I never get tired of hearing faith stories and baptising people. When my wife and I started SunWest we asked God if we could be part of church which pursued and experienced life transformation. Each baptism story bears witness to God's uniquely personal transforming power. Each story shows how much God cares and the extreme lengths He goes to to reach out to us. Amazing!
When we come face to face with Jesus and declare our submission to him everything falls away. Our titles, our wealth, our education...whatever those things are that we hang on to are all meaningless because it's just me and Jesus. What a great place to be--scary but great. I never want to lose focus on the bottom line reason that I got into vocational ministry to begin with--to see Jesus transform people through new life in him; to see "his kingdom come and his will be done on earth as it is in heaven."
Thank you Jesus for letting me be a part of this!
Tuesday, December 5, 2006
Tuesday, November 28, 2006
Monkey In A Jar
In the parable of the sower and the seed Jesus tells us that the his message of the Kingdom of God will be choked out by the "cares of this world" -- that is the desire for material possessions, income, anxiety--basically control and security issues. As I read this story i was reminded of the old illustration of the monkey who reaches into a jar to get a fruit that was stored there. Once his hand is around the fruit the size of his closed hand will not allow him to remove his hand from the jar. He is "trapped" unless he is willing to let go of the fruit.
It seems to be me that many of us "trapped" because we are unwilling to let go of the "fruit" that we have found but keeps us trapped in our kingdom. We don't want to let go of what we have to risk experiencing everything that God has to offer in his Kingdom. Ironically the wealth of Calgary seems to make us even more unwilling to let go of our stuff so that we can receive God's stuff all while we complain about the pace of life, the attitudes of our kids, the general greed within our society...you know the lines.
Jesus said that the Kingdom of God is like the greatest treasure you could ever find. A treasure that you would be willing to sell everything for and yet Christ-followers don't seem to realise how great their treasure is.
While explaining the parable of the sower and the seed to his disciples Jesus referred to the deceitfulness of wealth, in other words wealth will fool us into thinking that that security comes from wealth but it is only a false security. My frustration is that I let myself be deceived! I have experienced God's truth but i shelve for what lies that look good. My hand is stuck in the jar and I won't let go of my "treasure" to get real treasure.
When we see the monkey with their hand caught in the jar we intuitively know how simple the solution to the problem is. Just let go. The only trap is in the heart. If only it were so simple.
It seems to be me that many of us "trapped" because we are unwilling to let go of the "fruit" that we have found but keeps us trapped in our kingdom. We don't want to let go of what we have to risk experiencing everything that God has to offer in his Kingdom. Ironically the wealth of Calgary seems to make us even more unwilling to let go of our stuff so that we can receive God's stuff all while we complain about the pace of life, the attitudes of our kids, the general greed within our society...you know the lines.
Jesus said that the Kingdom of God is like the greatest treasure you could ever find. A treasure that you would be willing to sell everything for and yet Christ-followers don't seem to realise how great their treasure is.
While explaining the parable of the sower and the seed to his disciples Jesus referred to the deceitfulness of wealth, in other words wealth will fool us into thinking that that security comes from wealth but it is only a false security. My frustration is that I let myself be deceived! I have experienced God's truth but i shelve for what lies that look good. My hand is stuck in the jar and I won't let go of my "treasure" to get real treasure.
When we see the monkey with their hand caught in the jar we intuitively know how simple the solution to the problem is. Just let go. The only trap is in the heart. If only it were so simple.
Saturday, November 25, 2006
Generational Impact
We laid Omi to rest on Thursday. Her life reminded me that her sacrifice, her courage and her determination contributed significantly to the quality of life my family and I enjoy today. Author Kris Vallotton reminds us that the ceiling of our forefathers accomplishments becomes the foundation for our lives. In other words, we start where they left off. This is definitely the case with my grandmother. She had to be courageous to deal with dangerous travel conditions in leading her family out of communist Russia. I will always be grateful for what she handed down to the generations that follow. She passed on determination, faith, courage and a willingness to risk for the things she believed to be important. Her death has also given me a renewed appreciation for my responsibility as a father and the generational impact of my decisions in life, faith and family.
As I prepare to preach on the question, "Why do I exist" this weekend I have a new sensitivity to the reality that the answer to this question is not personal. As we discover the reasons for our existence we will also discover the butterfly affect that is already at play through our lives. We think that fulfillment in life is a personal quest, it is not. It is a communal quest because our fulfillment is lived out within community. We have an obligation to each other--we give and we receive if we are willing to really live.
The Bible tells us that the sins of our fathers impact us to the third and fourth generation but the blessings go on for a thousand generations. What a gift to be able to recognise and deal with the sins of our fathers when, often all the people involved are still alive. Existence, really living is found in dealing with sins of our fathers and living the blessings of our fathers as God takes us to new heights built on the foundation of our inheritance.
Existence, then is appreciating the generational legacy that we have received and that we pass on whether we realise it or not. We can be foolish and ignore our past or we can draw from the strength of our past. You choose.
As I prepare to preach on the question, "Why do I exist" this weekend I have a new sensitivity to the reality that the answer to this question is not personal. As we discover the reasons for our existence we will also discover the butterfly affect that is already at play through our lives. We think that fulfillment in life is a personal quest, it is not. It is a communal quest because our fulfillment is lived out within community. We have an obligation to each other--we give and we receive if we are willing to really live.
The Bible tells us that the sins of our fathers impact us to the third and fourth generation but the blessings go on for a thousand generations. What a gift to be able to recognise and deal with the sins of our fathers when, often all the people involved are still alive. Existence, really living is found in dealing with sins of our fathers and living the blessings of our fathers as God takes us to new heights built on the foundation of our inheritance.
Existence, then is appreciating the generational legacy that we have received and that we pass on whether we realise it or not. We can be foolish and ignore our past or we can draw from the strength of our past. You choose.
Tuesday, November 21, 2006
Celebrating Oma
My Oma passed away last week at the amazing age of 103. She experienced everything from Russian Revolution to the Wireless Revolution. In my years of knowing Oma, she exhibited a steadiness of faith and spirit that was remarkably consistent. If here granddaughters visited her wearing pants she always reminded them they should be wearing skirts. When it was time to leave Oma's house she would climb on top of the armrest of her couch to reach into the folds at the top of the curtains to retrieve 5 or 10 dollars as a gift for you (Oma didn't believe in banks).
Faith through the lens of Oma's life exhibited a kind of consistency that makes our world seem incredibly flaky. People seem to change jobs, friends, cities, marriages and beliefs like they change their...you fill in the blank. In a world full of people that are looking desperately for something to hold onto we seem awfully poor at finding what we're looking for. We seem to think there must be something better than what I've got out there.
Jesus told his audience that real life giving peace came from him. Oma exhibited that kind of peace. I never heard her complain about loosing her first husband to the Soviets or her second to old age. I always saw a generosity of heart and a strength of spirit. This week we celebrate the life of a Christ-follower who reflected Jesus to four generations. She handed down a faith the each of her children have passed on. It is said that the true test of parenting is seen through the grandchildren. Oma's done well.
Faith through the lens of Oma's life exhibited a kind of consistency that makes our world seem incredibly flaky. People seem to change jobs, friends, cities, marriages and beliefs like they change their...you fill in the blank. In a world full of people that are looking desperately for something to hold onto we seem awfully poor at finding what we're looking for. We seem to think there must be something better than what I've got out there.
Jesus told his audience that real life giving peace came from him. Oma exhibited that kind of peace. I never heard her complain about loosing her first husband to the Soviets or her second to old age. I always saw a generosity of heart and a strength of spirit. This week we celebrate the life of a Christ-follower who reflected Jesus to four generations. She handed down a faith the each of her children have passed on. It is said that the true test of parenting is seen through the grandchildren. Oma's done well.
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