I am reading the book, "The Will of God as a Way of Life" by Jerry Sittser. It was written in 2004, and published by Zondervan. the book is obviously about discerning God's will, but he simplifies it and let's the reader know it's not as complicated as we think.
I am just finishing the chapter called "Embracing the Mystery" and he captures me with what comes across as poetic. "It could be that our vision for life is obscured by our finitude. It could be that we see our life story from a severely limited perspective. It could be that we are wrong in the facile judgments we make about who God is and what God is doing, or not doing. Perhaps God is still working, in unfathomable and mysterious ways, at just those moments when he seems most distant. The story of Joseph [in Genesis] reminds us that our story is part of a bigger story. As Joseph himself discovered, there may be more going on than meets the eye." (p. 217)
It's amazing when that happens and we witness it first hand. I just recently heard a story where a couple sent their daughter and son-in-law an anniversary card and causally put in a gift card for a gas station they had sitting in the house. Little did they know, that just a few days later the daughter's car would be running on fumes and so was their bank account. they go to the mailbox and see the anniversary card and find the gift card inside. The daughter was amazed at how they were provided for and witnessed to God 's love for her.
We may not always know how the story will go, or where we are in it, but God the author is always at work writing the story even when we can't see it.
Monday, March 31, 2014
Friday, March 28, 2014
Hello world!
Good morning!
It has been some time since I have put myself out there in the blogging world. I had a surreal conversation with a lady in the States who was looking for a Mark Noonan who was a blogger. She overheard a conversation where she heard a couple of pastors mention Mark Driscoll, Tim Keller, and Mark Noonan all in the same breath.
Now I am not so ego driven or presumptuous to think it was actually me. I am sure it must be somebody else. But it got me thinking that the Kingdom of God is a beautiful thing. Status is nothing in God's economy.
We are all on the same playing field. Maybe I have said something profound, or maybe I am just taking someone else's credit. Who knows? But I do know that even though I have not met either of these gentlemen mentioned in this blog, I do know we are brothers in Christ.
I do relish conversing about God's Kingdom, and sharing the Gospel when I have those opportunities.
So here I am saying 'Hello world' after a year and a half away from it.
Let's restart the conversation and share our faith stories and see God work His wonders!
God bless!!
It has been some time since I have put myself out there in the blogging world. I had a surreal conversation with a lady in the States who was looking for a Mark Noonan who was a blogger. She overheard a conversation where she heard a couple of pastors mention Mark Driscoll, Tim Keller, and Mark Noonan all in the same breath.
Now I am not so ego driven or presumptuous to think it was actually me. I am sure it must be somebody else. But it got me thinking that the Kingdom of God is a beautiful thing. Status is nothing in God's economy.
We are all on the same playing field. Maybe I have said something profound, or maybe I am just taking someone else's credit. Who knows? But I do know that even though I have not met either of these gentlemen mentioned in this blog, I do know we are brothers in Christ.
I do relish conversing about God's Kingdom, and sharing the Gospel when I have those opportunities.
So here I am saying 'Hello world' after a year and a half away from it.
Let's restart the conversation and share our faith stories and see God work His wonders!
God bless!!
Monday, May 30, 2011
Good Stories
I am a huge fan of TV and film, and I love reading. I probably watch too much (ha ha). I especially enjoy reading and watching science fiction and fantasy. I recently saw the Marvel movie "Thor" and really enjoyed it. I especially enjoy those shows that have a bigger or greater story going on that affects all the little stories they tell on a weekly basis. Take the show "Fringe" for example. The bigger theme is the possible destruction of two universes, but each week they tell a smaller story that affects the whole. Some authors are good at that as well. Probably my two favorite authors would have to be Tolkien and CS Lewis. Of course, there is a large amount of Christian allegory built into their work, but I read them both before I even knew what it meant to live as a Christian.There is a lot of junk out there of course, but I think we would all agree we like to hear a good story. A good story can captivate us, and have us going back to it time and time again.
I too, have a story to tell. My story isn't movie or TV worthy of course, but I think it's good. Why do I say that? Well, I can say that because Jesus Christ is part of my story. I look back at my life journey and I see all the little stories that happen daily or weekly, but then there is the underlying story of how Jesus is changing my life, and of course how he has already changed it.
All of us who are followers of Jesus have a good story to tell. The Bible calls it Good News. The Gospel of Mark starts with the phrase, "The Beginning of the Good News about Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God,..." We all know we live in a bad news world. It's time we told our stories to others, and let them hear a Good story, a story that will ultimately have a happy ending. As the Bible tells us, the Good Guys win!
I too, have a story to tell. My story isn't movie or TV worthy of course, but I think it's good. Why do I say that? Well, I can say that because Jesus Christ is part of my story. I look back at my life journey and I see all the little stories that happen daily or weekly, but then there is the underlying story of how Jesus is changing my life, and of course how he has already changed it.
All of us who are followers of Jesus have a good story to tell. The Bible calls it Good News. The Gospel of Mark starts with the phrase, "The Beginning of the Good News about Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God,..." We all know we live in a bad news world. It's time we told our stories to others, and let them hear a Good story, a story that will ultimately have a happy ending. As the Bible tells us, the Good Guys win!
Monday, May 16, 2011
Jesus' Mission, Jesus' dream
Yesterday was our church's AGM. I reported on the state of our church and held our annual elections for Board and Assembly. It was a good day, if not a bit full. The one thing I really appreciated seeing were the many non-members who stayed to participate and hear what has taken place and what the future could look like.
In my report, I shared about Jesus' mission statement. Luke 4:16-21 shares that with his readers. “He [meaning Jesus] went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. He stood up to read, 17 and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written:
18 “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, 19 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour.”
20 Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him. 21 He began by saying to them, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.” (Luke 4:16-21 NIV 2011)
Jesus was stating to them and in turn us, what his mission was all about, why he came. In a very real sense this was the dream that God had for his people.
Jesus proclaimed freedom to the captives.The gospel is a proclamation of liberty, like the message to Israel after 400 years of bondage in Egypt and 70 years of captivity in Babylon.
By the work of Christ sinners are delivered from the life long bonds of sin and guilt, and by his Spirit and grace from the bondage of corruption. There are people all around us that are held captive by their addictions, their fears, and their hurts. And they live in our neighbourhoods, they work beside us, they may even be our friends or family members.
Jesus came to give sight to the blind. He came with words to bring light to those whose minds sat in the dark, but also with the power to give sight to them that were blind. Giving sight to the blind is a part of preaching the gospel.Words are only half the Gospel, action with the power of God behind it changes lives and circumstances.
Jesus came to announce God's favour. He came to let the world know that the God that they had offended was willing to be reconciled to them, and to accept them on new terms; that there was a way of making them acceptable to him; that there is now a time of good will toward men. God’s favour is about new beginnings for those who accept the good news.
Does my Savior both Rescue and Change People inside and out? Everyone would love being rescued, but I think we’re a little surprised when Jesus wants to change us and our circumstances as well. It might be hard for us to believe, but Jesus really wants to make us and those around us into new people. That was his dream. And as his followers, his apprentices, it must become our dream too!
That's a message we can take to our world.
In my report, I shared about Jesus' mission statement. Luke 4:16-21 shares that with his readers. “He [meaning Jesus] went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. He stood up to read, 17 and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written:
18 “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, 19 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour.”
20 Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him. 21 He began by saying to them, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.” (Luke 4:16-21 NIV 2011)
Jesus was stating to them and in turn us, what his mission was all about, why he came. In a very real sense this was the dream that God had for his people.
Jesus proclaimed freedom to the captives.The gospel is a proclamation of liberty, like the message to Israel after 400 years of bondage in Egypt and 70 years of captivity in Babylon.
By the work of Christ sinners are delivered from the life long bonds of sin and guilt, and by his Spirit and grace from the bondage of corruption. There are people all around us that are held captive by their addictions, their fears, and their hurts. And they live in our neighbourhoods, they work beside us, they may even be our friends or family members.
Jesus came to give sight to the blind. He came with words to bring light to those whose minds sat in the dark, but also with the power to give sight to them that were blind. Giving sight to the blind is a part of preaching the gospel.Words are only half the Gospel, action with the power of God behind it changes lives and circumstances.
Jesus came to announce God's favour. He came to let the world know that the God that they had offended was willing to be reconciled to them, and to accept them on new terms; that there was a way of making them acceptable to him; that there is now a time of good will toward men. God’s favour is about new beginnings for those who accept the good news.
Does my Savior both Rescue and Change People inside and out? Everyone would love being rescued, but I think we’re a little surprised when Jesus wants to change us and our circumstances as well. It might be hard for us to believe, but Jesus really wants to make us and those around us into new people. That was his dream. And as his followers, his apprentices, it must become our dream too!
That's a message we can take to our world.
Monday, May 9, 2011
What is a disciple?
I was thinking about what I wanted to share today, and found myself focusing on the issue of apprenticeship. My question is: Is an apprentice the same thing as a disciple? What do you think? One of the things that I notice as a pastor of a small church is the difficulty in finding new leaders. You ask people to pray about it, and consider stepping up to a new role, and after a few days of thought they refuse because there is too much going on in their lives and they don't have time to lead others. Now I am not here to come down on these people. They are legitimately busy, we all are. But my question becomes, are we busy about the right things?
We throw the word discipleship around a lot. I think many tend to think of discipleship in the form of training.
Would you agree? If that is the case then, wouldn't discipleship look like some form of apprenticeship? Now it doesn't have to be a formal training regimen, of course. But I think if this is the right direction it means all of us get involved in growing Christ followers and leaders, not just the pastor. If we took the idea of apprenticeship a little more seriously, I think we would find churches have a stronger presence in North America.
I kind of like how Eugene Peterson puts the words of Jesus in The Message, ""We are intimately linked in this harvest work. Anyone who accepts what you do, accepts me, the One who sent you. Anyone who accepts what I do accepts my Father, who sent me. Accepting a messenger of God is as good as being God's messenger. Accepting someone's help is as good as giving someone help. This is a large work I've called you into, but don't be overwhelmed by it. It's best to start small. Give a cool cup of water to someone who is thirsty, for instance. The smallest act of giving or receiving makes you a true apprentice. You won't lose out on a thing." (from Matthew 10:40, The Message, copyright 2002.) Jesus is speaking to his followers, in turn speaking to us.
If you think I am off base with this line of thinking or maybe you agree, whatever your thoughts might be I would appreciate you sharing them with me in the comments section.
Have a blessed day!
We throw the word discipleship around a lot. I think many tend to think of discipleship in the form of training.
Would you agree? If that is the case then, wouldn't discipleship look like some form of apprenticeship? Now it doesn't have to be a formal training regimen, of course. But I think if this is the right direction it means all of us get involved in growing Christ followers and leaders, not just the pastor. If we took the idea of apprenticeship a little more seriously, I think we would find churches have a stronger presence in North America.
I kind of like how Eugene Peterson puts the words of Jesus in The Message, ""We are intimately linked in this harvest work. Anyone who accepts what you do, accepts me, the One who sent you. Anyone who accepts what I do accepts my Father, who sent me. Accepting a messenger of God is as good as being God's messenger. Accepting someone's help is as good as giving someone help. This is a large work I've called you into, but don't be overwhelmed by it. It's best to start small. Give a cool cup of water to someone who is thirsty, for instance. The smallest act of giving or receiving makes you a true apprentice. You won't lose out on a thing." (from Matthew 10:40, The Message, copyright 2002.) Jesus is speaking to his followers, in turn speaking to us.
If you think I am off base with this line of thinking or maybe you agree, whatever your thoughts might be I would appreciate you sharing them with me in the comments section.
Have a blessed day!
Monday, May 2, 2011
Do your part!
Good morning all!
Today is an important day in our country. We get to go to the polls and vote for our government. I realize there are many out there who are a little jaded when it comes to government and voting, and refuse to vote at all, but that will not change the situation. The Apostle Paul tells us to pray for our leaders, "...that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness." (1 Timothy 2:3 NIV)
Now that might not sound like support for voting, but if we are praying for our leaders, I believe that will also motivate us to support them, support our government. We live in a nation that allows us to choose who will rule over us, I think that's a right we should take seriously. Pray for the candidates in your riding, and ask God to give you wisdom in selecting a candidate. If you're new to voting do research. Look at the candidates and their parties. Of course, each party makes campaign promises but if you can get past that and see what their philosophy of leadership is, where they have been involved in your community, how they have presented themselves in the public forums, it's easier to make an informed decision.
Informed voting can take some work, but the reality is whoever becomes the government will be making decisions that will affect you and me. I don't know about you, but I would like God's best to be filling those seats and making those decisions. My prayer is that whoever becomes our next Prime Minister will serve our country and not himself.
Today is an important day in our country. We get to go to the polls and vote for our government. I realize there are many out there who are a little jaded when it comes to government and voting, and refuse to vote at all, but that will not change the situation. The Apostle Paul tells us to pray for our leaders, "...that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness." (1 Timothy 2:3 NIV)
Now that might not sound like support for voting, but if we are praying for our leaders, I believe that will also motivate us to support them, support our government. We live in a nation that allows us to choose who will rule over us, I think that's a right we should take seriously. Pray for the candidates in your riding, and ask God to give you wisdom in selecting a candidate. If you're new to voting do research. Look at the candidates and their parties. Of course, each party makes campaign promises but if you can get past that and see what their philosophy of leadership is, where they have been involved in your community, how they have presented themselves in the public forums, it's easier to make an informed decision.
Informed voting can take some work, but the reality is whoever becomes the government will be making decisions that will affect you and me. I don't know about you, but I would like God's best to be filling those seats and making those decisions. My prayer is that whoever becomes our next Prime Minister will serve our country and not himself.
Monday, April 18, 2011
Easter is coming!
Many look forward to this week in our calendar, simply because there is an extra day off on Friday. It's also the start of a new season of Doctor Who on Saturday night. But for me, there is more to it. Maybe you're excited all the chocolate you'll get to eat this weekend, or the fact that you'll have some sweet potato casserole with your Sunday meal (add whatever special dish your household might have). Or maybe you're just glad to get some extra down time and sleeping in. All of those work for me, but ultimately I look forward to it because of what Easter really is about, remembering Jesus' sacrifice on the cross and his resurrection from the dead.
I realize many in our world don't fully understand or even know what Easter is about, but we as the followers of Jesus need to act as reminders of what Easter is. I would not be where I am today if it weren't for Easter. I would not be the man I am if it were not for what happened at Easter. Jesus literally changed my life and direction. And Easter is a chance to remember that and thank him for what he has done.
Because of Easter, most of the hospitals and universities in our world came into being. Because of Easter, prisoners have the opportunity to find freedom while they are in jail. Because of Easter, hungry people can find food and shelter in times of desperate need.
Christians are Easter people, never forget that. May you have the opportunity to share Easter with someone else this week.
BTW - I am also a Doctor Who fan, so I will be setting my PVR for Saturday night. That's my Easter present (haha).
God bless.
s
I realize many in our world don't fully understand or even know what Easter is about, but we as the followers of Jesus need to act as reminders of what Easter is. I would not be where I am today if it weren't for Easter. I would not be the man I am if it were not for what happened at Easter. Jesus literally changed my life and direction. And Easter is a chance to remember that and thank him for what he has done.
Because of Easter, most of the hospitals and universities in our world came into being. Because of Easter, prisoners have the opportunity to find freedom while they are in jail. Because of Easter, hungry people can find food and shelter in times of desperate need.
Christians are Easter people, never forget that. May you have the opportunity to share Easter with someone else this week.
BTW - I am also a Doctor Who fan, so I will be setting my PVR for Saturday night. That's my Easter present (haha).
God bless.
s
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