West Coast Vicar ::

This past week...

2010-05-18T16:15:00.003-07:00

... we got an update from a few of the members of the Collide cluster who are in Mexico sharing Jesus with people in need. Jordan, Adam and Daniel have been in Mexico City for three weeks now and we were so thrilled to hear they’re safe, healthy and having an amazing experience. The boys have partnered with the YWAM base in the city and have made themselves available to whatever the base needs them to do, wanting to serve in the best ways possible instead of creating their own agenda.

Jordan writes, “we have been working with IPHC, which is a health care school from YWAM, and it has been rad! We went to an area in the mountains and worked with World Vision for a day, giving shots and praying for the people there. We also went with a church group and took blood pressure and and syringed out ears and cleaned equipment, it was a riot!” This might seem like an extreme example of the principle that ‘in order to live our missionality in our individual lives, we also need to be living it out in community together’, but it’s a beautiful one. We’re so excited to see the ways God uses Jordan, Adam and Daniel in Mexico City and then how he will continue to use them in powerful ways when they're back in Langley. Be in prayer for them as they wrap up their time there and return home in a few weeks!

I've been thinking...

2010-05-18T16:15:00.001-07:00

... more about the comment I made in my sermon on Sunday that 'in order to live out missionality in our individual lives, we also need to be living it out in community together.' I've been thinking about this because one of the common responses I get from people in the church when suggesting that they need to be in a cluster, living out mission with a group of people, is that they are living out mission in their own world and they don't have time to also being doing it with others. Though it sounds reasonable, I think that for most people it's inaccurate - and it's from reflecting back to my time in university that I see this most clearly. When I was a student at SFU I got plugged into a Christian group on campus called Campus Crusade for Christ. For the first year and a half I resisted much involvement beyond a bible study, because I was so 'busy'. As time went on though I started getting more and more involved and I started engaging what I can only in hindsight clearly identify as a cluster. We had about 40 of us gathering fairly regularly for meals, having fun together, worshipping together, breaking off into small groups, and doing mission together. And it was in doing life together like this that I experienced a fuller joy in my faith, learned to live missionally, and became motivated to then engage people in my own world. I encourage you to keep fighting for us to be a people on mission together.

God has been moving...

2010-05-18T16:14:00.003-07:00

... in some really exciting ways in the Aduro cluster over the past few weeks. Last week the group headed into Langley in small groups to pray over the city and listen to God for where He might be calling them to step out in faith. One of the groups met a young girl, new to Canada from Mexico, who they invited out to their cluster. She came this week to their gathering where they ate dinner, played frisbee and worshipped around the campfire late into the night. “It was so neat to see the relationships developing as members of the group got to know her and spent the night sharing their lives with her,” explained Elisha, who leads Aduro. Be in prayer for this young girl and the Aduro cluster as they share Jesus with her through living life together.

Last week...

2010-05-18T16:14:00.001-07:00

... I decided to play hooky for a couple days and take Thursday and Friday off (and I had already planned to not preach on the Sunday). I had been noticing some signs of weariness lately, and I thought it'd be a good idea to get a rest. Obviously we all experience weariness, but this was one of those times when I felt that I needed to step back, slow down and get perspective. One of the things that I'm trying to be more sensitive to in my life is indicators that I'm not in a healthy rhythm (my friend calls them 'tells'). So for instance, getting impatient with Taylor and Matthew is a 'tell' for me that I'm not managing my energy or stress well - because when I'm healthy I don't respond in anger to them. Another 'tell' for me that something is wrong is when I frequently close my office door during the day - it's an indicator that I'm weary of interacting with people and need alone time. I could go on and list other 'tells', but you get the point. I think as leaders we all need to be able to identify our 'tells' that we're out of rhythm or not managing stress and weariness well. And if you don't know what your 'tells' are, ask the people close to you - they'll be glad to let you know! We all need to be conscious of our tells, and then what we need to do to restore ourselves.

One small group ...

2010-05-18T16:13:00.001-07:00

... has been experiencing the fruit of digging into sermon questions in some really intimate and unique ways. One of the small groups off the Wanted Cluster has been doing sermon questions for the past year. By doing the sermon questions every time they gather they’ve seen discussion building off each week, allowing them to not only dig deeper into the sermon, but into the whole book of Matthew. Each time they gather there is brokeness and real life issues that the scripture has stirred up in people and they have a space to discuss it, pray for one another and then carry what they’ve learnt and processed into the week. Each one of them has said at some point that they would otherwise hardly remember the sermon by Wednesday, let alone have processed what it means to them and how they need to change because of that.

Monday night at...

2010-05-18T16:12:00.000-07:00

... our small group we were chatting through the sermon questions and I was struck by the depth of the discussion. I've known it cognitively, but it struck me again just how much we all need to not only listen to a sermon, but also to have a place to process through our questions, struggles and insights, and then figure out together how to apply it to our lives (even for me, and I preached it!). I know there are times when doing a different study as a small group is healthy, but in general I wonder to myself, 'why move onto learning something new when we haven't even processed, applied and prayed through what we're already learning?' I want to encourage you to have small groups off of your clusters going through the sermon questions together so that, as the scriptures encourage us in several places, we're not just hearers of the Word, but doers of it.

Tomorrow night ...

2010-05-18T16:11:00.000-07:00

... (Friday) I get the chance to share at the Trinity Western Graduation Banquet. I've been thinking a lot about what to share there. I never went to Trinity myself, but a lot of my friends did. For some reason preparing to speak there has gotten me thinking about my friends who went to Trinity (that was a lot of years ago!). Interestingly, one of the things that strikes me is that so many of them, and others I knew at the time who were strong in their faith, are really not walking closely (or at all) with the Lord anymore. While they were in university, at Trinity or elsewhere, they were passionate about their faith. But over the years they've moved away, pursued various careers, started families (ie. done all the things they're supposed to do), and somewhere in the mix they lost their center. I've wondered to myself, how did that happen? Did they lose Christian community? Did no one track with them and keep them accountable (including me)? Did life just become too busy? And were there warning signs that could have been addressed in their life earlier? One of the realities for you and I as we shepherd people in our church is that down the road many of them will likely not be walking with the Lord. We need to ensure that we're praying for our people, getting them connected into community (clusters), following up with people when they stop showing up, and being intentional about helping them understand how to navigate life and faith. We're here to shepherd them - let's not just assume they'll finish well, but let's fight for it.

With Easter approaching ...

2010-05-18T16:10:00.002-07:00

... we have lots of opportunities for you as a community to engage and experience the cross together. Just last night one small group went through Stations of the Cross together, as families, and had a really amazing time. With 7 kids between the ages of three and seven they had their work cut out for them but it became a really beautiful picture of not just entrusting to a younger generation the beauty of the cross, but by doing it in community, it really spoke of kids who will carry this together.

They had many cool moments - when they got to the station with the coins, illustrating our betrayal of Jesus, and the question was asked “What are some things we make more important than Jesus?” one of the young boys said “lego” and later, as the families gathered around the cross, the kids shared their sins (kicking, not listening, etc) and they nailed them to the cross together. It was an amazing experience for all the families of really slowing down to approach Easter, in community, as more than just a Sunday experience.

I think I might...

2010-05-18T16:10:00.001-07:00

... be the worst pastor ever if my thought for this week wasn't focused in on Easter! I've been reflecting a lot this last little while on the book that John Piper wrote entitled 'Fifty Reasons Why Jesus Came to Die'. I know the fact that John Piper suggests that there are 50 reasons why Jesus came to die probably shouldn't shake me, but it does! I've felt this overwhelming conviction that somewhere along the way I bought into some rote-textbook answer to what the cross is about, and I've lost some of the wonder, mystery and majesty of the breadth and depth of what the cross accomplished.

So I'm really focusing on slowing down this week to take all of this in - personal reflection time, talking about it as a family, Stations of the Cross, Dark Night of the Soul. I want to encourage you that this week more than any other week of the year, you take time alone and in community, to discover more of the cross, and more of what the cross tells us about who God is. I'm praying for you this week. And looking forward to an epic celebration with you on Sunday!

God has been moving...

2010-05-18T16:09:00.001-07:00

...so powerfully among our youth in the past few months and they have seen really amazing things happening within their community in the Elevate cluster. Tuesday nights Elevate kids gather to share life together, receive teaching and having a blast doing crazy things.

Two months ago the cluster started breaking off into small groups once a month to go deeper in the word and allow kids a place to get really intimate with their leaders. One group in particular has seen radical change as their leader, Johnny, a young man with a great heart and a love for youth, has stepped into building community in a counter-cultural way. He’s pouring his life into these guys, going to their schools, picking them up from work, taking them to the gym AND meeting with them as a whole group once a week to keep digging into helping them grow in their faith. Johnny has taken life-on-life ministry to a whole nother level as he steps into the lives of his youth, outside his comfort zone or even his original responsibility as a youth leader, to see Jesus Bigger in their worlds and real community built. Very cool.

It's been a little weird ...

2010-05-18T16:07:00.002-07:00

...waking up the last week and not to be eating breakfast with 23 others like I did for 8 days in Mexico. As an introvert, I'm surprised how much I've missed it (and it's not just that I miss having someone else make my breakfast - thank you Amy Lewis!). After getting back from Mexico I realize just how much I loved living life that intensily with a group of people. It wasn't just eating meals together - it was the being there together to lay hands on Cally as her fever overtook her. It was picking up boulders together as we landscaped an orphanage (and jumping when I uncovered a tarantula!). It was standing on a hill that overlooks a city together and having our hearts stirred together against the poverty, drug problems, and spiritual darkness.

It makes me wonder why sometimes I find it so hard to make time to do the same thing in community back home. Maybe it's because I have a lot of other things to balance here at home, and so understandably I'm not as focused as I can be in Mexico. But maybe it's more than that. I've wondered if maybe sometimes our gatherings back home here lack the missional purpose that our time in Mexico did, and so we're bored. I also think that sometimes back home here we expect to live life individually and to just once and a while come together into community, whereas when in Mexico we expected to live life as a community of people and to once and a while do things individually. Do you get the difference? So what's one thing that you've gotta change today? And who's keeping you accountable to it. I'm working on mine.

Last Wednesday night...

2010-05-18T16:07:00.001-07:00

...the Wanted cluster headed out to prayer-walk in a neighbourhood they gather in every other week. Desiring to stretch themselves and get outside of the ‘box’ in prayer they’re trying some new things. For some it was exciting and unique, while a few others were uncomfortable but up for something new. As they walked around, they prayed for the neighbours and they prayed that their cluster's presence in the area might be a light, a safe place or just a conversation starter about why all these young adults hang out for dinner every other week and take up all the parking! They're seeking to experience and display His Kingdom.

Ever since...

2010-05-18T16:06:00.000-07:00

...preaching yesterday about how our lives are to be a display of the treasures of God's Kingdom I've wondered to myself … 'how would those close to me describe my life?' If, as Jesus says, my life is to be like a house, would they walk into my house and be intrigued and compelled by what's on display?

How would Taylor and Matthew describe their dad's life? What would Wendy say (the one who knows me best)? Or what about those who don’t know me best? What would Steve, a guy from our cluster who doesn’t come to church, say about the treasures I have on display?

Would they say my life is full of Kingdom treasures, or would they say it's full of religosity? Man, I want my life to be an authentic display of treasures - not my treasures, but those of God's Kingdom… grace, mercy, joy, beauty, love…

Last Thursday night...

2010-05-18T16:05:00.001-07:00

...the Collide cluster hopped on the bus in Langley to head out for some intentional connecting for the night. They bussed and sky-trained their way downtown, sitting with different people along the way, hearing their stories and having interesting, deep and sometimes bizarre conversations. Once in Vancouver they spent the evening sharing food Canadian-style (Timbits) and talking with some more people. They had an amazing night of loving on strangers and doing mission together in tangible, stretching ways. Connect with any of them to hear funny moments from the night and how they’re seeing the kingdom unfolding through getting on a bus and striking up a conversation.

Latley...

2010-05-18T15:56:00.000-07:00

...I’ve been trying to slow down more. Slow my heart and mind in the midst of the craziness of life (work, kids, sports, meetings, training, chores, reading, – agh!) and take in the fact that all around me, while I’m rushing around, Jesus is unfolding His Kingdom.

In Matthew 13 he says to the disciples (after describing how many people’s hearts are becoming hardened to seeing and understanding the unfolding of the Kingdom):
"But blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear."

All around us (even in the mess and confusion of life) Jesus is unfolding His Kingdom and he’s inviting us to see it and to experience it. To see it when my son is completely caught up in giggles … when a friend lets go of bitterness … when I notice myself trusting in God more than circumstance … when over $4000 is raised on a Sunday to help strangers hurting in Haiti …

Ah, that today we could see His Kingdom unfolding – what would that look like for you? How could you step into it?

On Mission this May

2008-02-27T13:35:00.000-08:00

One of the great dangers for a church is that 'mission' has been replaced by 'protect ourselves from sin'. (Matt Chandler quote). While certainly we in NO WAY want to minimize sin (we need to put it to death for the praise of Jesus!); but we also want to recognize that this shift away from mission has actually slowed sanctification (ie. being transformed to live for Jesus) not sped it up, because we are not walking and moving with Jesus and letting him change us in the process.

To that end, on MAY 30-31st we will be hosting our 'The Church on Mission' Conference. This is an event that we want you to come to if you're passionate about focusing in on the 'why?' and 'how?' of developing biblical community within the church where everyone is an active member of the body that holistically lives out the mission of the church.

Our key note speaker will be Mike Breen who pioneered mid-sized communities on mission (called Clusters) in Sheffield, UK and with them actively engaged his church body in mission and grew the largest church in the north of England, with 80% under the age of 40. Mike is an outstanding visionary, communicator and teacher, and we are thrilled that he and others will be joining us.

Shortly we will be sending out more information for you as our plans unfold. For now, please mark this date (MAY 30-31st) as we gather as a church (and with other churches) as we network and learn together.

GAVIN and an ALL OUT SEARCH

2008-02-21T16:09:00.000-08:00

Bev Yeaman who leads our Family/Children's Ministry here at LEFC came in broken the other day letting us know of a community close to her heart that is in a state of peril right now. Shawnigan Lake on the Island (from which Bev joined us last year) is missing one of their son's, and it also happens to be the son of some of her dearest friends. Last week Gavin, who I believe is 20 years old and has been in a place of turmoil, disappeared. And although there has been an all out search for Gavin, after a whole week there is still no sign of him.

Bev and I sat chatting this week about the story in Luke 15 where Jesus talks about the single lost sheep for which the shepherd leaves his 99 other sheep in order to go find - the point: every person matters immensily to God and when they're lost, in his love, he initiates an all out search. For a family and a community known as Shawnigan Lake, this parable is much to real right now.

I don't want to dress this blog up with some dramatic statement - we just want to cry out to God on behalf of Gavin and his family and his community that this lost son, who God desperately loves, would be found. Bring Gavin home, please God. (please be praying with us)

Shaquille O'Neal and our next STAFFING RECRUIT

2008-02-14T15:33:00.000-08:00

So last week my beloved Phoenix Suns . . . that’s basketball just in case anyone up here in hockey-filled Canada didn't know (by the way, Go Canucks!) . . . anyways, my beloved Suns traded away one of their franchise players to get Shaquille O’Neal last week. I’m torn because I’ve never really liked him - I mean I love him in Jesus but . . . there’s just this way about how he’s been dunking on and trash-talking my teams all these years! But now he’s in Phoenix with my boy Nash, so I'm in angst as to whether this was a good move or not? Will he fill the gaps and bring the right chemistry to get the boys over the hump come June? We'll start finding out next week against the Lakers I guess - it's all speculation until then.

In the meantime, we're making some player additions of our own at the church this spring. We're looking to add a MINISTRY HUB COORDINATOR in our church office who will bring the passion and skill to help coordinate, administrate and mobilize people towards our church's mission. Someone who can handle special projects, spearhead events, manage communication (basic website and writing), and generally run the HUB (the office). If you're interested or know someone who can fill the gaps and complete our growing team, then check out the full job description at www.lefc/info/hiring and drop us a line.

And if all goes well and Shaq turns out to be the missing piece for Phoenix AND we find our recruit for the church . . . well, it'll be a happy Spring!!

Ankle deep in kids

2008-02-04T18:27:00.000-08:00

So I'm sitting in a playroom in our church building with 8 active 'little ones' as Wendy and I help take care of them for the next 2 hours (of course I'm using the word 'help' loosely since I'm obviously typing on my computer right now - doh!).

Even though Wendy and I spend everyday taking care of our 'little ones', there's nowhere else I'd rather be than in the midst of 8 of them every monday night. That's because as we take care of these kids, their parents are gathering in two other rooms for something pretty close to our heart. In one room is a group sitting around a bunch of dinner tables grappling with how faith and life intersect (a little thing called Alpha). And in the room next to that, 13 couples are gathering at the Marriage Course to have their marriages cared for.

We made a decision personally and as a church that we would never let the love of Jesus terminate on us (I think if we do that, we've never really 'got' the gospel in the first place). So we sit here up to our ankles in kids, praying and just trying to help in the smallest way to see Jesus slam into the souls of people (in the next room) where they need Him most, and slam into marriages (in the room next to that) where they need Him most.

And when He does, we celebrate . . . like we did yesterday, when we scrapped our regularly scheduled Sunday morning service and spent the whole morning giving testimony to the grace and love of Jesus through baptisms, changed life stories and worship. Though I never 'preached' the gospel yesterday, I'm not sure we've ever had it preached more powerfully - and I don't think I've ever been a part of a more overwhelming Sunday morning.

So it keeps me coming back - knowing that we don't gather to bolster our theoretical belief, but to see Jesus slam into souls and transform lives . . . just as He said He would: 'I came that you might have LIFE, and have it to the full.'

JESUS BIGGER

2007-09-13T09:02:00.000-07:00

Well now we've done it!

Since February our leadership, staff and pulse groups representing LEFC have been on a vision quest. Meeting together to pray, dream, search the Word and watch to see where God is moving so we can join in. As a result of this heart work, a rally cry has emerged that stands on the shoulders of the rally cry of the early church ("Jesus is Lord") and expresses what we want to be about as a community:

JESUS BIGGER . . . everywhere we set our feet.

It's unusual isn't it . . . I know, I love it, because it's going to get us out of our boxes and force us to grapple with what it means, and what it means to be the church; and we're going to explore this together.

Let me give you a glimpse into the biblical vision behind this rally cry.

JESUS BIGGER
"To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood, and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father — to him be glory and power for ever and ever! Amen.” (Revelations 1:5b-6)

JESUS BIGGER...in our lives
We will tear down walls to make room in our lives for Jesus who doesn’t fit in a box, who refuses to be shaped by culture and who leads a revolutionary kingdom. We will fling open our hearts to welcome a King who is bigger than our dreams, bigger than our fears and bigger than our pain. As we surrender we will be transformed by love and grace that allows us to be ourselves...uniquely sculpted masterpieces, each with a purpose which when unleashed brings a storm of God’s power and glory.

“He must become greater; I must become less.” (John 3:30)
“I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”(John 10:10)
“For me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.” (Philippians 1:21)

JESUS BIGGER...in community
We will choose to belong to each other. We will wedge open the doors of our lives to embrace being known, to embrace being accountable, to embrace being ourselves knowing this will require both courage and sacrifice. We will see Jesus bigger in our lives as we become his church; choosing grace, compassion, intimacy and authenticity as our stories become intertwined.

“Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should do as I have done for you...As I have loved, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” (John 13:14-15,34-35)

JESUS BIGGER...in our neighbourhoods
We will be the new messengers of a scandalous kingdom of love, mercy, grace, truth, peace and joy. We will declare this counter-cultural movement with our words, our actions, our finances, our abilities and our time; uncompromisingly committed to seeing Jesus’ kingdom become a reality in the lives we brush elbows with daily. We will not settle for shabby, token gestures but will give our lives to see Jesus become bigger everywhere we set our feet...in our neighbourhood, our school, our workplace, our country and our world.

“The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” (John 1:14)

EVERYWHERE WE SET OUR FEET
“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” (Acts 1:8)

I know it's crazy, but welcome to our journey!

Jesus, Diversity and Really Ugly Shirts

2007-08-06T16:18:00.000-07:00

The other day someone in our office let me know that the shirt I was wearing was . . . well, 'something that no eyes should ever have to gaze upon'! You can just feel the love in our office can't you!!! Apparently the multiple colors of green in combination on a white golf shirt was a little much for him . . . I'm not completely sure why, perhaps there was a period of his childhood when his parents made him wear nothing but shades of green for like a whole year!

It made me wonder though, what prompts us to wear what we do? Certainly for many there are cost realities where certain clothes are or aren't affordable. And for all of us there are related vanity and brokenness issues. I wonder beyond that though, if we were able to eliminate these (not constrained by resources and not compelled by vanity or brokenness), whether we would all dress in infinitely diverse ways to reflect the incredible diversity of how God has made each of us unique. And I wonder if in doing it we'd be such a beautifully colorful painting of our infinitely creative God.

That's gotta be part of our journey here at LEFC - reflecting and expressing through our unique and diverse lives, the infinite beauty of God. I wonder if we give each other 'permission' to do that? I wonder if we help each other unleash it? And I wonder if we don't, whether we can ever be together what God intended us to be?

So perhaps my green shirt isn't an eye-sore after all . . . though there is a chance that some of us do need others to help us release that which reflects God's diversity and beauty within us!!

Jesus, thieves and raccoons

2007-07-27T15:10:00.000-07:00

A number of days ago the boys and I came home from a dip at my brother's pool (while Wendy was away on a girls' getaway), and when we drove into our drive-way I noticed that several lights in our house were on. Now the combination of my obsessive compulsive nature, combined with year's of hearing my mom say 'TURN THE LIGHTS OUT WHEN YOU'RE NOT IN A ROOM!' (which still constantly echoes in my ear) ensured for me that I didn't leave them on. And then to confirm it, I saw that our back gate was wide open. And this dread came over me: 'someone's been in our house' . . . yep.

If you've been broken into and robbed before you know that feeling of violation.

Last night Wendy and I were watching tv when we heard Raccoons in our back yard (they regularly visit us . . . I'm not convinced that they weren't the ones who robbed us either - continually scoping out the house!). But it was interesting, because usually it's just one raccoon there and when I open the back french door, she slowly scampers away. This time though she had her two babies with her (not so small anymore!), and when we opened the door and Wendy and I did our best 'Raccoon Attacker' sound, she turned around and moved towards us in attack mode - making sure she was between us and her babies. Needless to say, I slammed our french door closed, and we continued to make our very aggresive 'Raccoon Attacker' sounds from behind the safety of our french doors! It's not that I'm a TOTAL coward, it's just that I'm also not a total fool.

It struck me though that when children are involved, it's a whole different story. And the words of Paul came to mind, "If God is for us [his children], who can be against us?" (Rom 8:31). It doesn't mean that bad things won't happen (like getting robbed - doh!), but as we walk with Him as his children, it does mean that as a very loving and protective Father, nothing happens that He does not allow - nothing! And my feeling of violation is replaced with confidence.

I'm learning to hold loosely (as difficult as it is) the things of this world, because God is preparing for something greater. If our thieves are reading this blog however - I wouldn't mind my stuff back when you're done with it!

Jesus, painting and a crash

2007-06-26T15:59:00.000-07:00

I'm listening right now to the music, chatter and laughter of a crew of young people down the hallway helping Chad paint his new office. Chad's our new youth/young adults pastor by the way and he's getting himself set up . . . luckily he has Anne-Marie there to correct his paint choices, Adrienne to kill the ant that had taken up residence, and Jenn, Steve and Mark to get the painting done, while Spencer is destroying the supplies.

I usually try to avoid noise while I'm working (it doesn't take much to distract me), but when I hear the sounds of this crew, I hear in my spirit the rumblings of God. I remember listening to Erwin McManus (a pastor in California) share a couple years back about a group of rhinoceros’s - the fact that although they can only see 30 feet in front of them, they can run upto 30 miles/hr, so whatever's at 31 feet better get out of the way! Not surprisingly a group of rhinoceros's is called a 'crash'. I love that! That's the vision that I believe is unfolding for this young generation of LEFC . . . an unstoppable movement of God, shaping the space of LEFC - shaping the space everywhere they set their feet for Jesus to be known.

I'm not sure what's at 31 feet . . . but I'm raising my own two little rhinoceros's to not be afraid to find out. God's doing a new thing, and he's raising up a new generation to do it . . . I hear the rumblings . . . and I have no intention of standing in the way of the 'crash'!

Jesus, Tim McGraw and 'being' the Church

2007-06-19T21:26:00.000-07:00

The other night Wendy and I headed into Vancouver for the Tim McGraw/Faith Hill 'Soul 2 Soul' concert . . . it was sweeeeeet! As much as I enjoyed sitting there and listening to their music though, the best moments of the evening by far were when they got the crowd into it - when they got us on our feet, engaged us in the show, got us hooting and hollering, and allowed me to get my groove on! (I use the word 'groove' loosely.)

There's something inside everyone of us that wants to participate in the show, not just watch it unfold before us. Even for those of us who so often resign ourselves to our timidity, deep down our soul craves to stand up, step forward and engage; we weren't made to be passive spectators. And even as I type these words, I realize how badly we've often faltered with this in the church. We've allowed ourselves to believe that church is a Sunday morning event that we attend as spectators, observing and sometimes judging the performance of those on stage. But our soul craves for something more (which is why we often get so bored with church). See we're not meant to be a people who just believe something (and learn more about it), we're meant to be a people who radically engage the experience of God. We're meant to be the church, not go to church. We're meant to participate in God's moving in history, not to simply watch it unfold. We've got to come alive and engage the experience.

If Tim or Faith happens to read my blog . . . thanks for reminding me to keep getting my groove on! It's at the heart of our journey here at LEFC.

ps. I think Tim and Faith are probably glad though that I didn't rush the stage like I did two years ago at the Wiggles concert with my toddler!

Facebook, Community and our Triune God

2007-06-06T09:25:00.001-07:00

I finally got myself hooked up on facebook . . . that's right, Wendy and I gave in to all the murmurs and hype and we checked it out. It was hilarious when the first person 'accepted me' as a friend and my facebook reported 'you have 1 friend' . . . I called Wendy over and said, 'you'll never believe it honey, I have a friend!' She was so proud of me. It's been a hoot getting reconnected with old friends in such a cool way!

It's reminded me how much we crave community; it cuts to the very core of who we are because of who God is. The other day I was shown a 15th century painting by a Russian artist named Andrei Rublev. It's a powerful depiction (if you study it) of our triune God- Father, Son and Holy Spirit - and their communion with each other (three but one!). But it also reflects the reality of God's invitation for us to enter into that communion. How mind-boggling is that?! That our God, who as someone said, 'is more one because He is three, and loves perfectly because he has no loneliness', invites us to experience who He is. That messes me up!

That's our journey here at LEFC - experiencing who God is, revealed in Jesus . . . and in that, experiencing and unleashing the community of God. And to think that Facebook helps me experience that!

Jesus, Friday Nights and the Dukes of Hazzard

2007-05-17T07:48:00.000-07:00

I was reading online the other day that an anonymous bidder on EBay pledged almost $10 million US for a version of the General Lee (1969 orange Dodge Charger) from the tv show 'The Dukes of Hazzard'. The car is owned by the actor who played Bo Duke and has signatures from members of the cast. $10 million!!!

It made me remember all those friday nights when I was a kid - we'd get together as a family (my three siblings, my parents and I) make some popcorn and watch the "good 'ol boys" get themselves into and out of trouble with Boss Hogg. And then of course there was Sheriff Rosco P. Coltrane and Daisy Duke . . . ah, those were the days.

I was driving yesterday thinking about this, and reminiscing about the days of my youth that often seem so much less complicated and clouded than the challenges and complexities of 'grown up' life. "Ah, if only I could have those days back sometimes", I thought, "but you can't go back". But then I wondered if there's a reason we so often long to have those days back. Have we left something behind that we weren't supposed to leave behind - spontaneous joy, trust, peace, wonder, adventure . . .

An individual named G.K. Chesterton once said, "I think God is the only child left in the universe, and all the rest of us have grown old and cynical because of sin."

Jesus himself said, "Unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven." (Matthew 18:3)

There's something that's still strong in the heart of a child that resonates deep within me. And I've got to keep rediscovering it in new ways if I'm going to continue to discover the heart of God.

And so if the person who bid on the General Lee is reading this blog . . . drop me a line, I wouldn't mind going for a ride sometime!

Jesus, quitting and gummy bears

2007-05-10T15:37:00.000-07:00

Well, it was at about mile 20 (or kilometre 32 for those of us in Canada) at about 10am this last Sunday, on the rainy and cold streets of Vancouver (just to add to the drama), that I started wondering why in the world I ever thought running marathons would be a good idea. And unfortunately I still had 10 kilometres remaining to ponder that question!

A few years ago an individual named Jim Fitch wrote a book called ‘The complete book of running’, and in it he said: “When we race, strange things happen to our mind. The stress of fatigue sometimes makes us forget why we wanted to race in the first place. In one of my early marathons I found myself unable to think about a single good reason for continuing. Physically and mentally exhausted, I dropped out of the race. Now I won’t enter a marathon unless I truly want to finish it. If during the race I can’t remember why I wanted to run it, I tell myself, maybe I can’t remember why now, but I know I had good reasons when I started. I finally learned how to fight back when my brain starts using tricky arguments.”

After the race I described to my wife the incredible pain of those last 10 kilometres, and the mental will power that it took me not to quit, and then almost in the same breath I told her how anxious I was for the Okanagan Marathon in October. She just shook her head at me . . . but I thought of Jim's words.

It's amazing, that when things get tough, we hear the voice in our head telling us, 'give up - it's more enjoyable in the bleachers'. But I'm realizing that what produces not only great runners, but also great character, a great marriage, great relationships, a great career, and a great life, is remembering why we run the race and then keeping going even when it hurts. That's why I love to run. And that's why I love Jesus for making me crazy enough to enjoy it.

Plus, if you don't quit, in the last couple miles they hand out gummy bears to the runners - I figure that alone makes it worth it!

Jesus, the Olympics and Holy Discontents

2007-05-03T11:24:00.000-07:00

I was reading the BC Christian News yesterday (which I admit I don’t usually read because I can never seem to find an update in it on the Vancouver Canucks or the Phoenix Suns . . . which I think are God’s favorite sports teams as well), but I noticed it because of the front caption which read “2010 a catalyst for church unity”. And of course in Vancouver 2010 is synonymous with the Olympics, and the article focused in on a vision to use the Olympics to rally churches together to be a witness to the influx of people coming from around the world.

Now I think this is great, but I was grieved by the realization that we’re a culture consumed with rallying around the big sexy event, without a corresponding burden for the difficult task of transforming culture in the places where we live our lives every day.

I think of Melissa who volunteers at the crisis pregnancy centre, Janice who just became a big sister to someone in need, Allyson who has a deep passion to restore shattered families, and Bruce who’s fighting to save their neighborhood school, and I’m convinced that it’s the living out of these holy discontents (that Jesus gives us) that will be the real catalyst for the church to be awakened and unleashed.

I guess this is my holy discontent – to see each unique life unleashed for the glory of Jesus. But now I’m preaching, so I’ll save it for Sunday! Think about it though, what when you look around you, ‘wrecks’ you, and what are you doing about it?

Jesus, Dirty Shoes and Leg Shavings

2007-04-26T09:34:00.000-07:00

I was out running in the rain yesterday, and found myself thoroughly enjoying getting my new shoes sopping wet and muddy in the puddles and on the trails. There’s something about getting off-road that just seems so right to me, especially lately. My buddy Don, who I run with every Friday, prefers to keep his new shoes clean and on the shelf until the rain goes away - which of course I’d love to say is an embarrassment to all westcoast outdoor enthusiasts - but since he whooped me in our last marathon in Victoria, I probably don’t have a lot of trash-talking ground to stand on.

But as I was getting my shoes dirty running yesterday, I felt so invigorated – and I was reminded that sometimes I need to get off-road to be awakened out of the hum-drum routine of life and religion that I slip into; to be awakened to the adventure of being pursued and pursuing the fullness of God and the fullness of my humanity; and I’m definitely realizing that that almost always means getting my nice new shoes a little dirty . . .

Don says that shaving my legs will help my time in the Vancouver Marathon on May 6th (this from the guy who doesn’t want to get his shoes dirty!) . . . I’m not sure if that’s a little too off-road for me though . . . I wonder if Jesus would do it?! Maybe if enough bloggers tell me to do it, I just might pull out the hot wax.