple is someone who follows the life and teaching of Jesus. If Jesus said to go and make disciples and we are not, then we are not really being disciples! Even in the passage above there is the idea of "teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you" which would include this task of going and making disciples. And so I have been challenged.
On our last night together, we took time to specifically look a missions. We were again challenged to consider what God may be asking to do in and through us. If we consider that famous verse in Acts 1:8, in which Jesus tells his disciples that they will be witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and to the ends of the earth then we recognize that being on mission can begin next door or lead us around the world. So my challenge to you is this:
Where and how is God calling you to be a disciple maker, to be someone on mission with Him and how will you respond? When we look at this God that we serve and all He is doing we should be inspired. When we consider the need around the world for workers to be sent to the harvest field so that people have the opportunity to hear and respond to Jesus we should be challenged. The job is great enough for all of us to be involved, there are no excuses, and there are no sidelines in this task. We don't need cheerleaders or play by play commentators but everyone to get involved. So how might God be moving in your heart? An oversees missionary or on mission to your neighbour or co-worker? A small group leader or a church planter?
Even though I am in "ministry" let me assure you that my wife and I are asking these questions of ourselves. I expect that there is still room for us to be challenged.
So how about you?

O Canada!

"God keep our land..." Amen to that.
Happy Canada Day (belated I know, I was out celebrating).