What are we doing?

    I watched this video today about child soldiers, the LRA and Joseph Kony, and it ripped my heart out. But the problem is, I watched one on the same issue 4 years ago called "Invisible Children" done by the same writers/directors, and what have I done since then about the issue? Yes, I've prayed occasionally. I've mentioned it at times when preaching about injustice in the world. But what have I DONE about it? Not enough.
    When I watched this video, I confess that I wept. How could you not? But the thing that captured my heart more than anything was the determination of Jason Russell and friends and how they have not given up though door after door seemed closed to them. The determination to fight against injustice and to do whatever it takes to speak truth to power and get your voice heard for the sake of those who cannot speak for themselves. That level of passion and vision and willingness to act makes Jason Russell a hero in my eyes. I want to stand up and be counted as saying that this kind of evil must not be tolerated.
    I'm sure you've heard the much quoted, probably misattributed saying, "The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing." Every social change we have seen in modern history has happened because one man or woman rose up and said, "Not on my watch!" From Martin Luther's "Here I stand." to Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I have a dream!" From Gandhi's salt march to Rosa Parks staying in her bus seat. If there are those with a will to see this change, it will change.
    The goal of Invisible Children and the Kony 2012 campaign is that before the end of the year, the evil that is Joseph Kony and the LRA would become so famous, there would be such a public outcry, that governments around the world would use every resource at their disposal to bring this man and his organization to justice. We can let our voices be heard too!
    I recently heard it postulated that if we don't act on new information, new insights, or new inspiration within 3 days, then we likely never will. So I had to write this blog as the first step to doing something. I will be writing the Prime Minister, my MP, and the Foreign Affairs Minister, have signed "the pledge", and will do what I can to "Make Kony Famous".
    If I sound a little cranked up about this, I am. Please watch the video here and then go to the website www.invisiblechildren.com and take action.

KONY 2012 from INVISIBLE CHILDREN on Vimeo.

Stand Firm Then

   We have been in a series of messages at our church about the victorious life we have in Christ. We have talked about the battles we face every day and how we have been equipped to not just survive battle, but to walk in daily on-going victory. We have discussed the locations of the battle ground: our minds, our attitudes, our relationships. We have discussed the schemes and traps of the enemy: he fights dirty! We have discussed the weapons that we've been given, and the power they have to change everything if we use them.
   I want to sum it all up by saying this... that though we can categorize and pontificate on the battles and the details thereof, the single biggest key of all is a consistent, on-going love affair with Jesus! The more we feed the fires of affection, adoration, and intimacy with our Saviour, the less likely we will be to let our guard down, the less likely we will be to believe the lies of Satan, and the more likely we will be to be on the offensive - advancing God's Kingdom where ever we go; rather than the defensive - fearful that the next temptation, or the next bout of trouble will be more than we can handle and we'll crack.
    Why not take lent (which begins tomorrow, Wednesday February 22nd) as an excuse to spend the next 40 days cultivating a heart of trust, intimacy and devotion towards Jesus as we prepare to celebrate the Resurrection together - the ultimate reason for our victory!!

Christmas Video Blog

Ravings of an Almost Alpaca Farmer

It was a couple of weeks before Christmas a couple years ago, and I had gone shopping with Pam and some relatives who were visiting. I was lagging behind, wishing I was somewhere else and thinking about all the things during the busy Christmas season I should have been doing right then (see I can multi-task!!). I walked past a display of clothes made from alpaca “wool”. I was intrigued. I didn’t really even know what an alpaca was and had no idea you could make clothes from them. I picked up a brochure from the display and began to read it, it was more interesting than shopping for stuff I didn’t need or have any intention to buy, and it was right then that it happened; an epiphany. I read in the pamphlet that: “The quiet, pastoral surroundings of raising and breeding alpacas is a prescription for healthier, less stressful living.” I was sold. Sign me up. I already was thinking about what I could sell to get the money to buy my first alpaca and begin the migration from stress to peaceful bliss. Hey, I could sell all those books I have bought to help me achieve and accomplish more which I haven’t gotten around to reading yet and I might have enough to buy an alpaca and have enough left over for a copy of: “The Dummies’ Guide to Raising Alpacas”.

Well, my alpaca fantasy was short lived when I started to remember our family’s minor attempts at looking after animals. We tried gerbils and hamsters who all went to rodent heaven a little sooner than they might have been meant to. I was wondering if you have to like animals to take care of an alpaca. My guess is they require a little more attention than a hamster.

The truth is, it is easier for us to believe that the grass is greener doing something different than it is to believe we can find peace right where we are. We all can tend to struggle with an infectious case of the “if only-s”. If only I had that job, or lived there, or was married to that person, or had that much money, then I would find peace. In reality, if we are not content with what we have or where we are now, it is highly unlikely that a career, relational, geographical, or financial change will make any kind of difference in the long run. Sure we might enjoy the adventure of the change for a short time, but the issue rests in the fact that there is a discontent in our soul.

A guy named Paul in the book of Philippians 4:11 said “I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances.” And just a few sentences before that he talks about how we can learn to trust God so that His peace which passes our understanding would guard our hearts. The first thing I see here is that Paul learned to be content. It is not a natural response to our circumstances, but as we learn to trust God instead of trying to be in control all the time, then it gets easier to be at peace. The second thing I see is that it really is possible no matter what we might face in life to find peace and contentment within that doesn’t go away when things get really busy at Christmas or our hamster dies, or something much more serious comes our way. God wants to be our rock that we can anchor to and find strength in through all the stuff of life. Next time you are tempted to become an alpaca farmer, or play the lottery, or flirt with a new relationship, or find peace in some change of circumstances, realize that God wants to be there for you and teach you to walk in peace and contentment right where you are. 

Miss you

This past weekend marked the 2^nd anniversary of my father’s sudden death. Saturday was a rough day for me. I remember the phone call I got from my sister with the news: “Andrew… Dad’s dead…”. So simply and clearly stated and yet it made no sense. He can’t be. My dad was the strong one. He’d faced so many challenges and beat them every time. But as the reality set in, it felt like a piece of my heart had ripped out. There are days it still hurts, and definitely moments I wish he were here so I could call him up and get his wisdom, of which there was abundance. 

One thing we would all do better to remember is that this world is not our home. I know you have an address on planet Earth, and you may have a lengthy lay-over here, but if you are a follower of Jesus and His Way, you will probably remember scriptures like: 

“By faith [Abraham] made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents...For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God...All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance, admitting that they were foreigners and strangers on earth.” Hebrews 11:9,10,13. Since you call on a Father who judges each person’s work impartially, live out your time as foreigners here in reverent fear. 1 Peter 1:17 Dear friends, I urge you, as foreigners and exiles, to abstain from sinful desires, which wage war against your soul. 1 Peter 2:11

We are strangers and aliens in this world. We have a resurrection body waiting for us that is as much more real than our present body as an event is more real than the memory that tries to hang on to it. We have a city waiting for us that is as much better than our current living arrangements as my brick home and comfortable bed is better than the park bench that a homeless woman will sleep on in the November chill tonight. 

Of course we dislike pain, loss, poverty, war, racism, broken families, etc. It’s not the way things are meant to be; it’s not the way things will one day be. These things remind us how empty it is to cling to this life rather than live it in preparation for the next. God made us to be eternal, He made us to live, and laugh, and love forever, not for such a short season as this mortal existence. 

In this life we pray and work and believe, to bring the realm of Heaven into the brokenness of this world, all the while knowing that the fullness of that reality awaits us. All of creation groans in anticipation that the two dimensions will one day be reunited. 

If you, like me, are approaching another Christmas with a sadness of loss that underlines the festiveness of the season, let it be a reminder to you that this world is not right. It’s damaged and twisted by sin. But Jesus came to bring Heaven into our horror and light into our deepest darkness. He came to prepare us for the unimaginable promise our broken hearts long for.

One foot in front of the other...

Well, for my first post in this new blog, I want to outline a bit of my family and my journey over the last year and a half. I know you may not find it all that interesting, but indulge me for a moment. On January 31, 2010, I quit my job. I had been the pastor/ visionary leader of a church in Perth Ontario for 8 years and after a year of weighing the decision and prayer, my wife and I really believed it was time for us to move on. That's easy to say if it was just us, but we had friends we had made over those 8 years who we were tearing ourselves away from, and we had kids who would be uprooting their whole known universe and moving... somewhere. That was just the thing. We didn't have any idea where we were going. We told our kids it was an adventure.

It took 6 months for our house to sell and I took 3 of those months as a sabbatical time to reconnect in a way my soul needed to with God, and to just be a husband and dad without the distractions that leadership roles naturally bring. Then we had to move out of our house - the new owners were willing to keep our appliances, but not so sure they wanted 5 people with the deal. We spent the summer visiting with various family - we said we were hobos. It was kinda fun! It was an adventure.

Then came September and we still didn't know where we were supposed to be. We stayed at my mom's house for a couple of months. I was 42 and living with my mom. Somehow the thrill of the hobo life had worn off, but my kids reminded me: it is an adventure.

At the end of September 2010, I got a call from a church that was looking to hire someone to help them plant another congregation of their church in a nearby community. We had some conversations, shared dreams, and by November 7th, I started a completely unexpected new path. The adventure had taken a bend in the road. Six months later, Easter Sunday 2011, we headed out with a rag tag group of fellow adventurers to start a new church congregation in Thamesville, Ontario - a small town in southwestern Ontario. 

Although my kids have said they never want to hear the "A-word" (adventure) again, they have settled in well and are making some great friends and setting down some strong roots in our new home. I don't have a whole lot about this life figured out, but I am pretty sure whatever else it means to be a Christian, it is an adventure. We may not know where it will take us, or what will be required of us, but as we put one foot in front of the other, we find ourselves caught up in a great adventure of faith and watch God's amazing plans unfold. Godspeed, my friends!