AARON ROCK, follower of the Messiah.

Are you a Churchian?

2010-03-10T12:15:00.002-05:00

Rick Warren writes in his book The Purpose Driven Church, “a church without a purpose and mission eventually becomes a museum piece of yesterday’s traditions.”

He’s right. The world is filled with far too many Churchians and far too few Christians. Churchians GO to church, evaluate health based on the NUMBER of programs, fixate on NON-ESSENTIALS, view the BUILDING-rather than the people-as the church, enjoy MEETINGS but show no interest in active response in the world, and celebrate dates, ATTENDANCE and offering totals over changed lives.

Christians on the other hand participate in the church community, evaluate health based on spiritual transformation, fixate on their biblical mission, see buildings as tools for ministry only, enjoy outreach and active response in the world and Christian community, and celebrate numbers only when they reflect changed lives and Kingdom building endeavours.

Are you a Churchian or a Christian?

New Website

2010-02-12T10:04:00.003-05:00

I have decided to create a new website that will have permanent articles, sermons and lessons available for public use. Everything is in viewable PDF format. Go to www.draaronrock.com. I will be uploading more material regularly.

New Home for the South Windsor Campus of Southwood Community Church

2009-11-30T12:19:00.004-05:00

Our church will be moving our South Windsor Campus and church offices to 2001 Spring Garden Rd in the New Year. We're purchasing a former school, cleaning it up, and using it as a tool for ministry to our community. Exciting times!!!

WET PEOPLE ARE NOT HUMAN

2009-09-29T13:58:00.004-04:00

It won’t surprise anyone who knows me that I am staunchly pro-life. I have however attempted, on many occasions, to enter into the minds of pro-choice advocates to understand why they refuse to recognize the unborn as human beings. Today I came across the following sections of our Criminal Code which attempts to define when a child “becomes” a human. Here is what it says:

“When child becomes human being
223. (1) A child becomes a human being within the meaning of this Act when it has completely proceeded, in a living state, from the body of its mother, whether or not
(a) it has breathed;
(b) it has an independent circulation; or
(c) the navel string is severed.”

This is interesting logic: Exposure to air makes you human. Wet people are not human.

A few years ago our cat had kittens. As the babies came out one by one, logical processes caused me to recognize that I was witnessing the birth of a litter of kittens, each of which was just as much a kitten the day before it was exposed to air, as it was afterwards. Exposure to air did not magically make these creatures kittens—they were just as feline in the birth canal as they were when they dropped into the birthing box. I doubt any objective person would debate this unless they felt uncomfortable with the implications of my observations for abortion.
Curiously, the Code also states:

“Killing child
(2) A person commits homicide when he causes injury to a child before or during its birth as a result of which the child dies after becoming a human being.
R.S., c. C-34, s. 206.”

If I read this right, it means that I, as a human can be charged with homicide for injuring a non-human (who is in amniotic fluid) (according to #223) only if he is later exposed to air. Can you help me with this logic? How does being in the air suddenly make me human???? Does exposure to air trigger the sudden appearance of human DNA or something? I just don’t get it.

Further the Code states,

“Killing unborn child in act of birth
238. (1) Every one who causes the death, in the act of birth, of any child that has not become a human being, in such a manner that, if the child were a human being, he would be guilty of murder, is guilty of an indictable offence and liable to imprisonment for life. (Criminal Code ( R.S., 1985, c. C-46 )).”

Here’s how it all breaks down:
•Kill a child inside the mother and its okay (because they are still surrounded by amniotic fluid).

•Injure the same child inside the mother so that she dies outside the mother and that’s bad; 25-years-in-jail-bad (because exposure to air makes you human?).

•So that means the space you occupy (atmospheric or amniotic) is what defines you (or it) as human or non-human.

All this talk of being wet or dry (unborn or born) got me thinking. Based upon this reasoning I could conclude that I cease to be human every time I strap a SCUBA tank on my back, submerse myself in water and rely upon a little hose to supply me with oxygen. But when I re-immerge, and dry myself off, I become human again!

I try. I really, really try to understand pro-choice thinking, but I JUST DON’T GET IT!!!!

Abortion Protester Murdered

2009-09-15T10:38:00.003-04:00

On September the 11th James Pouillon, a long time abortion protester was shot dead by Harlan Drake while protesting abortion outside of a Michigan high school in an apparent hate crime. Drake says he was "offended" by Pouillon's messages. Yet where is the condemnation of this murderous act from the American President (who took 48 hours to issue a one-sentence response), the media or liberal left? On the other hand, when an abortion provider is killed, everyone gasps with shock and horror! I am so angered by the double-standard of this event and am reassured that this is not a political issue at all but an issue of good vs. evil. Isaiah the prophet warned, beware when men call good evil and evil good (Is. 5:20). That is precisely the issue here. By their silence, the liberal left is showing their lack of compassion for Mr. Pouillon and their love for murderous abortion providers.

You've Gotta Love the Honesty!

2009-08-20T09:55:00.001-04:00

My Latest Book

2009-07-17T14:44:00.002-04:00

From the Introduction:

"At church we sometimes cry out in worship, Lord, we are thirsty for more of you. But do we really mean it? I hope so, because thirst for God is at the heart of the Christian faith. Jesus declared in John 7:37b-38, if anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me as the Scriptures has said, streams of living water will flow from within him (NIV). Suck it up. Drink deep of me, and I will satisfy the deepest longings of your heart. That was Jesus’ mission. Not to instil facts alone, but to bring abundant life. A life rich in Spirit, drenched in living Word, purposeful, meaningful and grand. Have you experienced this kind of life? If not, you’re ripping yourself off. It might be that you are unaware it exists, are afraid to embrace it or cannot reconcile such statements with your cerebral-only form of Christianity. But God offers it, so it must be good.

I am on a voyage of God-discovery. As I move along my God-drawn horizontal timeline called life, I find my neck increasingly strained. Strained, as I grow disinterested with what is around me and fascinated by what is above. I am thirsty for more of God—to know him and love him as my heavenly Daddy. Not in an anti-intellectual way. Not in a New Age fluffed up and puffed up way, but in the way God has designed me to know him. In other terms, I want to draw close to the heart of the one who crafted me. I want a taste of Eden in the here and now in anticipation of what is to come. I want to know the power of Christ dwelling within me, to know the mystery of God, namely, Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge (Col. 2:2-3). Perhaps that is why I wrote this guide, more for me than for you. I am a God-hog after all! But then my pastoral heart kicks into gear and I just cannot help but tell others what God is teaching me. Let me share what I have been learning. If, as a result, God hydrates you, the time I spent writing and the time you spend reading will be well spent."

Let me know if you woudl like a copy!

Paul Harvey on Fatherhood

2009-06-19T10:54:00.001-04:00

Radio commentator Paul Harvey shared the following reflections about fathers:

“A father is a thing that is forced to endure childbirth without an anesthetic.

A father is a thing that growls when it feels good--and laughs very loud when it's scared half to death.

A father never feels entirely worthy of the worship in a child's eyes. He's never quite the hero his daughter thinks, never quite the man his son believes him to be--and this worries him, sometimes. So he works too hard to try and smooth the rough places in the road for those of his own who will follow him.

A father is a thing that gets very angry when the first school grades aren't as good as he thinks they should be. He scolds his son though he knows it's the teacher's fault.

Fathers are what give daughters away to other men who aren't nearly good enough so they can have grandchildren who are smarter than anybody's."

Is Marriage for Buffoons?

2009-05-28T12:46:00.002-04:00

There has been a shift in the western view of marriage. It used to be that young people looked forward to the prospect of finding “the one”, getting married, and having children. Nowadays I meet very few young people who are eager to get married. Just the other day, a young man I know said to me, “Me, get married? You kidding! Not this guy!” Seems as though a goodly number of young people today are either afraid of or have no interest in marriage. But why?

I suppose I don’t ultimately know. But I suspect that the media has some hand in this. After all, how many cool married people are on TV these days? Take a look at some of the more popular drama and comedy shows over the past number of years. Do shows like CSI New York, CSI Miami, Numbers, Law and Order, Seinfeld, Everybody Loved Raymond or King of Queens have any positive portrayals of marriage? No. Then there's John and Kate plus Eight who are now going through a nasty media-sponsored separation.

Most of these shows feature good-looking, successful, career-oriented cool professionals free wheeling it through life with no marital ties on the horizon. In shows where couples are married, the man or both are portrayed as buffoons (ladies would you want to be married to Ray???)! The implication for the viewer is that the single life offers freedom, fun and popularity, while married people are backward and weird.

Let’s not deceive ourselves, shows like these do more than entertain; they shape worldviews often without the viewer’s consent. Could it be that this is one of the reasons why marriage seems to be on the decline?

I’d like to hear from others on this blog post. Why do you think so many Westerners—both within and without the church—are delaying or neglecting marriage?

Do we love our dogs more than our children?

2009-05-21T10:43:00.001-04:00

Which is more disgusting: a pit-bull being egged on to fight another pit-bull, or a 4 year old girl being molested by her father? According to North American jurisprudence, the dog deserves more sympathy than the child. Here are two scenarios:

>Michael Vick the disgraced NFLer was convicted of involvement in an illegal, multi-state dog-fighting ring. For his crime, he was:
• fined $1 million dollars,
• given a 23 month federal prison sentence,
• and a 3 year prison sentence in Virginia.

>An unnamed Ontario man logged onto a secretive website, and molested his four year old daughter live on the Internet for the pleasure of his sick viewers. He was sentenced to:
• 20 months in addition to the 14 months he had served during his trial period.

These convictions took place in two different countries, but on the same continent. As North Americans, it seems to me that we have lost sight of the idea that certain crimes are a greater expression of one’s depravity than others and that the punishment should fit the crime. So how might we reverse this troubling slide in justice?

First, we need to each do our part in educating our children and others we influence as to God’s views of justice. We need to confront the growing untruth that passivity to crime is the Christian calling, and regain our belief that punishment is part of biblical justice.

Second, we need to rid ourselves of the unbiblical viewpoint that all sin is equal. All sin is damnable, but Scripture clearly portrays certain sins of greater weight than others. Our justice systems must take this into account when sentencing offenders.

Third, we need to become voices for the voiceless. While animals surely need protection from abuse, so do the children, the disabled, and the weak among us. If we can rally thousands of people to strike over a cut in benefits, can we not do the same when a little girl is dealt injustice?

Fourth, we need to earnestly pray for the return of Christ. Evil will prevail until he comes and frees us from this world of sin and transgression.

The Power of Truth to Shape or Deform

2009-05-05T13:38:00.001-04:00

I had a visit today from a man claiming to be “God’s divine messenger” and the “man with the measuring rod” (Rev 11:1) to call the church back to a sacrificial life. His application of what it meant to follow Jesus was very narrow—the total surrender of all of one’s goods with no provision for your children, no offerings to the church, and no savings. I told him that I was committed to a sacrificial lifestyle but that it included providing for my children (I referenced 1 Tim.5:8), giving to my church (I referenced 1 Cor.16:2) and saving (I referenced Prov. 13:11) rather than indebting myself to everyone. Sadly, he refused to take into consideration the broad teachings of Scripture because he only accepted the Gospels as authentic. Somewhere in his background he had been taught that the Old Testament and all the apostolic writings were false and filled with error. “Paul was the greatest heretic the church has ever seen,” he told me. He went on to tell me that salvation was by works rather than the grace of God, and the second coming of Christ was a lie. He was angered when I informed him that according to his words, if he had no use for the grace of God in salvation, that he was not a true Christian, but a false teacher. He ended the conversation and walked off.

This strange episode reminded me of the power of truth and lies to either shape or deform a person’s destiny. Discussions about biblical inerrancy are far from “mere academic questions”. The conclusions that one arrives at regarding the nature of Scripture affect our whole lives, including our understanding of how we manage our money, the means of salvation, and our eschatological hope. It was a good reminder to me of the need to rightly divide the word of truth (2 Tim. 2:15). These are truly words from God we need to pay attention to.

ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONS OF UFC FIGHTING

2009-03-10T14:00:00.008-04:00

“Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.” 1 Cor 6:19-20

My goal in life is not to offend people. I feel uncomfortable when I step way out on a limb like the one I’m reluctantly venturing out on now. Nevertheless, I think it will be worth it if I cause a few people to think twice about gratuitous injurious violence. The matter I wish to blog on is none other than the inappropriateness of UFC fighting.

For those of my readers who may not be aware, UFC fighting stands for Ultimate Fighting Championship and is a very violent “sport” the pits one man against another in a bloody, knock ‘em down, hurt ‘em bad, fist/leg/head fight. Their website advertises as follows, “Broken tooth, lip ripped open, blood everywhere…welcome to the fight game” (http://www.ufc.com). One might think of UFC fighting falling somewhere between boxing and gladiator sports. No one gets killed (hopefully), but the goal is to beat up your opponent really, really bad. As with both the boxing and ancient gladiatorial events, UFC is very popular with the public, including members of the Christian community (the sleazy “Octagon Girls” also draw a crowd by the way).

Why watch UFC fighting?

Arguments for UFC fighting are usually three-fold: (1) UFC is a sport and therefore morally neutral. (2) UFC is entertaining, and entertainment is morally neutral. (3) UFC is violent, but so is football and hockey. What more can be said? The rationale is simple: if I like watching it, if my friends like watching it, if it allows me to relax and have some fun, and if other accepted sports are violent, then UFC fighting is acceptable!

Admittedly, UFC fighting is entertaining, especially for men. Which of us doesn’t like the war scenes in movies, or a good fist fight in the parking lot behind the school? There is a sense of euphoria that arises when two talented fighters duke it out to the point of collapse. Second, UFC fighting meets Webster’s definition of a sport namely, “the playing of games or participation in competitive pastimes involving physical exertion or skill.” In UFC one must consent to participate, it is competitive, it gives you a great physical workout, and it requires skill. Third, football and boxing and ice hockey are most often violent sports too.

But...these arguments are lame.

I do not think these arguments are sufficient to build a case to endorse UFC fighting. Even if these arguments could not be adequately debated based on common sense and the precedent set in other sports, there are larger Scriptural exhortations that must be denied to justify UFC. Let me suggest a few common sense/logical arguments first:

Argument #1: Just because something is a sport, does not make it morally neutral. Most Christians and non-Christians alike consider animal fighting inhumane. To strap a razor to a rooster’s feet and let it slice apart another rooster is a bit disgusting. We’re okay seeing the same rooster breaded and fried at KFC, but there is something sinister about a cock-fight! It’s not that we believe that a rooster’s life is sacred, but find it a bit abhorrent that a non-consenting rooster would be subject to suffering (even if he’s the winner). And aren’t the organizers a wee bit sadistic? Who could find pleasure in a bloodied rooster fight we ask? Yet, cock-fighting is considered by many a “sport”.

Moving away from foul, suppose we could find a couple of men that would be willing to kill each other for money? Would we justify gratuitous violence of that kind; would we call it a sport? Of course killing is illegal, but so is street fighting. But if we justify street fighting in a ring, why not justify killing in a ring? The point is, that we need a better reason to justify UFC than “its a sport”. (As an aside: I wonder how long it will be before killing in a ring does become considered a sport?)

Argument #2: Just because it is entertaining does not make it moral. This is by far the weakest of the three argument favouring UFC fighting. It should go without saying that something entertaining is not automatically right. Men who attend dog fights, people who enjoy spouse swapping, and the Columbine killers find/found a degree of pleasure and entertainment in their activities. The degree to which something titillates us has nothing to do with its moral permissibility.

Argument #3: Just because there is some violence in other sports does not validate all out violence in another sport. Most other sports (I’ll address boxing in a moment) have an objective in mind other than the injury of one’s opponent. As a side effect however, athletes sometimes get injured. Yet if a player is found to have wilfully injured his opponent, he is sidelined, fined, or removed. That’s the way it should be. In football, you may knock a player down to get a touchdown, but when was the last time you saw the crowds cheering, or a player jumping for joy when a fellow football player was removed with a broken neck? Non-injurious violence may be a part of the game but no sport condones/promotes/rises and falls on violence like UFC.

In situations where injuries are wilfully applied to an opponent, my same criticisms apply. It is unacceptable to support forms of boxing that lead to bodily injury, or to wildly cheer on two out-of-control hockey players who are punching each other in the mouth. We Canadians in particular love our hockey fights, but does that mean God thinks they are any better than UFC fights?

How about a few Scriptural arguments:

Scriptural Truth #1: UFC fighting violates every “Fruit of the Spirit”
As you read through the list of the qualities that are to mark Spirit-filled people in Galatians 5, it is evident that UFC fighting not only lacks, but is antithetical to every one. Where in the cage match do we see love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness or self-control directed toward another human being for their good? (Sorry guys, "patiently" waiting to punch someone’s lights out isn’t what St. Paul had in mind!) Instead UFC advertises its fight with words contrary to the Fruit of the Spirit. Their website uses words like Rage, Pride, Rampage, and Mean. What redemptive value can we place upon a sport that would be impossible for the Holy Spirit to endorse?

Scriptural Truth #2: UFC fighting is a direct violation of “Temple Care” theology.
In Scripture, God reminds us that the human body is a Temple (1 Cor 6:19-20). We are to care for it and honour it as a place where God desires to dwell. It further speaks out against abusing your body with food (gluttony), alcohol (drunkenness) or sexual sins (immorality). The church teaches “Temple Care”; that we are to care for our bodies by not abusing them—with sins that directly affect our physicality, or ability to be self-controlled. In modern times we apply this principle to things like drug abuse. Should we not also apply this to a sport with the explicit goal of damaging your opponent’s body? Or are we so naive to think that God cares more about eating a few too many donuts, or drinking a few too many beers, than allowing your teeth to be bashed out and jaw to be broken in a sporting event?

Scriptural Truth #3: UFC fighting is “injurious gratuitous” violence.
The Bible is violent. It contains accounts of war, death sentences, rapes and abuses. Some of these it condemns, yet other acts of violence are condoned for redemptive purposes, as in cases of talionic justice (eye-for-eye theology). Ultimately the Bible also finds redemption in otherwise despicable acts like the crucifixion of Christ. Yet what redemptive value is there in brutalizing another person, even if it is consensual? Will God’s glory be advanced, will people be redeemed, or will justice be served in a blooded cage during a UFC fight? I hardly think so. Yet fascinatingly, the less interest our generation has in redemptive violence, the more it has in entertainment violence.

I have no allusions that my blog entry will sway the masses. People love violence and always will. But if I can cause a few to reconsider their support of this non-redemptive “sport”, then perhaps my entry will have some redemptive value.

Today is not an historic day, it is an Isaiah 5:20 day.

2009-01-20T13:43:00.002-05:00

"There will always be people, many of goodwill, who do not share my view on the issue of choice. On this fundamental issue, I will not yield and Planned Parenthood will not yield." (Obama Speech before Planned Parenthood Action Fund, July 17, 2007)

“Q: Do you personally believe that life begins at conception?
A: This is something that I have not come to a firm resolution on. I think it's very hard to know what that means, when life begins. Is it when a cell separates? Is it when the soul stirs? So I don't presume to know the answer to that question. What I know is that there is something extraordinarily powerful about potential life and that that has a moral weight to it that we take into consideration when we're having these debates.” (Obama at 2008 Democratic Compassion Forum at Messiah College Apr 13, 2008)

Is God provable by science?

2009-01-09T15:44:00.000-05:00

A couple of days ago a local CBC radio host invited guests to call in to affirm or disaffirm their belief in God. One caller phoned in and calmly avowed his atheistic views due to the fact that God could not be proven scientifically. He claimed to be an atheist not because of a bad experience with theists but due to his assumption that science should point to God, if God exists. If science cannot prove God, God should not be affirmed was his contention.
At first listen the caller makes a compelling point. Since what we know to be real is observable by science, should God not be subject to the same tests? Of course many Christians have jumped on the bandwagon to prove the existence of God through scientific means. In part I value these attempts; in part I do not. On one hand it seems sensible that if there is a Creator God, then evidence of his handiwork, design, and providence would be seen in what he has created, just as one can tell something of an artist from his oil paintings. On the other hand, once must remember what science studies. Science is the observation of the physical universe, of which God has never been a part. While God enters into space, time and matter, the Christian God has always been seen as distinct from his Creation. He is in someway involved, while at the same time separate. For this reason, I would have reminded the caller that no one, anywhere, or at any time will be able to prove God through natural science. Science is about the physical, God is metaphysical. God is therefore not subject to scientific inquiry, even though his creation is. One can no more prove my existence through the existence of this blog than they can prove God through observing creation. While my blog claims to reflect the efforts of a guy named Aaron Rock, my blog is not me and I am not my blog. Creation and God are distinct, and while I see evidence of a Creator in the created, I will not find him in the cosmos. God is above and beyond us—and therefore not subject to scientific inquiry. Reject God if you will. But don’t reject him based on lack of scientific proof, for God is not subject to such human pursuits.

London Times Obituary of the late Mr. Common Sense

2008-11-17T14:10:00.000-05:00

“Today we mourn the passing of a beloved old friend, Common Sense, who has been with us for many years. No one knows for sure how old he was, since his birth records were long ago lost in bureaucratic red tape. He will be remembered as having cultivated such valuable lessons as: Knowing when to come in out of the rain; why the early bird gets the worm; Life isn't always fair; and maybe it was my fault. Common Sense lived by simple, sound financial policies (don't spend more than you can earn) and reliable strategies (adults, not children, are in charge). His health began to deteriorate rapidly when well-intentioned but overbearing regulations were set in place. Reports of a 6-year-old boy charged with sexual harassment for kissing a classmate; teens suspended from school for using mouthwash after lunch; and a teacher fired for reprimanding an unruly student, only worsened his condition. Common Sense lost ground when parents attacked teachers for doing the job that they themselves had failed to do in disciplining their unruly children. It declined even further when schools were required to get parental consent to administer sun lotion or an Elastoplast to a student; but could not inform parents when a student became pregnant and wanted to have an abortion. Common Sense lost the will to live as the Ten Commandments became contraband; churches became businesses; and criminals received better treatment than their victims. Common Sense took a beating when you couldn't defend yourself from a burglar in your own home and the burglar could sue you for assault. Common Sense finally gave up the will to live, after a woman failed to realise that a steaming cup of coffee was hot. She spilled a little in her lap, and was promptly awarded a huge settlement. Common Sense was preceded in death by his parents, Truth and Trust; his wife, Discretion; along with his daughter and son, Responsibility and Reason. He is survived by his 4 stepbrothers; I Know My Rights, I Want It Now, Someone Else Is To Blame, and I'm A Victim. Not many attended his funeral because so few realised he was gone. If you still remember him, pass this on. If not, join the majority and do nothing.”

Don't dare call me racist...the love of my life is Jewish!

2008-11-06T15:29:00.004-05:00

Culture is not morally neutral. Skin colour and etnnicity are. God does not call me to embrace every aspect of every culture. If I did, I would automatically be embracing certain presuppositions that are ungodly. But I must love and embrace people without regard for their ethnic background. This is something my parents taught me from the time I was young and I'm thankful for it. In fact I enjoy the company of people who look the same as me (Caucasian) and people who look different from me. Ethnic prejudice and hatred is stupid to God, and so its stupid to me too. I just don't get it!

I expressed this sentiment on my Facebook wall yesterday, with a simple line something like: "Aaron is discouraged that skin colour still factors into people's decisions." The responses I received ranged in flavour from "I agree", to "that's racist", to "what do you mean?". Very simply I was reacting to the multiplicity of people who were interviewed on national television (CBS) who said that they voted for Obama because he was black. Of course others likely didn't vote for him because he wasn't white (like KKK idiots), and others likely voted for Palin strictly because she was female, etc. But what I don't get is why any person who is a student of history would consider skin colour in their vote. Should one not vote because of the views/beliefs/policies/experience/character of the person? Skin colour or gender for that matter should not be the issue. But that's what many, many were saying influenced their vote(not my interpretation--their words).

The purpose of this blog entry is NOT to debate Obama's credentials, the outcome of the election, or to suggest that the majority of Obama-voters considered skin colour (so don't bother posting comments to that affect--I'll ignore them!). The purpose is to remind my handful of readers that we should not judge a man's fitness to rule, or be our friend for that matter, based on his ethnic background, period. It's one thing to rejoice in the historical significance of Obama's election as a man of African descent. This does on one hand point to an acceptance of all men as equally worthy of governing. On the other hand, if one votes based on colour (and this includes whites who vote only white), the very push for ethnic inclusivity that Jesus pushed for continues to be threatened.

An ancient metaphor with a message for today!

2008-09-10T14:21:00.001-04:00

Most Southwoodites probably don’t grow fruit trees or have much experience in agriculture, but the Bible is ripe (pardon the pun) with agricultural metaphors. For example, the Bible speaks of the need to offer God our “first-fruits”. The idea is this: when giving to God of our time, talents or treasures, he isn’t interested in seconds. Just as you’d only serve your guests the best of the apples, peaches or oranges you’ve picked from your orchard, so we must offer God our best.
With that in mind, a ministry leader shared with me today his frustration with people wanting to serve in ministry, but with the stipulation that it had to be rare at best, and only when it’s convenient. In other words, after work time, family time, hobby time, sports time, TV time, and shopping time, some people are eager to serve! This brought to mind the concept of “first-fruits” living. If a person cannot give of their best, perhaps it is better to not serve at all—and simply be upfront about one’s lack of obedience in this area!
The Kingdom of God you see will not be built on scraps! God wants us to keep Him and His values on the forefront of our minds by offering Him our best (first-fruits). That doesn’t mean that we need become workaholics for the Kingdom, or become perfectionists, but excellence should be our middle name. As we enter into this new season of ministry, consider again this ancient metaphor. And then answer the question for yourself: what can I do to ensure that God is getting my first-fruits?

Coming North American Elections

2008-09-03T14:16:00.001-04:00

With elections looming on both sides of the border, Canadians and Americans alike are paying careful attention to the policies of their current and potential future leaders. Media outlets follow the steps of candidates carefully, scrutinizing their ethical choices, economic plans, military perspectives and foreign policies. Over time, lines are drawn between candidates as each seeks to distil his/her views down to bite-sized pieces that are palatable to the public. For this reason, it has been my observation that elections tend to be based on 1-2 key issues, with more “subtle” matters left on the sidelines.

As a Canadian citizen, I have adopted my own views on economic policies and foreign relations that do influence the candidates I vote for. Obviously the particular views of each person seeking election are processed through current events as well, since the way one enacts their economic and foreign policies must take current circumstances into consideration. If we live in a time of famine, I’m for lower taxes, but of we live in a time of feasting and the rest of the world is starving, I’d be willing to pay more tax to send more Canadian money elsewhere. But there is one overarching issue that trumps all others. It is an issue that is more important to me than economics, foreign policy, or one’s view of the role of the military. Sadly, it is often relegated to side-line status. As a Christian, it is THE issue that would cause me to overlook a candidate’s views on all other matters. It is the issue of abortion. From a biblical viewpoint, the murdering of an innocent unborn baby is evil to the max. It is the ultimate affront to human dignity and the most heinous of attacks upon those made in the image of God. It is inexcusable regardless of the circumstances, consequences to society or its families. Our Creator God made humans in his image, the womb is sacred, and human life needs to be protected there. It is not a matter of human choice. God makes His sovereign choice every time he permits a sperm to fertilize an egg. He is the initiator of life and for this reason we must respect his wishes to see that life birthed.

This election, I would urge you to ask your roster of candidates what their viewpoints are on this fundamental issue. Even if they disagree with you on other social, economic or foreign policy matters, put the issue that most interests God back at the top of the list. Vote for a candidate that is most likely to stand not for a parent’s right to choose, but for a child’s sacred right to be born. And pray that God would bring to an end this most grievous wickedness.

Southwood Goes Multi-Site

2008-07-18T12:55:00.002-04:00

A couple of weeks ago I reported to the congregation that our launch of the Slavic Language Campus this fall has been confirmed! This is an exciting time in the life of our church as God has opened the door for us to reach Serbian, Croatian and Slovak-speaking people in our county, in addition to the South Windsor community. I am ceaselessly amazed at the way God orchestrates events to build his Kingdom and bring glory to Himself.

The official launch date for the Southwood Community Church Slavic Language Campus is scheduled for Sunday, September 28^th. Our Slavic Language congregation will hold Sunday Gatherings at 5265 Howard Avenue and our South Windsor congregation will continue to meet at Maranatha Christian Academy on Sundays. Our staff and midweek ministry initiatives will operate out of 5265 Howard Avenue, located about 450 metres down the road from our 5030 Howard property.

Southwood is a multi-site church that embraces one common doctrine, mission, vision, and leadership. Jesus prayed in John 17:21, Moja je molitva za sve njih da budu jednoga srca i uma, baš kao što smo ti i ja, Oče, ti u meni i ja u tebi, neka tako i oni budu jedno u nama da svijet povjeruje da si me ti poslao. That they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I believe this move will position us to more effectively reach the people God loves in a way that not only reflects good stewardship of our resources but testifies to unity within the Body of Christ!

Please support this new initiative through your prayers and encouraging words.

I am so tired of self-aggrandizement...are you?

2008-05-13T15:59:00.001-04:00

Yesterday I read an article on Amish Christianity. The writer emphasized the Amish aversion to having their pictures taken, due to each human’s susceptibility to pride and haughtiness. Among the Amish, these are the greatest sins and so their culture has developed many practices which, although foreign to us, are designed to keep arrogance in check and humility on the forefront of one’s mind.

When I got home last night I picked up a magazine that arrived in the mail from a major Christian school. I thumbed through the first 20 pages or so and counted dozens of references to the founder, multiple write-ups on his deeds and legacy, and stories about millions of dollars being spent to honour and preserve his memory. Interestingly, I did not find the word “Christ” on a single page. But even if I overlooked one or two the radical contrast still stands between the Evangelical school and the Amish community.

This clash of worldviews hit me hard. On one hand humility portrayed by a group of people I am largely unfamiliar with. On the other hand self-aggrandizement among those I identify with on matters of faith. It brought to my mind the proverbial saying from the Bible: “Let another man praise you, not your own lips,” and the words of Jesus, “But they do all their deeds to be noticed by men; for they broaden their phylacteries and lengthen the tassels of their garments.” Jesus was uniquely humble. He possessed a humility that will be eternally deeper than ours ever will be. I know that. But there is a big difference between identifying humility as a value and finding it hard to attain, and choosing to no longer strive after it period!

Although the Amish have a foggier notion of salvation than Evangelicals do, I think we can learn something from them about humility. Rather than waving our own flags, splashing our names all over our accomplishments, and drawing attention to ourselves, we need to be reminded that we exist to EXALT CHRIST. The bigger we get in the eyes of men, the smaller we must become in our own eyes. Rather than gunning for stardom in Christianity, we must strive to present the Light of the World to men through our humble actions and humble values.

My hope is that God would convict me of haughtiness and weed it from my life so that I can model Christ more clearly, and Aaron Rock less.

Turning 35...

2008-04-23T14:51:00.001-04:00

“The years of our life are seventy, or even by reason of strength eighty; yet their span is but toil and trouble; they are soon gone, and we fly away.” Psalm 90:10 ESV

“The days of our years are threescore years and ten; and if by reason of strength they be fourscore years, yet is their strength labour and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away.” Psalm 90:10 KJV

I’m now officially 50% of the way to threescore and ten! On April 25^th I turn 35 years old. It’s hard to believe since I remember thinking in elementary school how far off my 28^th birthday would be! But time stops for no man, as they say.

As I’ve considered how quickly the first 35 years have gone by, I thought I’d pass on the words to a Kenny Chesney song that reminds us of the need to keep our priorities in line. The song is entitled, “Don’t Blink” and reads as follows:

I turned on the evening news
Saw a old man being interviewed
Turning a hundred and two today
Asked him what's the secret to life
He looked up from his old pipe
Laughed and said "All I can say is."

Don't blink
Just like that you're six years old and you take a nap and you
Wake up and you're twenty-five and your high school sweetheart becomes your wife
Don't blink
You just might miss your babies growing like mine did
Turning into moms and dads next thing you know your "better half"
Of fifty years is there in bed
And you're praying God takes you instead
Trust me friend a hundred years goes faster than you think
So don't blink

I was glued to my tv when it looked like he looked at me and said
"Best start putting first things first."
Cause when your hourglass runs out of sand
You can't flip it over and start again
Take every breathe God gives you for what it's worth

Don't Blink
Just like that you're six years old and you take a nap and you
Wake up and you're twenty-five and your high school sweetheart becomes your wife
Don't blink
You just might miss your babies growing like mine did
Turning into moms and dads next thing you know your "better half"
Of fifty years is there in bed
And you're praying God takes you instead
Trust me friend a hundred years goes faster than you think
So don't blink

So I've been tryin' ta slow it down
I've been tryin' ta take it in
In this here today, gone tomorrow world we're livin' in

Don't blink
Just like that you're six years old and you take a nap and you
Wake up and you're twenty-five and your high school sweetheart becomes your wife
Don't blink
You just might miss your babies growing like mine did
Turning into moms and dads next thing you know your "better half"
Of fifty years is there in bed
And you're praying God takes you instead
Trust me friend a hundred years goes faster then you think
So Don't blink

Naw, don't blink, don't blink
Life Goes Faster Than You Think
Don't Blink...

As a Christian, I’d add to these lyrics the need to make sure we’re growing in our walk with God. To honour him, thank him, and follow him is my mission in life, and if the next 35 years us as good as the first, I have a lot to look forward to!

Sometimes we must fight for love's sake

2008-03-28T16:00:00.004-04:00

Last night I re-watched a movie I hadn't seen in a few years. The movie is entitled "Uprising" and was originally a three hour movie made for TV. Set in the Warsaw ghettos of Poland, circa 1939-1943, the movie portrays the astonishing atrocities of the Nazi regime against innocent Polish Jews. The brutality of the Nazi soldiers is a sad reminder of the wickedness that deluded men are capable of when God and God's moral values are removed from society. Based upon actual historical events, the Nazis eventually exterminate nearly 350,000 men, women and children in the Warsaw ghetto alone. While a group of rag-tag freedom fighters seek to valiantly defend their people, the German Nazi's eventually get the upper hand with only a few handfuls surviving.

If only the Allies had arrived years earlier...

For me, the movie was a reminder of the need to stand up for victims of war and injustice today. Had the allies come a few years earlier, hundreds of thousands of human beings would have been saved from their despicable fates. While Jesus advocated an individual ethic of non-violence when personally offended, in a sin-sick world, it is often the only right thing to do to liberate oppressed people through the use of redemptive force. While many of the wars fought today are waged under suspicious and sometimes confusing circumstances, when innocent humans are clearly being systematically murdered by bloodthirsty warlords, I say we defend them to the death with our own lives as an act of compassionate love.

Velvet Elvis Book Review--when cool replaces truth

2008-02-01T15:38:00.001-05:00

Bell is an interesting writer, and presents a compelling argument to the indiscriminate reader who is “looking for something more”. He writes with a finger on the pulse of post-modern culture and is definitely “Mr. Cool” in his style and language. It appears to me that his intention is the same as mine: to live authentically, and to possess and preach real faith. Nevertheless, I think he errs in his approach. He deconstructs biblical truth at many junctures and adopts a pragmatic approach to the Faith. He downplays or denies objective truth categorically—the ultimate irony. The following represents a critical analysis of his book Velvet Elvis.

Page 11—Is our challenge to remain “open and flexible”? This is popular social thinking, and has some pragmatic merits; I’m not sure it can be substantiated biblically though.

12—Bell is confused. The reformers weren’t “reforming” the Bible or biblical faith. They were seeking to reform an ecclesiastical institution by pointing people back to apostolic doctrine. Interestingly, it was the doctrines that they lived and died for that Bell downplays later in chapter 1 (i.e. the necessity of Christ’s sinless humanity through his denial of the necessity of the virgin birth doctrine)

14 (last paragraph)—what “tradition” is Bell referring to? If it really includes all the positions he mentions as well as “every person everywhere”, then what he means is absolutely everyone. That being the case, I wonder what world he lives in if he really thinks “every person everywhere” is asking “big questions of a big God”? That’s not my world, nor is it an apt description of humanity as a whole ( see Rom 3:10-11).

20 (3^rd last line)—Jesus didn’t “pursue peace in every possible situation”. If Jesus’ life is a “better way” sometimes we must embrace conflict. Jesus did come to divide at times.

21 (last line)—Bell’s wording here is tricky; as at many points in his book. While I wouldn’t feel comfortable saying “I’m right” on all issues, what makes the statement “I’m living right” any more glorious? Is living right a higher ideal than thinking right? Bell strikes me as a pragmatist…his almost sole concern is active faith, yet Jesus teaches in the Great Commandment that we are to love God with our minds too. It seems to follow that to think right, is to be Christ-like, among other things.

22 (last 2 paragraphs)—I like the last line of the page, but the second last paragraph is very sloppy. Trinitarian doctrine wasn’t “added later”. As God progressively revealed himself through the 66 books, his tri-unity was increasingly apparent and is described in creedal statements. Bell’s comparison of this doctrine to a spring is a very relative statement.

23 (4^th line ff)—Does he mean by “words” the Word? If so, Bell fails to understand the claims of the Bible as the living Word of God. God does share some of his absoluteness with us through the living Word of God. It’s as if Bell’s logic is as follows: since God is beyond complete description, the Bible doesn’t describe Him.

23 (6^th last line)—untrue. Hinduism has worshipped a shapeless deity since circa 3000 BC.

24 (2^nd line)—untrue. God is limitless in power, but has boundaries in the form of his attributes. Heb 6:18 states that “God cannot lie.” In telling us this, God is putting boundaries on Himself. I think it’s a common fallacy that God “doesn’t box himself in”, to use popular terminology.

25 (3^rd last paragraph)—while his statement is true on a macro scale, it is untrue on a micro scale. There are certain things about Himself that God wants us to “figure out”, otherwise, morality for instance, would be indefinable.

25 (last full paragraph)—Do doctrines give us “insight and understanding into the experience of God”, or does doctrine inform our experiences to determine if they are of God? A person can have many experiences, but if our experiences are not informed by truth, how can we interpret them? For instance, if I have a bad feeling in my stomach, in and of itself, it is merely an indefinable experience, when in fact my experience is based upon some previous reality. That reality could be eating too much bad pizza or a conflicted relationship. My point is that reality/truth informs experience. Experience doesn’t inform truth. I must know something about the realities of my life to make the judgement call. In my mind, doctrine is not a servant to my experiences. It tells me what experiences I should and shouldn’t have (greed, lust, anger, etc).

Further, I think Bell fails to see that doctrine is Bible. Doctrine doesn’t refer to the creeds we devise to describe Bible doctrine. The words of the Bible are doctrine. To speak of doctrine as a “horrible master” seems almost blasphemous to me.

Further to that, I notice Bell often references his own experiences as precursors to his views. It appears that his book largely flows out of his own presuppositions rather than a careful handling of the Bible (2 Tim 2:15).

26-28—as a general comment, he takes his metaphors way to far to make his point. I think the trampoline/brick wall metaphors can be helpful but he abuses them as I hope to show in the following comments.

26 (2^nd full paragraph)—in fairness to the unnamed six-day creationist, one would have to understand his whole argument before tossing his conclusion. Most six-day creationists build their argument from (a) a literal reading of the text, (b) the doctrine of imago dei, (c) the fall, etc. I’m not sure why Bell lambastes the conclusion but fails to address the argument.

26 (last lengthy paragraph)—Wow! While affirming his own belief in the virgin birth on page 27, Bell dismantles the need for belief in a virgin birth (or the need for the reality of the virgin birth), and thereby removes it from it’s position as a cardinal verity of orthodoxy. I’d find it hard to believe that Bell wouldn’t understand that the virgin birth is necessary to the doctrine of Christ’s sinless humanity, and the teaching that Christ was the second Adam who alone can atone for sin. That said, I’d like to know more about his beliefs about salvation (but he appears to be unconcerned about beliefs, with the possible exception of his own beliefs about beliefs!). For Bell it’s all about the question: is “the way of Jesus still the best possible way to live?” If he really means what he’s saying, then he’s advocating a works-based salvation rather than a salvation necessarily and solely offered by Christ’s substitiutionary death as the sinless second Adam (Rom 5).

27 (second line)—I’d say yes, the whole thing does fall apart. If the virgin birth is not both true and necessary, I’m not a Christian, nor would want to be. All faiths offer insight in how to live; Christ alone offers to bear sin as the sinless God-man (which he would not be had he not been virgin born).

27 (3^rd last paragraph)—Bell states “you spend a lot of time talking about how right you are”. Of course the average reader bristles with fear of being branded arrogant or uppity at that statement! What Bell fails to address however is that the Bible itself commands (clearly) us to engage in apologetics (1 Pet 3:15). In other words, while he might not like defending doctrine vehemently, God tells us to (did I say clearly?). Second, his book itself is an apologetic of his thesis (we need to be constantly reforming). If defending one’s position (or God’s position) is wrong, then the Bible is faulty and all dialogue ends. While he is “far more interested in jumping than arguing”, unfortunately Jesus and his apostles had other ideas. I think we’re safer to follow their approach than Bell’s.

28 (2^nd line)—“brickianity is that walls inevitably keep people out”. So, is the Gospel inclusive? It there really a way or many ways? Did Jesus really die or not? Is God really loving or not? Is the mental assent than the reformers spoke of and the Bible speaks of unnecessary? I could go on. Bell is a classic relativist cloaked in Christianity. Sadly, his worldview is incompatible with the nature of special revelation and the Gospel itself as an exclusive belief/faith system.

28—“Jesus invites everybody to jump”—does he really? Show me where.

40ff—so let me get this straight…Bell heard “a voice”, became “aware of something so real”, and “was standing on holy ground”? And I’m supposed to believe that his experience was of God, but I’m also supposed to be sceptical of the legitimacy of Joshua’s attack on Jericho, etc., as a “thinking, honest” person (p. 42). Bell wants me to have confidence in his experience, and yet little in the historicity of Scripture, virgin birth, etc.

42 (last line to first full para p. 43)—So, every time “everything in me says, ‘There is no way that’s what God meant by that verse’”, am I right? Again, Bell appeals to experience to back up his presuppositions. If he doesn’t like what the Bible says, he chalks it up to interpretational difficulty. If he likes it (as in Jesus’ command to follow/be moral, etc), he embraces it as clear.

43 (fifth last line) and 45 (11^th last line ff)—Bell clearly picks and chooses what verses are to be taken at face value based upon his presuppositions. He portrays the command “wives submit” as unclear (check the verses before and after he says [which add to but don’t overturn the command]), and the command “love your neighbour” as clear. Who can’t see this, he ask rhetorically. Like duh, if you can’t see Bell’s point, you’re an idiot! Yet, while both passages do have contexts attached, both are equally clear grammatically. Both are equally repeated and illustrated in the Bible. Why toss one and embrace another?

44—what is Bell’s basis for claiming the “Bible is open ended”? To be “open-ended” and “it has to be interpreted” are not one and the same. Open-ended implies incomplete and unfinished. I don’t know that he means this, but he’s certainly sloppy

50 (11^th last line ff.)—How does Bell know that Jesus “expects his followers to engage in the endless task of deciding what it means to actually live the Scriptures” (italics mine)? I’ve read through the Bible numerous times and don’t recall ever reading that!

50-69—Bell’s lengthy diatribe against objectivity in interpretation is undermined by his own conclusions on pgs. 68-69 where he calls communities to “wrestle” with the Bible (I presume he means understand how to live it out, since that is his emphasis throughout). But in living it out, do we not need to decide/affirm/discover how the Bible is instructing us to live it out? How can I live what I have not first understood? All Bell has succeeded in doing is pointing out the obvious, that we read through our own grids (in part). But it’s a huge leap to then conclude that the Bible is up-for-grabs and can mean many different things. If interpretation is as slippery as Bell argues then why write at all? How do I really know what Bell is saying in his human-authored book? How is conversation possible between two people, if interpretation is so loose? Frankly, I think Bell takes the issue of flaws in interpretation way too far. A person can read the Bible and arrive at reasonable conclusions, while leaving room for the potential of error in the details.

69—Jacob’s wrestling with God and subsequent limp has nothing to do with wrestling with Bible interpretation. Jacob may have come away from God with a limp, but Bell’s misapplication of the text to support his contention is lame!

Why we need not defend Christmas

2007-12-24T15:07:00.000-05:00

Jesus has always been a controversial figure with a controversial message. In the Gospels, Luke recorded the words of Simeon who said, "Behold, this child is appointed for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is opposed." In Jesus, God convicts the world of their need for a divine Saviour and the fruitlessness of religious efforts to appease God. In Jesus, we are convicted of our own imperfections in light of his perfection. Is it any wonder then that Jesus is the most controversial figure, with the most controversial message in human history? It is neither his birth that offends nor his birthday that needs our primary attention, it is his message!

Of course many believers and unbelievers alike have chosen to take their stands about the "real meaning" of December 25th. Unbelievers go to ridiculous efforts to sanitize Christmas of Christian elements. They replace Christ with Santa as the icon of the season. Employers instruct their workers to wish their customers a "Happy Holiday" rather than a "Merry Christmas", for fear of offending. On the other hand believers proudly erect their manger displays and holler "Don't X Christ out of Christmas" (even though Xmas is very Christian since the X represents the first letter of Christ’s Greek name). Perhaps both groups forget that the central issue is not the birth date, but the person and the message of Christ.

Christmas is not a biblically-mandated celebration for Christians. So I invest little energy engaging in the age-old debate about its public meaning. Whether or not we celebrate Christmas publically is inconsequential to me. In fact I'd rather not see unbelievers celebrating the birthday of a Saviour whose message they have not embraced! Rather, it is Jesus' person and message that I choose to defend. Christmas or not, my mandate remains: to lovingly proclaim that all people are morally bankrupt, spiritually lost and desperately in need of a Saviour to redeem them.

Don't get me wrong, I do believe that our Saviour was born in a manger 2 millennia ago, but it was the message he preached 30 years later that really matters. One can debate the birth incessantly, but what really matters is whether or not you have responded to the Birthed One's message and accepted him as your Saviour.

The Next Time you're Discouraged...

2007-12-06T16:08:00.000-05:00

follow this link to view the incredible testimony of how God is using and encouraging a man with severe disabilities:

http://www.wretch.cc/video/ritahsia&func=single&vid=2282608&o=time_d&p=0

Does God care about Injustice?

2007-11-20T14:53:00.000-05:00

Absolutely!

Thus says the LORD: Do justice and righteousness, and deliver from the hand of the oppressor him who has been robbed. And do no wrong or violence to the resident alien, the fatherless, and the widow, nor shed innocent blood in this place. Jeremiah 22:3

In response to this invitation from God, our Elders signed documents in September agreeing to function as a sponsoring organization for an Orthodox Christian Iraqi family who has had to flee their homeland due to threats of forced conversion. Thankfully, we received notice this week that Citizenship and Immigration Canada has approved our church to act as sponsors for this family. Please pray by name for Muhib and Ghosson and their children Meelad, age 2 and Manahel, age 7. While it may take up to two years for them to arrive, we are praying for their safety leading up to the day they touch down in Canada!

As we wait, we are further considering full legal and financial sponsorship for other families robbed of religious freedom and justice.

A Bitter-Sweet Day...

2007-11-17T18:48:00.000-05:00

My friend Matthew Murray died early this morning of cancer. Matt was a Ministry Partner at Southwood Church and a friend since college. When Pastors Dan & Rielly and I visited with him on Friday afternoon he had deteriorated badly and yet I will cherish that amazing experience hearing him sing and pray and eagerly celebrate the Lord's Supper with us. His death saddens me deeply and yet I am simultaneously rejoicing that he is in the arms of Jesus now. His life was an incarnation of humility, grace and love. I will miss him.

Matt's funeral will be held on Tuesday evening at 7:30 PM at Families First Funeral Home in Windsor (http://www.familiesfirst.ca/) . He asked me to talk about the Good News of Jesus at his funeral and so I will.

A Fresh Breath of Air!

2007-11-02T16:28:00.000-04:00

Paul Potts grew up in obscurity and was bullied as a child.

But you've gotta love it when the least expected among us shines!

This video is worth watching in light of all sickening glitz, glamour and sexiness normally associated with musical talent shows...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1k08yxu57NA

Quick update on Matt

2007-10-29T17:07:00.000-04:00

Matt Murray is returning from Toronto tomorrow after a period of radiation treatment for his cancer. He is still struggling with deteriorating health. Please pray for him. I'll provide further details when I speak with him later this week.

"The Lord is my helper, I will not be afraid." Hebrews 13:6

Our new Student Life Pastor!

2007-10-22T12:25:00.001-04:00

We are pleased to announce the appointment of Pastor Dan Valade to our full-time staff as our new Student Life Pastor! Dan and Karen and their two daughters have been part of our church family for three years and Dan has served as a church planting apprentice with us for the past year. Dan is a certificate graduate from Heritage College and plans to continue working on his Bachelor’s degree over the next few years. Dan will dedicate 75% of his time to overseeing our children’s, youth and college ministries, and 25% of his time doing church administration. He will also be continuing his training with FEB Central Church Planting Ministries. We anticipate that he will be starting sometime in November.

They’re my kids, not yours Mr. McGuinty!

2007-10-01T16:59:00.000-04:00

Ten years ago Susie and I decided to start a family. The next summer Josiah arrived, followed by four siblings over the next six and a half years. Biologically they are our children. Spiritually it is our mandate to care for them. They bear our last name. We decide what they watch on TV, what books and video games are appropriate, what language they will speak, what church they will go to, and what they will eat based on our values. And if you’ve met them, they seem pretty content with our choices! In case you’ve missed my drift, these five kids are our children. As a father I would protect them with my life. But that shouldn’t surprise anyone!

Being that they are our kids, we should be able to raise them as we see fit, unless of course we were to abuse them. If our choices were to endanger their lives, that’s where my authority would end and the community of which I am a part would intervene. Makes sense. But aside from that, they are our kids.

Strangely though, the provincial community of which I am a part is both in favour of me schooling my kids the way I wish, but at the same time discouraging me to school the kids the way I wish. Let me explain. As a couple, Susie and I have chosen to educate our children in a school that meets all the Ontario curriculum requirements, is inspected by the Ministry of Education, while at the same time reinforcing our Christian values. Makes sense doesn’t it??? For instance, my children are taught by Christian theists who affirm the morality of biblical Christianity. The teachers don’t curse around our kids, bring naked people into art classes for students to sketch, or advocate Darwinian theories, like my public school teachers did! I have the freedom to send my kids to such a school, just as other parents can freely choose to home school or utilize the public system.

The catch is this: for some reason the powers that be have forced me to pay for this school AND the public system that I freely choose not to be a part of. So while I am free to pay tuition to an independent, Ontario accredited school, I am not free to not pay for a public Ontario accredited school! Premier McGuinty has levied a spirit-attack on people like us arguing that if we were allowed to keep our own money for our education that the public system will crumble! While that might fly with a few shallow thinkers and strike fear into the heart of the voters, it is an argument that is untenable in a free democracy. Here’s why:

1. The government is not responsible to educate my kids. Throughout that vast majority of human history, parents took sole responsibility for educating their kids. And any tutors or community schools that were hired/formed were ruled by the parents collectively. It is a relatively new phenomenon to have governments supplying education for families and forcing them to pay for it to boot, claiming that if everyone doesn’t chip in the public system will fail! The point is that civilization does not rise and fall on public education but on parents who make informed choices for their kids.

2. Even if the public system were to suffer, so what? What does educating your kids have to do with me? It’s not my responsibility to pay for your kids to go a public school! It’s my job to raise my kids and your job to raise yours. I don’t go to bed at night worrying about the educational choices other parents make. We have friends who home school, friends who public school, friends who private school, and friends who Christian school. That’s as much their choice as it is theirs to select what sports league their kids will be in. Like I said, my kids are mine! If I don’t want to send my kids to a public school, on what basis does it make sense for me to pay so that your kids can go?

3. Third, my money is my money! And while, as a citizen of Canada, it makes sense that I should be taxed for necessary expenditures like national defence, public versus faith-based schooling is not a matter of national defence. The Feds recognize this and so stay out of the debate. Other provinces allow for choice and do fine. Study after study shows that graduates of independent schools perform or even outperform their publicly-educated counterparts. So at the end of the day, what’s the big deal? Why can’t I choose to spend my money the way I wish?

4. My kids could be even better educated if the government would give me back my educational dollars. Whether you agree with my values or not, if I’m committed enough to pay for an independent school based on my values, does it not follow that I would do even more for my kids if I could have my money back? If McGuinty is really that committed to education, stop stonewalling! Then again, maybe “Christian kids” don’t really matter as much!

Mr. McGuinty has no more business in my kid’s education than he does in my bedroom! My suspicion though, is that McGuinty and his Liberals are simply opposed to full-fledged freedom of faith, full-fledged freedom of choice, and perhaps a tad bit controlling. Additionally, he has bent to liberal educators who simply want more money to spend on their kids, without consideration of mine. The Ministry of Education will accredit our school, but the government that controls them feels justified to double dip into my pocket for their own gain. Talk about selfish!

Faith based schooling has nothing to do with public interest in a free democracy. It’s not the Premier’s right to judge the merits of how and where we educate our kids (did I mention that they are ours?). His statement, "I want to make publicly funded education so excellent, so irresistible, that all those kids that find themselves in our private schools today will say, 'I want to go to a public school,''' is both inappropriate and insulting. Dalton, it is my responsibility to raise my kids the way I see fit. Susie and I created them, feed them, teach them, nurture them and care for them. It is therefore my right to send them where I wish. If you’d so care, I’d be delighted to compare your grown children with mine in 20 or so years to see if they’re any worse for wear for the choices their mother and I have made.

Upcoming Provincial Election

2007-09-24T14:07:00.000-04:00

I feel the contents of this article are worth reflecting on:

A MESSAGE TO VOTERS IN ONTARIO

A provincial election will be held in Ontario on October 10, 2007. The ballot will also include a referendum question on a proposed new voting method to be used in the province.

As important as is the election determining who will run the province for another four years, perhaps the referendum question is of even greater importance because of its long lasting impact on both democracy and the pro-life/pro-family cause.

The referendum question will ask: which electoral system should Ontario use to elect members to the provincial legislature?

The existing electoral system (first past the post) i.e. the party which receives a simple majority forms the government, or

An alternative electoral system, called the Mixed Member Proportional Vote (MMP).

The MMP system is used in Germany and, more recently, in New Zealand. (See REALity March/April, 2007 "Voters Beware Manipulating the Voting System").

It is the proposed MMP procedure that causes us grave concern because if implemented it will not only undermine the democratic process, but will also negatively impact the pro-life/pro-family cause.

What is the Mixed Member Proportional Vote?

This voting system will produce two classes of politicians: those elected by the voters (90 MPP's) and those appointed by the political parties (39 MPP's). That is the 129 seats in the province of Ontario legislature will be divided between those elected by the 90 individual ridings, while 39 seats will be chosen by the political parties, according to the percentage of votes each party obtains in the election. Those appointed by the parties will obviously adhere to the party's ideology because their appointment will be dependent on it. Consequently, these MPP's will not be interested in the views of the public or any of their lobbying efforts because such concerns will be irrelevant to them as their role will be to support their party's policies only.

The political partys' lists are expected to alternate male and female candidates and provide a "balance" based on such attributes as gender, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, etc. As a result, even though there may be a superficial diversity such as in appearance, i.e. gender or colour, creed, etc., among the appointed MPP's, there will be no diversity in regard to the political views of these appointees.

The MMP system is the dream of the small parties, which is why the NDP and Green parties are pushing it. Any party with 3% of the popular vote will get a chance to be part of a coalition with the larger parties. Not surprisingly, the MMP system usually leads to more political parties. For example, before MMP was introduced, New Zealand had two parties, it now has six parties.

In the MMP system, political elections are usually followed by weeks of closed-door deal making among parties to form a government - exactly the reverse of what happens after the first past the post elections, where the results are immediately announced.

A result of this secret deal making is that it creates unstable coalitions to form a minority government - inevitable with this voting system, often with a brief shelf life. The latter is one of the reasons why Italy, which has had proportional representation since World War 11, has just experienced its 62nd government and is now looking at ways to return to the more stable first past the post voting system.

The greatest beneficiaries of MMP, apart from the small parties, will be feminists, homosexuals and other special interest groups, as the major parties will certainly place them at the top of their list for appointments to the legislature. For example, parties constantly bemoan the lack of women in the legislature. However, it is not the gender of a candidate that matters to the voters, but rather, his/her perspective on issues. Feminists, as part of a special interest group, have worked long and hard for the introduction of the MMP voting system, knowing that it will strengthen their voice in government since they will be assured of appointments to the legislature by the major parties. The MMP system neatly by-passes the inconvenient fact that voters base their votes on the candidate's views and platform, rather than on gender.

Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty has stated that in order for the referendum to pass, it must have 60% approval from the votes cast. Therefore, it is very important to the pro-life/pro-family cause that the referendum NOT receive the required 60% approval rate.

[Source: "REALily" - a publication of 'REAL Women of Canada' (www. realwomenca.com) ..... an excellent conservative pro-family organization.]

Cancer

2007-09-21T12:03:00.000-04:00

I'd appreciate your continued prayers and encouragement for Matt Murray. Matt is a 34 year old guy in our church who just discovered that an aggressive form of cancer has returned to his body. As few months back he had surgery and thought his previous battle with cancer was over. You can add comments to encourage him at the end of this post.

Refugee sponsorship

2007-09-18T11:52:00.000-04:00

Last week the elders of the church agreed to enter into a new area of ministry for our church that reflects our core values of reaching out to and serving our community. As of this week we have partnered with World Vision Canada to become a sponsoring church for refugees who are seeking religious and social freedom in Canada.

Our first act of sponsorship has been to offer ourselves as the sponsoring body for a Christian Iraqi family living in Syria who have been forced out of their country due to death threats by militant Islamists. Their family here is able to support them but need a church to agree to officially sign as their sponsors. Eventually we'd like to see this ministry develop into a more hands-on initiative whereby we would fully sponsor a refugee family - including covering all their expenses for a one year period and helping them integrate into Canadian society.

I am very proud of the elders of our church for the compassion and interest they have demonstrated in this awesome ministry opportunity! As with our recent sponsorship of the African Children's Choir on Sept 5-7, refugee sponsorship positions us well to extend the love of Christ, in tangible ways, to a world increasingly skeptical of those who adhere to biblical Christianity. While we are very much concerned about proclaiming truth regarding the eternal matters of heaven, hell and salvation, we are also very much committed to living Christ-centred lives by alleviating the suffering that others experience through acts of social justice.

Praise God for the chance to be used in ways like this!

"Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from
the world." James 1:27

Simon says...chocolate!!!!

2007-08-16T15:32:00.001-04:00

Here is Simon Rock at Bryan and Kat's wedding enjoying the chocolate fountain...over and over again!

Some Sex Ain't so Sexy

2007-08-09T14:25:00.000-04:00

If you like variety in your sex life, you’re living at the right time in history! There is no shortage of input and ideas about this very human topic! From the examples that movie stars set, to how-to manuals on improving your sex life, to Dr. Phil, to tabloid magazines at the grocery store check out, to the guys in the change room, there are plenty of perspectives on sex floating around. Not to overuse the cliché, but we DO live in “sex-saturated society”.

Problem is, some sex ain’t so sexy! In fact many of the modern societal spokesmen/women on human sexuality are nothing more than perverts, adulterers and pornographers whose sole concern is how to increase your orgasm, all the while ruining your marriage, family and ability to experience relational intimacy. Barely a month goes by that I don’t hear about some marriage that has fallen apart or some life that is in shambles due to sexual sin that seemed sweet at first but turned bitter.

For these reasons, it is increasingly apparent to me that the church must work harder at educating people about the stark reality that some sex ain’t so sexy, but in fact is destructive. This means that our children need to be taught to view sex through the eyes of the God who designed it as an expression of trusting intimacy in a marital relationship. This also means that as people who are part of a sex-saturated culture that we need to daily remind ourselves of our own vulnerabilities as physical beings and resist temptation as per biblical teaching. This further means that the church needs to teach on the topic of sex in a bold, sincere and tactful way instead of letting people develop their views of sex outside of Christian community.

Jesus came to help people find holistic wholeness through the pursuit of holiness. So it seems to me that the church, as his representative on earth, needs to help people do the same—and that includes correcting faulty views about sex and teaching/modelling God’s views on this important subject.

I've been dehumanized!

2007-07-27T10:27:00.000-04:00

Back in March I flew to Chicago to attend a 1-day Bible software seminar. United Air left me stranded in the airport when I tried to fly home by cancelling my flight for no explained reason. They told me they had no obligation to get me home, or get me a hotel, but if I waited 25 hours in the airport they might be able to get me home late the next day. I was ticked and tried for 3 hours to find an alternative way home since it was a Saturday night and I had to preach the next morning. Finally, about 8:30 PM I was able to book the last available rental car out of Chicago O'Hare and drive myself back to Detroit, pick up my truck and head for Windsor. Needless to say, it was a late night. But stuff like that happens I guess.

Subsequent to that I contacted United to get my money back. After all, wouldn't one assume that after renting a $300 car, burning up $100 in fuel, and NOT being flown home that the plane ticket money would be returned? I guess not. After numerous investigative calls (ever notice that there are no phones numbers on corporate websites anymore?) I was assured that half the ticket price would be returned to my credit card. Never happened though. Another hour calling everywhere from India to America yesterday rendered little help either. Apparently, the $250 trip which quickly blossomed into a $650 trip is just something I must accept. Unless of course I want to take a week off church work and dance my fingers through the dizzying array of phone prompts on United's 1-800 number, with no guaranteed results.

What bugs me most about experiences like this is not the loss of money, but rather what it represents--the loss of my humanness. Corporations are owned by shareholders so every person you meet is merely an employee and therefore not responsible for anything. You cannot even vent to the person on the phone because it's not even their fault! It's nobody's fault I guess other than mine!

The world is filled with humans who have become dehumanized. Time and time again I encounter situations that remind me of the reality that care and compassion for the individual man has been lost and with it a sense of justice. Even law enforcement officials are guilty. If I speed I get pulled over and ticketed, even though I have had zero run-ins with the law. But when I catch a guy tearing the side mirror off my van red-handed, constable so-and-so could care less. I end up paying for a criminal act committed against my property by a drunken fool, even after paying for police protection/services. Another indication of dehumanization. Who cares about one guy?

Jesus on the other hand never dehamunized anyone. He reached out to the widow and the poor, the orphan and the invalid. He took time for a social nobody with little to offer society, while at the same time allowing society to take great advantage of him. Jesus reminds us to expect dehumanization in a world infected by sin. His actions also comfort us and cause us to long for the next life where dehumanization will be a thing of the past!

"But I will restore you to health and heal your wounds,' declares the LORD, 'because you are called an outcast, Zion for whom no one cares.'" -Jeremiah the prophet

Are drugs the only solution to depression?

2007-07-19T15:08:00.000-04:00

Do you ever struggle with dark thoughts or depression? Many people do. A recent news article suggested that anti-depression pills are now the most commonly prescribed medications in America. This squares very much with my own observations as a pastor. An increasing number of people are admitting to living lives riddled with anxiety and as such have turned to physicians for medication.

As a Christian and a theologian, I am willing to concede that there are occasions when prescriptive drugs may be an appropriate option for depressed people, especially when things like past drug use has ruined parts of the brain that help regulate emotions. But since when were physicians appointed as doctors of the soul, claiming insight into the inner spiritual and emotional workings of human beings? Historically that was the job of men like myself who have been appointed to teach on matters of the soul and offer pastoral guidance to people struggling with very real issues like depression. Slowly, slyly, the church has once again relinquished one of her tasks to the world, claiming to have no expertise in such matters. I for one however, am not willing to offer such a concession.

That said, I will repeat my belief that some depression in people is best addressed through the cautious use of medications (a 3 minute interview in your doctor’s office can hardly qualify as cautious). On the other hand if a person’s life is in a shambles due to bad choices, anxiety and worry (which are labelled in Scripture as "sin" not "struggles"), then perhaps a different prescription for life is in order, namely the Words of Creator God. Regarding the issues of worry and anxiety, which plague so many, God offers this counsel:

Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life. Matt 6:25b.

Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? Matt 6:27

These words are meant to both rebuke faulty thinking and encourage you that God is in control and the responses of anxiety and worry to the events of life do not help. He loves you and wants to control your life so that you don’t have to. By taking promises like these to heart, writing them out and meditating upon them daily, a person positions himself for healing. By encountering personal faith in Christ, augmented by growth in the spiritual disciplines many people find their depression lifted.

One helpful resource to sort through these issues is Edward Welch’s (Christian) book Blame It on the Brain?: Distinguishing Chemical Imbalances, Brain Disorders, and Disobedience . If you or someone you know is depressed, consider recommending this book as a helpful tool for exploring alternatives to the fashionable and almost exclusive modern response of prescriptive drugs.

Our Vacation

2007-07-13T10:03:00.000-04:00

Susie and I just returned from a week's vacation. We had a great time and realized how different it was this year since it's the first time all the kids are relatively independent. Diapers are a thing of the past, and they all play well together. We spent five day's at my dad's cottage which is about 45 mins north of Parry Sound. Highlights included watching bears eat garbage at the local dump, going for boat rides, fishing, swimming out to an island (with lifejackets!) and catching a water snake (although Susie mysteriously vanished into the cottage when this event occurred!) I particularly enjoyed watching dad trying to get his little John Deere tractor to work so he could pull all five kids up a hill! I had to push to get them going, but eventually it worked.

Our brother Matt Murray

2007-07-02T21:30:00.000-04:00

Matt Murray's cancer has resurfaced on his lungs. He has asked for our continued prayers. Please encourage Matt during this difficult time in his life.

You can see my previous posts for details about his condition.

SK Graduation and Lessons Learned

2007-06-20T13:48:00.001-04:00

This morning Levi graduated from Senior Kindergarden! I had to chuckle when all the kids marched in to grandiose music almost like what you'd expect at some formal affair. The kids were introduced as "scholars" and I saw a couple of moms shedding tears (one of which I'm married to)! While the fanfare might have been a little dramatic, I was reminded of the need to celebrate milestones in our children's lives, to encourage accomplishments, and enjoy them while they are young. He and his 8 classmates quoted a total of 26 verses that they had memorized which was quite impressive for 5-6 years olds! Levi received his diploma along with a "determination award" and "attendance award" - and I could tell he was pleased. So was I.

Baptisms

2007-06-05T14:22:00.000-04:00

We were able to baptize 11 people this past Sunday, inspite of the weather. Here are pictures of two of my children, Keziah and Levi professing their faith!

Do you read in order to hear?

2007-06-04T17:05:00.000-04:00

Jesus said, "If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper,to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you. John 14:14-17

Jesus’ mission was to take care of our sin problem once for all. He did it. He also prophesied that those who obey his Word will be helped by the Holy Spirit of God. This Spirit will lead us into truth that the world will not receive. And you’ll know him when you hear him.

Commandments…Spirit. Truth…Spirit. Knowledge…Spirit. Do you see the connections? The Holy Spirit will never lead us to confusion, error, or lasting question marks. He speaks only that which is true to us.

As Christians, we often harp on the need to read God’s Word. Yet since reading has become a mere task for some, we need to qualify what kind of reading we’re speaking of. The Christian should always read to hear from God. Every time we open the Bible, we should expect to encounter the Holy Spirit’s voice. Whether we’re reading for message preparation, evening or morning devotions, lesson preparation for a class, small group, or following along during a message, we read to encounter God.

Unfortunately, we have tended to segregate Bible reading into academic exercises and personal reading. The first we call study, the second we call devotions. During study we read for facts, during devotions we read for growth. But isn’t there something strange in this false dichotomy? Shouldn’t every encounter with the Bible be a studious act as well as one that pushes us to greater devotion with God? When I prepare for a message, don’t you expect me to wrestle with the meaning of the text as well as the Lord of the text?

Next time you open your Bible to read, consider reading to hear from your Lord. It is after all his revelation to you!

Are you a Lover?

2007-05-30T14:47:00.000-04:00

Let’s talk about love. More specifically let’s talk about your love relationship with God. In some senses love is a mysterious and nebulous thing to pin down. We all know it involves actions like Paul talked about in 1 Cor 13. One cannot possibly claim to love without healthy portions of patience, kindness, goodness and more. At the same time it is feasible to extend patience, kindness and goodness to someone that you have little affection for. Consequently we also understand love to include a strong fondness for another. Since God’s love is both an affection and action, we seek to express the same in return. Yet how difficult that can be for people. On one hand there is the tendency of some to evaluate their walk with God based upon the degree that they are actively serving him. Some of these types even pooh-pooh the more affectionate types as shallow or possessing mere emotionally-charged faith. On the other hand, the affectionate sort don’t always value active service to the degree they should, content to enjoy God but not necessarily advancing His kingdom rule- which brings me back to God’s way of loving. If God is the epitome of love, being both active and affectionate in his love for us, should not the integration of both into our lives be a crucial ambition? Seems so to me.

Regardless of your natural bent—toward affection or action—our goal is a harmonious balance of both. If you have no pitter-patter in your heart for God, something is wrong. If your sole concern is enjoying his company but never engaging in Christian mission, there’s an equally dangerous problem to admit. So how have you gone about balancing these two factors in your love life with God? Any thoughts?

Pray for the Sick

2007-05-15T11:30:00.000-04:00

One of our core values at Southwood is that we value Passionate Prayer. Here are 3 things I'd encourage you to passionately pray for:

1. Matt Murray called yesterday to tell me that he had a wonderful day. He felt better than he has since he was first diagnosed with cancer. Nevertheless, he asked for prayer since he will be meeting with some doctors today to review his biopsy results. He wasn't expecting good news from them. Please continue to pray for Matt. He is very encouraged by your support.

2. Matt Ripley called yesterday as well to update me on his sister-in-law’s health status. Her name is Jenn and she remains in ICU in London. She is severely ill due because of a complication related to Lupus disease. She spoke for the first time in the last few days which was an encouragement to Heidee and Matt. They asked for prayer for her healing and for a possible transfer to the Windsor ICU to make visiting easier for the family.

3. Continue to pray for Ed & Koanita Thiessen's little nephew Liam. He is only a couple of weeks old and has been tentatively diagnosed with a genetic disorder.

Feel free to post remarks here for them to read.

You might also want to read yesterday’s blog entry (below) on the need to rely on God.

Is God your Crutch?

2007-05-14T16:37:00.000-04:00

I was reading an article by an atheist today who claimed that belief in God is just an attempt to soothe the nastiness of life. His point was that Christians are mere sentimentalists (or worse) who need God as their crutch. I'm sure you've heard similar contentions many times over: "God is your crutch!" So is He? Is God your “crutch”?

As I have thought about this line of reasoning, I see points of agreement and disagreement. I disagree that faith in God is based on sentiment alone. Then again, I am sentimental about God. I not only like Him, but I love Him. When I think about Him I am moved. But isn’t that supposed to be so? After all, all true love relationships have a degree of sentimentality. When Susie and I recently revisited an old honeymoon spot, we retook our pictures in the same place we stood 12 years ago. Why? Because I’m sentimental – but will you fault me for that?!

Then there is the matter of God as my crutch, which the atheist uses against me too. But does he have reason to? And should I reject his contention? I choose not to. Why? Because God IS my crutch (among many other things). Doesn’t the Bible describe people as “dead” in sin and in need of a divine Savour (Eph 2)? Doesn’t the Bible describe people as “broken-hearted” (Ps 147)? Doesn’t God beckon you and I to “lean” not on our own understanding but on Him (Prov 3:5)? You bet it does! Perfect people don’t use crutches, but needy people do. So yeah, God is my crutch I guess. He’s doesn’t need me, but I sure need Him. A day without God is like a one-legged man without a crutch – you get no where fast!

So the next time someone challenges your faith, present the reasons and the rationale behind your faith. But don’t leave out the part about what God is doing in your life and how much you are learning to rely upon him everyday to sustain you. If that means letting people know that God IS your crutch then so be it. That’s the way it’s supposed to be.

Tanked full of Thanks

2007-05-08T13:24:00.000-04:00

Sometimes life is a little rough and we experience bumps on the road that threaten to unseat us. As our church has been praying for Matt's recovery from cancer, I am reminded of the suffering that people endure in a fallen world. Add to that the news of multiple wars being fought around the globe, poverty in Africa, terrorism, divorces and natural disasters on almost every continent and you are reminded of the fragility of human life.

One the other hand, I've been thinking a lot lately about the need to be thankful to God for what we do have. Matt reminded me of this yesterday when I visited him at his dad's house near McGregor. He shared all that God is teaching him and the recovery he's experiencing. My kids reminded me of this on the weekend while I cared for them while Sue was away at a conference. They are a great joy to me and divine blessing. The beautiful weather of late reminded me of this as I sat on the back porch and gazed out at the woods and felt the wind on my face. Creation, for all its dangers, is a blessing as well. The church reminded me of this on Sunday as I enjoyed the spiritual friendships that are shared among believers. I could go on, because there are so many things to be thankful for in life!

For the Christian, thankfulness has nothing to do with comparing what we have to what the next guy doesn’t. It has everything to do with bragging on God and enjoying his good gifts. As believers, it seems to me that life is laced with temptations to become disgruntled with the road bumps and forget about the blessings all around. That is why I think it’s necessary to cushion all our troubles with the good stuff God has brought into our lives. Think long and hard upon all God HAS given you instead of dwelling on what he HASN’T given. The next time you pray, spend the time thanking God for the good things he has provided you with. Call a friend or email your spouse and thank them for the gift of their presence in your life, and see if it doesn’t generate a spirit of thankfulness in you!

Remember Paul? He was that bold believer that our Lord used to write much of the New Testament. While all of his inspired writings are amazing, the message of his letter to the Philippians has always stood out in my mind as a prime example of thankfulness DURING trouble. From a smelly ancient near eastern prison cell, he had the insight to write, rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Meditate upon these words today in light of your trials. Look for the bright spots; for it is there that you will encounter the Son.

Matt is home!

2007-05-04T14:30:00.000-04:00

Matt's surgeries went well. He came home yesterday and will be recovering at his dad's place. He is hoping to rest this weekend and possibly come to church next Sunday! He told me that he's encouraged! Praise God.

Matt Murray Update!

2007-04-26T10:52:00.000-04:00

Matt had the cancer on his skin removed. The question now is what the lump under his arm is.
Here is an exerpt from an email Matt Murray sent me today!

"believe it or not the doctors still do not know for sure what this lump (now the size of a big grapefruit) some think hemorrhage because of its super fast growth others think its cancer. They are going to, Lord willing, to remove the lump and do a pathology report while I'm on the table. If it's cancer then all the lymph nodes in my left arm will be removed if not the sole offending painful little bugger will be removed. I am hoping and praying for the later although this would be a miracle. Good news the CT scan shows no other growths in my body and my blood work is better than most of the doctors.

The best news of all my dear brother is that in my weakness God is faithful in this difficult trial. I can truly, by no strength of my own, say now more than ever that Jesus Christ is My Savior. Be encouraged"

Let's continue to support Matt in our prayers. This is exciting news...praise God!!!!

A Case for Confessing sin to one another (#3 in series)

2007-04-23T11:52:00.000-04:00

We Protestants hold dear the doctrine of the "priesthood of believers". By this we mean to say that one does not need a priest or any other imtermediary to confess our sins to God. We have direct access to God through prayer!

That said, the Bible advocates confession to one another as well. While we might feel more comfortable confessing to God (afterall, He is invisible and doesn't share our foibles with our friends!), confession to one another has enormous spiritual benefits.

Benefits to the soul

Helps the believer avoid further sin (because others are now watching).
Creates an awareness that you are no longer alone with your sin (“We lay down the burden of hiding and pretending.”)
Allows for mutual accountability (someone is there to hold you to renewal).
It is a proactive response to sin.
True confession leads to purification.
Requires an examination of the self/conscience.
Demonstrates sorrow for sin in the light of God’s holiness.
Demonstrates a determination to avoid sin followed by a turning from sin.
Leads to restitution, if required by the community.

Take some time to explore the following passages about confession:

Two forms of confession

Private Confession (1 Jn. 1:9)
Public Confession (Jam. 5:16)

Of course, for confession to work, a few things are absolutely necessary prerequisites:

Open and strong fellowship among believers.
Humility on behalf of the listener.
Maturity of mind and spirit to listen, advise and hold accountable.

Update on Matt's Cancer

2007-04-12T11:06:00.000-04:00

Matt is still in Toronto undergoing treatment. The doctors are still trying to figure out what is going on. The pathology report has been delayed in Windsor and is now a week behind.
Meanwhile the mass under Matt's left arm has increased 3x since first diagnosis. He shared these words with me from a Rich Mullens song:

"If I Stand Let ME Stand on the Promise YOU will pull through . . .
If I can't let me fall on the grace on the grace that first brought me to you."

Please continue to uphold Matt in your prayers and feel free to post any comments here for him to read from Toronto.

A Case for Spiritual Reading (#2 in series)

2007-04-10T12:44:00.000-04:00

“To read and not to meditate is unfruitful; to meditate and not to read is dangerous; to read and meditate without prayer is hurtful.” Richard Greenham, 1612

“Reading in light of the whole story and putting ourselves into it.” Simon Chan

Through contemplation of the Word we avoid a merely rationalistic approach to study and are enabled to reflecting carefully upon both original meaning and personal application. I'd encourage you to carefully read Scripture as a reflective exercise to hear from God.

Key Passages
Phil. 4:8
2 Tim. 3:14-17

Purpose
The Bible is the primary means of engaging with God through his special revelation of Himself.

Benefits
-Enables us to dwell on the fullness of God as He has revealed Himself.
-Development of the mind, enabling the Christian to live decisively.
-The truth sets us free from bondage to sin .
-Protects us from error .
-We hear from our Lord!

Approaching the Word...
-Get the right mindset: We must read in order to hear and understand God and Christian living.
-We must ask: How does the Bible tell the redemption story of which I am a part?
-We approach it presupposing its authority over our lives: We are open to its teaching, humbled by its message and willing to obey.

Obstacles to "spiritual" reading
-We are used to reading for information and skills development.
-We analyze rather than digest and reflect.
-We want immediate effect-often feelings-oriented.
-We skip exegesis (drawing out meaning through good study) and go straight to application.

Guidelines to Make it Happen
-Form a habit of reading regularly.
-View theology and spirituality as two sides to the same coin. This will help you to integrate knowledge and being.
-Look for promises and assurances.
-Strive to see God at work in all passages.
-Meditate upon the Word, allowing it to permeate your depths.
-Read with concentration, repetition and perception.

Please pray for our brother Matt...

2007-04-05T11:29:00.000-04:00

Matt Murray, one of our Southwood Ministry Partners just informed me that he has been diagnosed with melanoma cancer affecting his lymphnodes. This is an agressive form of cancer and so he left yesterday for 21 days of treatment in Toronto. Matt is a good friend who I have known since college (he and I are actuallly only one day apart in age!) and a faithful brother in Christ. My heart goes out to him as he struggles through this difficult sickness. I'm asking the church family to commit to praying for Matt that he would be healed and experience the presence of God in a special way during his time away. I personally have committed to walking with Matt by offering encouragement to him and rallying others to prayer. PLEASE USE THIS BLOG TO POST COMMENTS AND LEAVE MESSAGES FOR MATT TO READ. HE'LL BE CHECKING IN ON THE BLOG FROM TORONTO. Let's be the presence of Christ to Matt as he seeks healing.

And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up.

James 5:15

A Case for Bible Memorization (#1 in series)

2007-03-30T10:02:00.000-04:00

In ancient times, society was much more oral-aural than it is today. Listening and remembering were virtually the ONLY way to know Scripture. Memorization was foundational to the whole culture and aided in the transmission of teaching, traditions, land titles, customs etc. In the modern world, our reliance upon the written word (the devocalization of society), and technology has reduced use of memorization. However, the memorization of Scripture still serves as a vital tool for spiritual formation.

Key Passage: Ps. 119:9-16

Benefits of Memorization:
-It gives you something to Meditate on while working.
-It allows for extended focus on a particular truth (absorption).
-It imbeds the truth in our mind for use when attacked, sharing the gospel, or wrestling with discouragment.
-It helps us understand “implicit theology”.
-It intensifies the Scripture in our minds.

Three stages of effective memorization:
-Assimilate Scripture into your mind (repeat it repeatedly!).
-Let it penetrate your heart (what is God saying to me?).
-Move to resolutions (how do I need to change as a result?).

A Noble Wife I have Found!

2007-03-06T11:31:00.000-05:00

I grew up in a home that had been split by divorce. As such, entering into a relationship with a girl was a little unnerving for me as a 18-20 year old (I dated very little before then). But through a series of circumstances God worked in my life to prepare me for marriage to Susie. This spring will mark our 12th anniversary.

Over the past dozen years we have grown together and learned much about what it means to be a husband and wife. I am often amazed how wonderful of a woman Susie has become and how fulfilling marriage really is. She is a godly example to our children (and me), a diligent and purposeful woman when it comes to fulfilling her daily tasks, a keen student of the Word, and possesses a gracious spirit unlike any I have encountered. I am deeply grateful to God that He has brought her into my life and look forward to knowing her better in years ahead.

Unfortunately, as I observe many young people today, I get this sense that fear of long term committment (marriage) is an increasingly prevalent problem. I think is due in large part to a confusion about the nature of the marital relationship when it comes to gender roles, and also attributable to the disintegration of marriages we see around us. For this reason, I exhort my readers-should you be fearful of marriage-to consider two things. First, take time to examine the Bible in order in order to formulate a clear picture of what your own role is in marriage is and then court only those who share your biblical views. Second, take note of the positive examples of marriage around you, learn from them and be encouraged. While my relationship is not perfect, and while my intent is not to brag, I can candidly admit that marriage is a pretty good thing! The God who created this wonderful covenant relationship can help you too to enjoy it to the max, as long as you follow his ultimate lead in marriage.

Recent Pictures of the Fam

2007-02-23T13:24:00.000-05:00

(left) Susie and I at a wedding recently.
(below) The 5 Rocklits hanging out after church!

Anticipation

2007-01-22T11:25:00.000-05:00

His heart races. The palms of his hands sweat. His pupils dilate. For years he has studied the prophecies of old. His professors introduced him to the writings of Moses, Samuel, Daniel, and Hosea. He remembers the exams and the oral defence of his dissertation in Messianic prophecy. Now miles of sand, pock marked with the footprints of three men and two camels lie behind him. He has studied, but this is different. Could it be that in his lifetime the prophecies have been fulfilled? What are the chances? As a scholar he had dreamed of this day. Yet he now seemed so unprepared for it. Reaching into his pocket he could feel the gift gently bumping against his leg with each stride. He hoped the sappy substance it was made from did not begin to turn gooey in the desert heat. It wasn’t everyday a person was able to give a gift of Myrrh to God after all, and the last thing he wanted was to have it spoil.
As daylight fades and night edges toward him and his colleagues, faint lights became more visible in the sky. Straining ahead, he finally sees “the one”. The star they had been following for days. Evening always brought a sigh of relief as he found assurance that he had not wandered off route, since the star was his guide. For others, the star was merely one of many, a spot of light in a sky splattered with them. For this wise man it was life. It reminded him of his hope. With age comes the darkening of the mind, the slowing of the body, till one day all goes black. But in the blackness there is a beacon of light that guides one to God. The metaphor sent shivers down his spine despite the evening heat.
As evening faded to night, the light of the star grew brighter and closer. They were almost there, almost under it. Ahead, sprawled out was a little town of huts and inns. Near the edge, was a small shelter, its roof lit up by the star. This must be the place he thought! This must be the place he had anticipated for so long. But could it really be? A child sent to save the world?

When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. And going into the house they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh.
Matthew 2:10-11

Tell me won’t you, have you too met this child?

Accenting Gospel Content with Charity

2007-01-19T17:00:00.000-05:00

“What I'm about to preach, you will never remember.
What you have just seen, you will never forget.” ~Author unknown

Biblical Christianity maintains that there is content to the Christian message—we call this truth. The truth of the Gospel is that people have willfully rebelled against God and deserve eternal judgment. As such, the God of love, grace and mercy sent the God-Man (Jesus Christ) to suffer and die for our sins in order that we would not have to suffer for our own sin. Jesus miraculously rose from the dead in triumph over death. A person can be saved only through faith in Christ. Conversely, one cannot be saved apart from Christ. No amount of religiosity will cut it. It is upon this truth that the gift of eternal life rests.

At the same time, the New Testament instructs the Christian to accent (in the sense of making prominent) the presentation of the Gospel with the qualities of gentleness and respect. We are to avoid rudeness and arrogance. These words are not internal qualities that a Proclaimer can possess but fail to manifest. They are external in nature and necessary trimmings to Good News of Christ. Failure to express them is to fail as a Proclaimer.

Sadly, I must admit that there have been times when I have dropped the ball in this area. In an impassioned plea for truth I have become frustrated, angered or tactless. Perhaps you too can relate. Incessant attacks upon the content of the Gospel can foster carelessness in our delivery. Yet to truly obey the Christian calling, we must learn to sacrifice neither content nor the accents in our delivery. If I proclaim God’s love in an unloving way or his grace in an ungracious way or his mercy in an unmerciful way, I run the risk of obscuring the content. Sure, God can bypass these foibles and still win souls to Himself, but we must also hold in tension the command to do all things necessary as Proclaimers to win some to Jesus—and that includes an interest in the accents as well as the content of the Good News. We all know that good intentions are one thing, but the way we deliver the message often wins the day!

Dad had a Heart Attack

2007-01-18T12:36:00.000-05:00

Many of you know that my father Dave had two minor heart attacks after Christmas. I had a chance to meet with him before his surgery in St. Thomas and talk about spiritual matters. Yesterday, I visited him in London. I brought him a Bible, since he didn't have one, and he seemed appreciative. The surgery went well (triple bypass) but due to the meds his bowels shut down for a few days which has caused painful complications. Last evening it seemed that things were taking a turn for the better and that he might be able to go home in a few days.

Pray also that he would discover what it means to have an intimate and adventurous relationship with the Lord. He's a great guy and I believe God could use him significantly for Kingdom purposes. Pray for my step-mom Nan as well as she travels to London each day to see him.

Fear Should Never Ever Trump Love

2007-01-16T12:44:00.000-05:00

As many of you know I have a strong interest in living by the truth of the Bible and defending it against attack. I have spent many years studying God’s Word, and while there is still much I do not know, I can smell an attack on the fundamentals of our faith from a mile away. As believers it is crucial that we abide by the precepts of Scripture through which we grow in relationship with God. We must equip one another to understand the content of our faith (theology), the defence of our faith (apologetics) as well as the practical living-out of our faith (ethics). To these disciplines I am committed.

At the same time, I am well aware of the fact that we live in a world that is very sceptical of the authenticity of Christianity and the authenticity of Christians. We all have met people who refuse to listen to the Gospel message because they have been hurt by far too many Christian messengers who lack tact, wisdom, discernment, love and grace. For this reason I have long felt that although the message of the cross is offensive, we must be careful not to be offensive ourselves in our approach to theology, apologetics or ethics.

Recently, a friend and I had a 3½ hour conversation in my office with two Muslim men we know. This conversation was marked by clear differences in belief, and we rigorously challenged each other’s underlying assumptions about Christianity and Islam. Our conversation however was clearly marked by grace and love, and as such was very productive. Both sides hugged and commented how much they appreciated the openness and honesty of the others. In no uncertain terms we told these fellows that apart from personal faith in Christ they are destined to eternal Hellfire, and they told us the same from their religious perspective. But in all of this, there were no angry outbursts, yelling or screaming. We enjoyed lunch together and plan to meet again in a few weeks.

As Christians, I think this is a good paradigm to adopt when it comes to inter faith dialogue. As I talk with members of other faiths, I try to abide by three principles:
(1) We must love people of other faiths deeply and go out of our way to saturate them with the love of Christ in the process of addressing life and death. Sadly, my Muslim friends shared that they often feel attacked personally by Christians.
(2) While I would not debate the idea of substantial differences between other faiths and Christianity, we need not fear other people. The Power of Christ in us is greater than the power that is in this world. While it might be tempting to adopt a “go get ‘em, Tiger” mentality toward other Christians who boldly attack other faith, it was not the ethic of our Lord.
(3) Abrasive terminology toward other faiths does not win converts. It is one thing to openly discuss world religions among believers but think about how you would respond if other faiths were inflammatory against Christianity. Yes, I am aware that many Christians have suffered for their faith at the hands of other faiths. I personally know Christians who have been imprisoned simply for pastoring a church. But personal attacks against unbelievers only breed distain. We don’t like it, so why should they? I believe that such rhetoric is a violation of the principle of defending our faith with “gentleness and respect” found in 1 Peter 3:15. If I err, I would rather err on the side of gentleness. Jesus taught us to be “as wise as serpents and as innocent as doves” (Matt 10:16), and I think that applies to evangelism. I for one am not afraid of other religions, but if I fear for their eternal destinies I must seek to become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some. (1 Cor. 9:22b).
That’s my take.

Barney needed a Mentor - do you?

2006-12-11T16:00:00.000-05:00

What do you have when you take Andy Taylor, Barney Fife, Gomer Pyle, Opie Taylor, and Otis Campbell and put them all together in a town called Mayberry? The Andy Griffith show! This famous TV comedy, which aired from 1960 to 1968 on CBS, has become a classic for its humour, down to earth themes, and strong emphasis on moral virtue. Many have supposed that this show was a hit because it took people’s minds off the turbulence of their times and presented them with simple family values.

Of particular interest was the relationship that existed between Sheriff Andy Taylor, played by Andy Griffith, and his bumbling deputy Barney Fife, played by the legendary Don Knotts, who won five consecutive Emmy Awards for best supporting actor in his role. Here we encounter an honest, intelligent, upstanding sheriff and his well-meaning but often ill-informed buddy. Throughout the show, Barney repeatedly gets himself into hot water and Andy has to bail him out. In the Andy Griffith Show, we uncover a classic example of a mentoring relationship. The wiser, more experienced Andy guiding, counselling and teaching Barney how to be a great cop.

Yes, there are many lessons we can learn from the Andy Griffith show. But the inspiration of the more mature Andy, mentoring, discipling, and teaching the less mature Barney is one of which the church is especially in need. Christianity is a faith of imitation. It is a life of encountering Christ through his Word and his Body. As I observe the work of Christ in the life of another, I gain perspective on how the faith of the Word can be fleshed out in my vocation, culture and family. Sadly, a mentality of independence pervades much of modern day Christianity. We speak of personal faith in Christ, but rarely contemplate the interpersonal nature of Christianity. We know the church is a Body, but are more fascinated with the appendage we represent. “My faith is my business,” we hear people chirp. Yet each of us can benefit from “Andys”—more mature, wiser Christ-followers who are further ahead in their spiritual journey than we are. Conversely, each of us should look for “Barneys”—less mature; perhaps spiritually weaker followers to encourage and train. Spiritual mentors function as road markers, or guides, who can reorient us when we fail, come alongside us when we are burdened down, share truth with us when we err, and pray for us when we need it most. Like flying buttresses, mentors help strengthen us when we are overwhelmed with the weight of suffering or temptation. Mentors also function as coaches to reinforce virtue, offer training in the Christians disciplines and help position us for maximum ministry effectiveness.

Isn't life short?

2006-11-25T22:45:00.000-05:00

I have always loved history and historical artifacts! I collected stamps as a kid, enjoy getting my hands on old books, once wrote a book on my family history, and get a kick out of scrounging for old bottles when I scuba dive. To hold something from yesteryear in your hands helps the past to come alive, and gives you a sense of your heritage.

Today I went out with a buddy from church on my first metal detector hunt. I found a penny from the late 1890s. It's not worth much, but it's cool to hold something like that in your hand and speculate on how it got there and what life was like back then...it seems so long ago after all.

The more I thought about it though, the more I was reminded how short history actually is and how fast life flies by. Perhaps a century from now someone will unearth a coin I dropped and wonder what it was like for me to live at this point in history. A century really is not that long though; only a life span and a half or so. All of history is really just a fleck of time sandwiched between two eternities. The real adventure begins on the other side when we expereince God in all of his fullness and enjoy eternal life with him forever.

Finding things from the past is cool for sure and helps us appreciate our heritage. But the future hope that a Christian has is infinitely cool. "The one who conquers will have this heritage, and I will be his God and he will be my son." Rev. 21:7

Protecting our Precious Children

2006-10-20T12:37:00.000-04:00

CNN had a news story yesterday about the arrests of 125 people for subscribing to infant pornograohy sites. Then there are the almost daily stories of parents killing their kids, school shootings, molestation and other horrific events. The increase in North American violence against our most precious possessions--our kids--is sickening, sad and shocking.

While it is true that the world will get worse before King Jesus returns, I have a growing sense of urgency for us to protect our children from evil and nuture them in the ways of God. The old line "I don't want to shelter my child," should be struck from our lingo. It is afterall anti-biblical. God calls us to train up our children in the ways of the Lord not expose them to smut so they'll mature. Romans 16:19 says "but I want you to be wise about what is good, and innocent about what is evil."

With so much at stake, we believers must make a concerted effort to inculcate biblical wisdom into our children in order to equip them for worship and a life of service. Simultaneously, we need to protect them from the stuff of the world that will poison their souls. When they are inadvertantly exposed to harmful influences, we need to be vigilent in talking through their feelings and thoughts and pointing them back to the Word of God for guidance and abundant life God offers and the world rejects. Biblical Christianity is pro-life when it comes to the unborn. But it must also be pro-abundant life once the child has been born.

A Picture is Worth a 1000 words!

2006-10-19T12:38:00.000-04:00

< Me & bro. Nate in 1984>

Conducting a wedding rehearsal...always fun!

Susie & the kids in River Canard summer'05

On the Great Wall 07/05

Christianity for Dummies (aka: Christianity Lite)

2006-10-17T15:07:00.000-04:00

Susie and I watched a documentary last evening called "Beyond the Gates of Splendor" based upon the famous killings of five missionary men in Equador in the 1950s (I saw the movie last summer). While both movie and documentary contain surprisingly few references to "missionary" and fail to make mention of the Gospel story, the viewer who is aquainted with the true faith these men possessed cannot help but be overwhelmed. These were men who could stand head-to-head with the biblical Daniel, Ruth or Joseph for their willing example to "put it all on the line" for their Lord.

I have also been reading a novel called "Safely Home" about the persecuted church in China and recently finished a book about Margaret Werner who spent nearly 10 years in the Soviet Gulags where she learned so much about faith and perseverence. While she did not become a Christian until after her release, she recalls seeing signs of God's benevolence in her life during her imprisonment, pointing her to Himself.

In contrast, when one surveys the mediocrity of much of the Western church today, compared to the likes of the afore mentioned figures, a distinction is clear. While I do know many very committed believers in my church context, there are far too many signs of compromise in the Canadian church as a whole. Many have opted for a non-offensive, materialistic, and morally soft version of Christianity, or "Christianity Lite" as I regretfully call it. I sometimes wonder how many of us would be willing to take a bullet, do jail time, or lose a spouse on some distant beach for the sake of proclaiming the Good News? In many ways I hope we're never put in a position to find out. Then again history seems to indicate that the church grows stronger under trial. The Bible itself tells us that the testing of our faith produces (the much needed element of) perseverence.

I think we can learn a few lessons from those who have endured much for Christ. One of which is to live examined lives in light of Christ's life and those who have reflected Him best-to embrace courage, boldness and purity as a means of honouring our Saviour and living up to our "high calling".

Someone Gave Me "the Finger" on Sunday

2006-10-02T15:37:00.000-04:00

Someone gave me “the finger” this past weekend. Not because I cut them off in traffic or called them a name. Instead the man in the black pickup truck was upset that I was standing out front of Met Hospital with a sign reading “Abortion Kills Children”. He expressed his displeasure at my presence, and the presence of my wife, kids and fellow Windsorites with a nasty blast of the horn and the F-word given digit-ally.

I’m not naïve to the things of the world. I know that there are plenty of people who are not merely neutral to the issue of killing the unborn, but actually favourable toward it. But what else should I expect from unbelievers? Their hearts are darkened to truth and captive to the will and wishes of our Enemy. The greater problem is that many in the church today really couldn’t give two hoots about the abortion issue. My mother even called me last week to complain that a number of people in her Bible study group in London didn’t think that using “left-over” fertilized human embryos for research was a big deal. “I’d rather my husband get well,” one woman said, whose better half had recently benefited from modern medical technology (i.e. cells from a dead child). Mom was shocked. I was saddened.

Has the church drifted so far as to lose sight of the fundamental truth that God is the author of all human life and therefore all human life is sacred? Apparently some have. What used to be so fundamental to our faith as to barely receive mention in a Christianity 101 class has apparently been discarded along with countless developing human babies. Christian couples that permit the fertilization of multiple eggs, only to use one or two should be ashamed that they have so missed the mark on the issue of the sanctity of human life. To dispose of an embryo is to dispose of a human! Christians who are either too afraid (“what will people think of me?”) or too philosophically complicated (“do you really think rallies are effective?”) as to be rendered impotent in their reply to the horror of abortion need to wake up from their slumber. This is one issue the church cannot forfeit, even if the world has.

At the heart of the Gospel is the message that God values human life and has set out to redeem Adam’s children. Jesus’ love for people is not contingent upon a person’s ability to breathe air or cry, or run. He loves the unborn as well, whether composed of only a few cells or 50 trillion. We may have lost the battle for the unborn in the public square, but God forbid if the church itself succumbs to the Enemies wishes and fails to take a stand for the unborn within our own ranks.

The Burden of Hiding and Pretending

2006-09-25T13:14:00.001-04:00

We Protestants have been known to react strongly to the view that a person must seek forgiveness from God via a priest. We hold strongly to the view that through Christ we have direct access to God and can confess our own sins directly (thank you very much!). While I agree with Protestant theology in this regard, the Bible does not permit us to overlook human-to-human confession totally. James 5:16 is clear that we are to confess our sins to one another. Yet few believers that I know practise this because they don't understand why we would want to do such a thing considering that it is not a means of obtaining divine forgiveness--not to mention a little embrassing perhaps!

I once read somewhere that in confession we "lay down the burden of hiding and pretending". I found this concept to be helpful in seeking to understand the nature of human-to-human confession. We all tend to want to insulate ourselves from vulnerability and pain and so are apt to hide our true selves from others. But if the church is truly to be marked by community, interpendence and trust, vulnerability is key. Without self-disclosure there cannot be authentic self-sharing. Further, the James passage tells us to confess in order that others might pray for us. In the context of a text dealing with the power of prayer to heal, God prescribes human-to-human confession. I guess that means that confession not only serves as a vehicle through which we share our true selves with others, but it is also a means of receiving personalized prayer specific to our needs.

I do believe the RCs are wrong about the need to go through a priest for absolution of sin. But I also believe Protestants that reject any form of human-to-human coinfession are missing out on a gift that God has given to His church to strengthen interpersonal relationships, and our relationship with God through intercessory prayer.

When Evil is called Good

2006-09-20T15:39:00.000-04:00

I've been thinking a lot lately about the trend to call evil things "good" and good things "evil". It amazes me how much this happens, now that I'm looking for it more. News agencies are infamous for this in their coverage of war. Terrorist countries are constantly referred to as "victims" and "innocent", and conspiracy theories abound about the "real reasons" for why liberating forces enter such countries. My cousin even told me recently that he thinks Bush blew up the WTC and Pentagon himself just to make a few bucks on ammo. Please! While far from perfect, I'll side with Bush anyday over tyranny.

Then we have the constant barrage of live-in relationships portrayed on otherwise decent TV shows that slowly lull the viewer into believing that fornication is quite normal, acceptable and perhaps even better than marriage. When was the last time you saw a really cool TV star going out on a date with his wife, or telling his co-workers how awesome his marriage is? Instead, all the cool stars are sowing their seeds of love with anybody who is available.

Perhaps a more recent example is when Israel was portrayed as the bad guys for attacking a country that just stole some of their soldiers. I guess they should have just sat back and pursued more diplomatic means of getting their boys back from the Hezbollah thugs (who again were portrayed as frustrated liberators who had no other choice but to steal the soldiers). Or better yet, maybe they should have showed more "constraint" (another media term) by sending in two more soldiers armed with leaflets and riding in a Jeep to let the Lebanese know that they disappoved.

But I suppose this swapping of labels--called good evil and evil good--shouldn't really surprise me. The prophet Isaiah once wrote: Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter! (5:20) As the world worsens, many will attempt to switch out the definition of goodness for the definition of evil and vice versa. My prayer is that followers of The Way won't be duped into such lunacy and instead will see evil for what it is.

Deepest longings

2006-04-07T14:43:00.000-04:00

At church we sometimes cry out in worship, Lord, we are thirsty for more of you. But do we really mean it? I hope so, because thirst for God is at the heart of the Christian faith. Jesus declared in John 7:37b-38, if anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me as the Scriptures has said, streams of living water will flow from within him (NIV). Suck it up. Drink deep of me, and I will satisfy the deepest longings of your heart. That was Jesus’ mission. Not to instil facts alone, but to bring abundant life. A life rich in Spirit, drenched in living Word, purposeful, meaningful and grand. Have you experienced this kind of life? If not, you’re ripping yourself off. It might be that you are unaware it exists, are afraid to embrace it or cannot reconcile such statements with your cerebral-only form of Christianity. But God offers it, so it must be good.

I am on a voyage of God-discovery. As I move along my God-drawn horizontal timeline called life, I find my neck increasingly strained. Strained, as I grow disinterested with what is around me and fascinated by what is above. I am thirsty for more of God. To know him and love him as my heavenly Daddy. Not in an anti-intellectual way alone. Not in a New Age fluffed up and puffed up way, but in the way God has designed me to know him. In others terms, I want to draw close to the heart of the one who crafted me. I want a taste of Eden in the here and now in anticipation of what is to come. I want to know the power of Christ dwelling within me, to know the mystery of God, namely, Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge (Col. 2:2-3). Perhaps that is why I choose to blog, more for me than for you. If however, you are encouraged and challenged in your faith, my time and yours will be well spent.