Yes, I am actually blogging again. About 100 of us are gearing up for another mission in Zorrillo, Mexico with True North Helping Hands. Same school, more buildings, fence and a playground in the community. My daughter Angeline is coming again. So are 13 others from Red Deer. It is really quite exciting. My Spanish is still minimal but way ahead of last year. We'll see how it goes.
Why do I think this is so important, you ask. (Oh, you didn't? Well, you should have.) Being saved is great. Knowing I have a place in heaven is great. But lounging in the pew is not an option. God created me and all you other believers for good works. Not just random, whatever-we-think-is-cool good works. He has an actual plan for this whole planet (besides toasting it and taking the redeemable remains to heaven). His plan revolves around people and their lives. I don't know all the details but I do know that those of us who have (have food, clothes, education, money, hockey equipment) need to engage ourselves in feeding, clothing, educating and equipping those who have not. God sees something disciplinary in people suffering the consequences of their sins, but He sees something downright holy and spiritual in people overcoming the suffering of poverty. I got turned up by John Wood who left Microsoft to bring books and education to the third world. These things will at least raise the level of hope and standard of living for people world-wide even if Jesus said the poor we will always have with us. Who better to be vitally involved in such mission work that believers who can also bring the gospel mesage, the one about salvation from sin and death. In fact, how can believers talk heaven to people anywhere while multiple millions are suffering on earth. What do we say? "Some day it'll all be over and you'll go home to God." That's not much hope. Hope begins now with the world in which we live, the one that God has already created for us and placed us in. Jesus may come back at noon and end all this or He may tarry another few millenia. Whichever the case, the plan for human history was not that everyone would suffer their way into heaven through a miserable life on planet earth where things only continually get worse. God plans for this world to become a better place for people and the plan for transformation involves me (and many of you).
That's why I'm going to Mexico at the end of June... and to the seniors lodge to visit some lonely people at the end of this morning.
I'll enjoy heaven when I get there. In the meantime, Let's get this planet and its people going in the right direction. I seem to remember someone praying, "Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven."

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.