.:doYOUthinkIT'LLfly?:.

DJ'ing and the Art of Pastoral Care ...

2012-02-16T00:00:00.000-08:00

I knew that somewhere, sometime, someone would write this article, and now that it has happened, I must say that they have done a superb job!

Oh, and to celebrate I did a little edit job on John Piper, imagining him as spinning "the Word" rather than preaching it! Enjoy!

From the article:

"The role of the youth pastor or any other pastor is a strange one. Unlike many other professions, the pastor’s inner-life is constantly on display. It is through study of the Bible and prayer that the pastor cultivates this inner life. Just like the DJ is tasked with knowing music, the pastor is charged with knowing the text of the Bible and communicating with God.

"In his book The Wounded Healer: Ministry in Contemporary Society, Henri Nouwen writes, “Only he who is able to articulate his own experience can offer himself to others as a source of clarification.” Neither youth pastors nor DJs have anything to share with others if they don’t study, reflect, and experience their sources firsthand. It is from this place of study and listening that they are challenged with the job of communicating what they hear to others, a task that we will explore in the next article in this series."

Read the full article HERE

7 Billion Stories to Tell ... Now We Can Listen.

2012-02-11T11:05:00.000-08:00

It's so easy to forget about the size of our planet. So many people. As of today, we have surpassed 7 billion individuals on this blue marble in space.

Men.
Women.
Children.

Each unique and each with a story.

Some of those lives will be cut short and others will seem to go on and on and on (as of today, Besse Cooper holds the title of oldest living person alive at this moment at 115 years!)

And my mind is about to pop as I consider the fact (and I hold that it is a fact) that my god, the LORD, knows each one and is interested in each one, and has become involved in history for the sake of each one.

*pop!*

Netflix released the documentary, "Life in a Day" today and I'll be watching it tonight with a heart for it to stir me to prayer and to remind me to get me eyes and interest off myself and onto the bigger world around me. To listen to the stories of as many as I can and to share, if they wish to hear, my own story and, in that, His story.

Here is the movie's premise:

After thousands of people around the world joined together to record banal and remarkable everyday events on July 24, 2010, director Kevin MacDonald led a team of editors to condense more than 4,500 hours of video into this picture of life on Earth.

Watch the trailer below or the entire movie at YouTube here.

Prayer: Level Up?

2012-01-18T15:25:00.004-08:00

I'm currently reading "After You Drop Them Off" by Jeramy Clark (a book written to parents from a youth pastor about the heart of youth ministry), and came across an unique listing of "levels" of prayer.

It's not the first list like this that I've seen. TV Thomas, a friend and teacher I greatly respect, had developed a similar progression of prayer that I've used in the past when teaching on the topic.

The "levels" are best seen as stepping stones toward maturity in the discipline of prayer, rather than a measure of some type of accession in mastery as might be implied by the title.

Here is the list Clark presents:

Level One: Prayer as "Wishing"
- like throwing a coin in a fountain

Level Two: Prayer as "Hoping"
- a confidence that God might be listening

Level Three: Prayer as "Believing"
- a trust that God will do something when we pray

Level Four: Prayer as "Overcoming"
- we trust God's work and know His will is perfect

Progressions like this are helpful when we talk time to consider how we might currently describe our understanding and/or practice of prayer. They are also helpful when we take time to reflect where we've been and where we expect to grow to in our disciple of prayer.

How do you feel about this type of list? Where would you fall in the continuum?

Self-Proclaimed Lesbian, Anorexic, Self-Harmer ...

2012-01-16T09:36:00.001-08:00

A couple of years ago I wrote an endorsement for a friends book that was about to be published.

He asked me what 'title' I wanted to go after my name. You know how this works: you want to have acquaintances who are 'impressive people' endorse your book. There was one obvious title he suggested, but I knew I wanted something else to be listed also. I just wasn't sure what that was.

I thought about it for a while. What describes what I do, but also what I want to be?

I chose the title, "Youth Culture Missionary".

I look back and still think it was the right choice. It is what I do ... at least in part ... every week. I have the privilege of rubbing shoulders and running in the midst of many, many teenagers who are both actively engaged in the growth of their Christian faith, and those who aren't. Some who aren't are still exploring spirituality and specifically Christianity, but many are not and really don't care to at this point. But that is ok, because I know that God is still interested and, therefore, so am I.

Videos like this one inspired by a self-proclaimed lesbian, anorexic, self-harmer remind me why I do what I do. It may not make me an 'impressive person' to many, but it's what I do and what I want to be.

Being a Better Dad in 2012 ...

2012-01-03T16:51:00.002-08:00

There are a lot of books on being a better dad out there. The problem is that, like a lot of guys I know, I don't read much. So, I want something to help me that is short and to the point.

I think I found one.

This pastor guy, named Driscoll, has written a free (the price is right!) e.book (online, so even better) that is less than 45 pages long.

As a little tasty treat, can I mention that chapter one is only 2 paragraphs long?!? This is my kinda book. Plus, because he is a pastor and all, Driscoll has stuffed this book like a Christmas turkey, full of biblical wisdom. I like that.

You can read it online HERE or you can download a PDF for later viewing HERE.

Now go read a bit and be a better dad along with me ...

Leisure Suit Learning ....

2011-12-30T15:44:00.005-08:00

Tony Morgan is a great leadership thinker and I often find myself pondering his wisdom in relation to my work in a youth ministry setting.

Today, I had a really good chat with Heather (program co-ordinator at PYM) about the following article. We used it as a bit of a evaluation gauge for how we are doing, but also as a motivator to keep our eyes on the horizon and be planning and praying about "what is to come" and not just "what is".

If you like what you read below, you can view the full e.book for free and get some deeper discussion ...

8 Reasons Your Church is Stuck

You lack a leadership empowerment plan. We have failed as leaders in the church if we do not embrace the unique gift-mix that God designed. And we won’t fully know the power and impact of the local church until people are empowered to be the people God wired them up to be.
You are unclear about your vision and mission. There are lots of churches with vision statements, but I don’t think there are very many churches that really have a vision statement that clarifies who they are as an organization. A clear vision that is properly communicated will both rally and repel people.
You blame outsiders and external factors. Victim-thinking will only lead to bitterness and competition. Leaders who blame outsiders and external factors actually are confessing their own failure to think creatively and inspire their team.
Your structure inhibits growth. One of the attributes of a church in decline is a complex structure. The natural tendency of organizations is to add complexity to their structure and systems. The longer an organization exists, the more complex it typically gets.
You worship your past success. Our past successes can be one of the greatest contributing factors to our future demise. When organizations stick to “the way we do it,” the safe approach of avoiding innovation and change becomes the riskiest approach.
You focus on activities instead of outcomes. While many church leaders are full of vision and passion, they lack an effective strategy to accomplish their mission. That leads to a feeling of disorganization, and ultimately they become stuck.
You fail to equip God’s people. For whatever reason, smaller churches I work with have a tendency to rely on the pastors and paid staff to carry the ministry load rather than equipping lay people.
Your ministries ignore people outside the church. When churches become inward-focused and start making decisions about ministry to keep people rather than reach people, they also start to die.

Thoughts on Christmas ...

2011-12-25T12:00:00.001-08:00

It's Christmas morning and after the family opened stockings with my parents via Skype and a few gifts with Charlene's parents via Skype, I headed to the Christmas service with the church.

A few sound-bytes from the message that followed some great singing ...

- Jesus came and stayed for a lifetime with his creation ... it was more than a celestial flash-mob at a manger

- his creation, for the most part, missed the entrance ... a bit like a father coming home from work and the family not acknowledging his return or answering the door when he tries to get in

- he came with an gift far greater then any we might exchange with family or friends in his name ... He came to gift his life as an example and an offering for our salvation ... to give us the right to be called children of God

- you may have entered this gathering / Christmas service today alone and without family, but you can leave with family and with brothers and sisters like you have never known you had and the Spirit of God that will never leave you alone ... what an amazing gift!

Living Above Reproach ...

2011-12-12T00:05:00.002-08:00

It seems that rarely a year goes by when I don't see one of my ministry friends, or an acquaintance that I've had in leadership within the church, disqualify themselves from their leadership role in the church by doing something that they ought not to have done.

Each and every time that I hear about these tragic stories three things happen in me:

1. I am broken for the people involved (sin never just affects one person) and my heart aches for the pain and disillusionment it will cause in the communities they ministered in and the the lives of the youth that looked to them to be an example of one who follows Jesus.

2. I am reminded that moral failure virtually never "just happens". It is the result of an often extended series of choices that have led the individual to where they now find themselves. This make me take the mirror to myself and ask the Lord to search my heart, reveal and convict me of sin that is finding a foot-hold in my life, so that I can repent and return to freedom found in living in the forgiveness and in the grace of Christ.

3. I am once again renewed in my conviction to make the marriage and friendship I have with my wife Charlene the single most important focus in my life aside from my relationship with Jesus Christ who is my Lord and my God

I experienced all three of these responses again tonight when I heard of a youth pastor of a very large ministry who chose to walk down a path that led to disqualifying himself from the role he had been entrusted with.

This video is worth finding time to watch. It includes two sections. The first is the lead pastor speaking to the middle and high school students under this leader along with their parents. The second section includes the lead pastor teaching on four important issues pertaining to the disqualification:

Leaders living above reproach
The difference between forgiveness and trust
Avoiding gossip in your life
What to do with potentially damaging information about a staff member or member of the church

It runs for a full hour, so you'll want to put aside the time right now in your calendar and make it's viewing a priority over these next couple of weeks during the holidays.

If you are in ministry you should consider watching it with your entire leadership team and their spouses. If you are not a leader, but you are married, you should watch it with your spouse. If you aren't married, watch it with the knowledge that what you here will serve you well in life as you live as a representative of the message of the Cross.

See video here (temp address)

A note to a middle school kid about the Holy Spirit ...

2011-11-30T12:25:00.001-08:00

I've been talking on e.mail with a middle school kid the last week about the Holy Spirit. It's been a great conversation. I though it might be helpful to others too. Enjoy.

Dear ____________,

I’m really glad that you’ve had the chance to read through the verses in Romans that I passed on to you. I’m also glad that they helped you! The best source of truth is to go to the Bible, because it IS the truth for those of us who have decided to follow Jesus in our life as Christians.

So you’ve discovered that you don’t have to have “felt” the Holy Spirit in an emotional or some physical why in order to get to heaven or be called a Christian. The verses that you read have shown you that. But here is the cool news: when you become a Christian (when you’ve accepted his forgiveness for sin and embraced the Lord as the god of your life) Jesus gives a gift to you ... the Holy Spirit! There are a few bible verses that will help you understand this: John 15:23-26, John 16:26 and Ephesians 1:13,14.

So the Holy Spirit is a gift that Jesus gives us when we are saved. He is a deposit in us of what is to come.

When the Holy Spirit fills our life he does things in our life (like leading us to the Bible so that we can learn more about obediently following Jesus, like convicting us of our sin so that we repent, and like giving us boldness to speak about Jesus when we lack courage).

When the Holy Spirit fills our life he changes who we are so that we act more like Jesus. He causes “fruit” in our life that changes our character and how we act. You can read about these things in Galatians 5:22-26.

When the Holy Spirit fills our live he also can bring “gifts” for us from Jesus and the Father. These gifts can be all sorts of different abilities both in how we are able to act and treat others (like in serving people or being a better leader or a great helper) and also in supernatural ways (like prayer languages, able to heal, able to speak prophecy). Holy Spirit does not give every gift to every person, but rather just a few to each of us that we can then mix with the gifts He has given to others in our church in order to be unified and complete. You can read about some of these gifts / abilities in Romans 12:6-8 and 1 Corinthians 12:8-10, 28 and Ephesians 4:11 to name a few.

So in summary, if you have embraced Jesus as your God and your rescuer from sin (and it seems you have), Jesus has already given you the gift of the Holy Spirit! He is alive in you! The presence of God is already at work in your life (He’s probably responsible for causing you to ask all these questions, because He knows if you do you will grow in your faith!!)

You may not “feel” like the Holy Spirit is in your life, but it is a fact! Sometimes you will “feel” him, and that is cool too!

I found a video online (7 minutes long) that has a pastor talking about all this. He is a good pastor and teacher. I think what he has to say may help you understand all I have said above.

So first pray and ask Jesus and Holy Spirit to lead you to understand the Truth. Then read all the verses above. Then thank God for what you learn. Then take a bit of time to watch the video. Then thank Jesus again!! Then we can talk more.

Peace,

::danKing::

PS. Here is the video clip link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5HHd9Sl8yPM

5 Week Teaching on Parenting and Marriage ...

2011-06-06T10:26:00.004-07:00

We've just wrapped up a fantastic five weeks of teaching at Parksville Baptist Church from the Bible's book called Ephesians on the topics of marriage and parenting. Wow!

The quality and applicability of this mini-series was so helpful. I was talking with one guy yesterday after the 'Encounter' service was done and he said in all his years of gathering for church he has never heard anything like this. What a great comment.

Take some time this week and have a listen. Even if you aren't someone who is married currently, or parenting children right now, there are nuggets of wisdom that you'll really appreciate!

Week One: Christ in Your Marriage
Week Two: Wives and Husbands
Week Three: Husbands and Wives
Week Four: Being Mom and Dad
Week Five: Husbands Who Become Fathers

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Rest is Everything

2011-02-17T09:58:00.001-08:00

Rest makes you more alert.
Rest keeps you positive.
Rest helps you say the right things at the right times.
Rest gives you patience.
Rest helps you keep your mouth shut when it should.
Rest gives you more grace.
Rest opens your eyes.
Rest takes stress and makes you stronger.
Rest makes you smarter.
Rest gives you better ideas.
Rest brings focus.
Rest brightens the colors.
Rest helps you see the extra mile, and then go there.

So, why are we so “driven” that we aren’t getting enough rest?

originally from here

Teens and Media ... Not the Same Old Game

2011-01-17T22:43:00.001-08:00

Great insight from life in student ministry today about media and how older and newer generations value it:

The difference between old and new media, teens’ online habits, values and everything that goes along with that could easily take a whole series of posts to explore, but for the sake of this post, I’ll suffice it to say that our generation (as young as we are) consume content for selfish reasons. We ask, “What can you do for me?” and if we feel like we’re not getting enough helpful information, we unsubscribe, change the TV channel, or click away to a different site.

My gut feeling, however, is that teens consume content on a totally different level. Their content revolves around a relational connection. They ask, “What is this going to mean for us?” And the “us” doesn’t necessarily have to be someone they know personally. It can be a para-social relationship, someone they feel like they have a connection with even though they really don’t (i.e. Justin Beiber, ShayCarl, or iJustine ).

Random Quote that excites me ...

2011-01-17T17:13:00.002-08:00

Nothing tends more to cement the hearts of Christians than praying together. Never do they love one another so well as when they witness the outpouring of each other’s hearts in prayer.

~Charles Finney

shine on ...

2011-01-05T00:14:00.006-08:00

oh bright morning star by which i set my way;
shine bright and true on this path that is so crooked
my steps may stumble; my feet may falter,
yet on your points of beauty my eyes i fix
to bring me home to that good place
where peace and hope ruin pride and discord
oh bright morning star, shine on, shine on

* inspired by psalm 31

The Web is Dead ... Long Live the Internet!

2010-09-06T22:49:00.003-07:00

It's very rare that I actually buy a magazine anymore. Why bother, since most of the content is online anyway, the hard copies are so expensive, and if I really want to 'read the ink' I can sit on a bench in Chapter's and browse it there!

Having said that, I shelled out $6 for the latest edition of Wired Magazine last week because I thought that the cover article was worth paying for!

It's an article that hails that end of the World Wide Web's eighteen year monopoly of the Internet, and heralds the arrival of a new, sleeker and simpler age that is now upon us. Here's a short taste:

You wake up and check your email on your bedside iPad — that’s one app. During breakfast you browse Facebook, Twitter, and The New York Times — three more apps. On the way to the office, you listen to a podcast on your smartphone. Another app. At work, you scroll through RSS feeds in a reader and have Skype and IM conversations. More apps. At the end of the day, you come home, make dinner while listening to Pandora, play some games on Xbox Live, and watch a movie on Netflix’s streaming service.

You’ve spent the day on the Internet — but not on the Web. And you are not alone.

Later, it goes on to say,

Within five years, Morgan Stanley projects, the number of users accessing the Net from mobile devices will surpass the number who access it from PCs. Because the screens are smaller, such mobile traffic tends to be driven by specialty software, mostly apps, designed for a single purpose. For the sake of the optimized experience on mobile devices, users forgo the general-purpose browser. They use the Net, but not the Web. Fast beats flexible.

Add to all of these incredibly insightful observations, some comparison charts, like the one to the right, and you've got the makings of a lesson in social, online development that is well learned.

Plus, the article is broken into two sections: one looks at the role of you and I (the users) in the web's downfall, and the other examines big business (the marketers) and their role in it all.

Take some time out of your day and read the whole thing HERE!
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Circles of Quiet ...

2010-08-25T07:05:00.009-07:00

I've enjoyed a good friendship with Kirk Bartha for the last several years.

I honestly can't remember when or how we met anymore, but I do clearly remember the Lord speaking to me when we did. He told me that I was to be Kirk's friend. At the time, I was working with the 24-7Prayer movement and my inclination would have been to seek relationship with him as a partner in that ministry, so the words were significant and I obeyed.

I've celebrated life with Kirk and his family, supported him at low points when I don't think he really wanted to let anyone too close, and been supported by him when I was at some tough spots. We've gone through much, and I appreciate him more than I think he knows.

That's why I was excited to see that Christian Week is focusing on him in their "Leaders and Learning" section this month. Here's how it starts:

Kirk Bartha is a sort of holy man, a rare breed in the Western world. Inspired by the character and ministry of Bernard of Clairvaux, a 12th century monk, Bartha cuts a swashbuckling figure as he travels throughout Canada and around the world, studying the spiritual geography of places and revealing the vision of his fledgling Clairvaux Ventures Ltd.

Take some time to read it for yourself and meet my friend Kirk:
http://bit.ly/aFtTQW

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You Failed ... Well Done!!!

2010-08-22T14:41:00.003-07:00

"I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work."

~Thomas Edison

This weekend I spent 4 hours down on the beach with my son and nephew watching a Skim Boarding competition (think a cross between skateboarding and surfing in one or two inches of water). It was incredible to see the athleticism in those taking part, and the tricks that they were able to pull off!

The other bit that made this competition great were some of the spills these guys took ... check out a couple of pics I took:

Ouch! These guys failed at the tricks they were attempting to pull off and the result was painful. Yet despite the failure, the next moment they were "walking it off" and heading back to the line-up of competitors waiting for the next chance to nail it. Incredible!

I've been reading and thinking a bunch on the topic of failure this summer. It's something that we all do from time to time (and some of us are better at it than others), but I've discovered that there is a proper way to fail ... it's actually something that you can get good at!! But don't tell anyone you are training to be a "good" failure, because people don't want to talk about it.

Here's what Mike Foster (co-founder of tripleXchurch) said in a recent article he wrote on the subject:

We are not OK with failure. I’ve never seen a CEO’s bio proclaiming the projects that went belly up. I won’t log onto your website today and hear about your underperforming men’s ministries or how last weekend’s services were completely average. I often tease a pastor friend of mine that I’ve never seen a Tweet that doesn’t describe every event at his church as “AMAZING!!!”

It's true, failure may not be something we're proud of (unless there is a book-deal in it) but it is something that can provide a doorway to success. When I say that we can learn to fail well, I simply mean that we can see every failure as a chance to learn and come back stronger than before.

Here are a few truths about failure you'll need to know to turn it into a success (eventually):

if you are going to fail (or succeed), RISK is a necessary ingredient ... it you don't attempt it, you'll not achieve either of them
when you fail you learn WHAT NOT TO DO next time ... that type of information is invaluable
failure can lead to time out from a task (due to injury, penalty, or opportunity) ... use this priceless time to REFLECT and PLAN for the next attempt
failure is generally due to either a single event done incorrectly, or a series of events that caused problems ... if you can ISOLATE AND CHANGE you'll be a step closer to nailing it
someone else has always failed bigger and better than you, so find them a LEARN FROM THOSE WHO WENT BEFORE.

So go fail ... it could be the biggest step toward success you've ever made ... that what happened for this guy!

Did Star Trek Invent the iPad?

2010-08-12T07:39:00.001-07:00

Great little article on ChurchCrunch last week about the similarity between the new iPAD and the classic handheld devices that are used in the Star Trek franchise. They look a lot alike, suggests the author, because they are both based on the same underlying philosophy: keep it simple.

Here's a peak at the common thread:

“Roddenberry had the wisdom to realize that ‘advanced’ didn’t mean ‘more complicated.’ He actually wanted things to be much simpler. So we took that to mean that it was cleaner, better user interfaces, fewer buttons, fewer things to learn how to operate ...”

Read it all here:
Did Star Trek Invent the iPad Before Apple? | ChurchCrunch

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Forget the Leadership Summit Attend the Leadership Forum

2010-08-09T11:27:00.003-07:00

Earlier this month Willow Creek Church in Chicago hosted the Leadership Summit at the cost of roughly $250 per person. Our church community here in Parksville has hosted a satellite feed for "The Summit" for a few years and found it to be a great tool for mobilizing, equipping, and encouraging our leadership teams at all levels. However, in a world where online webcasting and vodcast have really replaced satellite feeds and training DVD's, is it really worth the cost?

The answer is two-fold: "Yes" and "No"

The answer is a big "Yes", because of the level of training and teaching that you receive at these conferences. You've literally got the top speakers and practitioners available speaking to you. It's tough to put a price on that!!

On the other hand, the answer is a loud "No", because there are so many free resources (and by free I am not referring to pirated) out there online that paying for it seems like a bit of a poor use of funds.

Take "The National Leadership Forum" out of Southeastern University in Florida as a current example. They have decided not to host the Forum locally and satellite it out across the nations like Willow Creek (and they easily could). Rather, they have teamed up with some great organizations to make it into a free online webinar over a two day period this September 9th and 10th.

Here is the line-up:

You'll hear from church leaders such as Craig Groeschel, Erwin McManus, Andy Stanley, Brian Houston, Joyce Meyer and Bill Hybels. You'll also hear from some of the nation's top business minds - Marcus Buckingham, Jim Blanchard, Patrick Lencioni and Mark Floyd.

It is free, but spaces are limited, so you still have to register.

Enjoy!

D-Link DIR-615 Firmware Upgrade ...

2010-07-26T19:42:00.002-07:00

We bought a D-Link DIR-615 router to handle all of our household wireless needs a number of months back and I've been having trouble with it almost since day one.

<p>&amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;gt;</p>Now, don't get me wrong, it's fast, it was easy to install and configure, but it has been terrible for dropping the wifi signal all the time - often multiple times a day. The last straw was the problems it caused when trying to use a new wireless printer.

When I originally bought it I had pressed the "Check for Update" button included in the firmware that was pre-loaded and came with the unit. It told me it was up-to-date. Turns out that it was lying to me.

Today I spent about 30 minutes uploading the latest firmware version and re-installing the configuration backup I made as a part of the process and BINGO - it works better than ever!! I've been streaming a radio station for hours, using two other wireless devices in the house besides the iMac, and the wireless printer works great!

Having the same problem?
Find the D-Link Firmware upgrade help I used here: http://www.dlink.com/support/faqDetail/?prod_id=2462#download

What's in a Story??

2010-07-10T08:38:00.000-07:00

Ordered a few dozen of these sweet little booklets this week.

I love having random conversations with people I meet when chilling at the beach and many end up on the topic of spirituality and Jesus. Now I'll have a little summary of our conversations to give them in the form of a good story!

Experience the Story online ... here

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Douglas Coupland + Roots = Creative

2010-07-10T08:29:00.000-07:00

Doug Coupland’s latest gig: a “pop-up” Roots store.

It opened Thursday at 36 Powell in Gastown, across the street from the Hotel Europe. It’ll be up for ‘til the end of July, then vanish into the night.

Inside you’ll find a mind-boggling assortment of stuff the West Van writer has designed for Roots. There’s t-shirts, sweaters and baseball caps, naturally, but also pajamas, skateboards, and messenger bags, travel kits, laptop sleeves and armwarmers.

Freebie Youth Ministry Resources ...

2010-06-28T11:30:00.001-07:00

If you are a youth pastor or youth ministry worker, it's always a bonus when you are able to build on what others have done so that your ministry impact increases. Why? Because students benefit!

Youthministry.com currently offer three great e.books free of charge on their website.

Two are game resource books which, if you still do games in your youth gatherings (a dying breed, but still kicking in some places), will come in handy.

The other is a 31-day student devotional resource that will help your students will explore the Gospel of Matthew and be encouraged to respond in prayer and reflection.

Download, pass them around, and enjoy!!

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New David Crowder Band EP

2010-06-25T08:18:00.002-07:00

I love the David Crowder Band and was excited to see they released a new EP today. It’s a 4 song acoustic set and it’s great.

Track List:

1. Alleluia, Sing
2. How He Loves
3. Oh, Happiness
4. Shadows

You can get it from iTunes today:
Summer Happiness (Acoustic) – EP – David Crowder Band

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Grumpy Pastors and Water Balloons ...

2010-06-15T13:55:00.000-07:00

Saw this recently and was reminded of it today as I made plans for the big year-end waterfight night with our middle school students.

I'm glad I've got a Lead Pastor here that is "fun"!

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Mary Poppins and Biblical Context ...

2010-06-11T09:24:00.001-07:00

They say that the most important thing to consider when making a real estate purchase is the location. You've probably heard the saying, "Location, location, location"!!

There is a similar saying by those who are students of theology and the Bible that has everything to do with the context of a passage of Scripture: "Context, context, context"!

Imagine, for example, the person who picks up the Bible and randomly flips it open to a page while looking for "advice from God". They point there finger to no particular sentence and read the words, "... and Judas went out and hanged himself ..." Yikes!

Then, in an effort to give the exercise a second chance, more pages are flipped and the finger is thrown to some area of the open book. The words now read, "... go and do likewise ..." Ouch! The future may not be so bright for this guy!!

Understanding the context of what we read in the Bible is a massive part of comprehending not only what it trying to be communicated by the author, but on the implications and applications of it in our lives here and now. It's one of the reasons that reading entire books of the Bible (it is made of of 66 of them) is a really healthy discipline to get into.

I saw this very fun, fan-made, preview trailer for the old Disney movie, Mary Poppins, earlier today. It is all actual clips from the movie, but put together in a "creative way". It makes the classic children's film look like a horror flick and, in doing so, reminds us of the importance of looking at Scripture in light of the larger context, rather than flipping pages and pointing as a means of trying to learn and grasp what the Bible has to say ...

I hope the point is clear ... go grab a Bible and trying consuming entire books within it this summer, rather than nibbling at random bits and pieces.

Redemption through Tzatziki!!

2010-06-03T10:00:00.001-07:00

Just spent some time making this Tzatziki for my wife. She made it last week and after snacking on it while watching the late-night news, I forgot to put it back in the fridge. Whoops!

It's a great recipe and now I've redeemed myself (I hope). Try it yourself, grab some crackers or stuff it in a pita and enjoy it with friends!

Cucumber and Yogurt Salad (Tzatziki) Recipe

Ingredients:
2 Cups Yogurt
1 large Cucumber, peeled, seeded and diced
2 cloves garlic, ppeled
2 to 3 teaspoons
white wine vinegar
2 teaspoons chopped fresh mint
2 teaspoons snipped fresh dill
Salt
Ground white pepper
1 tbsp extra vrigin olive oil

Directions:
Set a very fine mesh sieve or a colander lined with a coffee filter or several layers of cheesecloth over a bowl. Add yogurt, and let drain at room temperature for at least 2 hours or covered, in the refriegerator for up to 24 hours.

In a colander toss together diced cucumber and 1 teaspoon salt - let stand to drain for a half hour. Press the excess water out of the cucumbers, rinse quickly, and blot dry.

Mash together 2 cloves garlic and 2 or 3 pinches of salt until a paste is formed.

Combine the yogurt, cucumber, and garlic in a medium bowl along with the vinegar, mint, dill, and salt and white pepper to taste. Drizzle tablespoon of olive oil over the salad and serve.

120 Hours of My Life Were "Lost" ...

2010-05-31T09:36:00.004-07:00

Well, the show that I loved to tune into every Wednesday, and then Tuesday, nights is done. I've got to say that I loved watching Lost - all 120 of the one-hour episodes (check the list here).

The writers had the "cliff-hanger" down to a science, and a good ending sucks me into the next episode like nothing else can. Plus, they kept hiding little "easter-eggs" in the background of shots that the on-line community would spend way too much time investigating and theorizing on. Basically, the producers of this show had making good TV nailed ... that is, until the end ...

Yep, "The End" (as the final episode was called) was more than just a bit of a let-down. I'd tell you why, but I just read this article in Relevant Magazine that says it better:

"As time progresses, I imagine a few elements will begin to become clear, but as a whole, I think the show got lost in itself. Hundreds of questions still remain unanswered. The connection between the flash sideways and the Island was never distinguishable. How Jacob and Smokey's mother got to the Island and discovered "the rules" was never explained (and what did the rules have to do with anything?). But most of all, the multiple plot threads—like the Oceanic Six leaving the island, Dharma's being on the island, the protection and moving of the island, Smokey trying to leave the island—hold no significance in light of a conclusion that insists the characters were all dead and in a form of purgatory. The ending felt like a cop-out, because what logically didn’t make sense (and there’s a lot), no longer had to."

So, the big question, then, is this:
"In light of this massive waste of my time, do I change the focus I have on media?"

That question is, for me, one that I am chewing much on. I could have, arguably, written a book in 120 hours. I could have invested in mentoring relationships during that 120 hours.

On the other hand, much of that 120 hours was post-youth group gathering time (after I had come home from 3 or 4 hours of pouring into the lives of the students I get to work with). It was time where I just needed to crash and turn off a mind that sometimes was racing with teen drama, and at other times exhausted from the joy and energy of all that God was doing. It was recovery time.

So I am undecided on my future media habits, but I am more aware that I am a steward of the life God has given me and am accountable for how I spend it ...

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GOOG-411 ...

2010-05-13T09:08:00.006-07:00

How have I been missing this? It's been out since 2008 and seems brilliant. Looking forward to trying it.

Check out the video for the 411 on GOOG-411:

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Kill Your Television ...

2010-05-10T12:58:00.005-07:00

Back in the 20th Century, I had this shirt that I wore almost every time I went to the public schools.

"Why?", you ask.

Simple ... it started conversations like no other t-shirt I have ever owned before or since. And these were not short, ten second sound-byte conversations. These were not, "So, how is school going?" kind of conversations. These were the real deal. They were honest, reflective conversations with teens that often had significant emotion wrapped up in the dialogue.

Let me tell you what the three words on the t-shirt were (in case you haven't guessed from the title of this posting):

kill

your

television

Three words that got everyone talking.

In the 21st Century, the shirt might says, "Kill Your Cell" or maybe "Kill Your Computer", but I'm not sure it would get such a deep reaction. There is something about TV.

Check this out:

Television is a drug. from Beth Fulton on Vimeo.

In the past people have said, "Time is Money". In some places and for some moments, this might be true, but there is a greater truth that is overshadowed by this statement:

"Time is Limited"

How you and I spend our time tells a story about our souls. What we give our focused time to can leave a legacy or vaporize like mist.

The clock is ticking ... what is directly in front of you?

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Here is a Crayon ... Now be Creative!

2010-05-03T18:26:00.004-07:00

"You must first understand your boundaries

if you are to color outside the lines."

- Dan King

As I continue to read Seth Godin's new book, Linchpin, I have been thinking on the topic of creativity more and more. He says,

"In the face of an infinite sea of choices, it's natural to put blinders on, to ask for a map, to beg for instructions, or failing that, to do exactly what you did last time, even if it didn't work. Linchpins are able to embrace the lack of structure and find a new path, one that works.

"Work is a chance to do art. Good art is useless and banal. No one crosses the street to buy good art, or becomes loyal to a good artist.

"If you can't be remarkable, perhaps you should consider doing nothing until you can."

Add to that a quote from Kurt Johnston's blog this week on creativity,

"A New Definition of Creativity:

Most people think being creative means inventing something out of nothing, or coming up with an idea that has never been thought of. I like to define creativity as simply being willing to think differently and try something new. That’s it.

"When faced with a project, an opportunity, a challenge, a problem etc. most of us will typically default to our normal pattern of addressing such things; usually patterns that have found success in the past, so we assume they will bring success again, and they often do.

"Creativity is simply the willingness to take our normal patterns of thinking a step or two farther by thinking differently and trying something new when faced with life’s scenarios."

I want to do more than just "good art". I want to create the space in my life so that I can do things beautifully and masterfully different. Not simply for the sake of doing it different, but because different can completely reshape how something is seen, understood, and received. I want to have creativity in all that I do as a celebration of the Creator of all things in my life.
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grooveshark swims in ...

2010-04-28T15:41:00.000-07:00

On the web right now you can get your fill of music from any number of paid services, like Amazon and iTunes, for pay per downloads. You can also get the unlimited variety from Rhapsody and Napster, but you pay a monthly subscription and don’t own your music.

What if you could get just about any song legally streamed to to your computer?

Now you can.

Enter Grooveshark.com. The web site that allows you to stream just about any song for free straight to your computer, legally.

Find out more and read how it all works over at therealjonnymac.com

Flatland, Atheists, and "Something More" ...

2010-04-23T08:16:00.001-07:00

One of the songs that I love to sing when our student ministry gathers together is called, "Consuming Fire". The lyrics that catch eyes and stir curiosity are these:

There must be more than this
O breath of God, come breath within
There must be more than this
Spirit of God we wait for You
Fill us anew we pray ...

The song captures that notion that life viewed from the perspective that, "what we see exists and there is really nothing spiritual - nothing more than the physical", is lacking. It captures the hopes that you and I actually have meaning to our lives and a destiny that is more than just the survival of the fittest.

And yet, for some of us this is a hard pill to swallow. The idea that there is a God who has been involved in shaping history is tough to believe. Some of us are "prove it and I'll believe it" people who have just enough skepticism that nothing could really ever prove it!

Now, to be fair, people who believe there is a God don't always make this easy, do they? Take this idea of the Trinity, for example: "God is One, but made up of Three unique and distinct personalities in such perfect relationship to each other that they are actually One". Pardon? "How does that make any sense?", the atheist would say. Hmmmm ...

I've been reading a great book called, No Perfect People Allowed: Creating a Come as You Are Culture in the Church. In it, John Burke, the author, explores exactly the questions and problems that I've mentioned above. Both John and another author named Rob Bell have made use of a concept called "Flatland" to help us wrap our minds around the mystery that is "the More of God" (my term).

Check out the clip below and see how Bell explains this very helpful concept during his speaking tour called "Everything is Spiritual" ... I think, whether you fall into the category of 'Christian', Atheist, or something in-between, you will find it helpful.

Comments?

Nike NYX Dunks and Tunes from Japan ...

2010-04-19T07:07:00.009-07:00

My feet slipped into a brand new pair of NIKE NYX Dunks last week. Just trying them out while the sun was shining. They are a sweet charcoal, beach sand and birch green mix of fun!!

Looking forward to sporting them this summer.

In other sneaker news, check out this sweet video from Nike Japan ... I love the disclaimer at the very end of the clip!!

Best App Add of the Week ...

2010-04-17T10:44:00.003-07:00

I'm giving shout-out's every couple of weeks to the best apps that I've found for my itouch.

This week I'm pointing out one that I am using virtually every morning to start my day off right. It's called the 'Daily Audio Bible App'.

The Daily Audio Bible is a FREE APP put that is reading through the Bible each day and completing it in one year. Each day mixes an Old Testament reading, a New Testament reading, and a reading from both the Psalms and Proverbs, concluding with a short devotional thought on something that has been read and a closing prayer. The host of the English readings, a guy named Brian, is easy to listen to, has a very good radio voice, and some excellent insights in his devotional thoughts.

This application gives you access to an RSS Feed of the English readings, Spanish readings, Hindi readings, as well as a Daily Proverb and Bible for Kids (going through the New Testament in a year). It also gives the user access to the WindFarm Radio Network which streams worship music and prayer, although I have not used this feature yet.

Consider grabbing this app and starting a new daily habit ... Oh, and did I mention that they have their own custom grown and blended coffee?!? Find out more about the "WindFarm Blend" at the DAB website.

Bookstore Grabs ... Pt. 2

2010-04-14T10:41:00.002-07:00

The leadership team at Parksville Baptist are reading Leaders Who Last together. Should make for some great chatter and a chance to encourage each other in the weeks ahead!

First learning bit I grabbed is actually in the Introduction (doesn't take much to impress me apparently!) Kraft, the author, is contrasting the way that leaders must lead organizations today, versus in the past. What is intriguing to me is that this is intro stuff ... it is not even something he thinks deserves a chapter to argue about ... it is "not-even-up-for-discussion" stuff for him:

Past Leaders                               Future Leaders
Organizational                             Relational
Operate in committees                Operate in Teams
Command and Control                Permission-giving
Decreed and Elected                   Gifted and Called
Linear and Pyramidal                 Overlapping Circles
Share Propositional Truth           Tell Stories
People of the Written Page          People of the Screen
Tightly Structured                       Highly Flexible
Emphasize Position                     Emphasize Empowerment

What do you think of the comparisons? Are they "no-discussion" points for you also, or would you take exception to some??

Emerging vs Emergent Church Chatter ...

2010-04-11T16:00:00.001-07:00

I had a great conversation after lunch today with a friend about "the emergent church".

For most of us, this phrase means nothing. For some, it stirs up all sorts to reactions, most ill-informed. I thought it might be helpful, both to those readers who are just exploring faith and Christianity, as well as to those of you who have pitched your tent with Jesus already, if I posted a video-definition for us; something that would give us a clear, well-informed perspective.

This "classic" clip does a brilliant job (in only 3-minutes) at not only defining the various approaches to expressing Christian faith that are out there, but also gives a clear picture of where the gray-areas are that can be unhealthy for those exploring Christianity. Check it out and then see the summary below.

He mentions four "streams" or "teams" including:
1.) Emergent - a very liberal theological deconstructionist conversation
2.) House Church Evangelicals - exploring home based churches
3.) Emerging Evangelicals - exploring making church forms more relevant and applicable
4.) Emerging Reformers - looking to make church more relevant to post-modern world with a missional bias, but historically very clearly reformed in their theology

For a more in-depth exploration of each (7 minutes total) check out this youtube clip.

Bookstore Grabs ... Pt. I

2010-04-08T10:40:00.005-07:00

I hit the bookstore yesterday while I was in Nanaimo grabbing a few supplies for our PYM High School Talent Night (very cool night, by-the-way ... incredible artists and musicians and videographers, not to mention so sweet karaoke singing!!) I grabbed two new books ... here is the first and the second will come in a separate post.

I heard Seth Godin (check out his stellar business blog) sharing about creativity, art and generosity on a podcast earlier this week and had to grab his new book, Linchpin: Are You Indispensable?

Here's what one amazon.com reviewer said,

This is by far Seth’s most passionate book. He’s pulling fewer punches. He’s out for blood. He’s out to make a difference. And that glorious, heartfelt passion is obvious on every page, even if it is in Seth’s usual quiet, lucid, understated manner.

A linchpin, as Seth describes it, is somebody in an organization who is indispensable, who cannot be replaced—her role is just far too unique and valuable. And then he goes on to say, well, seriously folks, you need to be one of these people, you really do. To not be one is economic and career suicide.

No surprises there—that’s exactly what one would expect Seth to say. But here’s where it gets interesting.

Seth’s message is, "Everyone’s an artist now."

By Seth’s definition, an artist is not just some person who messes around with paint and brushes, an artist is somebody who does (and I LOVE this term) “emotional work.”

Work that you put your heart and soul into. Work that matters. Work that you gladly sacrifice all other alternatives for. As a working artist and cartoonist myself, I know exactly what he means. It’s not what you do, it’s the way that you do it.

And Seth then challenges us, the readers, to become linchpins ourselves.

I'm looking forward to learning from this read!

The Worship in Design ...

2010-04-04T16:46:00.003-07:00

Got some shots of the staging that my wife, Charlene, and the design team she is a part of put together for the church gathering this weekend. They did a great job! The stone in the tomb set (below) was as it appears during the Good Friday service and then rolled to the side with some incredible yellow and white lighting radiating from the inside on Easter Sunday ... Shawn and I also did some re-working of all the spotlighting for the stage. We've got much better control of the stage as a result ... just some blinders and gels to add for the future and we are off!!

Creativity as worship is a big deal for me ... others sing or play instruments or preach (and I do some of that too), but design and excellence in art is a significant worship language for me.

We also used a smashing little video clip to open the gathering ... again, it's a wonderfully creative and well designed piece with colors that meshed with the rest of the media elements used and a crisp look at celebrates excellence!

reckless, wounded leadership ... it's a journey

2010-03-31T08:02:00.003-07:00

"The blessing is found in the journey,
not in reaching the destination."

- unknown

Last summer while I was in Montreal, I attempted to get some mental rest from the intense days by reading a book called, The Children of Hurin, by J.R.R. Tolkien.

I enjoyed both The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, so I thought I'd grab this one and see how it measured up (plus, there was a significant lack of English selections in the French language bookstore where I was shopping). Well, I wasn't disappointed with the story and I ended up learning some significant lessons along the way.

What increased the "teachable moment" factor of the book was that I was watching several students on the trip with some incredible, but mostly unrealized, leadership potential. The comparisons to the characters in Tolkien's book were all around me ... huge potential, but massive doubt or fear or lack of belief in their own abilities ... for the moment.

As the book progresses and the story unfolds, the characters of The Children of Hurin become champions. At other times, they might be described best as failures - yet only for a moment. This is what life is, isn't it? Life is a journey. It's full of twists and turns and wart and wrinkles. Yet though this, we learn and grow. Though it we fall and get back up. We are constantly moving ahead.

Last night I received a text message from a young man who asked my advise about a sin that he continues to commit. He is in a cycle where he asks forgiveness from the Lord, picks himself up, but then falls victim to the temptations that come his way and he sins again. He asked me if there was hope to overcome.

So, we chatted for a bit about verses like 1 John 1:9 and James 5.16. We talked about not walking along in the shadows, but bringing another person along to keep him accountable and encouraged, bringing the sin into the light where it can be dealt with. This young man is a leader. He may not recognize it yet, but in the midst of his stumbling he is growing in his faith, in his transparency, in his understanding of the strength of team vs. individual.

In the end of the book, Tolkien writes of the death of the main character, Túrin, as he gives into the darkness he has refused to bring anyone else into. He dies alone with his guilt and sin. He dies as a leader who has not been perfect and missed some huge opportunities to change his ways. His life was a wild journey and the lessons were not learned by standing still but rather in the throws of the journey.

Your journey, and mine, are not yet complete ... keep moving forward ... keep learning ... keep inviting others along to share it with you!

"Words" in the Newspaper ...

2010-03-29T09:19:00.005-07:00

In case you aren't local or you don't read the local newspaper, "The Parksville / Qualicum News" ran a tweaked version I did of my March 19th blog post, "The Power of Words".

You can take a peak HERE if you like. (This link will probably be dead in another month or so, so I re-posted it on our church communities website HERE too)

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Best App Add of the Week ...

2010-03-27T08:27:00.000-07:00

I'm giving shout-out's each week to the best new app that I've found for my itouch.

This week it's the "Showtimes" App which let's me have a listing of all the currently shows playing in movie theaters in the area (in my case 20 minutes down the road in Nanaimo). Plus, it gives me a sneak-peak at the coming-soon flicks with the ability to read a synopsis and catch the trailer if I so desire (obviously the same feature exists for current show's too).

Macworld's review of Showtimes says, "Finding where and when a movie is playing has progressed from looking in your local paper to running a quick Web search. But neither of those methods can tell where you are at a given moment and show you what’s playing around you. That’s what makes Avantar's location-aware Showtimes so helpful."

So there you have it ... a quick, free, and handy tool for knowing what's playing, when, and where!

"I've Never Heard a Parent Talk Like That Before ..."

2010-03-25T13:05:00.004-07:00

I try and get over the the high school and help serve hot lunch to the students on as many Thursday afternoon's as I can each month. It gives me a chance to serve the students that I pray for and it's also a chance to say hello to teens I haven't seen in a while. Plus, there are some really hard working parents and teachers who make the lunch program possible and if I can cheer them on and support them in their efforts, I am jazzed to!

Today, one girl who came early to grab a bite to eat and was visiting with some of the adults who she knew. Someone introduced me to the girl and mentioned it had been my birthday this week. She asked what I did to celebrate and I said that I had spent the day with my wife and kids. Her response was apologetic and almost a matter-of-fact when she said, "Oh, you have kids, that sucks. I am sorry for you."

Wow. What do you say in response to that? I just told the truth:

"Actually", I replied, "I have two absolutely amazing kids. My boy is 12 and my daughter 10 and they are incredible. It is a joy to be their dad!"

She stopped eating. She looked me right in the eye and said, "I have never in my life ever heard a parent talk like that about their kids. You mean you like them?"

At first I thought maybe she was joking, but realized she wasn't.

I wrote about the power of our words earlier this week. Today I was affirmed that our words matter. I could have joked and made a goofy statement about my kids after her initial comments, but chose not to. If I had joked, this girl may not have come face-to-face with the fact that it is possible for a parent - a father - to love and appreciate his children.

Our words do matter and I hope I get a chance to visit with this girl again and hear her story. Maybe she'll ask me to share more of mine.

"He will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children,
and the hearts of the children to their fathers ..."

- Malachi 4:6

Book Review: Standing Against the Wind ...

2010-03-23T07:00:00.001-07:00

I got the chance to read, Stand Against the Wind, by Erwin McManus, this past weekend while I was away on a retreat with the family. Wow, I loved it.
It's a short, punchy book, at only 118 pages, but so much is packed between those covers!

It's actually a recap of McManus's book, An Unstoppable Force, but he's edited away all the stories and illustrations, leaving the reader with only the lean, no-fat, insightful bits: just the "meat" of the original chapters. As a result, the chapters are short and fast to devour, but then begins a long process of pondering and prayer over the content and the implications for life.

Topics covered?

Integrity
Servant-hood Leadership
Creativity
Humility
Generosity
and many more ...

Interestingly, I thought of my friend Kirk several times when I was reading the book. It felt like one of the walks we sometimes take. Kirk talks like the contents of this book: pointedly, with penetrating insightful-ness, and to-the-heart with every thought ... I think he'd like this read! *grin*

The Power of Words ...

2010-03-19T07:00:00.003-07:00

"Poorly chosen words can kill enthusiasm, impact self-esteem, lower expectations and hold people back. Well chosen ones can motivate, offer hope, create vision, impact thinking and alter results."

- Nan S. Russell

"They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death."

- Revelation 12:11

On more than one occasion I've challenged my children to re-think what they have just said. Usually it is because they have spoken something that is not kind or wishing evil on another person. Often, however, I say it when they have spoke words of blessing over someone, because I want them to realize the weight of what they have said and how good it is.

Words matter.

With words I can tear the hopes and dreams of a person to shreds. In the same way, I can increase a dream and speak life into the very soul of someone.

It's true in the spiritual realm too. I can speak out a curse (calling out evil over someone) for someone with my words. In the same way, I can invite God's blessing in the life of a person. My words can bind Satan and his demons to silence and inactivity in the name of Jesus (Rev. 12.11).

Words matter.

Parksville seems to have much more grumpy and negative complaining among its' people than any other city that I have ever lived in. Charlene and I have had to watch ourselves closely. We want to be people who build others up with our words and not tear down. More than once a week we (mostly myself) will chat briefly about watching the focus of our words, because ... well, they matter.

So how do you speak? Do you treat the words that come out of your mouth with the weight that they deserve? I'm really working at it ... maybe you could start by encouraging me in the journey I'm taking!!

Thanks!

"When we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we can turn the whole animal. Or take ships as an example. Although they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot wants to go. Likewise the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.

"All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and creatures of the sea are being tamed and have been tamed by man, but no man can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.

"With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God's likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be"

James 3:3-11

When the Church was Young ... part one

2010-03-17T17:38:00.005-07:00

"The Church is the only society that exists for the benefit of those who are not its members."

- William Temple (Archbishop of Canterbury, 1942-44)

Right now in the Sunday evening gatherings at the church my family is a part of, my friend Paul is teaching / preaching through the Bible book called, Acts. It's been a great journey so far. It's a book about the very first church communities working out their identity, their mission, and the role of the Holy Spirit in it all.

We're just three weeks into what is sure to take a good part of the year, but even now as the journey begins, my mind and soul have been spinning as I am reminded of some fantastic truth. Stuff like:

"On one occasion, while [Jesus] was eating with them ..."

* I was reminded that Jesus, after being resurrected from the dead, was not some ghost. He was resurrected as a human being again. Granted, he could move through walls and appear and disappear, but he also ate. I don't understand this at all, but am so intrigued by it. At the core, Jesus was a deep friend and leader to his disciples and followers. He could have been so many other places declaring the good news of God's salvation, but the guy is hanging out with his friends, encouraging and teaching and speaking into their lives. So good!

"For John baptized withwater, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit."

* God's Kingdom is a supernatural one. Everything is seeded, born, and sustain by God. If the Church tries to function our of physical strength and an understanding of the world based on mere human paradigms, the Church will miss the point ...

" ... and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."
* I love that I get to be a witness to the things that the Lord has done and is doing here in Parksville, at the end of the earth. I live at the end of the Western World. No less than two hours to the west and there is no more west! After Tofino there is only Asia and "The East". So cool!!

With all of this spinning in my mind, I was caught by this video and the way that it aligns with what I'm learning ... check it out and tell me what you think ...

Star Gazing ... The Mystery of Life (and Death)

2010-03-13T15:15:00.007-08:00

I love this song by Andy Hunter (see the video below) ... it has a mood of mystery and majesty in it.

Psalm 147 says,
³He heals the brokenhearted
       and binds up their wounds.
⁴ He determines the number of the stars
       and calls them each by name.
⁵ Great is our Lord and mighty in power;
       his understanding has no limit.

I was at the funeral/memorial service for a Tom Rennick today. I was reminded that life can be simply a breathe, and that even though there is great mystery in this thing called life (and in death) that there is something more ... there is understanding behind it all.

I'll miss Tom ... until I get to see him again.

This Too Will Fade ...

2010-03-11T09:00:00.009-08:00

Have you noticed? Facebook is changing, and it's more than just the layout.

Over the last six months, I've been seeing a significant level of decline in the number of people who are active on their facebook profiles, and if they are active, they are obviously just using it for playing games like Farmville, or wasting time completing surveys and other odd apps. Plus, with over 1000 "friends", staying up-to-date with so many people means that I've resorted to skimming over people's life commentary rather than reading in-depth and interacting with people that I truly care about. People have become mere trivia to me; I don't like that.

A couple of weeks ago I dropped more than 200 friends, and that only took me from A - M. Another clean-up of the back half of my contact list is impending. Most of these 200 were people I've met in passing back when I traveled and spoke a lot. The days that followed a conference would see a dozen or more people connecting to me but we weren't really "friends", we were more like "passers-by-in-the-night". For me, facebook is about connecting with people I know, not with strangers who I once spoke with (or at).

It's also interesting to me that as the site has gotten more and more refined (read: complex) it has driven more and more of the younger generations away. Where a year ago, perhaps 80% of students I work with were active daily on facebook, perhaps only 30% are now online once a week. Wall Posts, Messages, and Invites don't connect with them any longer; texting is the new media for that. Perhaps Facebook is the new MySpace in more ways than one (does anyone actually go online at MySpace anymore?)

Articles like this one and this one on students leaving facebook, and youtube commentaries like the one below ("25 Things I Hate About Facebook") are popping up more and more frequently. People are suffering from social network fatigue. Life on the social network has become about snapshots in time (ie. status updates) and wasting time with apps that make channel-surfing on those old tv's in our family room's seem fun.

So I'm back to blogging, because it feels different than facebook:

I'm back to blogging because I can develop a thought here and you can join me in maturing it via comments.
I'm back to blogging because I say less here, but it holds more weight because it's been thought through.
I'm back to blogging because if you aren't on facebook, you can still read it.
I'm back to blogging because middle school students think it's new and don't realize it's actually old!!

I'll keep up my account at facebook, but like everything else, it has an expiry date on it and it's coming soon for the under 35 crowd.

Here's to blogging and the simpler life!

Now enjoy the video:

It's Time to Talk Again ....

2010-03-09T11:30:00.006-08:00

Well, it's been just over a year since I "went silent" (see previous post) and I've got the itch to emerge and start to share the glimpses into my life with the world again.

There are seasons in life, and the last fourteen have been about building a strong foundation here in Parksville. My heads been down, I've been digging in, and working out what it means to be a missionary and pastor in the youth culture here. There have been a few messy moments and some wild highs, but through it all, God has been my constant. He's been teaching me, stretching and growing me ... it's been a process of pruning ...

Jesus said "I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me."

God prunes us, to weed out ungodliness, refine us and shape us.This has been my story in these last months.

Welcome back!

Going Silent ...

2009-01-22T12:35:00.001-08:00

Hey everyone ...

I wanted to let you know that I will be going silent for the next few months here at the blog. I'm trying hard to focus my life and time with a laser precision on the things that are immediately in front of me ... namely my family and the ministry to students that God has invited us into here in Parksville, BC.

I will be writing articles and thoughts (as I frequently do), but they will be appearing only at www.pym.ca which is the website connected to the Parksville Youth Mission.

If you are the praying type, do keep asking the Lord to draw more and more youth and young adults to Himself through Jesus, his Son, in the next months. Much is moving and shaking here ... I am leaning into it more and more ...

Until the Spring comes ...

::dan::

lessons on spaghetti sauce and church growth ...

2008-12-27T13:34:00.017-08:00

"Variety is the spice of life!" - William Cowper

One of the continual challenges that the church communities which I have been a part of over the last 15 years (six in total, ranging from a three-month stay in a city to a seven year stay in a city) have had is related to space. It seems that church communities are regularly found to be outgrowing their real-estate, which, in the words of that particular community is, "a great problem to have".

sidenote: It's less-often a problem in youth ministry situations because of the age-restrictions placed upon those groups. Although youth ministry generally has more growth on any given year than the rest of the church community, because students graduate out of the ministry at the end of middle or high school, numbers don't race skyward for long.

As a response to growth, churches generally choose one of four options to deal with this "great problem" that they have:

1.) Add to an additional service at a new time (in the same room) ...
2.) Build an expansion (expand the meeting room) ...
3.) Start a new church in the surrounding area (often called a church-plant) ...
4.) Start an addition service off-site, in the surrounding area, using a live-feed of the sermon (a relatively new trend refer to as "adding a campus")

Each of the above has both positives and negatives associated with it. One of the big positives to each of them is that there is the potential of creating a church gathering that has distinctly different personalities involved in the leadership, and, as a result, is attractive to a different segment of the local population ... in other words, more people are attracted to explore faith because the man or woman "up front" doesn't turn them off because of their raspy voice or their style of preaching or the fact that they have really bad halitosis (can someone pass me a piece of gum?!?)
Having said this, it is amazing to me how many leaders don't grasp this fact and proclaim that their idea of what a church gathering should look like and feel like and be like, is the only way! They really do need to learn a bit about spaghetti sauce ...

Fortunately, Malcolm Gladwell (of "The Tipping Point", "Blink" and now "Outliers" fame) has brought the wisdom of the sauce out into the open for all of us to learn from ... take the next 20 minutes, watch this bit, and consider how the principles might translate into the "great problem" we've been exploring above ...

how rogers.com won my heart ...

2008-12-19T16:56:00.005-08:00

Last night I was laying on the couch while listening to music. Our stereo is an old stereo - we've had it for years and years - and its functionality is declining more and more. It skips often, doesn't play burned CD's and the 5 disk tray often jams ... but it works and I am ok with that.

In this consumer driven culture we're told to constantly upgrade and get the next great gadget. I remember sitting there last night fighting the desire to spend way too much on what I 'want', but don't 'need'.

Well, this afternoon the mail arrived and it turns out I've won a new stereo in a Roger's Communication contest I entered online a few weeks ago! Ha! Go figure!

So I don't 'need' it, but I sure going to 'accept' it!

It won't arrive until March or so it seems, but in the mean time I'll let you take a peak HERE ... it's a bluetooth micro system and can stream tunes from my cell phone, our companies cell phone, or my laptop - sweet!!

analog is dead (in the usa) ...

2008-12-18T12:15:00.003-08:00

If you are like me, you've heard that the US is cutting analog (ie traditional cable) channels this next year in favour of moving completely to digital signals. At least that is my understanding based on the PSA's I've seen. I assumed that it was a money grab to force expensive television and hardware upgrades and to push subscription prices higher.

Well, it turns out that it is actually about slimming down the system rather than beefing it up. Mark Cuban had this to say on his blog:

"The Cable industry has been doing exactly what every internet user in search of more bandwidth wants them to do, converting analog versions of channels to digital. Each analog channel takes up 38mbs of bandwidth. Thats right. CSPAN takes up more bandwidth than you have available to you for internet services. Crazy isnt it ?
The standard def digital version of the same channel takes up less than 3mbs. The typical HD version takes up about 8mbs or less. So, every time a channel is converted from analog to digital a MINIMUM of 28mbs is freed up."

Read the entire article HERE ...

My Sneakers and My Soul ...

2008-12-05T15:27:00.002-08:00

"They are incredibly cool, dangerously attractive, on the inside ... On the outside they hardly care ... They wear costumes to communicate, and to celebrate, but never to hide"
-The Vision, Pete Greig

Is what's on the outside - what you wear and how you comb your hair - that counts, or what's on the inside? If you believe what your mom might have said, it's the inside. On the other hand, fashion holds heavy swing over the masses ...

The Wall Street Journal had something to say about all this last week, but they added a second dynamic: my soul ... sort of. They ran an article on "the new business suit", tracking it right down to the new dress shoe, which would be sneakers (nice!). The logic behind it was that what you wear should be a continuation of who you are at your core ... an extension of your soul.

As someone who works in an office for a church community where up until three years ago, so I am told I am told, there was a dress code and an expectation of "proper attire", the article caught my eye. What could I tell about my soul based on what I wear?? Is a dress code somehow equal to a sin?!? Is who I am defined by the way others think I should dress?

Here are some outtakes:

"When Derek Johnson was interviewing candidates for a marketing job at his tech company, one applicant arrived in a business suit. "It put us on edge," says Mr. Johnson, founder and CEO of Tatango.com. Mr. Johnson believed the job candidate was presenting a false image of himself. The suit, he felt, was tantamount to a lie.

Established companies have long hired employees whose clothing suggested they would toe the corporate line. Today, many young managers believe office attire should do pretty much the opposite: express a person's inner soul.

Young workers are replacing traditional business dress with their own complex sets of rules and subliminal messages. Their choices among brand-name items are meant to communicate substance. Rather than Gucci versus Allen Edmonds, for instance, the choice may involve Nike Air Force versus Chuck Taylors. (Read: urban vs. surfer.)"

In the end, as it turns out, the "soul" angle was more or a eye-grabber for the articles title, but I did find some sort of solace in the fact that my choice of clothing is my own and, in doing that, my integrity is still intact.

Read the whole article HERE ...

Another Glimpse ...

2008-11-15T09:04:00.003-08:00

Since the spring, I've been putting together a number of videos highlighting students from the local church community sharing about faith, God and life.

This lastest one contains reflections from Raymond and Brenda on mission trips: why they went and what happened in their own lives as a result. I'm hoping to release a couple more in the next weeks on the same topic.

Enjoy ...

Cockroach Herding and Marketing ...

2008-11-02T22:43:00.006-08:00

I often read articles and books on marketing. Below is an item that I read in Adbusters this week. When marketers convince us to follow their trends, the difference between humans and insects gets a little blurrier ...

Cockroach
A group of researchers at the Free University of Brussels have recently figured out how to influence the behavior of one of the world’s most resilient creatures: the cockroach. Combining elements of entomology and robotics, the group created an experiment that involved mingling light sensitive, cockroach-scented robots with the real deal.

Within a constructed social arena, the researchers set up two separate shaded areas, one area being darker than the other. Upon being released into the arena, the 16 organic roaches, which have a natural distaste for light, chose to socialize in the darker of the two spaces. The researchers then placed four of the robot roaches into the arena and allowed the two groups to mingle and become acquainted.

After the living roaches warmed up and befriended their artificial counterparts, the group then programmed the robots to graze in the area with more light. Although cockroaches are instinctively drawn to the darker of the two areas, they were unable to resist the impulse to imitate, and ultimately follow their cockroach-smelling robotic friends into the light.

Herding
A team of marketing specialists have recently figured out how to effectively influence the social patterns of Manhattan’s most trend-savvy demographic: the hipster. Utilizing elements of guerrilla methodology in conjunction with a strong understanding of cultural capital, the team successfully interloped the Lower East Side’s vibrant nightlife and established an intimate venue where they could easily manipulate young consumers.

The team engineered a recurring, premeditated “non-event” in which they would hang out on a street bench located in front of New York’s most prominent American Apparel branch. Initially, they were able to attract the interest of passing youths because of their status as minor celebrities within the city’s taste-making elite, but over time “The Bench” (also known as the “anti-scene”) grew to become a hyper-local social phenomenon and quickly developed a reputation as a cool alternative to neighborhood bars and clubs.

Positive media publicity further popularized “The Bench” and soon enough the surrounding sidewalk was packed with thronging youths eager to hang out at New York’s newest and freshest night spot. Although youth are supposed to be resistant to social control, they were unable to resist the impulse to imitate, and ultimately follow their marketing-savvy friends into the light of American Apparel.

Faith, Media and the BBC ...

2008-10-24T10:26:00.003-07:00

I've been following a blog called, "24-7 Parliament" for a bit now. It's described as a space to share stories, ask questions and explore ideas relating to engaging in politics as a follower of Jesus. It's written by Phil Anderson, author of "Lord of the Ring: In Search of Count Von Zinzendorf", a book which I've read a couple of times and really enjoy (find it and read it too!)

Last week Phil commented on a lecture he attended where the Director-General of the BBC address the subject of 'faith, morality, and the media'. Here's a sample of his post:

It appears that the head of our most influential media institution refuses to even contemplate the idea that the contents of our airwaves could have any effect on the moral character of our society. His formula for making editorial judgments was 'the benefits of a programme weighed against the potential offense'. This again abdicates any form of cultural leadership; the only moral failing the BBC now officially recognises is a failure to get away with it. It is also an open invitation to a culture of offense-taking, as it is clear that our national broadcaster chooses to be swayed by brute force of opposition rather than quality of argument.

Read the whole article and check the blog out HERE

and on to Seoul ...

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

Well, a dozen of us made our way over to Vancouver last night to take in latest stop on the Passion World Tour. We joined about 7000 others between the ages of 18 and 25 for an night of focusing on Jesus Christ and being inspired by the story of grace (no, not a person, but the action). We returned on the 5.15am ferry this morning ... what a great roadtrip!

I was really humbled to be able to join these university-aged students (see the photo of the stadium above). There was actually an age restriction on the night, so I felt lucky to be there ...

In short, what made this a standout night was that it was solid, not hyped. I've been at dozens of conferences and heard probably over a hundred 'passionate' sermons that walked the line (or crossed it) between inspiring people and stirring up students to "take on the world for Jesus" using nothing but motivational hype. This night was not that.

Louie Giglio, the speaker, simply spoke. He read and explained some Scripture, told an awe-inspiring story, and called people to care for their friends. (I noticed that his talk will be released on DVD soon (?!?) so if you couldn't get to Vancouver, you might grab it sometime.)

I liked that. Simple and solid. No post-conference emotional let-down. No desire to dwell in the past and go back to the "amazing night". The night was great, but not hyped. Here's to more of those!

From Vancouver, the tour heads to Seoul, Korea. The last thing that we did during the evening was to donate toward the gathering there this weekend. Mexico donated toward us, and we gave to underwrite Korean. And so on, and so on ... and the wave continues.

from Mexico to Vancouver ...

2008-10-06T07:00:00.001-07:00

I'm heading to Vancouver today with a dozen young adults to take in the Passion Conference at GM Place tonight. The cool thing is that this is a free event for us locals - it's been paid for by those attending the last Passion Conference World Tour event in Mexico City. Amazing.

Here are 7000 or so Mexicans who are so interested in young Canadian lives being transformed by Jesus Christ that they give 150,000 Pesos (about 15K) to rent GM Place so that we can gather for one night to focus on the challenge of being a light in the darkest corners of our world.

Good use of money? I'm not sure. What I am sure of though, is that their giving in-and-of itself has inspired me.

PASSION VANCOUVER is a gathering for UNIVERSITY-AGED young people throughout Canada. Believing in the university moment, and what God longs to do in this strategic window of time, the entire event will focus on the bigness of God, calling students to PRAYER, WORSHIP and ACTION, and a Story so much bigger than their own.

The heartbeat of PASSION VANCOUVER is to:
ENCOURAGE the CHURCH
Foster UNITY among those who love JESUS
Spark VISION for the UNIVERSITIES of Vancouver and the nation
Tell the STORY of REDEMPTION in compelling ways
INSPIRE students to EMBRACE their part in God's global plan for the NATIONS.

I'll let you know how it goes ...

writing and preaching - alt.

2008-10-02T08:41:00.007-07:00

Have you ever taken one of those college classes where you ended up having to say or do what the professor wanted to hear rather than what you actually thought about the issue? I wrestled with that a couple of times.

In a youth ministry course during graduate studies, I stuck to philosophy of ministry I believed was more holistic than what was being taught and went head-to-head with the instructor. I took it in the grade, but that one was about integrity for me.

In a 'preaching and oral communication' course I took in college, however, I served up what the prof. asked for in regard to structuring a sermon or a speech even thought it was not the style that I seemed natural for me. In that case, I wanted the marks.

I've never found anyone else who prepares for speaking or for a sermon the same way as I do. Although I am sure they are out there, I have yet to meet them (but I'd love to). My preparation and delivery are distinct in at least two ways:

I do not prepare with, or preach from, a transcript or series of pre-written notes. Rather, I spend significant time thinking about what I want to say and how I want to say it. It's about developing stories in my mind and building ideas. A part of it is also reading others thoughts to add to and correct my own. Often I will write down a word or two to keep me from forgetting a thought, but I never seem to go further than that. As a result, preaching, for me, becomes story-telling and I do it from memory, because it flows and does not need to be written down.

Secondly, I will only have one key thought when I speak or preach. Rather than a muti-point speech or a 3-point sermon, everything from the first words to the last are carefully crafted to reinforce one specific idea. If the key thought is like the hub in a wheel, then every story, example, or reading that comes out of my mouth becomes a spoke in that wheel and serves to gets us to where we are going. The sermon is a journey to one destination.

I mention all this, because I came upon a video clip of author and speaker Erwin McManus yesterday that made me feel like my methods are not mine alone. It's a companion in my alternative style ....

Summer Sum-Up ...

2008-09-06T20:09:00.000-07:00

Make a Smilebox photobook

a jumble of words ...

2008-08-30T23:24:00.004-07:00

Plugged the website address for the youth community that I'm a part of into a new program called Wordle. It turns any document or website into a word image pulling out the most used words. Here's what it spit out ...

Interesting measure of what is important - at least in conversation - on a webpage.

Weekend at the Lake ... go Char!!

2008-08-16T18:02:00.009-07:00

reading this on facebook? click here for the original with the video - dan

We spent the last couple of days at Sprout Lake (about 1 hour from Parksville) with some friends and it was amazing! Not only was the break from the focus of work and getting ready for the fall nice, but it was (and is still today) a cooker out here with the temperature up and over 30C, so getting the family out of a hot house was just a good thing!

Highlights of the two days:

Jordan cliff-diving off a 10 footer (he was unsure at first, but when it was pointed out to him that a wasp was hovering above his head, he took the leap!!)
watching Sierra make new friends with every kid on the beach and seeing her knee-board successfully for the first time!
Charlene found us a old school drive-in restaurant for lunch with the tray hanging on the window and everything - sweet!

There were a bunch of photos and video clips I could have posted, but I love ~~this one of Charlene skiing (on water that was like glass by the way) as she finishes off a run. Enjoy!~~

OK, so that one was rejected by Charlene when she saw it ... here's one that she likes better! Enjoy!

got an idea ... how about cake?

2008-08-11T20:41:00.004-07:00

I follow a number of leadership blogs ... of note today was this one on ideas. Since I'm buzzing with ideas for the Fall / Winter 2008, and perhaps you are too, I thought I'd share two quotes that caught my eye:

* "Ideas are valuable only inasmuch as they can be multiplied by execution."

* "An idea is no more useful than a coupon for a bag of sugar; show me the finished cake, then we’ll talk."

Glimpses of Montréal ...

2008-08-03T08:00:00.001-07:00

Threw a few photos of our recent trip to Montréal together ...

Enjoy!

prayer as mission ...

2008-07-28T07:56:00.002-07:00

24-7 Prayer has been releasing a number of short films this spring and summer. The third installation is now out and profiles the prayer community that Brian Heasley heads up in Ibiza, Spain.

So simple, and yet so significant ...

Watch the full version HERE (the access code is now a part of this link ... enjoy)

back from Montréal ...

2008-07-25T15:10:00.004-07:00

Well, I am back to Parksville after a wonderful 2 weeks serving in the city of Montréal.

Our team of 14 were totally rocked by all that we were able to experience there. We partnered with a local church (a large church for the city – 150 people!!) and worked with them giving out free water in parks, handing out food to the homeless, presenting flowers to ladies in the community, and visiting with people on the streets about Jesus. In all these instances, we handed out pamphlets about the church and about a relationship with Jesus, which made for some interesting discussions!!

We also worked with local agencies, serving them in efforts to make a positive name for the church in the community. We stacked books on shelves at a local organization that works with refugees, cleaned out a basement that was packed with donated clothing and prepared it to be handed out to low-income people in the area, and joined in on a community day-camp for kids where we helped control the dozens of children that attended!!

All of this was sandwiched between prayer walks around the city, an urban plunge that exposed us to the life of those who live on the streets, and an afternoon of intercession in the 24-7 Prayer room at the school which housed our team and the entire SOAR program. What an experience!!

Thanks so much for your prayer during the mission trip (for those of you who do that sort of thing)!

I was totally spent (exhausted) when I got home ... but from this photo Amy took, it looks like I was already sleeping hard in the airport!!

the rest of God ...

2008-07-07T09:20:00.004-07:00

Grabbed a book called, The Holy Wild, off the shelf last night for some light reading before bed. It's a book about trusting in the character of God. In the background, The Kingdom of Heaven was playing on the TV, depicting the defending of Jerusalem against the Muslims in the 12th century.

The character of God set against the character of the people of God - interesting contrast.

The chapter I re-read was one on rest entitled, The Gift we Refuse. Here are some highlights:

"One of the triumphs of the cult of busyness is that most of us feel guilty for stopping. Efficiency is our fetish, production our worship. If you are not producing, and quickly, what good are you? How can you justify your existence without busyness? How can you account for your being if not on the ledger of your doing?"

Did you catch those two contrasting words in the last sentence?

"Being" and "Doing"

This chapter is all about "Sabbath": the setting aside of time (a day a week biblically) to give attention to our being rather than our doing. Buchanan, the author of this book and a guy who lives about an hour away from me at the moment, goes on to say, "Sabbath is imitating God's own rest in order that we might become more like God and yet know that we are not God."

We get this backward, don't we (well, I get it backward anyway). We refuse to rest because we want to be God. He rested to model what we need because we are not.

One last quote:
" 'Take a day off!' is the message of Sabbath. Relax. Sleep in. Take a midday nap. Play. Party. Eat. Dance. Be like children."

One last thought:
I leave tomorrow for two weeks in Montréal. I'm really looking forward to taking 8 students along for the adventure.

I'll see friends, meet new people, speak a bit at the training, eat well, laugh large, probably be broken by some of what I see, sit in wonder more than a few times, get up early and go to bed late. I will be "doing" a lot.

Yet in the midst of it, please pray that I give attention to "being more and more like Christ" in my activity of rest (yes, rest is active and takes work ... but that is am exploration for another time).

learnings ... and a fun video

2008-07-04T13:33:00.009-07:00

Since the summer hit and the regular youth programs that come along with my job have ended or lessened, I've had some good time to catchup on my reading, learning, prayerful reflection on the ministry to youth that I find myself in. More on that in a moment ...

I've also had some time to hangout with Deanne, the pastor to children at our church. She got a team together a couple of weeks ago to put together a float for our local Canada Day Parade. Take a look ...

I've just finished reading the book "One Thing" by a guy named Dwayne Roberts. I've met Dwayne once, during some training I was doing for 24-7 Prayer USA down in Kansas City a few years ago. He is a Calgary / Winnipeg guy (if I remember correctly) and works out of IHOP (not the pancake place, but the prayer house) leading their focus on young adults.

The book is a fast read and his points are simple, yet very signaficant. I liked it so much I ordered 20 copies and am handing them out to some of the grads and twenty-somethings in our church community here in Parksville.

Quotes:

"Let's set the record straight. Yes, you are called by Jesus. But this life is not entirely about your ministry or the way the Lord uses you. This journey you are on is not solely about your gifts or calling; at the end of the day, the success and impact of your life are not the issue. This journey is about falling head over heels, madly, and desperately in love with Jesus. It's about taking all of your energy, strength, finances, and time, and aligning them in such a way that your primary pursuit is to tuch Jesus. Again, it's called the First Commandment ... so love Him well, because it's all about love." (108, italics mine)

"... Paul told us that the Holy Spirit goes on His own journey and searches out the deep things in the heart of the Father. The Holy Spirit literally finds the hidden mysteries of the Father and the Son, and begins to search out those on earth who have their hearts postured on love ... The Holy Spirit finds pleasure in searching out the deep things of God and in revealing them in order to produce a human heart that is fascinated by the Lord ... Paul was inviting us into something astounding - the deepest place of the Godhead, with the Holy Spirit as our tour guide [and] this revelation can impact you in such a way that you begin to live differently ... it begins to take deep root within you and pierces your soul ..." (112 and 113)

"You are not supposed to read the Bible in order to become increasingly moral or to fine-tune the duties of your religious lifestyle, although these will certainly be an overflow of your spiritual life. You are to get before God to feel His passion wash over you and to align yourself with Truth - in short, to have your heart moved." (161)

Chatter on Bentley ...

2008-06-28T08:11:00.001-07:00

Not sure if you've heard all the buzz going on about a guy from Abbotsford named Todd Bentley who is stirring it up in Florida in church "healing meetings". Never met the guy, but I've heard good things about him. The Province news paper had this report at the end of April about it.

Anyway, a couple of the 24-7 gang have written articles on it which I think are really balanced when taken together and worth a read ...

Pete Greig writes:
"Lakeland, Florida, Barack Obama & Burma: A Call to Respond to The Signs of the Times"

Billy Kennedy writes:
"Rumours of Revival"

** note: most of your are only reading the Greig article based no the feedback and an e.mail I got ... the two are really balancing when read together ... please take the time to chew on both!!

Thanks ...

poster-rama!

2008-06-23T09:53:00.004-07:00

My good (and very talented) friend Daryl Grunau has spent some time during the last week or so making big movie-sized posters for the parksville youth ministry (see two of them below). I think that they turned out fabulous!

Daryl has been designing posters, t-shirts, and the like for a few years and is getting more and more *sweet* at it all the time! In fact, he is just in the midst of launching his own company called, Poetic Industries.

Need some swag?!? Contact him via his websites ...

nap time ...

2008-06-21T11:02:00.003-07:00

Sorry I haven't blogged for a while ... much on the go ... or maybe I was napping ...

Interesting article (including awesome charts and pictures!) in the Boston Globe on napping, when the best time of the day to do it is, and how long you should have your shut-eye for.

Check it out HERE ...

Was it a line in "The Hobbit" where they catch Bilbo (or someone) always falling asleep, but the character really isn't and says he is "just resting his eyes"? Maybe he should read this article too ...

"on the land" at the skatepark

2008-05-30T11:12:00.002-07:00

Spent an hour or so hanging out at the local skate park here in Parksville last Friday afternoon (see photo).

No one was really around, but I did have one guy stop to ask if I had any weed to sell ... I didn't. I spent time journaling some prayers for the kids that call the skate park their home away from home. Also walked around the parameter asking God to raise up someone to invest time into these kids. I know I'm not the guy to do it (hey, I'll be available, but anything more than basic skateboard activity would end me up in the hospital) but someone is ...

What is the significance of "praying on the land"? By this I mean physically being on the piece of real estate that you are praying about.

Last fall I was researching the beginnings of what is now the City of Kelowna. I had this huge desire to pray for the churches of that city, the political leadership (the mayor, etc.) of the city, and the future of the city. Everything within me wanted to jump on a plane and fly there and walk the city streets and go to the site (which is still standing) of the very first home built there, beside the very first church building (the third building was a 'mess hall' of sorts I believe).

I didn't ...

I prayed from a distance. I didn't feel like I was disobeying God by not going, but I didn't feel like I was obeying Him by staying home either.

Is there something about "being present on the land"? Abraham walked on the land that was promised to him life-times before his people received it. How significant was that? Charlene and I took two days to "walk the land" here on Vancouver Island back in 2001 because we both felt strongly that God was calling us to live here and invest in the lives of the people here. It took 7 years to actually walk into that, but we walked it out in prayer first.

How beautiful on the mountains
are the feet of those who bring good news,
who proclaim peace,
who bring good tidings,
who proclaim salvation,
who say to Zion,
"Your God reigns!"
[Isaiah 52:7]

numbers but no names ...

2008-05-22T09:35:00.000-07:00

My heart is full today, and it is good ....

Four Years in Vancouver ...

2008-05-21T07:31:00.003-07:00

For more than four years, Aaron White and the Vancouver Boiler Room (who call themselves 614 Vancouver) have lived and prayed 24-7-365; saturating their forgotten and despised neighborhood in Downtown Vancouver with the love of Jesus.

In a recent article on the global 24-7 Prayer site, Aaron writes about the lessons they've learnt praying alongside drug dealers, addicts and those without homes...

“They will rebuild the ancient ruins, repairing the cities destroyed long ago. They will revive them, though they have been deserted for many generations.”

This quotation is taken from Isaiah 61:4, and it is the foundational Scripture passage of our Salvation Army community, 614 Vancouver. It speaks of going back to the places - the cities in particular - that have been abandoned for generations, forgotten or ignored by the powers of this world. But it also speaks of great hope, and of the possibility that those who have been oppressed, mourning, despairing, and captive can now be those who rebuild, restore and renew. God made this promise originally to Israel, and we believe the same God can do the same thing in our forgotten places here and now.

We are officially a six-year old Corps (Church) plant of The Salvation Army, but even people within our denomination have a difficult time characterizing us. We don’t have meetings on Sunday, we don’t play brass instruments (except maybe at Christmas) and we don’t run a charity shop. All of these things are fine, but we have chosen to focus our community life around prayer, incarnation, joy and justice.

So we have all moved into the Downtown Eastside, a neighborhood in Vancouver which is considered by many to be a serious blight on an otherwise world-class city. We don’t see it that way. This is our home, these are our neighbors, and we have learned that there is great beauty, love and possibility on these mean streets. We run cell groups here, small Church fellowships in apartments, slum hotels, homeless shelters, and local parks, and invite our friends and neighbors to come learn and worship with us. We play and work and garden and raise our families here as a regular pattern of life, and we fight for our neighborhood as well. There are very large forces and powers that wish to see this place demolished, our friends locked up or moved elsewhere, the people we love controlled or kept until they die off from AIDS, drug overdoses, violence, or just plain old poverty. So we fight.

But most importantly, we pray. This is not distinct from our living or playing or working or teaching or fighting. It filters through everything we do, is the reason for everything we do, and is the strength behind everything we do. For the last four years we have been maintaining a type of 24-7 prayer vigil. For the first three and a half years we prayed non-stop in a slum hotel room overlooking Main and Hastings, the center of the open drug trade. Now our primary prayer room sits above a homeless shelter and women’s refuge, but in reality the prayer room has moved beyond the bounds of those four walls, and takes shape in and through the daily warp and woof of community life.

We do have a prayer rhythm which involves twice daily community prayers, prayer walking combined with visiting and street evangelism, artistic and musical worship, multiple communal meals, teaching, times of quiet listening, gardening, praying the Scriptures, and personal prayer shifts in what we call The War Room. During the summers we often send people out on missions and visits, so we will be maintaining a prayer rhythm based around three daily Psalms, as well as creating some artistic and poetic prayer resources to go along with the Psalms. We will also be hosting a variety of prayer teams and pilgrims.

What we have discovered in and through our four plus years of 24-7 prayer is that the purpose of prayer is not intercession or petition (these are certainly parts of prayer, but we don’t even really know how they “work”!), but rather intimacy and obedience.

Praying takes our attention off of ourselves, and teaches us to fix our gaze on the only One worth looking at (see Col 3). The LORD receives our prayerful attention, and then teaches us to actually see the people who are around us, often for the first time. As we grow in this discipline of intimate attention, we begin to see with Kingdom eyes, seeing evidence of life and beauty where others might only see death and ruin. We start to become aware of the seeds of the Kingdom that the LORD has already sown around us, in unlikely places and amongst unlikely people, and we get to witness its growth. The Kingdom, as we are told by Jesus, starts small, invisible, buried even, but then it starts to grow and will eventually infiltrate the whole garden.

We have seen the Kingdom growing in people, bringing release from captivity, freedom from oppression, hope for change. And we have seen some of these people inspired to become re-builders, restorers, and re-newers. When prayerful community is formed along these lines, with people from all kinds of differing backgrounds and experiences, that Kingdom seed seems to stretch out its branches in surprising ways.

The message we like to bring to anyone who will listen – 24-7 Prayer included! – is that prayer is the main thing. Giving honor to the Father was the primary passion in Jesus’ life, and it must be ours as well. We have been given the enormous privilege of being adopted as sons and daughters of the Kingdom, of being included in the Trinitarian love that exists at the Center of Creation.

So prayer must never be an add-on, must never be something that we “use” to make our programs more effective. Coming before God in thanksgiving, humility and praise, desperate for the intimacy he offers, is the very best that we can do. When we are in busy places of ministry, in places of terrible despair and obvious needs, it can be easy to push prayer off to the side. We have to trust that God knows and cares for these things much more deeply than we do. As we experience intimacy with the LORD and learn to be obedient to His commands, we get to see how it is also in His plan to bring renewal and revival to the forgotten places, and how He is so much better at it than we are.

A Long and Lazy Weekend ...

2008-05-19T14:29:00.004-07:00

I've felt a bit blitzed over the last month and a half as our family has landed in Parksville and I've dived into the joy of this new role I've been invited into.

Blogging has been slim to none because I've generally chosen sleep and/or naps over typing in an effort to keep up with the administration and organization that comes with a new job. With a lazy long weekend here though, I've got a few minutes to bring an update (while Charlene is napping!)

We are only seven days away from moving into the new house now ... my dad arrives on Friday to do the painting, and the movers bring the stuff on Monday afternoon! Two days later another couple of house guests will arrive for a visit!! A week later two more come.

Charlene and I are loving the chance to host friends from near and far in this home. Part of my prayer and hopes was that this place would be a destination for prayer and pilgrims from far and wide.

Myles Shaw, a dear friend that we used to be a part of our community in Lethbridge turned up un-announced last week. I was speaking at a high school event and *boom* there he was in the back of the room! Crazy, but so good!

So, thinking you might be needing a getaway to refresh your soul? *grin*

open souls and laced up boots

2008-04-28T09:10:00.013-07:00

Thursday night last week I went along with a mix of about 30 students and adults on my first Vancouver Island Road Trip. It was a blast! We zipped a couple of hours down to Victoria to take in a concert.

Sidenote: We saw Starfield, the same band that had the floor collapse on them during their show the following night in Abbotsford. If you are the praying type, remember a friend of mine - Paul - who is the promoter who has organized the show and must have his head just spinning at the moment. Thanks.

Anyway, during Starfield's set, I moved over to the sidelines of the show, to a spot where I could see virtually the whole crowd, and began to pray for the emerging generations that where partying before me. Probably 800 or more young lives celebrating good music, a creative light and media show, and for many of them, their god, Jesus. Two cool prayer focuses arose, and one wild God-moment!!!

So, the first focus I had was for open souls. All over the venue I saw in my spirit, students with their souls laid open before God. Some shining his light of life and some with nothing but dim voids in the core of who themselves. Many of those with voids would respond to an invitation to embrace Christ as their god and their rescuer from the problem of sin later that night: a flood of life and light awaiting them.

The second 'picture' I saw in my spirit and spent time interacting with God about was boots. The masses before me had military style boots laced up, preparing to go to the trenches and the forgotten places of this world, to war for the justice of the Lord. They were armed with hearts full of prayer and His life-light and His mercy as their weapons.

Now, you need to know that Victoria is in the midst of 50 days of non-stop prayer connected with the 24-7 Prayer movement. Back in the day when 24-7 Prayer was starting, the idea of 'boots' and 'an army of young people arising' were strong themes we prayed about. With the return of the boots image in Victoria, I couldn't help praying for these students with regard to the 24-7 Prayer wave in their city ...

... it was in the midst of this prayer about 24-7 that the wildest thing happened: the light show at the concert was heavy on those automated spots that roam over the crowd, washing them in light. The light is always shone through gels of various colors and shapes. While I was praying for the prayer in Victoria, I looked up and an image that was basically the 24-7 Prayer logo was washing over the crowd!!! How does that works?!?

Conclusions:
God's on the move on this island. No surprise, but I'm excited to jump into all that He is doing and about to do here. I also love that the Lord is scheming with 24-7 Prayer.

Come On!!

prayers and pilgrims ...

2008-04-24T06:45:00.007-07:00

Last week my friend Kirk posted this comment on his blog:

Pilgrimage is one of the greatest gifts we can give our kids. Besides our absolute devotion to they're becoming truly human and fully alive in Christ, we want our kids to grow up amidst the nations... here, there and everywhere in Jesus' name. And what Dar and I are noticing is that we don't have to be in the nations for the nations to find us. It's like breathing. Our home is a place of peace... a place connected with the contemplation of heaven on earth... a portal of sorts... and they find us, those who are with him end up with us - the one's that he directs our way...

It reminded me that the comings and the goings of God and his people are so fluid. Like Luke, the writer of the book of Acts says, "For in him we live and move and have our being".

When Charlene and I were dreaming about the kind of home we would like to have, the standard stuff was all in there, but there were some "bonus features" too. One was that the home we would eventually land in would have a spare room that could be used as both a permanent prayer room in the house, and serve as a guest room for visitors and pilgrims from around the world that would stop in and rest with us for a while.

The home that we are now hoping to see as our own (if all works out it will close on April 30th) has just that space in it. In fact, the window of this future prayer / pilgrim room actually looks out over a park across the street where literally dozens of high school students gather in the morning, at lunch time, and after classes to hangout, visit, smoke, laugh, and relax.

This home is positioned looking over the one of the key gathering places of the youth culture of our new city. So sweet!

In the three days since we've announced that our offer for the home has been accepted, we've had a half-dozen people already confirm with us that they will be coming to stay in our home before the end of the summer! So cool! Charlene and I love what is unfolding!

"Lord, would you teach us about hospitality in this next season of life? Would you cause us to grow in our desire to pray for friends from near and far who come into the home you are giving us? Would a gravity be established in this home that attracts those wide-eyed pilgrims on the hunt for the deeper things of God. Most of all, Lord Jesus, would this home be a place where your Spirit dwells not only in the lives of the occupants, but on the very ground itself."

Amen!

(the new diggs)

three cheers & a bonus yell

2008-04-23T17:09:00.001-07:00

The last week has been a load of fun on three fronts ...

We've had some great family time with Charlene's mom and dad visiting and some great exploration of the island!
I'm finally over what I would call the "mountain of administration" that met me when I landed at my new job at the church office!
We put an offer in on a home and it has been accepted, so assuming there are no surprises, we will have a place to permanently live here in Parksville by the end of May!

The bonus to it all is a short conversation I had yesterday when a lady popped into my office space (which is shaping up to be a sweet room, by the way!) to say that she has be praying that her daughter would find a really good girl-friend and that Sierra is an answer to that prayer. Then she added that what she didn't expect from that prayer is that she, too, would end up with a good friend, but that Charlene and she are really hitting it off! She ended by thanking me for obeying God and coming to Parksville because it has already been an answer to prayers for her.

Nice!

Glimpses of our lives ...

2008-04-18T23:04:00.001-07:00

What if your life was boiled down to a few moments that changed you deeply? What if we could get a glimpse of those moments?

This is the first in a series of videos I've been putting together featuring Parksville and Oceanside area students who are sharing those glimpses with the world ...

they must have been smoking something when they thought of this ...

2008-04-08T08:56:00.002-07:00

and if they weren't, someone slipped them something in their water!

Read this and laugh!

new beginnings and food to match ...

2008-04-06T21:50:00.005-07:00

Well, this marks the end of the first week in Parksville, BC for the family and it's been a party!
(as evidenced by the shot of my new office on April Fool's Day)

We've felt so welcomed and it's been obvious to both Charlene and I that God's on the move and has prepared the way for our family.

Plus, I've eaten well here, and that's a bonus in itself!!

Here are the food and family highlights:

roast duck for supper tonight
kids have hit it off with new friends
Charlene has done an amazing job getting paperwork all done!
simply amazing youth leaders in every area of my work
a rice jambalaya for lunch today
the kids have given their new school a HUGE thumbs up!
I can't say enough about the youth & post-grads here - wow!
we've been given a car to use for the next month
found a coffee shop with free wifi
had a beautiful roast goat the other night
an unexpected gift that blew our minds!
had lunch at Taco Bell - just like the old days in Lethbridge!

family photos ...

2008-04-03T10:40:00.002-07:00

It seems this blog is turning into a bit of a photo-blog .... not my intention, but Charlene has asked me to post a link to some fresh pics!!

Here they are ...
http://www.flickr.com/photos/the_kings

Enjoy!

surprised by joy and grace ...

2008-03-31T10:11:00.004-07:00

Jesus went across to Mount Olives, but he was soon back in the Temple again. Swarms of people came to him. He sat down and taught them. 3-6The religion scholars and Pharisees led in a woman who had been caught in an act of adultery. They stood her in plain sight of everyone and said, "Teacher, this woman was caught red-handed in the act of adultery. Moses, in the Law, gives orders to stone such persons. What do you say?" They were trying to trap him into saying something incriminating so they could bring charges against him.

Jesus bent down and wrote with his finger in the dirt. They kept at him, badgering him. He straightened up and said, "The sinless one among you, go first: Throw the stone." Bending down again, he wrote some more in the dirt.

Hearing that, they walked away, one after another, beginning with the oldest. The woman was left alone. Jesus stood up and spoke to her. "Woman, where are they? Does no one condemn you?"

"No one, Master."

"Neither do I," said Jesus. "Go on your way. From now on, don't sin."
(John 8.1-11)

Have you ever been caught off guard by the kindness of a stranger or, for that matter, the kindness of a friend?

Have you ever braced up your body - you know, stiffened up for the emotional outburst or a particular response that you felt was imminent for someone - only to be joyfully relieved that you could relax and enjoy the experience?

I love moments like that ...
being surprised by joy where I expected turbulence.
finding grace where I was sure that 'karma' would abide.

I love when the predetermined scenarios that I've so carefully crafted fall like straw to the ground and I am forced to simply smile, or laugh, or cry instead.

I really love being the instigator of that joy ...
I delight in being the harbinger of enormous grace ...

What if joy and grace were water-balloons?

the final day of travel ... we've arrived!

2008-03-30T09:28:00.004-07:00

Well, Friday was the last day of road-tripping (we are a bit late getting the photos up) and we got to the place we wanted to be: Parksville, BC!!

Although it was a short travel day, it was packed with loads of adventure, including a ferry ride, a freak snow storm(!?!) and the arrival at the farm where we will be staying for the first 10 days of our time here.

I just want to take this opportunity to speak to anyone from the island who may be reading this and apologize to them ... it may well have been our fault that you had snow! We did not mean to bring it with us from Saskatoon, but it may have been a stow-away in our van - whoops!

Here are some photos:

Driving onto the ferry at Tsawwassen ...

Sierra and Charlene went for a walk-about on the deck ...

Tsawwassen in distance as we leave the mainland
(there is no turning back now - *grin*)

Well, we've arrive in Nanaimo and there is snow ... OK then!?!

Jordan meeting new friends at the farm we are staying at ...

Sierra has named this one, "Jumper"!

road trip: day two photos

2008-03-28T09:02:00.008-07:00

Snow, Rain, Clear Skies, Open Roads, Snowy Roads ... we had it all during this leg of the trip, but we ended up in Abbotsford where the sun was shining and Spring was solidly entrenched!!

Off to the island today!

I'm dreaming of a white Spring-time?!?

Chillin' behind the wheel ... enjoying the ride!!

Up in the mountains ... heading toward Hope, BC

It's raining ... we must be getting close!!!

Almost there .... it will be good to rest for the night!

on the road (day one) ...

2008-03-27T08:30:00.004-07:00

Great day ... here are a few pics (click on them for the full sized view ... especially the one of the young elk battling it out to see who's the toughest with the antlers!)

We spent the night in Valemount, BC in a very cold motel room (someone forgot to turn the heat on and were freezing for the first two hours!!) that had only four of the satellite TV stations working!?! But we were still well rested and ready for day two!

The Sask / Alberta Border ...

Just about at Edmonton ...

The kids chillin' in the van's backseat ...

The pit-stop ... yikes!

Entering Jasper National Park ...

Battling on the side of the road in Jasper ....

Entering British Columbia!!

on the road to BC ...

2008-03-26T07:00:00.002-07:00

So the boxes have been packed and the moving van loaded! Today we hit the road for our trek to our new home -- Parksville, BC!

Our trip will take us through Edmonton and we'll stay in Vailmont, BC (about a 10 hour leg today). Then we'll motor to Abbotsford (9 hour trek) and crash there Thursday night. That means that Friday afternoon some time we will roll in to Parksville. The kids are looking forward to the ferry ride we'll be taking to the island.

If you are the praying type, we'd ask that you remember us over these next travel days ... safety, clear driving, and all that stuff. Thanks!

No idea when I'll post again .... but it will be from BC I'd imagine!!

'24-7 Spaces' Launches Today ...

2008-03-19T09:26:00.003-07:00

An inspiring, relevant, 10-minute devotional podcast helping hosted by the Guildford Boiler Room community with 24-7 Prayer and Survivor Records kicks off at iTunes today. It's all about helping you and I make space for God each day over the next 7 weeks.

It's been set up as a journey beginning in Holy Week, coming through the pain of the Cross and the victory of the Resurrection, all the way to the gift of the Spirit at Pentecost, on Saturday May 3rd.

Each Monday morning, all seven devotionals for that week will be ready for downloading so that you can put them on your MP3 player, iPOD, or computer for listening. Nice!

Here are the links:
> the itunes link
> the facebook group
> don't have itunes? download individual MP3's here

victoria bc jumps into 50 days of prayer ...

2008-03-17T08:17:00.000-07:00

Came across an article that is summarizing what God's been stirring up in Victoria, BC as of late. You can read it HERE ...

It was about four years ago that I first connected with some wide-eyed 20-somethings who were mobilizing prayer in Victoria and dreaming about non.stop prayer that would actively impact the lives of the people in that city. It is cool to see that just a few years later, the collective churches of that city are now doing it - 50-days - non.stop!! Cool!

I'm hoping to zip down there with some new friends from Parksville in mid-May for the big wind-up weekend ... stay tuned for the stories of the fruit of these prayers ...

As an added bonus, here is a video I found from Pete Greig (global 24-7 Prayer team) sharing at Asbury Seminary back in the Fall. David and Wendy (from the 24-7 USA crew) have joined him. It's a good half hour interview with them and covers things like the history of 24-7, the Mustard Seed Order, Boiler Rooms, what 'Aposto-Monastic' is all about, and something the USA gang are mobilizing called 'Campus America', which is all about prayer.

the insane teenage brain?

2008-03-14T09:10:00.002-07:00

Came across this fascinating information about the development of the teenage brain earlier this week:

"Over the last several years neuroscientists have been discovering new information about the brain development of adolescents. We are learning amazing things about how dynamically the teenage brain is changing during adolescence. Those committed to working with teenagers find this information extremely fascinating ...

"In the book The Primal Teen: What the New Discoveries About the Teenage Brain Tell Us, the author, Barbara Strauch explores the emerging research concerning adolescent brain development. Strauch is the medical science and health editor of The New York Times. She takes us beyond hormones as a primary explanation of teen behavior and reveals what scientists are finding out about how the brain of a teenager works. She writes, "The teenage brain may, in fact, be briefly insane. But, scientists say, it is crazy by design."

This could explain a lot!

Check out the full article where Mike King (no relation) blogs about it here ...

managing an inbox from the PIT OF HELL ...

2008-03-12T14:30:00.003-07:00

I think the worst time I've ever had with e.mail was about three years ago when I was in the thick of the 24-7 Prayer explosion here in Canada. It was just before I hit the wall and took a much needed, 6 month, break.

I was getting about 50 legitimate e.mails a day that basically all needed some kind of response. No kidding! This was after the junk/spam had been sorted out through two layers of filters. It was crazy!

I get way less e.mail (and in 2007/2008 we must include facebook messages in this total) today then I ever got back then, however, I've found that e.mail and managing correspondence can easily steal my time on any-given day. Worse than that, my inbox can set my priorities for the day: managing me rather than being managed.

I've tried a number of really good solutions over the years to keep on top of the never-ending game of e.mails. I've done really well, I think.

If you struggle with the inbox-beast too, you may find this lecture given by Merlin Mann last summer to Google staffers a very helpful hour-long word into your administrative life ...

Let me know what you think ... and if it helps free you up to give your time to the things that matter.

Lots of Love for the Leaders ...

2008-02-28T13:45:00.006-08:00

Last weekend Stephen and I took the 20 or so people on the fusion youth leadership team out on a mystery appreciation day!

These people are the backbone of the youth ministry that happens at Cornerstone Church. They literally volunteer thousands of accumulated hours a year toward investing in the lives of junior and senior high school students!!

The entire appreciation day was a surprise. We asked them to bring a number of random items (most of which were to throw them off the scent of what we were actually going to do) to a pre-determined location. Then we collected the canned food (one of those random items) to donate to the food hamper the church maintains for the community and everyone jumped into one of the four mini-vans.

We were off on a two hour trip to Moose Jaw with a quick stop for ice cream in Chamberlain that was oh-so-good! Once we arrived at our destination we treated the team to a dinner at the uber-cool Hopkins Restaurant (photo to the right) followed by a long and very relaxing soak at the Temple Gardens Mineral Spa (photo below) >>>> Oh Yeah!!!

We arrived back in Saskatoon around mid-night with some exhausted leadership team members, who felt very appreciated and probably will have way more energy to pour into students on the back half of this school year!!

You guys all R*O*C*K*!!

not yet ... but different ...

2008-02-22T07:21:00.002-08:00

It was maybe a year ago - not quite - that I was listening to some trance/house radio channel off iTunes and I heard this song. It's lyrics jumped out and totally grabbed me. The song was called 'Servant of Justice' by a DJ named Lennox (there's the album cover image to the right). So I immediately jumped onto e.bay and grabbed a 12" record of it to add to my vinyl collection. The song is hauntingly beautiful ...

Yet, the song reminds me of something that I am not: a servant of justice. I have friends who are servants of justice - heroes of justice I think. They are men and women - some young and some not nearly young any more - who are giving their lives to defend and rescue those who lack options in their lives. These friends are literally servants of justice.

I'm not.

I wonder if I'll ever get there? I wonder if God will ever move me into that place where I work and live and serve those who lack justice in their lives? Ultimately, it really is up to God, I suppose.

Having said all that, I do have a gravity toward those who are crushed. It's odd, but especially over the last two years, I seem to be encountering people who have stories of broken hearts and broken dreams more and more. I listen to their stories. My heart breaks with theirs.

We often sit in silence together: what can be said?

Arise, cry out in the night, as the watches of the night begin; pour out your heart like water in the presence of the Lord. Lift up your hands to him for the lives of your children, who faint from hunger at the head of every street. (Lam.2.19)

We pray. We simply invite the God of all creation to show himself in the midst of their stories - to step out of the shadows and show his presence. And do you know what? Without fail, he does. Often there is a bit of picking up the pieces and wading through pain, but as it happens, healing begins and peace blooms ...

I may not yet be a servant of justice, and I may never be, but it seems I am something different right now: a servant of the broken hearted. And that is fine with me.

Fisher-Price DJ Gear ...

2008-02-15T09:00:00.002-08:00

Wow ... big news from Fisher-Price today with the announcement that they are moving into the DJ scene with the release of the world's first wireless turntable!!

Ben Stein Shakin' It Up ....

2008-02-13T08:00:00.000-08:00

Ben Stein has been keeping himself busy over the last few months and has this new docu/movie to show for it ... Expelled comes out this month and should stir up some really good discussions on University campuses and the local water-cooler.

Wander into the playground area of the site for a really good extended sneak peak ... or watch this shorter (an way less informative) trailer:

Oh, and it sounds like Andy Hunter will be doing some of the music on the show - nice!

Reviewing the Ropes ...

2008-02-09T11:11:00.000-08:00

I've swiped the book, "Your First Two Years in Youth Ministry" from the office at Cornerstone this weekend. Gonna speed read it over the next few days in prep for landing in my new job.

Any youth pastors reading this ... got some good books to recommend for an old guy jumping back in the saddle?!? I'm gonna chew on one a week for the next month or so.

Yummy!

"we've got to go back ..."

2008-02-07T07:21:00.000-08:00

So, what does my favorite TV show "Lost" and our family have in common?

In the closing lines of last seasons final episode we saw Jack and Kate under the cover of darkness arguing about lots of things people who don't watch the show could care less about. But the last line was Jack's as he yelled at Kate while she walked away from him,

"We have to go back Kate ... we have to go back [to the island]!"

We'll it turns out that Kate and Jack aren't the only ones talking about returning to the island (now granted, on the island that we are talking about there are no polar bears, freaky ghosts or people with guns hiding in the forest looking to kill us - I hope).

Since the fall, when Charlene and I decided to wrap up my employment with the 24-7 Prayer movement here in Canada, I've had my eyes to the horizon, looking for the next place we might land and call home. After a few months of visiting and interviewing with a church in the city of Parksville on beautiful Vancouver Island, they called last night and offered the position of Pastor to Youth and Young Adults to me ... and we jumped for it!

So, at the end of March we'll be packing our bags and hitting the highway west, with a plan to land in Parksville (see photo) on April 1st with practical jokes o' plenty and some great new adventures waiting.

We'll be bummed out to leave so many good friends and my family behind in Saskatoon though. If you are the praying type, remember our kids as they walk though the experience of mourning their friendships - this is hard stuff for eight and ten year olds.

More details to come in the days ahead, and don't forget, that it is not too late to rent the first seasons of Lost at your local video store and jump into this season on Thursday nights!!! Ha Ha!

return from the island ...

2008-02-04T06:59:00.000-08:00

I'm sitting in terminal B at the Vancouver Airport where there happens to be free wifi at gate 16 (nice!) ...

I've just spent the last week hanging out with some wonderful people in Parksville, on Vancouver Island, interviewing with them for a youth ministry job at a local church. It was a great six days with way too many names and faces for one person to possibly remember. It all wrapped up last night when I did a bit of preaching as part of their evening service (you should be able to find an audio download of it HERE later today). They'll be deciding whether to offer us the job later this week and we'll know if we are going to take it by Thursday, so watch this space!!

Charlene and the kids were also with me for much of the week and weekend. We stayed at the Beach Acres Resort in a great little cabin in the woods. Great place, and the kids loved the pool. Yesterday was also Jordan's 10th birthday, so we celebrated that with much fanfare!!

Now it's back to the cold Saskatoon weather and tonight we've got another fuse* gathering, so I am looking forward to that.

rumbling in the basement ...

2008-01-30T08:43:00.000-08:00

I got an early birthday present last week in the form of a new mixer.

Since I've started DJ'ing (about three years ago), I've been using a wee-little 2 channel 'Blue Dog' with no EQ's ... cheap and simple. It did a good job for learning the basics, but usually when I had a chance to play a show I'd end up using a Pro-Mixer that had way too many controls to learn on the fly. Something had to change.

So last month when I saw a chance to get a brand new Behringer DJX700 for a fraction of the regular cost, I jumped (OK, actually I phoned my parents about giving some b-day money early and Char's kicked some in too!!!)

Anyway, I spent an hour or so giving them a test run last weekend and I just have one word:

SWEET!!!!

4 Channels, EQ's (including some fine kills), Trims, Effects, BPM Counters, and the list could go on ...