Unceasing Worship

We're moving...the Blog I mean!

2009-04-08T11:05:00.002-04:00

Hey Everyone,

In case you haven't heard yet us crazy Heerebouts have launched our new website (thanks to Advanced Ministry!). You can find us over at www.luvisaverb.com . Please update you RSS readers as this site is going dark for the sake of that one. Thanks for coming along on this part of the journey....I hope you'll join us for the next chapter!

I love Lincoln Brewster...

2009-04-07T21:35:00.004-04:00

Check this out...Linc has some great words for those of us trying to determine how to be artists and worshippers at the same time:

I love the WLA Arts Team

2009-04-06T18:38:00.001-04:00

For many reasons. Right now...because you're generous! My wife sent an email out last week calling for anyone who could help with a few dollars to fix someone's washing machine. And do you know what happened? We've got enough to buy a whole new washing machine! Awesome! Praise the Lord - the glory is His!

Put up or....

2009-04-03T10:11:00.000-04:00

I read this verse in Proverbs this morning: "many a man proclaims his own steadfast love, but a faithful man who can find?" I kind of feel God saying to me "Tim - don't talk about how much you love me; be faithful to love me".

Acting in love is way harder than saying I love something. I mean don't words just roll off our tongues so easily? But ask someone to act on what they say and the ante has just gone way up. People fold at that point. The stakes are too high and they're not willing to go the distance.

Those of us who claim to love and follow Christ need to set a radically high bar for faithfulness. I want to be faithful and I hope you do too. Let's put up, ok?

Less is More

2009-04-02T10:42:00.000-04:00

In God's economy less is often more. How many warnings are given to rich people? A lot. Those of us who have much are in danger of being tricked into a life of comfort that might seem like blessing but is actually inhibiting us from trusting God for everything.

Over the past few weeks we've purged some 40 boxes of "stuff" from our old house and moved into a basement suite for a time. I suppose that might look like a step backwards...back to a time like when we first got married and had nothing. In my mind...it's a giant leap forward. We're letting go of "stuff" and holding on to Jesus. Our lives are being changed... the less we have the more we see Jesus providing and taking care of us. I'm really grateful for this change in our lives and for what it represents. I pray God will continue to show us more as we live with less.

Cool off

2009-03-30T09:03:00.000-04:00

This post is directed specifically towards guys. I've been reading one Proverb every morning along with my other bible readings. I figured I would start to take seriously the command to "get wisdom" (Prov 4:5) and since Solomon is called the wisest man who ever lived and Proverbs is his instructions on wisdom it made sense to add this as part of my daily routine.

This morning I was reading in chapter 17 and in verse 27 is says "...and he who has a cool spirit is a man of understanding". I write this to men because I'm pretty sure having a cool spirit is one of those things men struggle with more than ladies. We tend to get mad quickly, don't we? Is it just me? Are you also one of the people who allow yourself to let the smallest things annoy you? Someone does something you don't like and all of a sudden you're in a rage? Or perhaps someone cuts you off on the road - what's your reaction? What's your wife's reaction? Let's not enter into the arena of sports... one only needs to reference church hockey and the argument would be over.

Men, if we're going to be wise, if we are going to get wisdom and understanding, we need to be of cooler heads. We need the Holy Spirit to work in us to control our tempers and make us into the kinds of leaders in our houses, communities, and churches that he means for us to be. I'll be praying for you as I pray for myself.

Keep your stick on the ice.

Be quiet...listen

2009-03-26T11:00:00.001-04:00

I've been reading through Proverbs lately. This morning I read chapter 15. There was a big, resounding message in there for me, hold your tongue and listen to people wiser than you. It likely doesn't surprise many people this is difficult for me. It however has been a reoccurring message for me this past 6 months. Slowly I'm getting it. Slowly.

I need Routine

2009-03-26T10:55:00.000-04:00

I've been neglecting the natural rhythms of life lately. The things I hold on to as anchors have been missing and I can see the effects. So, I'm going to start blogging again, even though I didn't mean to quite yet, because it's good for me. I hope some people read it but mostly I hope it helps to re-center me.

The silence

2009-03-09T13:47:00.000-04:00

I've gone largely silent lately. We've been really busy and there has been little time for blogging. I plan on getting back to it soon... probably later in the week. For now I just wanted to put a place holder up and let people know the silence isn't forever :)

A little help from our friends...

2009-02-23T14:18:00.000-05:00

King David had awesome friends. Second Samuel chapter 19 gives us all a reminder of friends we should aspire to have:

Joab: the kick you in the pants and tell it like it is friend. King David has just defeated Absalom, his son. It's the ultimate bittersweet moment. He gets the kingdom back and wins a great victory and his son dies. David weeps and mourns for Absalom - as he should. But in doing so David disses all of the men who risked and gave their lives on his behalf. Joab sees this and gives David the whatfor for the sake of those men who are now upset and confused by David's behavior. Do you have a friend who has the guts and perceptivity to kick you in the butt when you've wronged someone?

Mephisbosheth: the "I was so worried about you I didn't shower or shave for weeks" friend. Can you imagine having a friend so in love with you that when he or she knows times are bad for you they literally forget about themselves and focus exclusively on you?

Barzillai: the selfless friend. Barzillai is 80 years old. He wins the right to accompany David back and live in his court. Being so old he realizes that this blessing will be short lived at best - he can't take full advantage of it. He decides to ask David if his friend Chimham can take his place. WOW! In our individualistic society such acts of self denial and blessing are almost unheard of. This would be like a friend of yours getting tickets to game 7 of the Cup finals and realizing he can only go for two periods and instead of wasting the last period he gives the tickets to you - center ice, 3rd row (so the bench doesn't block your view).

Now comes the tough question: If I don't have people like this in my life, why not? How do I need to change to acquire such valuable relationships? It probably has something to do with becoming this sort of friend first.

That Mountainous Sermon

2009-02-19T16:31:00.000-05:00

Just finished reading Matthew 5. You know the chapter, right? The first part of the sermon on the mount. The part of this chapter that gets me starts at verse 21. You know this is where Jesus takes the law that we (people) were unable to keep and then steps it up another level...or 7 (since that's the number of levels God would most likely step something up...that or 40).

Jesus says "whoever is angry with his brother is liable to judgement". What? Seriously? At this point people are likely to say "but there's grace....God knows we can't live up to that standard. Whew...thank goodness for grace".

And then I wonder...is that really how God wants us to think about the words of Jesus? Is grace supposed to be a scapegoat for not really trying very hard? Or was he serious about making our standards so high that we'd seem somewhat off kilter to try and achieve them? I tend to think off kilter is where God wants us to be. At least, off of the kilter this messed up world and society is on. I'm pretty sure this is what Paul meant when he called us to be like the aliens and strangers talked about in Hebrews 11. People who, by faith, did the impossible and brought great glory to God. I think sometimes we look on those people and think "but those are the superheros of the faith...I can't be like them". Again I wonder if that's really how God means for us to read those stories or whether they are there to encourage and inspire us to trust that God can do in us the seemingly impossible to bring glory unto himself.

God's plan for us is to call us to a radically different, off kilter standard and to glorify himself through aliens. It's true, only by grace may we enter into all he has for us, but let's not make grace a scapegoat for living less radically than God means and diminishing the role we can play in bringing glory to his name by taking the easy way out.

Does anyone have $61,000?

2009-02-18T08:55:00.000-05:00

According to a study in 2006 $61,000 USD is what you need to have in personal assets to be counted in the top 10% of the wealthiest people in the world. I'd guess that most of the people I know qualify (this is the value of all the goods you own, your house, car, savings, RRSP's etc). I think I'm one of the worlds 10% wealthiest individuals. That can make me feel pretty good given what most people consider to be success. Then I read 1 John 3:17

"But if anyone has the world's goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God's love abide in him?" - Good question John.

Alan Hirsch says in "The Forgotten Ways" that (paraphrase) the false religion that most needs to be spoken against in the West is that of consumerism. I agree. Consumerism is killing our churches, families, souls and minds every day. Many people have exchanged God's economy for the world's, myself included.

It's so difficult to know how to break out of the cycle. I am praying that we all are increasingly made aware of the needs around us and freed from the desire of things so that God might continue to work in us, making us fit for the the calling of his Children and ambassador's to this broken world and consumerist culture.

These Sandals were made for walkin' (in)

2009-02-16T14:29:00.000-05:00

You know the poem "Footprints"? Of course you do. It's an inspirational image of how God is always with us and how he carries us through some of life's hardest times. I think someone should write a sequel.

I'm reading from 1 John right now and in chapter 2 John says "anyone who says he abides in him ought to walk the same way in which he walked". Can you see the footprints in the sand, stretching out across the beach? This time they're not an image of your life and God's faithfulness - this time they're calling you to a life of witness, self-sacrifice, influence for the sake of the cross, adventure and danger. The path probably looks like to goes right over the edge of a cliff or into the turbulent waters of the ocean in the midst of a storm. Even so the image calls you forward...

I want to live this life. Wherever the footprints of Christ lead me, however the cause me to live, I want to walk in them, mimicking the pattern they've left as closely as possible. Not only that, but I want my life to be spent in encouraging as many people as I can to follow with a similar reckless abandon. Consider this one of many invitations to get on the path and follow the footprints.

Would you Appeal to Caesar? (Acts 26)

2009-02-11T18:59:00.000-05:00

I've always been fascinated by this story. So here is Paul, likely able to go free and he instead chooses to appeal to Caesar. He knows God has work for him in Rome. His choice will likely lead to imprisonment and/or death for wasting Caesar's time but he obeys. It's one of the ultimate examples of self sacrifice for the sake of the gospel. It's an example we should all follow. The question to ask ourselves is - would we?

God is unbelievable.

2009-02-10T23:10:00.001-05:00

God is simply unbelievable...unless you are experiencing his power first hand. I am. I am overwhelmed by his kindness and provision in my life. More to come.

Grace

2009-02-07T12:28:00.000-05:00

In light of the mercy of Christ shouldn't we all be filled with grace? Far too often I find myself ready to lash out at someone because they're "in the wrong" and want to fix them.

God does the fixing and we are called to do the loving.

That doesn't mean we don't encourage and at times rebuke but it does mean that if I'm doing it to make myself feel better or to vindicate myself then I'm not showing grace.

I can't judge anyone's motives but my own. I know I fail at this often and I know I want to stop failing at it. True spiritual growth comes when we stop trying to fix each other and we let God do the fixing.

Answered Prayers

2009-02-06T11:50:00.000-05:00

God answers prayer. How do I know? Let me tell you a story and then I'll tell you what my prayer was.

This morning I met a friend at a coffee shop in St. Thomas. I arrived a bit early and sat down in close proximity to another man who was intently watching TV. As I pulled out a book he began talking to me. I was happy to talk with him while I waited and we quickly got to the business of what I did for a living. I told him that I worked at a church (I don't always lead with that... it's become a matter of discernment but it felt right today) and I could tell that made him a bit uncomfortable. We continued to talk and then my friend came and so we ended the conversation and I turned my attention to my friend.

The new conversation quickly got to church stuff and about 5 minutes in I made this comment: "God is in control of everything". My new friend, who I discovered is called George, asked if we really believed that. The following 40 minutes were an intense spiritual conversation with a highly skeptical, been there done that, guy who is a practicing homosexual. He started off highly offensive and then calmed as he began to realize I wasn't going to bash him or call him out but simply wanted to admit some of the faults of those who claim to follow Christ but really don't and find out what he believed about God. All in all, it was a very productive conversation.

Yesterday I asked for prayer 2 separate times that God would give me opportunities to actively engage in evangelism. He answers prayer... now I'm going to pray God would let me cross paths with George again and continue the work we started. Praise God!

Some thoughts on "Missional" church

2009-02-05T09:04:00.000-05:00

I'll admit that the whole "missional" church movement holds some appeal for me. Maybe it's just the thought that a whole church could be built on the mission of Jesus and it's central purpose be the mobilize its members to fulfill that mission or perhaps its the newness of it but there is a certain amount of appeal to the whole thing.

To learn more about the movement I've been reading a book by Alan Hirsch called "The Forgotten Ways". So far I've only read the first 2 chapters (plus foreword and introduction) but I'm picking up on Alan's main assertion that the church needs to get back to a system much more akin to the early church than to the religious system we've come to depend on. In this I am not sure he's entirely wrong but so far I've got at least one problem with us reverting to a "house church" mentality.

The cultural context of the first century church was vastly different than ours. I think it's wrong to assume that we could simply look at how the early church grew and apply it to the 21st century and see the same results. Alan would point to the church in China as an example of this system working in the modern world. Again, totally different cultural context. I don't know that loosely organized house churches are the best result of a radical rethinking of the church.

I think that the church in North America does need to begin to think much more like missionaries in a foreign culture than it currently does. If we fail to recognize that this culture is vastly different from the one inside the walls of the church and we don't begin to come to them instead of insisting that they come to us we will fail to be all that we can be by God's power. God's kingdom does need people with the courage to try new things on behalf of the kingdom. There's just something about house church that doesn't jive with me and I can't see jiving with a number of other people in our society - even those who aren't church people.

No matter the cost...

2009-02-03T15:23:00.000-05:00

In Acts chapter 21 the apostle Paul is warned by a prophet that he will be bound and imprisoned if he continues on to Jerusalem. Paul's friends try to dissuade him from going but Paul, sure of his call, goes anyhow. And what happens... Paul gets bound and put in prison.

The more I read the bible with my eyes wide open the more I believe there is no such thing as a good theology that promises safety. When God calls us out to follow Him it's far more likely that we'll encounter suffering than safety. The question I'm asking myself these days is why does my life seem so safe if I'm really following God?

Innocent or not?

2009-02-03T10:05:00.000-05:00

Sometimes I stumble across a verse in the bible that completely blows me over. Yesterday once such occurrence happened. I've been reading through the book of Acts lately and trying to really pay attention to what is said, believing the things described and said in the book of Acts is a real example of how we as Christians should live in the context of the church and not just some amazing things that happened in the life of the early church.

So in the context of really paying attention I ran across this verse:

"Therefore I testify to you this day that I am innocent of your blood of all of you, for I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole council of God." - 20:26,27

And then it hit me - if Paul was innocent of their blood because he had been faithful to preach the gospel, aren't we going to be held accountable for those to whom we did not preach the gospel?

Maybe it's easy to think that this accountability only applies to preachers or teachers. I mean Paul was quoting Ezekiel who meant the verse to apply to prophets, right? Well yes but I think when we learned that there is now a "priesthood of the saints" that the communication of the gospel became all of our responsibility. It's probably true that not all of us have the same number of people we're responsible to communicate the gospel to but I'm quite sure we all have a responsibility.

So the question we need to ask is are we innocent of the blood of those we're going to be held accountable for? I'm sure I have more people I need to share the whole gospel with.

#5 Service

2009-01-27T16:33:00.000-05:00

It seems every few years the church looks for ways to reinvent itself. Personally I think its necessary and will be something we need to do more often as culture continues to shift and change at an increasingly rapid pace.

At the same time we often shift away from things that we should always be doing and then God reminds us, often through the cry of the culture, that we need to return to a biblical mindset on the mandate of the church. Once upon a time the church was the main vehicle for addressing issues of social justice, poverty and brokenness. The evangelical church especially has abdicated it's role in showing the mercy of Christ to the world through community service and tangible love.

People are becoming more and more aware of the problems around them and they're wondering... is the church going to rise to the challenge of addressing these issues? Are these people who say they follow Christ going to get serious about this part of the gospel. A friend of mine who teaches sociology of religion at the university level thinks this is the primary way in which the church can and should grow in the immediate future.

God has really gripped my heart in the past couple of years for addressing the needs of the marginalized and broken. It's sad that it has taken me 2 years to really take action but by God's grace I want 2009 to be the year of change in my own life, that more of my time would be spent serving those people who need it most whether through partnerships with groups like YFC (tonight is my first night working on the bus) or through short term missions I want to be addressing the needs and encouraging others to do all they can (ALL they can) to do the same.

What do you think of my friend's opinion? How vital is it for the church to address these issues? Do you think it will really lead to a greater ability for us to share the gospel and get in on the work God is doing in our friend's lives?

Also, I'd love to know what any of you are doing to serve the poor these days? I know many WLA small groups do service projects on occasion... is anyone doing things up and beyond those opportunities?

read this

2009-01-22T13:16:00.000-05:00

and tell me what you think. It was written by Mark Batterson of National Community Church fame on his blog evotional.com:

I think the modern church has fixated on sins of commission. Don't do this and don't do that and you're alright. But that's not alright. Why? Because goodness is not the absence of badness. You can do nothing wrong and still do nothing right. That is why we're more known for what we're against than what we're for. Christianity was never intended to be a noun. It was meant to be a verb. It is sins of omission, those things we could have, would have, or should have done for the cause of Christ, that grieve our Heavenly Father. We've got to quit playing defense and start playing offense. We need to quit fighting amongst ourselves and start loving our enemies. We need to quit pointing out problems and become part of the solution. Discipleship is so much more than the accumulation of rote knowledge. It's a sanctified imagination that dreams God-sized dreams. It is a heart that breaks for the things that break the heart of God. It's not enough to create our own sub-culture. We desperately need to raise up a generation that feels called to culture-shaping professions as God-ordained vocations. We cannot reduce the gospel to the forgiveness of sins. It's about glorifying God by maximizing our God-given potential and serving our God-ordained purpose. It can't just be about creeds. It's got to be about deeds. It can't just be about us. It's got to be about others. We need the courage to stand up for what's right in a culture where nothing is wrong. But we need to do it in a spirit of humility. We need the courage to incarnate the gospel in creative ways. But we need to do it in a spirit of authenticity. And we need the courage to preach the truth, the whole truth, nothing but the truth. But we need to do it in a spirit of grace.

This pretty much sums up where I am these days.

Personal Evangelism pt.2

2009-01-22T10:46:00.000-05:00

I wanted to add to this post 2 ways this is working out in my life.

1. Back in November I decided to act on inspiration from Pastor Mike and start running with lost people. He stole the idea from Bill Hybels so I think it's ok that I copied him. I started running on Saturday mornings and have recently (like this week) decided to make it Wed and Sat runs that I'll do with them. I hope in doing so I'll earn the right to tell them about Jesus.

2. Melissa, Layla, and I are going to be serving with the YFC Streetlight ministry on Tuesday evenings. The critical part of this for me was that we had to choose not to take part 2 of the most helpful parenting class ever, with 2 families we've come to love, in order to get started in this ministry. We decided that the content is accessible at home and the fellowship could be had at some other time. This specific time of the week we want to set aside to serve the poor and speak about Jesus to others.

Maybe those ideas inspire you. Maybe not. I'd encourage you though, come up with your own ways of spending time with the lost. One thought I've been pondering lately, inspired by Francis Chan, is this: maybe we should take literally the call to "love you neighbor as yourself". Maybe that doesn't sound like it fits so let me explain my thought here. See, I am a member of the body of Christ. I'm supposed to be of one mind and spirit with those who are members of my church. In many ways loving them is like loving myself... or should be... or is when everyone is working from a biblical mindset ;) So if loving the church is mostly like loving myself then loving my neighbor becomes much more about loving those outside the church. What if I took that literally? Spend as much time loving the lost as you doing loving those in the church? What would that look like? Could I do it? It seems to me worth trying, even if I don't split things 50/50 I bet by trying I'd be closer to God's design than I am now...

#4 Personal Evangelism

2009-01-22T10:19:00.000-05:00

Here's the deal. I firmly believe that all Christians should be actively engaged in personal evangelism. Spending time with people who don't acknowledge Jesus as Lord with the intention of sharing the Good News with them and helping them come to faith. It should be as essential as reading the Word. You can not convince me that evangelism is the responsibility of the few. It is the responsibility of the many.

Here's the problem: me. I believe it in my heart and then choose not to act. How many of us are in that boat when it comes to engaging in the mission of Jesus? we believe it with our minds and live "the faith" without acting "in faith"?

Here's the solution: me... and you! In 2009 I pledge to significantly reprioritize my free time to spend with those who are far from God. I am going to seek opportunities to be with people who don't know the joy, hope and love of Jesus and ask God boldly to work on my behalf while I'm in their midst. I am going to seek to be a man after God's heart, willing to share his story with people and serve those who must be served by the members of the Church. I know this will mean some tough choices... choosing to spend time with people I barely know before those I know and love deeply. I hope they will understand. By the grace and power of God I hope to deepen my impact for the expansion of his Kingdom AND the deepening of the fellowship of His saints.

#3 Investment

2009-01-21T23:07:00.000-05:00

It's late but I wanted to write this today. I've become convinced that the greatest thing I can do with my life is to make sure other people are successful and reach their potential. In 2009, I want to spend the majority of my time investing in other people, helping them to reach their God -given potential. I've come to understand the doctrine of Imago Dei differently and my role as a leader completely differently. I won't go into a long discourse right now as I plan on talking about this at a meeting on January 31st and so don't want to steal my own thunder but suffice to say God has placed on my heart this passion and I want to take it as serious as anything in my life.

#2 Intentionality

2009-01-20T09:51:00.000-05:00

"Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit”— yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes." James 4:13-14

I am a futurist. That is to say I'm always thinking about what is coming down the pipe. I embrace this part of who I am and believe it's a gift God has given me that I need to use. It also can get me into trouble. Sometimes by looking into the future I miss the magic of the moment I'm living. This happens to me when I forget to be intentional about every moment of life and not just the ones that look into the future.

James tells us that our life is a mist. Not exactly an inspiring thought in some respects is it? I know it's meant for the increase of our humility and I want to embrace that and yet it also puts into me a sense of urgency. Every moment counts. If life is a mist then moments are the particles of moisture that make up that mist. The sun is rising and the moisture is constantly being burned away. Soon the mist will be gone.

I think each particle of moisture can be used to water something - to give life to someone or something. The moisture is given to us to use before it burns away. It's entrusted to us. My fear is that my moisture is being burned up before I get to use it for growth.

If I'm intentional - if I look for the divine opportunity in every moment and see God's given opportunity to invest my moisture in something every moment of every day then I believe my life will count. The vapor created as my life burns away will be more akin to a fragrant offering unto God then steam rising from a kettle that no one is watching boil.

I want every moment of 2009 to be used intentionally. Every action. Every ministry focus. Every time I spend resting or playing with my daughter or loving my wife. My prayer for 2009 is that it is a year characterized by intentionality.

#1 Generosity

2009-01-19T14:18:00.001-05:00

So begins my week of posts on my goals for 2009:

Let's be clear about something: Heerebout is a dutch name. If there is one thing the dutch are famous for it is how cheap we are. In fact last night I was at a certain watering hole with my friend Andrew VanderPloeg, who is also dutch, in fact Big Dutch is the nickname I gave him, and while reaching for something in my pocket a penny dropped onto the floor. I was inclined to let the penny go whilst appearing not to care by my comment "it's only a penny" but Andrew, truer to his heritage than I, felt a sense of loss as he watched the penny role away and in his own defense said "yeah, but I'm dutch". Every penny counts.

Added to my personal pedigree is a good dose of Scottish blood from my mother's side. The Scots aren't exactly known for burning money either.

All of this adds up to a man who has a tight string on his coin purse.

Then there is Jesus and his teachings. I know in my heart that God desires his followers to be the most generous people on the planet. He is honored when we give deeply and with Joy.

I have two heroes when it comes to giving. My wife and my mother-in-law. They give without hesitation and love to do so. It's their language of love to others. They challenge my dutchness constantly. I see the values of Jesus embodied in their gifts and sacrifices. It was Mel's idea for us to leave a huge amount of things in Cuba as a gift to our housekeeper. It was Karen (MIL) who gave us money to buy things for the kids we'd encounter in Cuba. Leaving our clothes and shoes in our room in a neat pile with a thank-you note and giving that duffle bag of toys to a house church who could get them out to needy kids are likely the two memories that will stick with me longest from our trip. The joy of the Lord was felt in my heart as we gave.

So my first goal for 2009 is to become more generous. Not so I can keep up with my wife or so I look like a good person but so that I am not one of the rich men who can't fit through to eye of a needle. So that God is honored as I seek to give more things away. So that I can experience the full joy God means for my life to have.

To get set up for next week...

2009-01-18T14:35:00.000-05:00

If you happen to read the blog recently I'd encourage you... listen to the song "The Way I was Made" by Chris Tomlin. It kind of hit me how much like my New Year's goals the lyrics are. I'm going to share with you my 5 goals for 2009 next week.

So I lied...

2009-01-14T06:32:00.001-05:00

Actually I simply did not know the truth. Upon arriving at our hotel I discovered that they did not have wireless internet access... just by the hour internet at the low low price of 10 pesos (roughly 12 CND) per hour! So I resorted to checking email quickly and tweeting. In any case we had a great week. I'll be sure to get back and blog some of my thoughts as time permits. Cuba is a very interesting country, what with a communist government and their history with the former Soviet Union. I got the chance to spend time in Havana on Sunday with some "workers" who I know there and we visited 2 house churches as well as got a guided tour of the city. As is always the case there are great needs. More to come.

Viva la Vacation!

2009-01-04T21:39:00.000-05:00

Well we're just about packed and ready to head to Cuba for vacation. I'm looking forward to a week of time with my girls and time to dream and plan for this coming year. I hope everyone has a great time. I'm planning on blogging, Tweeting, and Facebooking regularly although it will be musch more frivolous content than usual. Just to give you a perspective, here is a shot of our hotel pool...

A stream of thought to begin the year...

2009-01-02T08:23:00.000-05:00

God, in your image we've been created
Men, Women, all of us
IN YOUR IMAGE

I pray that your children
Will see
See ALL of your children

See potential and beauty
Love the seemingly unlovely
There is something of you in everyone

Every person can become amazing
Our worth is found in you
Children are a product of their parents

You are our Father
You've shown us your desires
Your young children learn from your oldest Son

Will we obey
Follow
Abandon
Innovate
Create
Become
merciful
sacrificial
LOVE

Being Prepared

2008-12-31T11:38:00.000-05:00

Likely the thing most crucial to our success in life (outside of God's will making you successful) is being prepared. I'll confess that I kind of like the rush of doing things last minute but that's probably one of my greatest weaknesses. It plays out in forgetting to do things related to my job and also in my spiritual life. Sometimes I think I let the thrill of working on the fly cover the reality that I should be prepared with prayer and time with God.

As I've spent the morning trying to prepare for a week of vacation it seems to me that one of my goals for 2009 should be to prepare more diligently - both in work tasks and my spiritual life. It's not that I don't prepare most of the time - I'm quite a bit more diligent and steady at spending time with God and administrative tasks than I ever have been and yet I know I could be better. So off with procrastinating and on with "the new self" :)

Reframing New Year's Resolutions

2008-12-30T14:35:00.000-05:00

I've never been a New Year's Resolver. In days gone by I've had a pretty low view of those who make NYR's. I believe this mostly comes from my experience with the kinds of resolutions people make and how often they are kept. I mean, hardly anyone makes them to begin with and those who do tend to stick with things like lose weight, exercise more, watch less TV or even the ever so nobel read my bible or pray more. Those resolutions are good ones to make but it seems to me that the percentage of people who keep their resolutions is about negative 10 to the ninth power. In other words, practically no one.

I think it's because we need to reframe NYR's. See, because so many people fail to take the resolutions seriously we fail to take them seriously - at least that's my theory. So my solution is to come up with a list of goals I want to accomplish in 2009. I know, I know - what's the difference? Nothing in reality. But practically sometimes renaming something flips a switch in our minds and gets us to think differently and act differently.

So, what about you? Are you a successful resolver or are you like me and need to reframe? Either way I've come to think that setting goals for your year is a really good thing. Its highly unlikely that you'll become the person you mean to become or more correctly the person God wants you to become if you don't spend some time thinking about what that looks like and how you're going to get there. Perhaps you could start with the traditional catergories: spiritual and physical. Set a goal for each of those and if you achieve them you'll be much better off at the end of 2009.

Submit to your leaders...no matter how far away they live

2008-12-29T09:49:00.000-05:00

Yesterday at WLA Mike preached a sermon on New Year's Resolution and suggested three people that you might want to study/emulate this year in an effort to move your life closer to what God would want for you. I think this can be a really way to conform your life to the image God has in mind for you. The Bible makes it clear that this is something we should do:

"Remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God. Consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith."

Our world is so small now. The internet makes it easy for us to have spiritual leaders who impact us greatly but live thousands of miles away. I'd like to share with you the top four distance leaders in my life this year and hope that these men would inspire, challenge and encourage you this year.

1) Erwin McManus: Erwin is lead pastor and "cultural architect" (love that title) at Mosaic in Los Angeles. I love Erwin's passion for challenging us to become and influencer of culture and to become all that we can be in Christ.

2) Francis Chan: I first got to hear Francis speak at the Willow Arts Conference this past June. His message touched me deeply. I bought his book Crazy Love immediately. It's a call for us to consider Christ's radical call to love people with everything we have as more than metaphor. To take it literally. Beware... this book WILL mess you up.

3) Mark Driscoll: Mark is reformed theology for the postmodern man. He has much to read and emulate but recently he did a sermon series on Song of Solomon called "The Peasant Princess". This series on marriage as God intended should be required viewing (available through iTunes under Mars Hill's video podcast) for everyone thinking of ever getting married. Honestly, that's not hyperbole - the advice throughout that series has changed my marriage in ways that I could never thank Mark enough for.

4) Andy Stanley: the son of Charles Stanley continues to do his name sake proud. I think Andy is putting out leadership material as awesome as Willow was putting out in the mid 90's. Any book by Andy is worth reading. However, his podcasts are equally awesome. Andy has a knack for condensing a whole sermon into one memorable phrase that sticks with you and changes your thinking. Adding him to your weekly routine will allow God room to relevantly and practically change your life.

So there - four men who, despite their distance, very much feel like friends and mentors. Perhaps they won't all work for you but I'd wager adding any of them to your 2009 routines will inspire and challenge you in ways you'd be glad of when we start partying like it's 2010.

So my Mac Crashed for the first time...

2008-12-26T18:38:00.000-05:00

... because I tried to install MSN Messenger ;)

So this is Christmas

2008-12-25T21:53:00.000-05:00

And I'm wondering...what have you done? Tell me your greatest Christmas moment of 2008.

Ever wonder if your role is important?

2008-12-23T17:49:00.000-05:00

Have you ever showed up on a Sunday morning and wondered whether or not you're really needed? Sometimes the music doesn't really need another instrument, does it? Or perhaps another vocal seems one too many? Or maybe your technical position seems to be totally redundant or unappreciated. I think these are pretty natural thoughts perhaps especially at 7am when we'd way rather be in our warm bed.

This past weekend illustrated to me why each role is invaluable even when at first glance you might not think you're needed. Take the role we call service manager. This past weekend I had no role (which is an odd thing) and scheduled a service manager. I do this for a couple of reasons not the least of which is just getting to mingle more with the people of the church and to worship with my wife on occasion. This past weekend was a pretty basic service and to be honest I had second thoughts about dragging our service manager out of bed. I could have done the job, mingled, and sat with my wife the whole service. I left her on the schedule anyhow and in hindsight, I'm totally glad I did.

we ended up having a huge computer problem 20 minutes before the service, things started late and we still had no video for 20 minutes. I was stressed. Our service manager did an amazing job and I couldn't have done the job without her!

So what's my point? This: sometimes you can't see the ways in which you will be a blessing to someone until you're there and you give God the chance to take your role and effect life change in someone else. Sometimes the line you play as a part of the band stands out and inspires someone to worship God all the louder. That extra voice? Maybe its the sound God uses to remind us of His presence through a felt emotion and the medium through which His wonder is experienced. You may never know how much the service you offer is used by God but I'd be willing to bet this has been true of you when you least expected it.

Strengths Finder 2.0 says I am...

2008-12-19T09:01:00.000-05:00

Strategic
Futuristic
Achiever
Learner
Individualization (which means identifying and deploying people where they are uniquely gifted)

Those of you who know me - do you think this is true?

Honestly... I think Canadians have much to learn from Americans

2008-12-18T22:23:00.000-05:00

I know I said this (or something like it)after I got back from Washington but it popped into my head again today. This time its regarding our relationship to God. I'm not going to talk here about how much more culturally acceptable it is to be Christian in the US than in Canada but I'm going to address and underlying problem between the average American Xian and that of Canada: we don't believe God is as big in Canada as he is in the US.

I love our country. I love the church. Above both of those I love God and love seeing him made much of. I feel like often times we acknowledge God, give him a tip of the hat but we don't look at Him as the God who moves mountains... who's Spirit moves in power and who can do "immeasurably more" in our lives and country. Canadians are too polite for that. I think the biblical term is lukewarm. We don't claim promises because it would be presumptuous. We don't dream big because its not humble enough. We don't ask because we don't think we're worthy to receive. Let us remember... we bear the image of God as much as our American friends and as such, our potential is as enormous as theirs.

I don't want to be an American. I don't think America is a better country. I do think we need passionate Canadians to care about God's image in this country. More rightly understood, we need to respond to God's call to be effective ambassadors of Him in this land. We need to take risks, get outside our comfort zones, engage culture and win souls for the kingdom of God. Let us not be doomed to be spit out of the mouth of our Lord but to be embraced as those who did well and with whom he is well pleased.

What's the first thing you think of...

2008-12-15T08:28:00.001-05:00

...when you watch this?

Me? How will the church leverage this and change its methods for the Kingdom?

Featured Blog Fridays: Flowerdust.net

2008-12-12T15:55:00.000-05:00

Anne is a social netowrking genious. She also has a huge heart for the poor. Put them together and you get a self-made (well God made but you know) activist.

Check out Flowerdust

Unity - there's power there

2008-12-11T14:22:00.000-05:00

Last week's big news was the whole coalition government hoopla. Suddenly the man who did the worst campaign in Canadian history was poised to take over leadership of the country. Why? Supposed unity between the three opposing parties. However, it now seems Dion was not able to hold the coalition in unity and now it's old news.

The power of unity is an amazing thing. If you want to make a statement you can. If you want your statement to be noticed, make it with all the other like minded people you can find. All of your individual statements can do not hold the same weight as one unified statement from all of you together. This hit me as I received about 7 invites to various Facebook groups protesting the coalition. It seems to me that searching for a group that already exists and joining with them would have been better than every 5 minutes another group popping up. Chances are the one big group, unified in purpose, would have created a bigger stir than the 20 groups with 10 members each.

The church could learn this lesson too I think. Jesus desired unity for us. He prayed for it for us probably because he knew we'd fail miserably at it save by His power and grace. It seems to me we'd get a lot more done if unity was our goal. Too often churches see each other as competition not as co-laborers.

I really like what Lifechurch.tv started in its One Prayer campaign. I'd encourage you, find ways by which you can be united with more Christians. The is power in unity.

Some great ideas for changing a life at Christmas

2008-12-11T10:08:00.001-05:00

I really think we as Christians should look to leverage our Christmas giving to change lives at Christmas time. At WLA we're supporting many ministries not the least of which is Advent Conspiracy. Giving money to a cause instead of to a scarf of questionable significance is one way to change a life through giving.

I also think there are certain gifts you can give that might help stimulate life change. For me, books are a particularly good way to get me thinking and so I thought I'd do a list of the top 10 books that are changing my heart and mind. All of these books are available on Amazon for a reasonable amount of money...

Crazy Love by Francis Chan
Wild Goose Chase by Mark Batterson
Unceasing Worship by Harold Best
The Barbarian Way by Erwin McManus
Unchristian by David Kinnaman
Visioneering by Andy Stanley
In a Pit WIth a Lion on a Snowy Day by Mark Batterson
Expositions of Romans by Martyn Lloyd Jones
God is the Gospel by John Piper
The ESV Study BIble

I've read all of these books this year and each one presented me with much to think about and grow from. I'd wholeheartedly recommend any of them to the believer on your list!

Featured Blog Fridays: Lifehacker

2008-12-05T16:30:00.000-05:00

This one falls kind of outside of the general scope of the purpose for this blog but just in case some of you are as geeky as me: www.lifehacker.com is worth the look.

You have to love C.S. Lewis

2008-12-02T14:50:00.000-05:00

... and not just cause its cool for Christians to like him. Lewis is one of the greatest Christian minds in history...or so I have come to think. Here's a quote I read today that resonates with me right now:

"We need to be reminded more than instructed."

Do you find that to be true? Isn't it so easy to forget the simplest things you've already been taught and apply them, let alone adding more to your mound of knowledge? Would we be better representatives of Christ if we worked on knowing and applying just some simple truths? What's your take? How does this thought impact you?

World AIDS Day

2008-12-01T13:01:00.000-05:00

Today is World AIDS Day. AIDS is one of the worst epidemics in human history and one of the churches greatest opportunities to show the love of Christ and his passion for justice to our world. My heart has been broken for Sub-Saharan Africa. I hope to visit and serve there sooner than later. Would you pray for those afflicted by this epidemic and for the church as it seeks to show love?

To learn more about the scope of this problem visit CBCNews.ca

Featured Blog Fridays: Xpiritmental

2008-11-28T11:10:00.000-05:00

Our friends over at Electricurrent recently start a blog which, despite it's anti-Mac flavor recently, I gladly draw your attention to. They write well and I just like them all (especially you Andrew ;) )

Check it out

Doh...

2008-11-28T10:57:00.000-05:00

I wrote and posted (or so I thought) a whole blog post yesterday about our philosophies and actions lining up with regards to our money. Maybe its best I didn't post it. In any case the simple question is do you think you are spending you money as wisely as Jesus would want? This is yet another question coming to me via Francis Chan that is just wrecking me in the best way possible.

Running with the Lost

2008-11-25T17:56:00.000-05:00

Well I've officially been around Mike Wilkins too much. Ok maybe not too much... just enough to start adopting some of his actions as my own. Some of you may or may not know that I've been running off and on for 3 years now. In June I started running regularly and now I run about 36km a week.

When I started looking at ways in which my philosophies don't line up with my actions I realized that my commitment to personal evangelism had all but dried up since moving to London. There are some reasons for that but none that are good enough to stand in the way of me taking action now.

So what did I do? I decided to go over to the local running shop here in St. Thomas and strike up a relationship. I purchased my new jacket for winter running from them and then asked about running clubs they have. On Saturday morning I went running with them for the first time. I couldn't stay for too long afterward but I was glad to go and meet a few people.

I honestly believe every Christian should be intentionally spending time with those who don't know Christ. We all have time. We all are commanded to. There is no excuse... I think I've tried them all.

Today's questions: What are you doing to spend time with those who need to hear about Jesus? In what ways might you be making excuses that need to be overcome?

The difference between philosophy and action

2008-11-24T07:45:00.000-05:00

Recently I was challenged by a statement much like this: "I don't care about your philosophy, I care about what you ARE doing".

Actions speak louder than words. Our core values are reflected in how we spend our time, not how well we can articulate our stand on some issue or another. We can easily go through life nodding our head in agreement with good ideas and stirring messages but the bottom line is that if we don't act on our agreement then we might as well not agree at all.

James 2:14 reminds us that "Faith without works is dead". DEAD. In our pursuit of holiness we need to remember that its not just enough to work on what we think is right and wrong. We need to reflect what we believe in how we steward our resources. Our time. Our money. Our houses. Everything we have should be a reflection of what we believe. If its not then maybe we need to act on making it so.

One of the greatest complaints about the church these days is that we're hypocritical. The up and coming generation looks at the greater majority of us and see that our life is out of sync with what we say we believe. We don't look enough like Jesus as he is described in the bible. People are infectiously attracted to Jesus. They aren't infectiously attracted to us. Why? I think the answer is often obvious... the question is, what are you and I willing to do about it.

Here's the question I'd like us to discuss today... In what ways are you personally convicted about moving beyond philosophy and toward action?

My wife sure knows how to treat her husband

2008-11-17T09:03:00.000-05:00

So I'm sitting in what is perhaps my favorite place in the whole world. Niagara-on-the-Lake is amazing. We've been here no less than 5 times since we moved to London because its just so relaxing. Mel and I always spend great time dreaming here. It gets us away from work for a while which, no matter how much you love work, is a good thing :) So when I found out on Friday that Mel had booked us into our favorite place here, Cecile's House as a surprise, well, I was pretty thrilled :)

I'm realizing more and more the power or a good marriage. One where each person is putting aside their own wants to serve the other. I guess its easy to say that given how much I've been served this week but I hope the Lord will help me to be as much a servant to Mel as she is to me.

Praise God from whom all blessings flow.

And something to entertain you...

2008-11-14T10:21:00.001-05:00

Several people I know could use a good laugh. I sincerely hope this works for you:

Featured Blog Fridays: Stuff Christians Like

2008-11-14T07:54:00.000-05:00

The sheer volume of material Jon Acuff posts makes his blog worth mentioning. If that weren't enough then Stuff Christians Like is worth mentioning because the content falls into one of two categories:

a) Hilarious. Most of the posts are just plain funny. Please, leave stuffiness at the door because much of this is poking light hearted fun at silly things churches do... but having grown up in the church I can think back on occasions that illustrate most of Jon's point.

b) Impacting. On occasion Jon just nails you with an insightful post to bring your day into focus.

This balance is why I love reading (or maybe wading) through SCL's blog. I hope you enjoy it!

Unceasing Worship pt4 - Authentic Worship

2008-11-13T10:31:00.000-05:00

Here's a quote from page 75 of Harold Best's book Unceasing Worship:

"The church desperately needs and artistic reformation that accomplishes two things at once: first, it takes music out of the limelight and puts Christ and his Word back into prominence; and second, it strives creatively for a synthesis of new, old and crosscultural styles."

How does that hit you? When you come to worship, is the music in the limelight or Christ? Is Christ's glory preeminent in your mind or is the creation of music? Does it matter more that Christ was glorified or if we did a good job? I ask myself these questions more desperately than I ask them of you. Authentic worship is first concerned about the glory of God and not the style or excellence of the music. Those questions need to be asked but if they are primary and Christ is not, we're missing the mark.

And what of a synthesis of styles? How much should we focus on this? Should we focus on it more? Can any church really be good at truly blending styles? Understand, we're not just talking hymns mixed with the new stuff but Best is suggesting music from around the world has a place in our services. How would that make us feel?

These kinds of questions are prevelant in the minds of people at our church right now. Perhaps these are some of the most practical questions we need to be asking. I am glad we're wrestling with them and I pray that we won't be crippled by the asking of them but to hear from God where he wants us to land and then move forward in confidence.

So what about it? Where do you think we need to do better? How are we succeeding at this? Weigh in!

Wow...I think I'm getting lazy

2008-11-12T12:12:00.000-05:00

I realize that I haven't been blogging much lately. Sorry about that. Tomorrow I will write part three of "Unceasing Worship". For now, let me direct you attention to this quote I've been mulling over from Seth Godin's blog under the title "The Sad Lie of Mediocrity":

Doing 4% less does not get you 4% less.

Doing 4% less may very well get you 95% less.

Wow.

So in keeping with the theme of this blog I'd ask all of you Christ followers - are you inclined to fall for the sad lie of mediocrity? Are you like me and sometimes want to think "its for the church... its good enough". I wish my actions always matched up with my convictions but they don't. However, I do believe with all of my heart that God DESERVES and DEMANDS the best we have to offer. I'm going to try to dig 4% deeper... not so God will love me more but because he is worth it.

Featured Blog Fridays: Fuel by Barbara

2008-11-07T09:16:00.001-05:00

Did you know that WLA's very own Barbara Postma is also a blogger? I really love reading Barb's blog because it's thoughtful, creative, relevant and BIblical. I'd encourage you to go on over and check out her thoughts as well at Fuel.

I think I'm going to make this a regular thing... to point you to a different blog on Fridays where I hope you can glean some nugget of truth to help you be closer to Christ on a day to day basis.

America Votes and John Piper makes us think

2008-11-04T10:12:00.000-05:00

I saw this video yesterday and thought it was worth sharing on election day. It's got some interesting thoughts in it and being that Piper always seems to have a great Godly perspective, I hope it gives us all something to chew on today and to inform our thoughts as we watch the events of today unfold

Advent Conspiracy

2008-11-03T12:42:00.000-05:00

I truly believe that the greatest problem facing the North American church is that the people who call themselves a part of it do not look significantly different than those who are on the outside. We have been called to a radically different life than most of society and yet we (yes I am keenly aware this includes me) simply go on living the same life as everyone else with the exception that I got to church regularly. For a really great book on this read Unchristian.

As I think about how my own life needs to change in order to reflect the radical transformation that I know Christ calls me to and enables me for my love for material things is a hugely practical way that I can change. God really started to speak to me about this about a month ago. I'm taking some practical steps to be more in line with where I think he wants me to be. However, when I watched this video I was really convicted. I think Christmas would look much differently for my family if I'd seen this a few months ago (yay for being on top of shopping and budgeting this year...boo for not listening more closely to God).

Gets you right in the gut huh? So what are you going to do about it? It'd be great to hear some ways we can all see Christmas differently or how you've already been taking steps to remove the love of things from your life.

A prayer we could all pray...and me most of all

2008-11-01T13:03:00.001-04:00

Lord, make me an instrument of Thy peace;
Where there is hatred,
let me sow love;
Where there is injury,
pardon;
Where there is error,
the truth;
Where there is doubt,
the faith;
Where there is despair,
hope;
Where there is darkness,
light;
And where there is sadness,
joy.

O Divine Master,
Grant that I may not so much seek
To be consoled,
as to console;
To be understood,
as to understand;
To be loved
as to love.

For it
is in giving
that we receive;
It is in pardoning
that we are pardoned;
And it
is in dying that we are born to eternal life.

Amen.

St. Francis

Unceasing Worship; Unity and Mutual Indwelling

2008-10-31T15:02:00.000-04:00

So we won't be talking today about authentic worship. I missed an important section. The third chapter deals with what Best calls mutual indwelling. This chapter gave me a headache. There are some deep and mysterious concepts in it. Therefore, I'll say this... READ THE BOOK! For those of you who won't be able to for one reason or another I will do my best to present a basic outline of the idea of mutual indwelling. As a starting point I'll say this: The concept comes down to

UNITY

In point form here are the concepts that make up Mutual Indwelling:

a. God is our dwelling place (Psalm 90)
b. Christ (being fully God) is our temple and greater than the temple
c. We are God's building (1 Cor 3:9) and corporate temple (1 Cor 3:16-17)
d. Christ is the chief cornerstone of the church and we are the redeemed living stones that make up the temple with Him (1 Pet 2:4-8)
e. We are each temples in which Christ dwells

So this leaves us with Temples (each of us) within a temple (the church) within a temple (Christ). So we are individuals and yet we dwell within one another in the sense that we together make up a single living temple, the church.

Are you still with me?

How can this be? Mr. Smith hates my music. Mrs. Jones disparages me at congregational meetings. Brother Killarny wants to spend money on the building while Sister Mildred wants to up our giving to global missions.

Then we get slammed...what about me? How do I offend? How do I promote disunity? How can unity exist in such a place?

Grace. Infinite grace that flows from the Father and Son and Spirit to us as we pour back to Him and to one another.

So the question: to what degree are we as worshipers and artists called to promote and encourage unity while still being the unique people God has made us to be?

The Difficult Simplicity

2008-10-30T14:36:00.000-04:00

Jesus is central. Everything points to him. In Him all things were made and are held together by the power of His hand. Focus on that for the next 1000 years. I bet you still won't get it.

Unceasing Worship: Continuous Outpouring

2008-10-29T07:24:00.000-04:00

I hope there has been enough time for people to read, reread and digest the first post on Unceasing Worship. I likely won't post more than twice a week on this topic because I think its one we all (myself included) need time to think on and process. Now that some time has past I'd like to move on to the second big though: Continuous Outpouring.

I'll admit to having a bit of trouble with this. These words never appear together in the Bible. However, I think it is an idea that is more than implied just as something like (for those of us at WLA's Thanksgiving service dealt with) Edwards' doctrine of Continuous Creation. The term is never introduced Biblically but never the less it seems sound.

So what is Continuous Outpouring? Well there are two words so let's look at them separately and then how they might be proven to be true Biblically.

Continuous: Relentless. It implies Continuity. Best says "I keep breathing until I die". That's a good way to think of it. We HAVE to, by nature, continue to do this. For God its represented in His own name for Himself: I AM THAT I AM. His word abides forever; Jesus is the same yesterday today and forever

Outpouring: Best admits there are other words he could have used. I won't list them. However, its important to know that its the scriptural force that caused him to choose this word. Most notably its used to describe Jesus sacrifice...being poured out as an offering.

Best suggests that continuos outpouring is shown to be true in three significant ways. First, by the nature of God. Father, Son and Spirit continually commune in perfect harmony with one another. They constantly interact with each other. Their love is perfect and never ending. Its in God's nature to be continuously outpouring. Second, he shows it in creation. Refer back to Edwards' doctrine of continuous creation. Thirdly, the doctrine of Imago Dei reinforces this. We can see continuous outpouring in ourselves. If our proposed definition of worship is to be accepted we have already admitted - we are constantly, continuously even, worshiping something. We are always ascribing worth to something. In an unfallen world it would always have been God. Fallen worship means we can be distracted. However, just as we always worship, just as we always breathe, God always pours out and its that part of Him that's in us that makes continuous outpouring true in light of Imago Dei. Lastly, continuous outpouring is shown to be true in the life and ministry of Christ. He relentlessly gave of himself, focused outward, right until death where the ultimate self-proclaimed outpouring happened. There is much scriptural force to this concept.

So, can we accept this idea? Does continuous outpouring help us to understand worship? I believe it does. I believe it shows why our current definitions of worship come up short.. why referring to music as worship is not good enough. Next time I'll look at authentic worship... what it is and what it is not in light of continuous outpouring.

ESV Study Bible now available

2008-10-27T15:27:00.000-04:00

I went over to the Upper Room and got the new ESV study Bible today. I've been waiting for it to come out for a while now. Pastor Mike uses it for all of his sermons and its highly recommended by John Piper and Mark Driscoll which makes it awesome in my books.

If you don't have an ESV Bible I think you should get one. As my cell group has been studying Colossians inductively this year we've been using a commentary to help us along. Almost every time the commentary suggests the best wording for a passage its the version of a verse the ESV uses. Why is that important? Because sometimes the english language is confusing and IMHO its important to know as precisely as possible what the BIble says. Several versions are best but if you get one to use most often this is the one as far as I understand.

Besides the great translation there are maps, summaries, cross references, articles and more that will help you understand God's word more fully.

I just used mine this morning to follow along with a podcast and loved the extras I got out of the test and sermon because of it. If making it to the Upper Room seems tough you can get it from Amazon

Halloween...

2008-10-25T11:52:00.000-04:00

So being a dad puts a new spin on how you look at things. Take Halloween for instance. When I was a kid we went out to get candy and dressed up in some silly costume in order to be allowed to retrieve said candy. Being the I was raised in a good Christian home we were not permitted to dress as anything demonic - witches, ghouls, goblins etc etc (although perhaps Goblins should have been allowed since they are a part of the LoTR universe and as such not demonic in the truest sense of the word). For all of my childhood years though I did participate in Halloween.

However, as I got older and my sister entered the years of candy getting, my parents got more and more convicted about participation in All Hallows Eve and so my sister and her friends were provided with a "Harvest Party" at which they got dressed up and received candy from the kindly folks at our church instead of running around out of doors to get candy from their neighbors. As I've thought about it I've come to think this largely missed the point as so many well meaning Christian alternatives to pop culture do. Instead of providing a really positive alternative and choosing not to participate at all in something we believe is wrong we section ourselves off from culture and basically do exactly the same thing as culture does but we don't engage with them in doing it. What are we saying by doing this? You people are demonic and we want nothing to do with you! We still want the holiday but we don't want to do it along side of you. The subtle shift is away from condemning the act and towards condemning our neighbors themselves. We miss any opportunity to redeem the event and culture and just end up looking silly in the process. No one is fooled when we do exactly the same thing as they do but do it inside the walls of the church and call it "Christian". People ask "aren't you still celebrating Halloween"? Our answer "OH NO! We're celebrating the harvest on October 31st by dressing up and giving piles of Candy to our kids (what does candy and harvest have to do with one another? Furthermore, did we not just celebrate the harvest on Thanksgiving?)!

And as if the whole point of the holiday we're enough reason to get out of it there is the awful truth of how many obese pounds on our children's backs we condemn them to by participating. Most people would agree that North America has a gluttony issue and our kids are suffering because of it. Its on the news every second evening at 6 o'clock. Yet we send our kids out once a year to collect pillow cases full of refined sugar? Who in their right mind would go up to a child and hand them 10lbs of candy and say "here you go...finish this off in a week"? No one. Why? We know its bad for them. So why do we pretend its ok at Halloween?

These are the thoughts I've been thinking as I process whether I'll be letting Layla participate in Halloween. The other side of the fence is that I don't want to come across as cultish or anything. If there's a part at school I'll likely let her dress up and have fun with her friends. But we won't decorate. She won't go out and get a 10lb bag of candy. We likely won't give candy to kids. What do I have in mind instead? I think we're going to take a small family trip around Halloween to some place she wants to go. It's an alternative that invests in our family and doesn't seem like we're just condoning the whole practice without calling it Halloween. I want he to know why we're not doing it like everyone else.

What do you think? Am I missing something? Am I just an idiot? I'd be happy to have further confirmation that my wisdom is foolishness. Let's talk.

What does God look like?

2008-10-24T13:52:00.000-04:00

Have you ever stopped to wonder at what God looks like? I think most of society thinks God looks like Gandalf. Maybe if you're a movie goer then Morgan Freeman's visage pops into your mind. I am really coming to hate even the mere thought that anyone could think they'd know how to depict God by a simple visual image. Everything is going to fall short. Has any person you've known ever done any of the following:

Created the Universe.

Seriously...the list can stop there. It doesn't need to go beyond that. God. Created. the. Universe. Can you imagine that? No. You can't. God is so much more powerful than you that your feeble mind could never even comprehend his appearance and you would fall dead if you ever did see him.

Do you feel insufficient enough yet? I know it might sound blunt and harsh but this is the truth. We are insufficient and God is not. God is powerful. God is also gracious and merciful. God has chosen to reveal himself through his word. So although we might not be able to know what God looks like we CAN know him! What an amazing thought! What a gift! The God who created the universe makes himself known to feeble, sinful people like us.

In response to this gift we are to do all we can to know God as well as we can. I'd pose this question to you: what do you need to do to know God better? And for discussion: what are you doing right now that you feel is helping you to know God more?

For more on this topic check out Pastor Mike's sermon this Sunday. For those of you who are not WLA'ers and might be interested you can always check out our website for the sermon audio on Tuesdays.

A new blogging series: Thoughts from Unceasing Worship

2008-10-23T08:50:00.000-04:00

I'm going to spend the next period of time trying to bring thoughts from the book Unceasing Worship every day. It might be something that I'm working through, a quote that I found interesting or something challenging I've read. I'll just start at the beginning of the book and move forward. Hopefully it will inspire those of you from WLA to take me up on my offer to get the book. For now, let's be sure we know just exactly what we're talking about.

What is Worship?

This is such a fundamental question - what is worship? I mean, most of us who call ourselves Christians say we worship but I wonder what we mean when we say that? Do we mean that we gather together to sing? That's certainly part of it but not the whole. Are praise and worship different? What about contemporary worship and traditional? I'd like to suggest that all of these categories are for the most part fruitless. They miss the point. Worship is not about music only.

It's become popular to say that worship is a lifestyle. That statement sounds true, doesn't it? There are two problems with it though. Firstly, no one does anything about it. If worship is a lifestyle then why do we insist on labels like worship music, worship service, the worship time...lifestyle implies a continuous being. If one chooses to live a lifestyle they don't stop all of life to do that, they simply are what they've chosen to be.

Second, and more importantly, it's not true. Worship is not a lifestyle or even like a lifestyle. Worship is simply something EVERYONE does. Christian, atheist, or any other system of belief, we all worship something. It would be better to say that worship is human nature than a lifestyle. See, we are always ascribing worth to something. Hopefully its God. However, it can often be things or heroes or money or any range of things we choose to make more valuable in any given moment than God. If we are choosing to live in a worldly way at any point we are worshiping that thing, that value system, and not God. Worship is continuous...we are always directing ourselves toward something and with that in mind I present to you the definition Harold Best gives to us for worship:

Worship is the continuous outpouring of all that I am, all that I do and all that I can ever become in light of a chosen or choosing god. (18)

Have I convinced you? Is there more to it? Less? Is he wrong? Take some time and think on it...I'll come back tomorrow and lay out for you his biblical foundations for this definition. In the meantime, leave a comment or ask questions of one another.

I hope through this process that God gives me the grace not to seem condescending or prideful. My heart and hope is that by fleshing these thoughts out in public that I'll encourage you to join me in thinking deeply about worship, about who God is and about how we can serve him better and make his greatness known more vibrantly. I'll ask you to call me out if I'm getting out of line and I'll do my best to submit to God through the instruction he brings to me through you all.

Francis Chan gets "radical" again

2008-10-22T20:22:00.000-04:00

If you've been following for a while then you might remember Francis Chan from a few other posts. Well tonight I found this article. And this is the paragraph that got me most:

Demonstrate your faith by giving dangerously.
In other words, put your money where your mouth is. I came to an elder meeting one morning with this suggestion: If we "love our neighbor as ourselves," then wouldn’t it make sense to spend on our neighbors what we spend on ourselves? What if we set up our budget so that half of our income leaves the church and goes to other ministries? To my surprise, the elders decided that morning to commit half of the budget to people and ministries outside of Cornerstone. It’s been almost a year now, and we’ve been able to give approximately 55 percent of our money away.

Unreal. Can you imagine doing this? As I think about it though, doesn't it make sense? Isn't God's economy so much different than ours? Wouldn't the church be known by its love so much more if we did radical things like this? I pray that to the degree any of us are called to re-steward what we have that we'd be faithful to do so.

How does Google make so much money?

2008-10-21T19:31:00.001-04:00

So I've spent a good part of my day today getting my macbook syncing with my Google Calendar and contacts. As I've sat here doing all of this in a relatively add free environment the thought crossed my mind - just how does Google make money? I mean my perception (which I understand isn't true) is that Google just makes cool apps for the betterment of mankind. You know, sort of like the Gandalf of the internet. They ride around the web collaborating and creating peace and harmony for the peasants in such a way that most of us don't even know they are there.

No matter how they make their billions of Googly dollars I've got to give them credit. They appear to be the most benevolent group of billionaires on the planet. Good show!

First weekend on a Mac...

2008-10-20T20:48:00.000-04:00

Well last week I moved over to Mac. My work laptop was on its last legs and I'd been considering moving over to Mac for sometime. The new Macbook was released last week and so I took the plunge. For the most part it has been a pretty easy transition. The biggest pain so far has been getting my Outlook information into Entourage. However, everything else has just been plain old fun. I think this is just a great illustration of what alot of people in my generation are looking for in products these days. We're not really so concerned with familiarity. It's more important that the products have an "it" factor. Uniqueness is important (or at least the perception of uniqueness).

The apps are cool and easy to use. Everything is intuative. The whole interface is just cool. The laptop is fast and feels great in your hands. It's just cool. I'll let you know as time goes on if I have any negative impressions. So far...nope.

Ever wonder why this blog is called "Unceasing Worship"?

2008-10-16T11:13:00.001-04:00

I stole the name from a book by Harold M. Best. The book expounds on a theology of worship much more broad and inclusive than what we typically label as worship in the church. I read it some time ago and am reading it again. It really is a fantastic book, one that is forming my thoughts on worship and ministry and one that I'd highly reccomend you read. In fact, I'm giving consideration to using it as a vehicle by which we can evalute our ministry here at WLA.

You can get a copy of it here. I'll likely be blogging about it as time nmoves forward but for now, let me give you the definition of worship offered up by Harold which I think is fantastic:

Worship is the continuous outpouring of all that I am, all that I do and all that I can ever become in light of a chosen or choosing god.

The big thoughts for me today...this involves way more than music. So, how do we more accurately create a church of joyful worshippers in light of this definition? Do we like this definition?

Blog Action Day - Global Poverty

2008-10-15T16:26:00.000-04:00

Hey All,

I'm ashamed to say I didn't know about this sooner. Today is Blog Action Day...a day when bloggers unit to raise awareness. This year the focus of BAD is global poverty. This is an issue that has been ripping me apart for some time now. God is breaking my heart for this issue. Increasingly I look for ways to contribute and one of my goals is to go on a missions trip to Africa and get my hands dirty by helping in a tangible way.

The whole point of this is to create a discussion. Well I'll ask this question...what, if anything, are you doing to help with the issue of global poverty? Are you sponsoring a child through Compassion Canada? Are you buying products that support companies looking to irradicate poverty? Are you signing petitions from companies like one.org? These are all simple, effective ways to help. I encourage you, do what you can and remember that Jesus said "whatever you do for the least of these, so you've done for me".

What do Layla, John Mayer and SCL have in common?

2008-10-15T09:31:00.000-04:00

Sometimes weird things just happen. Here's one of them. Back during Mel's pregnancy, somewhere around month 5 I think (I made that up...but it sounds right) we discovered that John Mayer would be playing at the Molson Amphitheatre on July 7th. Now, John is my favorite musical artist these days and so any time he comes close I figure its a great chance to see him. Well Melissa's due date was July 8th or 9th depending on what colored wheel we listened to so it kind of messed up our plans to see John for the third time. However, I saw this as an opportunity to make a bold statement and select July 7th as the date Layla would actually be born on. I mean, she's her daddy's girl and I knew she would want to allign herself with her dad's likes and so she did. In fact, she was born right about the time John was taking the stage for his encore. She knows how to make daddy proud!

Now, here's where it gets weird. One of my favorite blogs to read is Stuff Christians Like. I don't always get to read everything he posts but most of it is good stuff. Great for a chuckle and sometimes thought provoking. Well, when you have a baby, blog reading sort of takes a back seat for a few days and in the blogsphere that's like a trillion years or something. So I missed a lot of Jon's posts in July.

Fast forward with me now to this past weekend. Barbara Postma references Jon's blog on "Is this John Mayer or The Message Bible" and much to my shame I had no clue as to what she was referring. So, being the great friend she is, Barbara goes back and digs through the archives at SCL and finds me the post. I read it and, again, much to my shame got one wrong. I thought I was a better Mayerite than this. So naturally I want to share this post with you, my friends, and so went back to find the link today and discovered not only was it posted during my absence from the blogsphere but it was posted the very day after Layla and John took the stage together. HOW WEIRD IS THAT!

Ok so maybe its not so weird but hopefully it made for a good read and a bit of family history you didn't know before hand.

120 Minutes

2008-10-14T09:29:00.000-04:00

I've been a bad blogger lately. I haven't been consistent about it. I supose my excuse would be that I don't have enough time. That's simply untrue. Seth Godin agrees with me. WEll actually, I stole the idea from Seth Godin. I was reading said blog last week and it hit me...I have far more time than I realize. And lately I've been trying to spend my time doing things of merit. I could still do more. So I pose the question to you - how would your life be different if you reclaimed 120 wasted minutes? Perhaps you could spend time with God. With your family. You could read something intellectually or spiritually stimulating. You could get better at something. Go ahead...put the remote down! I dare you!

Me? I'll start by blogging more.

YouVersion for Blackberry

2008-10-08T08:25:00.000-04:00

I absolutely love the Lifechurch.tv team. Not only do they go to great lengths to preach the name of Christ in every relevant way for His glory and the salvation of lost people but they're just about the most creative and generous church I've found. They are highly committed to sharing the bountiful resources that God had given them with other churches. For instance, they share many of their graphics, sermons and series ideas on an open source website for free with other churches. Great stuff.

The thing I wanted to highlight today was their new app called YouVersion is available for the Blackberry. You can find it here www.youversion.com/bb/It'll give you a searchable Bible for quick reference on your blackberry. Enjoy, compliments of LifeChurch.tv

Vision - its not just for leaders

2008-10-07T13:12:00.000-04:00

So here I am back from Men's Weekend. The thing I always look forward to most is the time alone with God on Sunday morning. We all spend 2.5 hours reflecting on our life as men in Christ and coming up with a battle plan for the upcoming year. I would call this a vision for my life in the next 12 months. Maybe I'm wrong, but I don't think enough people come up with visions for their life. I think in general we look to leaders for vision. We fail to realize how important a stated, measurable vision is for every area of life. Call them goals if you want. Whatever word you want to use, create a vision for the important areas of your life.

Proverbs 29:18 says "without vision the people cast off restraint". Some translations say "the people die". I think that's a bit extreme, death that is, but to cast off retraint I think is really appropriate. That's the problem with people really. We fail to see the vision of better life that Christ is calling us to...that by having lives that are more in line with that of Christ that His glory would be more known through us. Casting off restraint is what gets us into trouble. We start to do the things we know we shouldn't because we're not being disciplined. So we get fat and we gossip and we sleep too much or look at porn or whatever it is the casting off of restraint makes us do. Its only by seeking to follow the example of Christ and being CONFORMED to his image that we really are able to make His glory known. Think of it this way...do you remember those jello molds your mom used to make (or you make)? Without the confines of the mold the jello doesn't look much like anything. But with a bit of constraint the jello can take the shape of the mold its placed into. Our life in Christ needs confines. We need restraint.

So for me I've made a list of goals for my time with Christ, for prayer, for my character flaws, for my health, for my family and in several other areas. I don't do these things to make God love me...he already does. Thank God for his grace! I do these things in the hopes that I might be a more accurate reflection of Christ and be increasingly so as each day goes by. Sola gloria deo!

A weekend with Men

2008-10-03T10:22:00.000-04:00

Camping. Fire. Tests of strength. These are the things a weekend away with other men are made of. I look forward to WLA's men's weekend every year and not just because I love fire. In fact this will be our first year with fire. So it can't be for the love of fire. In fact its because it always proves to be an excellent time of learning, challenge, reflection and connection with God. There's something about 52 men in one room all focused on serving the Lord with all their heart that is inspiring.

I'd ask that you pray for us. Pray that God would convict and shape us. That we would catch a glimpse of his greatness and be change by the experience. Pray that in doing so together we would become better followers of Christ who desire accountability and who desire to be better husbands, fathers, sons and brothers.

New Lincoln Brewster Record - I Love It!

2008-10-02T18:51:00.000-04:00

Well it may come as no shock that on many levels Lincoln is my personal favorite worship artist out there. I'll admit there are better corporate worship writers out there (Mr. Tomlin and the Hillsong Team win those awards IMHO) but for the best blend of great songs with great lyrics, musical excellence, great production and just enjoyable listening Linc wins for me.

His new album, Today is the Day, is just a continuation of this. For us at WLA it probably doesn't hold more than 2 songs we could do on a Sunday but it's quite diverse and I think you'll see churches of many styles and creeds using music from this album. Lincoln asserts himself even more solidly on this record as the king of guitarists because some of the riffs and licks he does are simply sick! For me, I find myself praising God for the talents he gives to his children because of Lincoln's guitar skills.

All in all I'd reccomend this record to you as a solid listen and an inspiration on many levels.

Back from Vacation

2008-09-30T12:38:00.000-04:00

Well here I am back from vacation in Markdale, ON and Washington DC. Check out Facebook for the photographic highlights. I've learned/relearned a few things while being away:

1. Layla and her car seat are not friends
2. I love hanging out and dreaming with my wife
3. Canada does a poor job of honoring its heros
4. My love for good theology increases everyday and that love translates into a deeper love for God.

While away I took the opportunity to engage my mind in several podcasts (20+ hours in a car will do that to ya) and while in Markdale I read "God is the Gospel" which I'm sure many of you have read as it's standard WLA literature, being Piper and all, but it took me this long to get to it. I was so completely impressed with Mr. Piper's grasp of the Word and his obvious passion for it. The centrality of Christ is such a lost art form and one that everyday I want to learn more of and make more real in my life - personally and professionally.

Add to this experience the hours of Mark Driscoll podcasts that I listened to and, well, I'm just really loving the love God is giving me for his Word and for his Son. Its deepening. Its changing my passions. I pray that God will continue this regenerative grace that He's showing me and that as far as it is up to me I will be faithful to study and grow in love and knowledge of my Father.

Why I Love David Crowder

2008-09-28T22:05:00.001-04:00

You've got to admit...

2008-09-27T22:32:00.000-04:00

American's know how to create a sense of awe. I went today and saw many of the famous sites of Washington, DC. As I looked at the White House, Lincoln's visage, the Korean and WWII memorials I kind of wished I had some part to hold in it all. The history is so rich, so storied and dispite an overly high view of themselves you've got to give the American's credit...there is something to be proud of and they show it to the world BIG TIME. They are patriotic to the core.

In Canada we don't get this. I've been to Ottawa several times. Its ok but its not like Washington. We have things to be proud of. Even then fact that we won our independance without a fight...that's something to memorialize. But we don't. We don't invest into patriotism. I think its why we don't invest in our Olympic programs and why the Americans do. But now I guess I'm rambling.

You know, its not just countries that ought to be committed to honoring and remembering milestones. Families should. Churches should. So many significant moments go by without recognition. Why is that? I think often its because either we don't see enough value in it (Canada's problem) or because our pace of life has tings zooming by so quickly that we just let the opportunities slip from our hands.

Mel and I talked today about marking milestones and living life to create milestones. We really want to pursue the accumulation of significant experiences not things. And as we accumulate those experiences as a family we want to celebrate and remember them. Take pictures. Journal. Buy small but meaningful souvenirs and don't let them collect dust. Do ANYTHING that will help you remember the life you life with the people you love and create a "patriotic" passion in your own family.

Fall in Love

2008-09-19T10:23:00.000-04:00

Isn't it completely obvious when someone is in love with someone? They have that doe-eyed look...the flutter about...they sing randomly. It's just obvious. It makes other people wish they were in love, doesn't it? This is the scene in many a move where the two girl friends get together after a romantic night before and the in love friend is gushing and the other somewhat less attractive but still nice friend says "oh, I wish I had that!".

Above every other thing we can do to shine is to be in love - with Christ. I was listening to a sermon last night and it hit me like a ton of bricks...am I obviously in love with Jesus? Do I talk about Him all the time? Do I flutter about because of the joy I have that radiates from our relationship? If I don't have that I don't have anything! The kind of joy that comes from loving Christ is the best light I can shine...it's the only light worth shining.

Let's try hard together to love Jesus more. Let's love Him more deeply by spending time in His word and understanding Him more. Let's love him more passionately by letting every joy in our lives eminate from His love for us. Let's be the best kind of light...the light that's produced by love.

Find a good piece of land

2008-09-17T22:08:00.003-04:00

Analagous to the "let your light shine" is the "City on a Hill" metaphor. The point is, let people see you that they might glorify the Father, right? So, where you are is as important has how you are. A light under a bushel doesn't do any good and a city that isn't readily found doesn't do much good either.

So my question is, how strategic are you with where you settle down or spend your time? I don't just mean your house but just where you go in your day to day activities. Right now I'm sitting at this coffee shop in St. Thomas. I go to the same one every time hoping that I can build a relationship with the people who serve me and get a chance to share Christ with them. I try desperately to go to the same hairdresser all the time. Her name is Michelle...I want to invite her to Christmas Eve service.

I need to remember that my neighbourhood and everyone in it should be view the same way. I've got some interesting neighbours but I want Christ to help me to be helpful to them too.

So what about it? What changes could you make to ensure your light is seen and is helpful to more people who need to see the light?

Find a good piece of land

2008-09-17T22:08:00.002-04:00

Pay attention to the Little Things

2008-09-17T22:08:00.001-04:00

How often do you look for litte ways to make the lives of those around you better? I know so often I get bogged down in the everyday stuff and forget that just a simple act of helping can speak volumes about the God I claim to serve. I challenge you to look today for just little ways you can go the extra mile. See if people don't notice. I bet if we did it consistantly that light would shine a whole lot brighter.

Stop being grumpy

2008-09-17T07:48:00.000-04:00

I think I am grumpier than the average person. Sometimes I just don't feel like being around people. It rears its head at the worst times. For instance, I'll go to the grocery store and get up to the counter with a lovely cashier and just suddenly stop being socially interested and grunt my way through the transaction. I am certain that when I leave the till I've made the cashier's day worse and I certainly didn't help show her Christ.

We tend to think of Jesus command to be a light to mean that we need to do out of the ordinary acts of love and kindness. Although I think this is part of it I do think we miss many of the everyday opportunities to show his love in small tangible ways. Sometimes many small showings of love to a particular cashier, in amongst all of the grumpiness of the other customers, might just help to shine a light into their life that would illuminate her to the love of Christ. So, Tim, STOP BEING GRUMPY.

Where is our temple these days?

2008-09-16T11:26:00.000-04:00

I had an interesting (at least I think so) thought yesterday. I was thinking about the Old Testament temple and the care the people took to make sure it reflected the majesty of God as best as it could. And then I wondered - what's the equivalent reflection of our desire to see God's majesty made known today?

As far as I can tell there are two possible outlets for this: the church or our bodies. It really depends on how you look at it. Either we look at if from a practical point of view and decide the church, the physical structure where God's people gather to worship is the equivalent or we take literally the biblical teaching that our body is the temple of the Holy Spirit and say that our bodies are the temple of the Lord. No matter how we look at it I think the North American evangelical community largely misses the opportunity to witness to the greatness of God.

I think most of us would agree that option 2 is the biblical option. But then are we living up to this reality? Are we seeing ourselves as temples? Are we doing our best to make the structure as well kept as possible? More importantly, in the heart, the holy of holies, are we working with the Lord to clean the dirty places of our hearts and allowing the overflow of our hearts to reflect the one who we say lives in us? It pains me to admit that I know I'm often not a great reflection of this. Recent studies would suggest that the average Christian isn't...we don't appear to be any different than those that aren't following Christ.

I think we as Christians need to be asking God more and more to make us look different. Help us to hate what God hates. Help us to loosen our grip on the material. Help us to shine a light that the world might see Christ and be attracted to Him. I think I'm going to try and come up with one way each day this week that this temple can reflect the glory of God better.

What ways is God calling you to be more accurate a reflection of His glory.

A message to Francis Chan: please continue to mess with my mind

2008-09-13T15:06:00.000-04:00

So last Saturday I showed the WLA arts team a video that really messed with me in June. It was Francis Chan at the Willow Arts Conference. I recently read an article he wrote for Worship Leader Magazine in which he talks about how his church is trying to get back to a biblical model of church. Here's what he writes:

There are probably many of you who want your church to function like the early church, but how do we get there? Start with what you can control. In other words, start with yourself. It's wrong to blame others for the condition of the Church. And it's silly for leaders to blame followers.

The elders at Cornerstone (his church) started with what we could control. We can't control other people. We can't make the people at Cornerstone "break bread in their homes" or "sell their possessions". We also can't control God. We can't make Him do "wonders and miraculous signs" through us...I can however sell my possessions as others have need. I do have control over that, so that became our first step. As we do our part, we trust God to bring about the "awe" and "wonders" in His time.

It was a beautiful time of sharing as our elders laid "everything" at each other's feet. We surrendered the keys to our cars, homes, and bank accounts. I actually believed the elders who looked me in the eyes and said, "What's mine is yours. If anything ever happens to you, I will support and care for your kids as much as I would care for my own. I will be your life insurance."

He goes on to tell of how that mentality is now starting to spread in their church. WOW! How awesome is that! If we are to make God known through our love, how obvious must it be to those around them that they love God?

This is messing me up again. I realize how much I love my "stuff". I realize how much more I could do if I surrendered my stuff to God...sold some off to be more free to love and help others. I don't know what this looks like for me yet but I think I'm going to try it.

Jesus CAN'T be his friend...can he?

2008-09-12T11:26:00.001-04:00

This is unreal. Probably the worst song I've ever heard (thanks Andrew :| )

To give you and idea...may favorite verse is:

Once I tried to run, I tried to run and hide
But Jesus came and found me and he touched me down inside (WHAT!)
He is like a Mountie (yes the red coat kind), he always gets his man
He will zap you any way he can. ZAP!

While we're remembering...

2008-09-11T12:10:00.000-04:00

September 11th will always be different. The terrible tragedy at New York in 2001 is forever etched in our minds. It changed America. I changed Canada. I think it changed a lot of the world.

Everyone will be talking about it today. Here's a thought...as we remember that tragedy and pray for the families of those who passed on let's add in a prayer for the unnoticed tragedies happening today. For the thousands of children who will die from lack of basic nutrition. For genocide. Pray that God would use the events of 2001 to continually wake us up to reality of a hurting world and that he'd moblize the church to change it increasingly to be the kingdom he came to bring to earth. Remember them...and remember every injustice. Be righteously furious about it and commit to doing something about it.

Books without Pictures

2008-09-11T10:46:00.000-04:00

If you've been around West London any length of time you've undoubtedly heard Pastor Mike crack this joke. He encourages to grab a book without pictures. What he means is read something theologically deep. Something challenging.

To be honest when I first got here I was very keen on this idea. Reading deep books was something I did in university and it was never very fun. You know what though? It's probably the best exercise I've been engaged in during my tenure at WLA. I've only read a few in two years but the ones I've read have literally changed my view of God and his Son and the Holy Spirit. The exercise has drawn me closer to the God I so desperately want to serve. It stretches my mind to ask tough questions about who God is and what he wants from us.

In a very real way the Word IS God and the Word WAS God. The Word became flesh. My relationship to the Word is directly linked to my relationship to Christ. The more I know about the Word the more I know about Christ. The closer I get to knowing the real Word the closer I get to knowing Christ.

So I encourage you...pick up a tough book about the Word. Don't be lazy. I know I tedn to be but as I'm discovering in all kinds of ways these days hard work is worth the pay off. In this case it's the best kind of payoff...knowing God more intimately. If you want reccomendations ask Pastor Mike...he's the king of books with no pictures.

Incidentally let me be direct with my female readers (boy I might get in trouble for this)...this is likely less appealing to you than some of the male readers. I don't know why that is but it's certainly not because you're not bright enough to make it through these books! The girls I know are incredibly intelligent. I think it's a left brain/right brain thing...but don't shy away from tough reading. Don't make excuses - try it. You might end up liking it!

28

2008-09-10T20:48:00.000-04:00

I turned 28 today. I don't know that my age makes me feel much different but certainly a quick relfection on what's happened this year makes me feel different. Here are some things that have happened that make me feel different about life:

I'm a father
I've been more consistent in my time with God than ever
I'm praying more
I lost 20 lbs this year (55 in the past 3 years)
I feel more conscious of others
My passion for the lost has increased
I'm more stretched
I'm doing more about my passion for the lost
My heart has been broken by God more often

I'm sure there are more things to list but those are the ones that feel significant right now. I'm so happy. I feel blessed. I can only hope that God is as active this year as he was last year. Praise be to God for his abundant blessings.

Who's style is it anyway?

2008-09-08T14:44:00.000-04:00

So the WLA arts team had a meeting on Saturday. We watched a great video from Francis Chan which I wanted to show to launch us into the new year thinking about how we can better reach our mandate of creating a church of joyful worshippers. Francis reminded us that although it's sin not to do the best we can for God there is more...effort is not enough. The point for us...let's pursue God first. Let's get on our face and recognize that it's only God who changes people and if we want a church full of joyful worshippers we need to seek God to do that. It's not our job to do it.

Close to the end of the meeting we got in a discussion about worship and style. I am not surprised by this as it seems to be the focus of most of the problems encountered by worship ministries. Always has been. In the 80s the discussion was do we move from hymns with piano and organ to a full time worship band with modern music. These days it usually has less to do with if we'll do modern music but much new stuff we do compared to the favorites of yester-year. This is a loaded question and one I think every church answers differently. As I said on Saturday I really think these conversations are missing the point a bit as I feel our selection of songs should be topically (lyrically) driven but the question does get asked and should get addressed. I think there are two things at play here - what's the stance and desired/believed mission of your church and what are you equipped to do. So for the sake of fleshing this out here is how I'd answer the question for us, today, at WLA.

I know that WLA is very committed to the entire body of believers. Young and old are equally valued and important to us. In order to facilitate worship for the whole body of believers every church who tries to do this makes compromises. Some churches choose to run multiple service or multiple sites/venues. This allows them to give people more of what they want. That philosophy can work. This is not the choice we've made up to this point. These days we're choosing to try and do services that makes compromises on both sides and hopefully creates a worship environment that gives everyone a similar opportunity to worship. It's true...we do music that is more modern than traditional. However, we make our best effort to put music from many eras into our sets - new music, older choruses and hymns. However, we also choose to tone down some of the newer music both in volume and edginess in order to be as broad in appeal as we can. I think it's important to remember both sides are making compromises every week. Maybe neither side is ever completely happy...but that's ok. People do need to always remember that worship is not about them...it's about the body worshipping God. It's God's honor we're primarily concerned about. Fortunately there is no biblically mandated worship music style that we need to adhere to. As long an our hearts are right and our theology is in check then God can be honored.

The second part is to do the best we can with what we have. Some of this is staff oriented and much of it is volunteer oriented. For instance, these days we don't have any hymn specialists active on the team nor am I aware of any who want to be active. To do an all hymns service on a regular basis we'd need people like this to pull it off well. Also, we don't have enough of the kind of musician necessary to do an all Hillsong United style service, just for instance. We have people how can, for a short time, do either of these things well enough to make it through a song or two but not to carry the weight long term. God has blessed us with a team of people who have a breath of talents,styles and abilities and as we select our music for worship and put together teams we keep this in mind. Fortunately it happens to support the view of worship the church wants to have for the time being.

I'd be daft in a post like this not to admit that the people who are selecting the music don't have influence in this. And yes it's true that 3 of the 4 worship leaders and right around the 30 mark and so fall into the younger half of our church. This is intentional as WLA is doing our best to rejuvenate the church and grow up new leaders. We are doing our best though to make sure these leaders are choosing from a large, broad list of songs. It's important to remember that if the list of leaders were a bit older we'd lean a bit more to the older side and thus the younger people in the church would be more dissatisfied than they are now.

So where does that leave us? I think it leaves us to admit that no one's philosophy will ever make everyone happy. Also, we must remember that God's glory is the ultimate goal here. Division in the body over music style does not achieve that goal. We're all making compromises from our personal desires and that's the way the body should be working together. As far as I'm concerned and my job is concerned I'm committed to doing my best to create an environment where as many people as can be welcomed into worship are welcomed. If someone is ever feeling like they can't worship at WLA I'd warmly encourage them to give me a call, send me an email or walk into my office one day. I'd love to hear from them and see what of their wisdom can be fused with that of the rest of the body to create the kind of worship environment we're striving for...the kind where God is glorified and His style is paramount.

Sola Gloria Dei

The fourth is like the 3rd

2008-09-05T15:20:00.000-04:00

Community. You may think to yourself that loving one another is akin to being in community but I beg to differ. I think love is a command given to us by God and we have to obey it. Community carries more choice with it. So my prayer for love is more one that we would obey God more in his call to love. My prayer for community is that through common joy and struggle in serving at WLA we will increasingly WANT to be with each other, share with each other, pray for each other. I want us to WANT to do life together, not just be obligated to do so.

Prayer number 3: Love

2008-09-04T21:11:00.001-04:00

Jesus said "By this all men will know you are my disciples, if you love one another". One of my deep desires is that the Arts team at WLA would be a place where people find love and support. I believe it's the foundation on which being able to work together is built. I pray that we will increasingly be a group who loves one another in action and deed, bearing one another burdens and celebrating life together, and by keeping each other accountable. May God bless us with radical love for one another and for WLA and for London.

Prayer #2: Unity

2008-09-03T21:05:00.000-04:00

I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one: I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me. - John 17:22,23

This was Christ's prayer for us and for the sake of our community of faith I'm praying it for us as well.

First week of the new ministry year: what I'm praying for

2008-09-02T09:22:00.000-04:00

This is the first week of the new ministry year for just about every church in North America and for me it feels like New Years. I don't really see January 1st as the start of a new year I see September 1st that way. So as I look towards this year I've got some things I'm praying for. I'll try to articulate them in order of importance this week but perhaps it will become to monumental of a task.

I do know what's most important and most pressing on my mind: that God would be so pleased as to send the Holy Spirit on our congregation in such a way that there would be a tangible difference in the people and congregation of WLA

I think talking about the Holy Spirit has become old school or something. It should be something we talk about more. When Jesus left this earth he said that it was good that he was leaving because only through his leaving could the Comforter come. In essence saying the Comforter is better than having me in person. Soak that in. It's good that Jesus is gone because now the Holy Spirit is here. I want desperately for the Spirit to come on us in power so that our church will be a place where there is no doubt that God is up to something amazing, for his glory. I'd be pleased to know there are others praying for the same thing.

Twitter

2008-08-31T06:58:00.001-04:00

Have you heard about twitter yet? It's the new thing the hip kids are doing. Check out www.twitter.com . My first thought was that facebook does this already. But sometimes facebook does too much. This does only status updates so I know what people are doing and they know what I'm doing. Cool concept. If you join up let me know. My Twitter page is www.twitter.com/timheerebout

Another blog to consider

2008-08-29T20:30:00.000-04:00

I read this a week or two ago:

http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2008/08/the-dead-zone-o.html

It's a really interesting principal. Here's the question I wrestle with...how does one go about choosing to be "real" or "slick". People are always wanting things to get better. But if it's true that just being real gets us as far as being slick...shouldn't be be striving as hard or as happy to be real as we are to be slick. I know from my perspective being real would be a lot better than always trying to get more slick but probably not making it too far up that side of the hill.

Whatcha think about this?

2008-08-27T12:42:00.000-04:00

"If we design our service experiences for a younger audience, we’re more likely to reach that younger person and we’ll also reach older folks. The reverse is not true. If we designed our service experience for an older audience, the younger crowd would not show up."

http://tonymorganlive.com/2008/08/24/are-you-comfortable-with-being-uncomfortable/

Do you:
a) Strongly Disagree
b) Somewhat Disagree
c) Don't know
d) Somewhat Agree
e) Strongly Agree

Lazy blogging is sometimes more effective

2008-08-27T12:11:00.000-04:00

I found it hard to decide what to blog on today...then I read this.

http://blogs.lifeway.com/blog/edstetzer/2008/08/theological-preoccupation.html

I resonate with this so much. I come from a hyper-evangelism background. It is now engrained into who I am and I doubt that will ever change. I desperately want to see people come to know Christ. However, I've seen churches that "win" a lot of people to Christ and then fail to help them grow up.

The more I get to know, and really know, the Word the more I love it. The more I want to know about it and apply it to my life. I want desperately to help people know it and apply it to their lives.

It's a shame these two loves don't more often meet and get practiced. I admit, it's tough. I don't think that's an excuse for not trying to have church be about both.