It begins...

Ange and I packed today, bought travel insurance and various other errands. The photos show me with the luggage, Ange at the computer, then later saying good bye to her sister. Don't they look sad.
Tomorrow we rest up for the journey because we leave Saturday at 5:00am for San Diego (Ange's first flight). Sunday we meet up with the True North Helping Hands crew and drive down into Mexico to build a school in the village of Zorrillo. We're all very excited.
38 years ago I went to the Arizona/Mexico border town of Nogales with my parents and sister. It was a mix of adventure and shock. I remember standing in a two room house with thin towels hung for doors and a dirt floor. The family we visited were new Christians receiving relief help from the church in Sierra Vista, AZ. I didn't understand much of what was happening except that this was another world from how I was raised. The image has never faded in my mind.
Now I'm finally returning to Mexico and on a mission to help out a poverty-riddled village. How will I feel when I see families in destitution? It feels good to know that I have something to give this time, instead of being a little kid just staring in shock while half hiding behind my mother's skirt.
Somewhere back in that childhood of mine the radio was blasting out that song "If I had a hammer, I'd hammer in the morning." It stuck in my head (the song, not the hammer) while I was packing tools for the trip.
There is a sense that I am on Jesus' mission. He saw people in their human need and had compassion on them. Not only that, He ministered to them. Not only that, He taught His disciples to do the same. Not only that, He said if you minister to people in need (sick, hungry, naked, etc.) you are actually ministering to Him. I've preached a lot of sermons in my years of paid and unpaid ministry. Somehow I have the feeling I'm about to learn a whole new way of communicating the gospel to people. I can't speak a word of Spanish. But I swing a fluent hammer!

Preparing for Mexico Mission..

Any Day Now

I'm not sure I can adequately describe what's going on in my soul right now. But (you guessed it) I'm going to try.
For months (over a year) I've been on a spiritual quest. The goal has changed over that time but the quest continues. At the beginning it was simply to renew my discipleship to Jesus. That's actually a poor choice of words. There's nothing particularly simple about it. The first lesson I learned is that renewal is never a result of my pursuit but always the fruit of God's will and action. So the goal changed from me pursuing to me being pursued. Since then I am busy running. He pursues me and I need to stop running off in other directions. God stirred up some people in my congregation to seek renewal in our assembly worship. Several months down the road I am revisiting lesson #1. Worship renewal is never a result of my pursuit but always the fruit of God's will and action. So now the goal is to stop just listening to these people but to help these people continue listening to God. Change is a necessary part of renewal but I have been too focused on the change and how it is affecting me/us. Change is going to happen as a part of renewal from God whether I try to manage it or not. I've decided, perhaps perilously, to stop trying to manage the change and just let God guide the process and, more importantly, the purpose.
So where (some concerned souls are surely asking) has that taken me. It's taken me to the place of questioning my identity and purpose as a church minister in the kingdom of heaven. If that is defined by anything less than the identity and purpose of Jesus, then I am ministering amiss. So now the goal is to help the congregation where I serve to be on a united spiritual quest seeking their collective identity and purpose. I'm not sure how much help I can be. Again, lesson #1 keeps popping up. The challenge will be for me to let God define the purpose and drive the process. Maybe I can lead by being firmly in the sights of God's pursuit.
I must sound like a sorry leader. That's because I am a sorry leader. I'm sorry about a lot of things. I can't tell you how many times I go back to the burning bush to to ask, "Could you please explain one more time how this is going to happen?" The answer differs a bit each time but it always is prefaced with "O ye of little faith..."
Stay tuned. In a month I leave for Mexico on a mission to build a school. I'm excited but I'm also scared. I sense that God is up to something more than I can imagine and for which I certainly didn't ask. That whole scripture (Eph. 3:20) used to be a favorite but now I'm reserving judgment on it.
I know, it's true... O me of little faith.
I've grown used to the uncertainty of where all this is going and beginning to feel comfortable with that. But it seems God will soon show me what He's up to. Any day now! And I might not be so comfortable anymore.

Connecting the Dots

Last night I shared with my Red Deer congregation the journey that has brought me to the place where my daughter and I are going to Mexico on a mission this summer. A whole pile of random events in my life were just like scattered dots on a page. I had forgotten a lot of things that God has done in my life and now that I see them coming together into a picture that God is creating by connecting the dots... wow!
I am first of all humbled by it all. That God has been so into the details of my life since I was just a lad gives me pause because He is the Creator and Sustainer of the Universe. It seems all so unreal that such a Being could be that interested and involved in one of His billions of creatures. When it hits me with such clarity that He has been working a masterpiece of His grace in my lowly life I actually start to weep in unbelief.
Not only do I feel humbled but also very convicted. God having a plan for my life places demands upon me that I didn't see before. Not in a slavish kind of way. But I do feel very compelled to attend to His will and obey. Was I just blind to what was going on all this time or did He wait until the timing was just so before turning the lights on? At any rate, there is a driving sense of responsiblity to embrace and engage in what God is calling me to do. I call it conviction.
But the feeling is more one of inspired. I am inspired by God's regard for me. Inspired by His vision for meeting the needs of hurting people. Inspired by the doors of opportunity He opens to me for service in Mexico and doors here in Red Deer that are flying open in conjunction with it. God's kingdom mission on this earth is awesome. I love what it's doing to my heart right now. I pray it spreads around the church in Red Deer like a fire. I happen to know that God is just as busy painting brush strokes on the canvasses of everyone else's lives.
Every now and then we just have to stop and take time to connect the dots. Get the picture?!

Phoney Tattoo... Did You Get One?!

If you were at Western Christian College over the weekend (March 2-4) you had the opportunity to score yourself a cell phone logo at the registratioin tables. Strangely, everyone was affixing these to their biceps or foreheads. It was obvious to me that its intended purpose was to make the back of my cell phone look snappy. Not everyone fell for this shameless promotional ploy. One fellow affixed Western's logo to his wallet (perhaps as a reminder to send in his donations?).

I came home with more than that, however. First, there was the Friday night follies as planes were delayed and bands were were stranded making it necessary to rely on the John show. John showed very well. He candied us up and then blasted us with the Good News. Well done, John Close. Even a full-time gospel preacher like me needs a graphic reminder that the gospel is, was, and always will be GOOD NEWS.

Saturday I ended up in a class about a Mexico mission presented by Cindy Andrews and her daughter. It was not planned for me to be there (except by Him, maybe). When it was time for the class to begin I darted down the hall to see why none of the teens had showed up. John was starting his class on Sex in the Garden. Needless to say, the mission to Mexico presentation didn't stand a chance. Me, 3 Winnipeg friends, some Saskatoon latecomer, Cindy's parents and Cindy's aunt & uncle were the only ones there. Oh, and God showed up as well. He pulled me right into this session. Three days later I now have a 12 year old daughter who is dragging me to Mexico this summer, Lord willing. This was never a plan of mine. Still isn't! But God is turning the wheels again while I'm not paying attention.

Other things happened, like driving through blowing snow on the trans Canada rink between Moose Jaw and Regina, but the gist of this Youth Rally is that my 12 year old, who wasn't even there, and I (who can't believe I got dragged into a Mexico mission presentation) are contemplating passport photos, injections and air fares.

My prayer since back in Red Deer has been... "Wha' happened?"

John, tell Allen that I got a cool tee shirt for being storm-stayed in a Regina high school for 2 days. I did make it home with all my luggage but I left behind my day planner.

Grade Six was a Long Time Ago!

This morning I won this tee shirt doing what I do best... losing to the mob.
The mob in this case was 100 elementary students at Lacombe Christian School. They and their teachers ganged up on me in an unfriendly game of 100 vs. 1 (like the tv show). I didn't stand a chance. It was Pastors Appreciation Day at the school so this was their way of toying with me. Instead of asking a Bible-related question they turned to the middle school science curriculum. Science was one of my better subjects in school and electronics was one of my hobbies then, but that was 35 years ago! I missed the question. I think maybe 4 of the 100 students missed the question. So I sat down with my other ministry colleagues and cried.
Actually, I exaggerate a little. It was a friendly game and more than 4 students missed the question. And I didn't really cry. I must admit it was actually fun. Several pastors fared better then I and went home with a tee shirt declaring themselves a winner or a toque with the school logo.
For someone who usually celebrates being correct it was a bit humiliating being beat so easily by the mob. On the other hand, the mob is overrated. I mean the real mob, not the grades 5th and 6th graders at LCS. By the real mob I mean the general public.
Most of the mob that I meet have voted with their absence from Christianity that they do not believe the Bible to be correct. It is either too narrow for their spiritual sensitivities or just plain untrue. I can't always answer the questions the world throws at me, but then the gospel is said to be nonsense to the wise of this world. I lose many of these intellectual battles.
But I will stand proudly on the contestant stage and declare my choice that the Bible is God's Word and contains everything I need for spiritual life. Of course, just having and reading a Bible is not the same as believing and obeying it. So add to my affirmative vote for the Bible's authenticity my devotion to its precepts. I get many things wrongs in life. I get many things wrong in my spiritual life as I try to follow God's Word. But I rise above the mob! Not by my superior intelligence or deeper spirituality or greater devotion. Simply because I put my trust in Jesus as my Deliverer, I rise above.
Good...now I fell better.
See you , later. I'm off to go make me a new tee shirt.

Slow Down

Alberta roads are about to become a tad more exciting. My daughter Selina is set on obtaining her driver's licence. Fortunately she will begin with a learner's licence. So she's fervently studying the manual so she can pass the test in as few tries as possible. It's a cool system. You sit before a computer which gives you the exam. When you get to 17 correct answers or 4 incorrect answers, whichever comes first, the computer shuts down. You have either passed or failed (I'll let you figure out how that's determined).

But that's only half the story. The other half is that I am going to end the lease on my van as soon as possible and get into a junker for a while. The junker will eventually become the property of Will, Selina and Angeline (if it lasts that long). For now, though, I just want something cheap.

So besides finding Selina behind the wheel you'll be seeing a much different Smithmobile for a while. I'm alerting all Alberta drivers to be extra careful out there!

I'm reminded of the sign on the Anglican church that you see as you drive through Neepawa, Manitoba. It reads: Slow down, you might hit an Anglican. I agree. Slow Down! You might hit my daughter learning to drive a dilapidated car that needs to last another decade.

A sign that flashes across the highway on the way out of Red Deer reads: Slow down, the life you save may be your own!

Actually, I just think we should all slow down. Pace of life is too fast. When did my daughter get to be 16, anyways?!

...she just called for a ride from a music pratice so I gotta go.

(I can't wait til she gets her licence.)

(Wait a minute. Oh yes I can.)

If I don't see a hundred ribbons...

One of our brothers came home on Sunday. I don't know that he was looking for a yellow ribbon 'round the ole oak tree but he certainly got at least a hundred all over the church property to welcome him. One of our teens alone had about 50 ribbons pinned to his shirt. It was all to say we are glad to have you back.

Jesus tells the story of the son's homecoming more beautifully than Tony Orlando's song. The father waits at the end of the lane with an eye on the horizon. The son, who left home as a young man with his whole inheritance to spend, was presumed lost, hopelessly lost and never to return. Presumed, that is, by all but his hopeful father.

Everyone heard of how the son shamefully spent his wealth on worldy pleasures, making new friends who were only too happy to help him spend his money. The far away land was neither far enough away for his older brother who hated how this younger sibling shamed their father nor was it close enough for his father who longed to embrace his wayward son. The young man eventually found himself penniless, which led to friendlessness, which led to desperation. As he slaved away on some farm to earn a meager pittance, he hungrily fought off the urge to eat the pods he was feeding the pigs.

The he came to his senses and realized there was one place where he was loved. Surely his father would be kind enough to take him back as a servant in his family's household. Then he could perhaps restore some dignity to his shattered life. He hurried home with a heart full of pentience.

He wasn't looking for a yellow ribbon. He wouldn't dare ask for a robe or a ring or a celebration feast from his father. However, his father was planning for all of that (except the ribbon, of course) and went running to welcome his son when he glimpsed him in the distance.

Sunday's yellow ribbons were our way of showing the same acceptance that our heavenly Father has for one of our brothers who fell badly. We all have fallen in our own way. At some point I too was lost and dead in my sins. When I brought myself humble and broken to God, he welcomed me as his son. All was forgiven.

The other half of the story is the older brother. He could not bring himself to forgive. But the lesson is that as I have been forgiven of all, so I must forgive my brother. How can I not show the grace that God has shown me.

Never have I been so happy to be part of a church!

Which Bible to Read?

In my position as minister for a church I get asked quite often what is the best Bible to get (although it happens less than it used to, which worries me that either people are less interested in good Bible translations or are less trusting in my opinion about it). I have my favorite translation which I sometimes will recommend, depending on what I know about the person asking and their needs. But my favorite Bible is not one I preach from nor is it one I ever tell someone to buy for their personal Bible reading. It is The Dramatised Bible. The translation used is the NIV (not my favorite) but it is the way the Bible is structured that I like. It converts Bible passages into character scripts that are suitable for acting out or presentation by multiple readers. I find it refreshing to see and hear the word of God acted out or rendered by dramatic voices. Somehow it makes it more real to me. Narration in the Bible lends itself to this quite easily but even other passsages, like Psalms or New Testament epistles can be shared in a group devotional or worship setting in a way that is very engaging.

The best dramatised Bible, however, is not the one that sits on my shelf. People touch my life in significant ways with the scriptures because they live them out in their daily lives. One Christian brother got wind of me looking to purchase a vehicle when I was young, single and needing wheels for my independence. Upon learning what I was making as a downpayment, he generously mutliplied it by a few times which cut my period of financing down to a year instead of 2 or 3. I have bought many vehicles since and now more fully appreciate how generous his gift to me was. He did not let me pay him back but recommended I look for an opportunity to show the same kindness to someone else. I've read from a lot of translations about doing your good works before others that they would glorify God but none as clear as my friend's action. I take his words to heart and endeavor to be generous to others in a way that glorifies God. I figure this to be a much more importan part of ministry than pointing people to a good translation. They need to see God's word translated first and foremost in my life.

(By the way, I prefer the New Revised Standard translation, if you must know.)

Doesn't it look like a positively beautiful day in Red Deer today?! Just looking at the brightness of the sun and how it lights up the evergreens and fresh-fallen snow makes me want to run outside and play. I love to walk in winter wonderlands of God's creation. Today looks like a perfect day for it.

It is indeed beautiful looking here today.

But I stepped outside and immediately froze anything exposed (and some things that were not).

Quickly, I ran back inside and re-evaluated my desire to be outdoors. Decision: today is a beautiful day to remain indoors and enjoy the sunshine from this side of the window. (And to blog.)

A lot of life is like that. Looks like something beautiful. Looks like this will be fun. Looks like this is a good idea. I must confess a terrible addiction (affliction?) to how a thing looks. My favorite cars always have to do with their sharp lines and colorful paint jobs. What clothes I wear used to be always about the appearance and never about the weather forecast. (I'm doing better with age. Age-related arthritis, that is.) Even my favorite sports team was largely adopted on the basis of what their uniform looks like. They look as good as ever in their orange, black and white. That is, until the puck drops and the game is played. They're in last place! They used to always be good but now they only look good.

I've learned (except with hockey teams) to pick less on the surface appearance of things and people. Behind every facade and under everyone's skin is where I find good. God made people in His image (minus the sinstains, of course) and his creation is awesome. Sometimes I have to look below the surface to see it but it's always there.

I hope people can appreciate me even if I look like a clown (maybe I should lose the outfit and makeup). I also hope they can appreciate me, the real me, even when I'm dressed to the sixteens (better than nines, I figure) and looking like a million.

Back to the beautiful day. Today is a beautiful day. Not because its sunny and bright or unbearablý cold (minus thirty-something with the wind). It's beautiful because God built it. If the sun never came up this morning (or the earth stopped rotating, I guess) what kind of a day would it be (besides dark)? If everything looked great but God withdrew the air, that would pretty much have sucked any enjoyment out of the day for me. If my heart stopped beating, my lungs stopped inhaling (or exhaling) or my eyes stopped blinking, how beautiful would the day seem to me? God has made today beautiful by building it and building me into it. What I see on the surface, what I choose to look at, is only skindeep.

Rats, I need to go. Outside into the cold.

That's okay. The wind only chills me to the bone. The Spirit is in my soul!

Thank you, Lord!

And the rest of you... have a beautiful day!

Fitness in 2007

Every new year begins for me with a renewed commitment to get myself into better shape. This year will be no different. My membership at the local recreation center will be used to swim, run, lift weights, play a few sports and keep up my juggling skills. The few extra pounds that I carry all seem to concentrate in a couple of body zones--tummy and tush. This year I have to deal with an extra challenge, a hernia that has worsened over the last year and requires surgery. This, of course, changes what I will do for awhile until I am properly healed.

Being healthy is much more than just having my body in shape. Jesus talked about the mind, soul and spirit, also. Therefore my attention is also focused upon getting into better spiritual health. A small Bible study group with which I meet once a week has just embarked upon a set of studies from Abiding Life Ministries. Our weekly meetings will now be augmented by personal daily devotions which engage us with the material. Then our meetings become a time of sharing and mutual ministry based on the spiritual issues with which each of us wrestles. This regular spiritual exercise helps us grow and strengthen spiritually much like my time at the recreation center will helps me physically. If you are interested in Abiding Life Ministries please follow the link that I place with this blog. Don't be surprised if some of the reflections I share here in 2007 come from this material.
All in all I am looking forward to a boost to my health in 2007, both physically and spiritually. My only apprehension is that some spiritual condition may be identified for which the Lord will prescribe surgery, a sort of spiritual hernia operation.