I stood in the harbour at Antalya, a port on the Mediterranean in southern Turkey. I thought about the history this place holds, the people that have landed there, what that place represents. No doubt, it is a beautiful place, and a natural deep water port used for millennia by shippers, travelers, traders, pirates, armies, dignitaries…

 

This is the place, I thought, where Paul and Barnabas landed on their first missionary journey to Asia Minor in the first century AD. They came to an unfamiliar place, to people that did not know them or the message they brought. They had set out by the early church, motivated to take the Good News to those who had not heard about Jesus. They faced, storm, and danger, opposition, and good reception – they faced the unknown – head on. Wow! They were living an adventure. What must it have been like Read More »

I took some time to watch the Olympic Torch Relay as it meandered by the church on a Tuesday morning not too long ago. Being a sports fan, I have enjoyed following the path of the torch across our nation, noting people who have been chosen to carry the torch. Not that I am bitter at all, but I was not chosen to carry it (rats!), I would have loved to carry it (along with thousands of other rejectees).

 

There are so many spiritual lessons I could pontificate on in reference to the torch, the flame, the relay, the connections,….One comes quickly to my mind; the idea of “handing off the torch”. The flame is carefully guarded along the way – the scripture tells us, “Above all else, guard our heart, it is the wellspring of life (Prov. 4:23)”. Carrying the flame has proven to be an honour that those who have participated in the relay, Read More »

….time marches toward the day of Christmas… I find it not so much a march, as a nice walk, and occasionally a run, Okay, sometimes it’s a rabid random sprint, and alas it’s a crawl too.

 

I have had some memorable moments already this season. I have been introduced to a new Christmas song by a local artist while participating in the Glenmore Elementary production of Charlie Brown Christmas, that’s good. Sitting on my desk is a hand made card by a student actor – To Mr. T – Thank You soooooooooo much! Our church family is having a season of rich times together.

 

I continue to hear accounts of people Being the Church, here’s one from this last week:

Don’t JUST go to church, Be the Church

 

It’s kind of a catchy slogan, but I hope as the fall unfolds we will individually and corporately get stirred to realize that this is what we should be about. Of course “going to church” is part of “being the church” – getting together centered around corporate worship, going deeper in faith journey, and ministering to and with each other. But there is so much more, more that God has for us. I am impressed with the mandate and response of the first century church, like I spoke about last Sunday.

 

After Pentecost, that first, brand new church was focused and intentional. They took a strong hold on; the apostles teaching (words, life and ministry of Jesus), fel Read More »

A mess of barbed wire…

 

Life seems complicated at times, and we all get tangled up in the complexities. Some of the complexities are self imposed and many of the complexities are completely out of our control. I think that people come to the Okanagan for vacation to escape the complexities, reduce the complexities, or get some perspective on said complexities. Perhaps that is why selling features that say things like “easy load”, or “simplify”, or “low maintenance” or even “all inclusive” are very attractive.

 

There is no denying that there is not an easy fix to many aspects of life. Often a difficult conversation we have with someone opens the door to several more difficult conversations before th Read More »

Some entertainment icons died this week, and it makes me think….

 

Ed McMahon, lauded as one of the most famous side kicks, Michael Jackson evolved into one of the biggest side shows of all time, and Farrah Fawcett, who we saw a different side of, in her battle with cancer.

 

There’s a bit of a multigenerational response to their deaths. Ed McMahon represented a group who pioneered much of modern TV programming and development. Michael Jackson, the self proclaimed king of pop, shaped pop music for a couple decades and cut the edge in music video. Working with youth and teens in the 80’s forced you to interact with his influence on pop culture and music. Farrah Fawcett, marked the 70’s as a sex symbol Read More »

I love asking questions. I think of questions while I am reading a book or listening to someone, or watching a movie…in fact family members have said to me (probably on more than one occasion), “…dad, just watch the movie, don’t analyze everything…” But I like to ask what the director is trying to portray, what are the surface messages, what are the deeper messages, what are they really saying, what is the product placement, who are they speaking to, ….you get the picture?

 

Did you ever consider how many questions Jesus asked? Or how many times Jesus answered a question with a question? And I thought we weren’t supposed to do that. Or how many questions Jesus left unanswered? Read through the Gospels sometime and note his questions and responses to questions, it will be a great study for you.