Remember

Posted on September 10, 2011 by

  

Everyone is remembering on this weekend – and how could we ever forget?! Ten years ago we witnessed acts of terrorism live on our TV’s. We were all paralyzed with disbelief, and then fear. In the aftermath, stories of great heroism emerged. Impressive courage, unselfish bravery, inspiring endurance. Stories of families that were shocked and who experienced huge suffering, their lives changing forever. 

For us to remember is the least we can do. It is the right thing to do. And we pray for a world that can learn to live with more trust and respect, a world where pain and anger and violence become only a memory of the past. Let this chaos be replaced with peace and security for all. Our children deserve this. And God expects it of us.

Our church has been remembering our history throughout the year 2011. It was 200 years ago that a brave Presbyterian minister arrived in our city, and carved out of this wild settlement a spiritual community, and the first Sabbath School. He was an itinerant preacher of the Gospel of Christ and eventually helped organize our first church. 200 years of ministry!

Tomorrow afternoon, Sunday September 11, 2011, at 1:30 pm we will gather at the grave of The Rev. William Smart (at the Brockville Cemetery, directly at the edge of the St. Lawrence River photo above). We will hold a brief memorial service to give thanks for Rev. Smart, and all the servants of our Lord, who have given their lives to advance the Christian faith in our community. After all, it is the least we can do; it is the right thing to do.

Posted in church, encouragement, mission, spirituality | Leave a comment

7 Days til Victory!

Posted on August 20, 2011 by

We cry out “God – why haven’t you dealt with this yet!? ” Everyone wants stuff to happen quickly. Everyone is going so fast. How many people can you name who really have that spiritual fruit called patience, talked about in Galatians 5?

We cry out “God, don’t you have a better plan? – one more likely to succeed?” It is our nature to ‘second guess’ the Lord.

The best plans are developed on holy ground where we can hear God speak. You would think that a divine encounter should be all that we would need: divine messages are pretty impressive after all, compelling and energizing. Yet, when we come up against a brick wall, when we can’t make any progress, when we need a breakthrough, sometimes we can get tired of waiting, tired of trying, even tired of trusting. We’ve heard that God’s ways are not our ways. We know that God often surprises, that God often shows up just in time, and still we are tempted towards disobedience. God’s ways are not our ways.

The lesson from Joshua and the walls of Jericho penetrate the barriers of culture and time and shake common sense: stick to the plan God gave you. Hold to the promise, play the music, shout the victory praise.

Know some walls that need knocking down? – in relationships?, in our community? Will you partner with God and his people to win the battle – His way?

You can read the account in Joshua chapters 5 & 6. Five principles jump out of this famous story. You can see these in the outline of the teaching “7 Days til Victory” by clicking here.

Posted in encouragement | Leave a comment

people were crying at the bank today

Posted on August 12, 2011 by

People were crying in the bank today: no, not because of the world economic chaos; no, not because of offensively high service charges; no, not because there was a robbery in progress – but because the bank staff excelled in customer service. And I thought of Jesus, and the angels in heaven. Yes, let me explain.

I was standing in line, waiting patiently (those of you who know me will find that statement a little hard to believe, true) – when the lady behind me could wait no longer. She rushed in front of me and urgently asked a question of the customer service rep. This lady appeared somewhat frantic. It seems she had been to the bank earlier. Sometime during the day she had lost a ring. She was now retracing her steps, hopeful to find that someone somewhere had picked it up and kept it safe.

The customer service rep went to one of the tellers, who said “yes, I found it and locked it in the drawer”. What followed the joyful tearful reunion of this woman and her ring was stirring. It was an engagement ring. I don’t know how fancy or expensive it was. I do know that it was of utmost value. The owner started to sob, so appreciative of the bank staff. Somehow her dark and broken world would be restored. Bank staff had tears in their eyes. Even customers stopped and gulped. A public display of emotion on all our parts. Something of great value – lost – searched for – found – relief –rejoicing. We had witnessed something very intimate, very profound, very moving.

Jesus talks of a lost sheep, a lost coin, and a lost son. A careful and costly search follows. The lost item is of such incredible value. And when located, the whole world is to know – and all heaven rejoices. Tears of joy. Just like I saw in the bank today. The Bank of Montreal in Brockville was the location of today’s spiritual lesson. Luke 15 is the location of the parables of Jesus. This is why we engage in mission. This is why we partner with God. This is God’s heart revealed. This is at the heart of our church right? Not competition, not politics, not agendas, not empty ritual – finding that which is lost, returning it to its rightful owner, and crying with joy when the lost is found!

When was the last time you saw God’s truth played out at your bank?

Posted in encouragement, happiness, mission | 2 Comments

hello, my name is doug, and I’m a pragmatist

Posted on August 2, 2011 by

Theologian, writer, great Bible preacher – phrases that describe the late John Stott. Jeff Loach lamented his recent passing by stating

 “We lack ‘elder statesmen’ in the church … I sometimes wonder if theology has taken a back seat to pragmatism.”

It is true I think. Go to most professional ministry conferences these days and the theme is driven by the questions – what works? how can we do it better? is your church successful? If not openly expressed, it is right there percolating under the surface of our humble and reserved ministry egos. I mean, if our preaching series must be pragmatic so must our ministry training.

Transition to Acts chapters 6 & 7. Stephen could indeed be judged a roaring success – both personally and professionally. Tweet this evidence! Is this not success which should be celebrated?

* he was one of only seven elected to ministry at a time when the church was desperate for some additional leadership

* he was able to showcase God’s power with great signs and wonders

* his eloquence in a public sermon, though it brought about an opposite reaction, rivalled the Apostle Peter – perhaps even more reasoned and logical, like Paul who would take the stage after him

But perhaps we should measure success with a different measuring stick. How about a new paradigm, less pragmatic? Try looking a success through a more mature spiritually sensitive lens and you might note :

* Stephen’s face was like the face of an angel!

* Stephen saw an open heaven, saw the glory of God, saw the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!

* Stephen had the courage and charcter, even while the stoning took place, to mirror the last words of Jesus!

Spiritual substance and excellence is sometimes more difficult  to resgister on the success meter. It certainly seems at first glance less worthy of jumboscreen fireworks. It is less pragmatic, but not necessarily less observable. Yet we get drawn into the pragmatic paradigm so frequently, so easily, so foolishly.

My quest, which I renew publically, is to get pumped up about seeing and reflecting in my countenance and my words, my Lord’s glory; and to catch a glimpse of heaven where Jesus stands to advocate for me, to welcome me. At least that’s my vow until I attend my next ministry conference when I will most assuredly and no doubt enthusiastically join ranks with my colleagues to do this thing we call church even better.  YES!

Posted in church, leadership, spirituality | 1 Comment

CHAIN REACTION

Posted on July 23, 2011 by

– IT IS TRUE: WHAT YOU THINK CAN TAKE YOU IN ONE OF TWO DIRECTIONS

If you don’t follow Michael Hyatt yet, you should. He offers excellent leadership tips and practical advice. Recently he wrote about two kinds of thinkers. One kind leads to success, joy, and fulfillment. The other leads to failure, fear, and discontent.

The first he calls an ABUNDANCE THINKER. This person will greet people with a big smile, a hug, and an encouraging word. You will leave his presence energized and affirmed. This kind of person invests in another’s success. And that success is returned in abundance.

The second is just the opposite. He exhibits a hoarding mentality. This kind of thinker never picks up the bill, even if you were invited to lunch. They constantly complain—about everything. They leave you drained and diminished. Michael describes this individual as a SCARCITY THINKER. And success seems to pass them by.

Listed below are Hyatt’s eight attitudes/behaviours of both. Which list describes you? Better question: which list will you start cultivating in your life?

ABUNDANCE THINKERS

  1. They believe there is always more where that came from.
  2. They are happy to share their knowledge, contacts, and compassion with others.
  3. They default to trust and build rapport easily.
  4. They welcome competition, believing it makes the pie bigger and them better.
  5. They ask themselves, How can I give more than is expected?
  6. They are optimistic about the future, believing the best is yet to come.
  7. They think big, embracing risk.
  8. They are thankful and confident.

SCARCITY THINKERS:

  1. They believe there will never be enough.
  2. They are stingy with their knowledge, contacts, and compassion.
  3. They default to suspicion and find it difficult to build rapport.
  4. They resent competition, believing it makes the pie smaller and them weaker.
  5. They ask themselves, How can I get by with less than is expected?
  6. They are pessimistic about the future, believing that tough times are ahead.
  7. They think small, avoiding risk.
  8. They are entitled and fearful.

As we enter into a new teaching series, I want to establish this truth – which I believe has Biblical foundation:

Our lives, in part, are directly affected by how & what we think, how we approach a crisis, our attitudes. What you see unfolding in your life is indeed linked to your thinking patterns, your philosophy, and your worldview.

I invite you to join us tomorrow as we begin an examination of the attitudes of – and this may surprise you – prisoners, those held captive, and in chains. There are some inspiring “SUPERHEROES” emerging from the darkness of the dungeon to shine the light of hope. Their thinking caused them to strive, thrive, and survive. Are you ‘chained down’ or ‘chained up’?

Posted in encouragement, happiness, spirituality | Leave a comment

like JFK, ask not …

Posted on July 18, 2011 by

I concluded our series on The Purpose Driven Life yesterday. (Click here to review the study notes).

 Now, to sum it all up, and in the spirit of JFK (listen & view the famous quote & video here)

  • Ask not what God can do for you; ask what you can do for God.
  • Ask not what your church can do for you; ask what you can do for your church.
  • Ask not what your community can do for you; ask what you can do for your community.

We tend to reverse the order. Our country, our parents, our God, our church – all are there to pamper and please us right? Wrong assumption! We are not alone in thinking this way as even those who hung out with Jesus 24/7 had to be reminded by their esteemed teacher that ‘first is last and last is first’.  They had to be reminded that even the Lord himself came not to be served but to give his life a ransom for many. Therefore we conclude: Jesus died for me – I’ll live for Him.

Living for Jesus a life that is true, striving to please him in all that I do,

yielding allegiance, glad hearted and free, this is the pathway of blessing for me.

 

O Jesus, Lord and Saviour, I give myself to thee; for thou in thy atonement,

didst give thyself for me. I own no other master; my life shall be thy throne,

my life I give henceforth to live, O Christ for thee alone.

Life is to be lived with purpose. Churches are to live with purpose. How do we stay on track?

  1. Let go of sin, release the weights that slow us down, avoid the stuff in life that distracts and entangles. – Hebrews 12:1
  2. Make church attendance a priority – it encourages others and stimulates good works – Hebrews 10:25
  3. Understand that the church is not about maintaining an image in the community but participating in a mission which will point the community to God. – Matthew 5:14-16

We look to history and make a list of saints to be admired – those who have given their lives in devotion and dedication; those through whom God has accomplished great things. We tend to forget though that these faithful servants of God started out just like you and me, asking God “what is it that you have for me to do with my life?” They discover their God-given purpose, and pursue their divine design with enthusiastic obedience. The Apostle Paul compares this kind of living to running a race. (1 Corinthians 9) – with intensity, discipline, focus.

 So I say to you as individuals, and to you as churches – ask not what ….

I want to get to heaven and be amazed by stories of how Christians blessed the people in their communities and around the world – relief work, education, food banks, water, meals, clothing, kindness …

Two very interesting things I found in my research today; hope you take time to consider what they say about the church and its purpose.

  1. Pastor Pete Wilson, visiting Harvest Church in Billings, Montana, reports in a recent blog post  that this amazing church is making an incredible impact in the community it serves. They actually have four campuses with one in Cody, Wyoming. They are in the process of raising money to build an Olympic size pool that they’re actually going to give to the city of Billings as a gift just to show their intent and desire to serve the community.
  1. Check out this video clip about a church project of purpose with global impact – bringing to life the instruction of Isaiah 58!
Posted in church, mission | Leave a comment

the danger of drifting

Posted on July 16, 2011 by

When I am on holiday at my favorite Florida resort, I love to drift in the lazy river. I could do it for hours. When I was a child at the cottage, I loved to take the boat out into the middle of the lake, kick my feet up, and fish while drifting with the wind. On these occasions, drifting is a relaxing, refreshing, freeing experience. It’s not wasting time because the purpose is just that: slow down, chill, calm the body and the spirit.

But drifting can be dangerous on other occasions. I recall the story of a friend who laid back in a canoe in the Florida everglades, closed his eyes behind his sunglasses, caught a few zzzz’s until he was rudely awakened by a rocking motion – an alligator trying to get into the canoe with him! Or drifting in the Niagara River above the famous falls is probably not a good idea either.

 

Hebrews 2:1 = we must pay more careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away … how shall we escape if we ignore such a great salvation?

 

Disobedience and disinterest can have fatal implications. Do not drift towards death and destruction. Embrace the gifts God offers in his son Jesus.

We are finishing 6 weeks of study and preaching on Rick Warren’s popular decade-old book The Purpose Driven Life. I feel like the warning of Hebrews is appropriate in this context too. What a tragedy to waste a life. Let’s know why we are placed here on earth, for this time, for these purposes. Let’s live according to our divine design. Let’s not squander the short time we do have.

I don’t think Rick Warren is making this stuff up out of thin air. I see it in the Bible: Ephesians 5:15-17, Psalm 90:12, Deuteronomy 10:12,13, Acts 26:9-20, 1 Corinthians 9:19-27

Are there specific steps you can take to make sure you live according to purpose? It is never too late. Here is my simple prayer: God help me to learn from the Apostle Paul how to ‘get purpose’ and how to ‘stay on purpose’. I’ll be paying attention tomorrow.

Posted in encouragement, happiness, mission, spirituality | Leave a comment