To Winnipeg and Back Again

Who knew we could serve God’s Kingdom right here in Canada? (The secret is I did). Last year we took a team to Winnipeg to serve the downtown with OM and City Church. Both of these are doing great work For God’s Kingdom. Feel free to click on their links. This year we took some youth again and again God woke us up to the world and His work in it. God gave us confidence in His Kingdom as he showed us how he works. We learned from different religions first hand and in their temples or places of worship. We were taught about sharing Jesus with the world in both the why and the how. We were given a chance to serve the community in events and prayer walks. We learned about cultures we never knew existed!

Now what? Did it really change us? Time will tell. Will be grab onto what we experienced and learned or will it be just a good memory. Does God’s Kingdom really matter to us?

One thing I learned: We have to be careful how internally focused we are as a church body. We need to be healthy Spiritual, but part of that comes when we stop looking internally and look to the world and the community around us. It’s ironic that to be selfless we normally look more to the self. The antidote to selfishness is to look outwards to others. Internal and external need to be help is sweet tension.

After this we realize that we do care for God’s Kingdom, we are just too internally focused to see His Kingdom at work. Here’s the Challenge: To not forget this. To take it up and to serve Vegreville. To share the amazing grace God gives. So this post is a reminder for me. It is a reminder to remember to serve and to help others serve God in whatever way. To share the good news Jesus has with whoever is in my life. Let’s do it. Let’s make disciples who reach out and are not intimidated by this luxurious world but saturated with God’s love for his creation!

 

To Post or Not to Post

When you look at my last post you may say, “Wow! That was a long time ago.” To those who continuously check my blog, I say sorry for that. But, let me explain this interesting journey I have been on.

I started reading a book called, The Imitations of Christ, by Thomas a Kempis and if you have ever read any of his material, he focuses a lot on humility. The second chapter hit me in regards to my blog. There was a statement, “If you wish to learn and appreciate something worth while, then love to be unknown and considered as nothing” (9). To put it in context, Kempis is talking of fighting pride and thinking more highly of others than yourself. At this point I asked myself, “Why am I writing my blog?” I have been aggressive in creating a nice looking blog and commenting on other people’s blogs so they would read mine, but to what end. My motives have been mixed.

On one hand I desired to reflect on culture and speak from a Christian world view and also post sermons and thoughts from sermons. But I had this conflicting motive that wanted to be known. I wanted to spread prove to the world I could write and had ideas that the world would love to hear. I desired fame. I feel weird even writing that out. Of course, in order to becomes a writer that may be necessary, but my heart was full of pride. I feel as though this has been a part of my life all along. I want to be known. In the end my life is one of anxiety and anxiousness. It is a life that is not content.

Identity. I am forgetting who I am. I am in Christ. He is who I am. Why do I need to be known. My purpose is not to be known, my purpose is in Christ and to make him known.

Kempis says, “All men are frail, but you must admit that none is more frail than yourself,” meaning I can sin at any moment. Who knows how long I can hold up before I relapse into sin? Into pride?

So this is why I have not written a post. I am working through motives. I probably will continue blogging regularly again. But I will probably sift through my motives each time I write. Until then, Blessings, Merry Christmas. May this season be one of Joy and Love in Christ. May you sense his Spirit, our Emmanuel.

 

Sexual Exploitation and The Church’s Response

I read an article today that stunned me. Here it is: “Children sexually exploited by gangs” Or simply google Sexual Exploitation in the UK and you’ll see what this blog post is all about.

This article was written concerning the UK. This is a highly organized country right? I do not wish to slander England, but I do desire for change as is the call of the church. I am stunned by these numbers:

“Current Estimates say up to 10,000 children could be affected.”

“Involves children as young as 11”

This next one is shocking: “Three-quarters of England’s local safeguard and child protection boards were not recording information on child sexual exploitation, the report said.” The report was done by The University of Bedfordshire.

The question we encounter is this: What is the church to do?

The government is taking action on this, since this article was in part from the deputy children’s commissioner. So does this let us sit back and ride the government’s back? Of course not.

We are called to care for the least of these. James says, “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world” (Js 1:27). Between this and Jesus’ comments about little ones, I think we have a strong mandate not only to talk about protecting children buy to act on it.

This begins at home. Tomorrow I am helping teach a seminar on Plan to Protect. This Plan is to protect our children from such things. Church’s should first have a plan of how they are protecting their own children. Next we look to the children in our community. How are they being protected. I am glad to say that our country reports and keeps very good records of abuse to children. As the body of Christ we have a call to act justly and we must act (Micah 6:8). I am not sure how you wish to care for our children, but we must care for them in Christ’s name. Physically and spiritually. We must not separate the two as we care for them. Our goal needs to be as protective brothers and sisters.

I have been really mean to people who picked on my little sister. She is mentally handicapped and vulnerable. Not only have individuals picked on her so have systems. I do not take well to that. I have battled school systems, principals, teachers etc., to make sure my sister was protected and enjoying life.

This attitude should not change when it comes to the children all around us. When we encounter injustice, I firmly believe our gospel calls us to act. I realize we cannot do it all, but we can at least be participating in the capacity we can handle. I think of organizations like Invisible Children. This organization is helping children in central Africa. White Monkey’s and Free Burma Rangers. Women are being rapped and children stolen to be in the army. The rant will stop for now. Let’s just act. This should be a no brainer.

 

The First Blog: An Introduction

First, let me say welcome. For those who are coming from my last blog, I hope to continue the fun from that blog to this one. For a refresher for you and a little introduction for those who are here for the first time, let me tell you my goal with this blog.

My Blog is called Frequent Thoughts. Have you ever had a million things go through your mind and not be able to hear one of them? That has been me. Sometimes, the only way for me to process thoughts is to write them out. So write I do, hoping that they can also help you out in your thoughts.

The word “Thoughts” is intentional. Human thinking is so very powerful. I wonder. Wonder is healthy for both a person and a community. Wonder provokes. It provokes communication, brainstorming, box-breaking. It stretches our minds beyond where we are at. Wonder allows us to be wrong. It frees us up from the paralytic cynicism of the world. Though this blog will review or even critique the world and its contents, they remain thoughts. Simply thoughts for us to chew on and let challenge us. I am not absolute truth. Though if God speaks truth through me, then kudos to him.

I pray God does speak through this blog. The other thing wonder provokes is action from convicting thoughts from God. The world of wonder is a place where we open up. Our creator works with open minds and hearts. He can then shape us. Then, I step more into the reality of who I am as a writer, a communicator, a mentor, a husband, and, most importantly, a christian.

So let’s wonder together. Let’s wonder who we are and how we should live in Christ.