Archives For Church life

A dose of inspiration

October 25, 2011 — 9 Comments

inspiration

Yesterday, I had the privilege of spending a good chunk of the day with David Mainse, the founder of  100 Huntley Street.  He is on a tour across Canada thanking his supporters.  We had the honour of hosting his visit to Port Hardy at our church.

I have to confess that I didn’t know a lot about David before meeting him yesterday.  I knew about his TV show but that was about it.  I am so glad that I got an opportunity to get to know him better.

David is a man who is passionate about sharing his deep faith in Jesus Christ with others and his desire is to see God relate in a very real way to each individual’s life.  This is what his ministry is all about.  He has dedicated the last 50+ years of his life to sharing the Good News of salvation.

What impressed me most about David is his willingness to change and innovate.  He has not been content to just keep doing the same things in the same way.  Throughout his 50 years of ministry on television he always been on the lookout for new means and new ways to use media and technology to spread the Good News of salvation.

I was greatly inspired yesterday as 75-year-old David Mainse gave me and a group of pastors a passionate talk about using the Internet and other forms of technology to further the Kingdom of God.  Most 75 year old’s don’t even own a computer!

David has been very willing to change with our changing world.  His message has never changed but his methods and means have.

It is so easy to resist change.

It is easy to fear change.

I hope when I am 75 I will have the same willingness and desire to adopt change and to innovate as David Mainse.

Who has inspired you recently?

In Being a pastor, Church life, Leadership
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Independence or Interdependence?

May 3, 2011 — 8 Comments

Yesterday I shared about one of the theme’s that came up at my denomination’s regional convention that I was at last week: dreaming big with God.

Today I want to share about another theme that came up: interdependence.

A plan was presented called “Partnership 2016”. This plan is an attempt to ensure that our region’s Ministry center, member churches and partners work together in order to be increasingly effective in reaching the lost and making disciples.

Partnership 2016 requires all our regional ministries to be voluntarily and directly accountable for defined ministries and outcomes that will help our local churches.

It will require every church to accept a higher level of peer to peer accountability for doing their best to be effective and doing their part in assisting other churches to achieve meaningful kingdom results.

I am very excited about this new direction that we are headed as a denomination.  This is a move away from independence to interdependence.

The church that I pastor at is already living out interdependence in a few ways:

  • We have partnered with our sister church in Port McNeill for the past 3 years to run a fundraiser event for our area’s Christmas Hamper fund.
  • We are also partnering with their Jr. Youth ministry as we don’t have any leaders to run ours right now.
  • We are looking for more partnerships with other churches in our region (and beyond).  We are going into a building project and we are going to need a lot of help.

As a fellowship of churches we are much more effective when we are working together!

I believe this applies to many other parts of our lives as well: our local churches, our neighborhoods, our communities.  We are much more effective when we are working together!

I am looking forward to seeing how this focus on interdependence is going to continue to unfold in the coming years.

How are you living out interdependence in your life?

In Christian living, Church life
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6 ways to have a strong body

April 12, 2011 — 12 Comments

If you want to have a strong physical body there are certain things that you need to do in order to accomplish this.  You need to eat properly.  You need to exercise often.  You need to lift weights.  You need discipline.

If we want to have a strong spiritual body (i.e. a strong church) there are certain things that we need to do in order to accomplish this.

6 ways to have a strong body

1. Serve each other in love (Galatians 5:13)

We live in a “ME- first” world. We need to put aside our own needs so that we can serve someone else in need. We must remember that Jesus served us in love and we must follow His example.

2. Treat each other kindly (Ephesians 4:32)

This one is so simple yet it is not often done. Kindness should come in our words and in our actions.

3. Respect each other (1 Peter 2:17)

We need to respect each others uniqueness and differences. We are called to be united but not uniform.

4. Open up with each other (James 5:16)

Sadly, all too often, we put on our big fake Christian smile and pretend as if everything is wonderful when in reality it is not. It will take a risk to open up but it is a risk worth taking.

5. Nurture each other (1 Thessalonians 5:11)

Rather than tearing each other down we need to be building each other up. We need to supporting each other especially when people are going through difficult times.

6. Grow with each other (Colossians 1:10)

God never intended that we grow alone. He created us for relationship (first with Him and then with others). We need to connect with other followers of Christ so that we can sharpen one another.

What are you doing to have a strong body?

In Church life
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Who takes care of the pastor when they are hurting?

November 3, 2010 — 18 Comments

I have been a pastor now for almost 15 years.  In my years of being a pastor I have had some incredible joyous times and I have had some incredibly difficult times.  I have had moments where I thought I could “conquer” the world and I have had moments of feeling  great defeat and disappointment.  I have had moments where I couldn’t imagine doing anything else and I have had moments wondering if I should continue on as a pastor.

Most Christians turn to their pastor in their difficult moments, in their moments of defeat and disappointment and in their moments of doubt.  But who does the pastor turn to when they are experiencing these feelings?  In most cases, they turn to two sources: God and their spouse.  The God part is a no-brainer but I wonder how many married pastors recognize the importance of their relationship with their spouse? I wonder how many churches recognize the ministry of their pastor’s spouse to their pastor?

Lauren has been a great support to me.
Lauren has been an incredible encourager to me.
Lauren has been my shoulder to “cry” on when I am feeling down and defeated.
Lauren has been my sounding board when it has come to making tough decisions.
Lauren has been the one who has given me “pastoral care” when I needed it the most.

Sadly, I know I can take all these incredible blessings for granted at times.  I can forget that Lauren is carrying a “load” that most wife’s don’t have to.  I think most churches can fall into this trap too.

So here’s my two-fold challenge:

Pastor’s:  Don’t take your spouse’s ministry to you for granted!  Nurture your relationship with them.  Make sure that their needs are being met too. Pray for them.  Go out of your way to do something special for them this week!  Take the time today to tell them that you appreciate them!

Churches: Don’t take your pastor’s spouse for granted!  Support them.  Encourage them.  Pray for them.  Remember that they are carrying a load that most spouses don’t have too.  Don’t put unfair expectations on them.  Do something special for them this week!  

October was pastor’s appreciation month.  Maybe November should be pastor’s spouse appreciation month!

If you are a pastor, what do you do to not take your spouse for granted?  If you are not a pastor, what do you do to not take your pastor’s spouse for granted?


Recommended reading:  Leading on Empty: Refilling Your Tank and Renewing Your Passion

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In Being a pastor, Church life
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A remedy that will help turn the world upside down

October 21, 2010 — 4 Comments

There is a solution to reaching the vast unreached places of the earth.  There is a remedy that will help turn the world upside down and revolutionize the entire workings of the church. It is:

Aim lower
Think smaller
Give up 
Go have a cup of coffee

I know you are thinking: “Amazing, why didn’t I think of that?”  Okay, maybe not! :)

Before you write me off as a quack check out this video:

I would love to hear your thoughts on this!


Do you agree with this?  Why or why not?

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In Christian living, Church life
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Community and Brokenness

September 21, 2010 — 16 Comments
“Nothing is sweet or easy about community. Community is a fellowship of people who do not hide their joys and sorrows but make them visible to each other in a gesture of hope. In community we say: ‘Life is full of gains and losses, joys and sorrows, up and downs – but we do not have to live it alone. We want to drink our cup together and thus celebrate the truth that the wounds of our individual lives, which seem intolerable when lived alone, become sources of healing when we live them as part of a fellowship of mutual care.” Excerpt from “Can You Drink the Cup?” by  Henri Nouwen

Have you ever sat in church surrounded by people but feeling completely alone? I know I have. There have been plenty of times when I’ve looked around and realized that the people I fellowship with and worship with have no idea who I really am or what I’m truly struggling with. The truth is that as I mature emotionally and spiritually as a person, God is continually in the process of revealing to me who I really am and who He’s created me to be.

It’s kind of crazy for me to think that anyone else should really know me when I’ve spent years guarding my heart from being exposed. Isn’t that the definition of insanity “…doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results?” An important part of growing in maturity in my own life has been learning how to live authentically and with integrity about where I’m truly at. It is hard and it can be messy. And I don’t mean to suggest that it’s possible to be that way with everyone.

So how do you find yourself in community like the the community that Nouwen described? I think it requires the courage to share your heart with the people you love. Nouwen goes on to say this:

“When we dare to speak from the depth of our heart to the friends God gives us, we will gradually find freedom within us and new courage to live our own sorrows and joys to the full. When we truly believe that we have nothing to hide from God, we need to have people around who represent God for us and to whom we can reveal ourselves with complete trust. Nothing will give us so much strength as being fully known and fully loved by fellow human beings in the Name of God.”

Do these kind of friendships happen overnight and without any work at all? Probably not, wouldn’t it be nice if they did! I have found however, that as I work at allowing my friends and loved ones really know me I have had far more opportunities to build relationships with other people on a much deeper level because my heart is open to embracing others, brokenness and all, as I’ve been embraced. Living authentically has opened the doors to connections and friendships that I never expected:) Isn’t God great that way?

I think that Nouwen’s definition of community is one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever read:

“Community is a fellowship of people who do not hide their joys and sorrows but make them visible to each other in a gesture of hope.”

So here’s my question….do you have anyone in your life that you purposefully share your joys and sorrows with? If you don’t, what’s preventing you from having the courage to be authentic?

***** This is a post that my wonderful wife Lauren wrote back in January when I was away.  I reposted it because it was perfect for Bridget Chumbley’s blog carnival on brokenness today.

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In Blog carnivals, Christian living, Church life
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Please pray for our church family

July 27, 2010 — 51 Comments

It is with a very heavy heart that I am writing this post.  On Sunday afternoon, a little girl from our church was tragically killed in our church parking lot when she was accidentally hit by a van.  We are all still very much in shock.  I can’t even begin to express how I am feeling right now. 

At 11 am today, we are having a grief support time at the church (6950 Highland Drive) for anyone who would like to attend.  No date for the Memorial service has been chosen yet.

Please pray for our church family (and especially the family of the little girl) as we seek to heal after this horrible tragedy.

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In Church life
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