What do I need this Christmas?

Over the weekend, I was speaking with my mom and we were talking Christmas gifts. At one point we found ourselves going around and around trying to figure out what to buy certain individuals in the family who in reality don’t really need anything. We have so much and are so blessed and yet every year the commercials and our own greedy longings make us believe we need more.


This carries over into our spiritual lives as well. How often do we approach our God and complain like He hasn’t given us everything we need to successfully navigate life here on earth with Him and for Him. Isn’t it amazing how often we live out our lives as Christ followers with a poor man’s attitude rather than the spiritually rich people we are. Paul states it so clearly to the believers in Ephesus where he writes “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.” (Ephesians 1:3)
So as we head into the Christmas season, let’s not act like we don’t have much. We have all that we need in Christ Jesus our Lord. Let’s live like that’s true in our lives no matter what you find under the tree this Christmas. Maybe the answer to the original question above is that we give one another spiritual reality checks this year by spending some time celebrating God’s goodness to us.

Crossing the Bridge

Recently my wife and I joined another couple and traveled to the quaint little town of Wakefield, Quebec.  It was an absolutely beautiful Fall day and we came across this recently renovated covered bridge.  As we enjoyed a leisurely stroll across the river through this covered bridge a number of thoughts crossed my mind as it relates to my journey with God.

First, there was a need for me to cross over to a holy God and I recognized long ago it was impossible for me to do on my own.  There was a need for someone to provide a "bridge" over to God on my behalf because of my sin.  That "bridge" is of course Jesus Christ who came and made the way for sinful human beings to cross over to the Father.  Jesus paid for my sin upon the cross and I just need to cross the bridge of redemptive work found in Christ by faith.  Praise the Lord there was a point in my life where I responded and took that step of faith towards Christ, our bridge to enter into a personal relationship with a holy God.

Secondly, it required some real pioneers to build the bridge over that river.  In life, God will call us as both individuals and church families to take some big steps and cross some pretty big rivers in life to get to the next God sized adventure on the other side.  It will always take some courageous pioneers willing to take that first step and start building the bridge over the challenges of life by God's grace.  We do so in order for others to one day follow and benefit from what has been created.  May God give me and other leaders the courage to take such steps.

Thirdly, may we all be willing as Christ followers to cross over to the other side where the adventure of God awaits us.  There is no need for a bridge to help us cross if we are unwilling to walk across it.  Sometimes in life it seems much easier to just sit down on one side of the river of life and enjoy the scenery when God is really calling us to stand up, cross the river and experience whatever He has for us on the other side.

Is there a river God is calling you to cross today?  If so, by faith and with confidence in Christ the master bridge builder, take some steps to experience whatever adventure God is calling you to on the other side of the river.

Pastor's Wives

Recently, a few articles have come across my desk dealing with the pressures a pastor's wife often lives under and the unfortunate outcomes of these real life stories. 

When I was going through my studies in preparation to become a pastor, many wise individuals passed along great insights on how to protect ourselves from moral failings as men within a ministry.  They spoke often of how women would look to their pastor's and see things in them that they did not see in their husbands thus demanding the need to place protections around ourselves in order to remain faithful to our marriage vows.

But, these articles seem to point to a new trend where more and more men are hitting on pastor's wives.  As the divorce rate continues to climb and more and more middle aged people find themselves single again, the number of men looking for a "new wife" is on the increase and the pastor's wife is not immune to this reality.  In fact, many would view the pastor's wife as a vulnerable person because many pastor's are not giving their wives the love and attention they truly deserve.  The ministry has often become the pastor's mistress leaving his wife looking for someone to care and walk alongside of them through all of the pressure's of being a pastor's wife.

As I continue to ponder these readings, I am struck with at least two thoughts.  The first revolves around my need to continue making my wife a priority far above my ministry responsibilities.  She needs to know on very real and tangible levels that I am married to her and not the church.  Secondly, we must be fully aware of the pressures and temptations that so many pastor's wives live under.  So many face what feels like unrealistic expectations and the need and desire to "just escape" can sometimes lead to poor decisions that ruin marriages.

These are sobering realities facing even those who sit in leadership within ministries and all couples must continue to fight the good fight and make marriage a priority.  Here are a couple of great resources that I've come across to help with this; Couples = www.loveandrespect.com and Pastor's wives = www.leadingandlovingit.com

Sweet Fellowship and Thanksgiving

It is Friday afternoon and I am preparing to head into my first Canadian Thanksgiving in nearly six years and I have a few thoughts running through my head.  So here we go...

First, last Sunday night I preached on Philippians 1:1-11 and focused in on the sweet fellowship we enjoy and must guard as saints in Christ Jesus if we partner together in the work of the Gospel.  As we head into thanksgiving I continue to ask the Lord to give me a love for the church as He loves the church.  We need to be incredibly thankful for who we are together in Christ and cherish the sweet fellowship we enjoy in Him.

Secondly, I've been thinking a lot this week about my brothers and sisters in the Central African Republic.  As I set up my new office this week, I came across many pictures and memories from that trip that got me reflecting on the things I witnessed and experienced while over there.  I am so thankful for what we enjoy here in North America and must guard my heart against grumbling.  From the material blessings to the spiritual ones, there is so much to give thanks for and keeping this eternal perspective in mind is necessary in order to avoid the spiral downwards into not being satisfied with what we have been blessed with.

Thirdly, I am so thankful for my family.  In a world with so much brokenness within family units, I give thanks for a marriage and family that seeks to firmly plant ourselves upon the principles and truth of God's Word.  It doesn't make everything perfect, but with that foundation we believe we will experience the blessing of a strong family unit which is to be cherished, guarded and celebrated with a thankful heart.

Finally, as I reflect upon the above three thoughts they all have a few things in common.  They reflect our need for others and our need to build those relationships upon who we are in Christ.  May we give thanks for the sweet fellowship we enjoy in our relationships as we strive to keep Christ central.

God is Able

I love music!  Music has always stirred deep emotions within me as it is something I could not live without.  To be honest, I'm not that musically inclined and so I am thankful for those who share with the world the gift of music.

This week, I purchased the latest Hillsong recording entitled "God is Able".  I've always enjoyed the music of Hillsong and have found this latest recording an incredible encouragement and motivator.  Please know that I don't state this lightly as I understand the emotional power found in music that can lead us down paths that stray from the truth of God's word.  I state this because my favourite song off of the recording is rooted in a truth from Scripture (it has a good beat as well). 

The song is entitled "God is Able" and speaks powerfully to the greatness and might of our God.  I must confess that sometimes I get lost in the details and pressures of life and forget this truth.  There are times in both my personal life and ministry life that I lose sight of God's goodness and in His ability to do more than I could humanly dream or imagine and I stop asking and dreaming big dreams in Him and for Him. 

So... I have determined this week to be very intentional about dreaming God sized dreams on a weekly basis.  As I reflect on both the personal side of my life and the ministry side of my life (which are very much intertwined) I am going to be sure to always have one or two God sized dreams rattling around in my heart and prayer life so as to never lose sight of the greatness and power of God.  HE is ABLE!!!

So what is your God sized dream?  Have you stopped dreaming God sized dreams?  What are you trusting Him for that only He can do?

"Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! (Ephesians 3:20-21)

Approaching a Throne with Confidence

Tomorrow evening, I have the privilege of speaking to the International Fellowship at the MET Bible Church in Ottawa, ON.  When they approached me to speak, they asked that I consider following their theme of "God's grace and mercy."  As I thought on this, I could not help but feel a bit overwhelmed in that this theme runs richly throughout the entirety of Scripture.  But, yesterday I found clarity and determined to speak briefly from Hebrews 4:14-16.  What a beautiful passage of Scripture that speaks powerfully to we who are in Christ and the privilege we have to daily live as recipients of His grace and mercy.

Few quick thoughts from this passage...

First, we can approach the very throne of King Jesus with confidence.  This is highly contradictory to the invitations extended by most earthly kings.  Yet, for those who have trusted Jesus (our heavenly King) to save us from our sin, we have this incredible invitation to approach His throne with confidence because we are a part of the family of God and have redeemed by the blood of Jesus our High Priest. 

Secondly, as we approach the throne we find a King/High Priest who is sympathetic.  As humans, we all long to have people understand and feel our hurts and heartaches with us.  The Bible teaches us that we find a sympathetic High Priest who understands completely the sometimes painful and hard journey we all face on earth.  How good it is to know there is one who understands the deepest feelings and longings of our heart.

Finally, it is good to know that as we approach this throne with confidence we find not only one who understands, but one who has the power to help us in our times of need.  This throne we approach is one of grace, mercy and power.  What a wonderful combination!!!

So, when I think about God's grace and mercy my mind often goes to this Hebrews passage as the very throne of God is a throne of grace where daily I can go with confidence as one of His followers to receive what is needed to navigate this life in Him and for Him.

Margin

I've been thinking quite a bit this week about "margins".  For those who know me, I absolutely love "to do" lists as they keep me on track and organized and allow me to accomplish much.  At the end of every week, I take about 15 mins to reflect on the week gone by and prepare my calendar and to do lists for the upcoming week.  With each of these items, the concept of "margin" can clearly be seen in the print out themselves.  Allow me to explain...

As I look at my calendar for any given week, well over half of it will be booked up with regularly scheduled meetings and appointments.  But on most weeks, you will also find two to three large blocks of time that are reserved for me.  I usually call them "study times" or as one of my past administrative assistants fondly called it "Tim time."  Now I understand that there is an incredible temptation to fill that time with an appointment or feel as though you need to justify what that "spare" time is really being used for.  Yet, without some of those moments in my weekly calendar, I would be taking work home with me every night as there are some things that just need to get done on a weekly basis.  I've also always wanted to keep an open door policy with my team and so there must be margin in my calendar to accommodate that.

As I look at my "to do" list, I am committed to keeping it to one sheet weekly.  I am also committed to leaving plenty of space by having somewhat large margins and white space on the print out.  I've learned to do this as I know that things will arise next week that I did not see coming which will need to be added to the to do list.  If I fill the sheet with all kinds of unrealistic goals and leave no room for the "write ins" then I have lost margin and will soon burn out.

To be honest, I am still growing in this as I have a real tendency to over commit if I am not careful and yet God continues to teach me how to utilize simple practices to help me "redeem the time".

"Be very careful, then how you live - not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity because the days are evil." (Ephesians 5:16-17) 

O Canada, Consumed and the Faithfulness of God

It has been a few weeks that will not soon be forgotten!  We all have the moments/seasons of life that permanently etch themselves into our hearts and minds and this will be one of them for me.  To summarize, we lived through an earthquake, hurricane, final Sunday at one church, a move, customs, new home, first Sunday at another church, first day of school, first day of work, first staff meeting at new church and that was week number one.  With that being said, I am home in Canada and enjoying my daily Tim Horton's.

But, I can also say that I am enjoying the faithfulness of God as well.  A few blog posts ago I spoke of my need to be a man/husband/father that walks by faith into the seasons of life whereby the only thing you know for certain is God's leading.  Having sought to do that, I now wanted to take time to reflect upon God's faithfulness even when my faith grew weak.

Jeremiah writes; "Because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed, for His compassions never fail.  they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness." (Lamentations 3:22-23)

As I thought about the hectic pace of life over the past few weeks, I could not help but think of all the times I felt somewhat "consumed" by the pressures, emotions and fatigue of life as mere mortals.  It is so easy for all of us to find ourselves consumed by the temporal things/feelings/situations of life.  Yet, as Christ followers (those in Christ) we have the privilege of living in the presence of God without being consumed by His holiness.  Instead we find His faithful compassion which allows us daily to avoid being consumed by the everyday situations of life that can bring us to places of fear, hopelessness and even bitterness.

Thank you LORD for your faithful compassion which is new every morning no matter what our day entails!

Thank You and Still Blogging

As the time for my departure from Grace soon arrives, I wanted to take a moment to publicly give thanks.  Although the days have not always been easy, there is so much in life to give thanks for daily that one would be remiss to not see and express gratitude.

First, a great big thank you to our Heavenly Father.  He was (and is) faithful on the days full of laughter and smiles and He was (and is) faithful on the days when my faith was weak.  I could not imagine doing life without a personal relationship with Almighty God through the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Secondly, a great big thank you to the team I got to serve with day in and day out.  You will not soon be forgotten and as the apostle Paul wrote "I give thanks upon my every remembrance of you."  I will miss you and give thanks for the many lessons we learned together and the many lessons you taught me.

Thirdly, a great big thank you to the Grace Church family.  It is not always easy to shepherd a flock and it is not always possible to be in agreement at all times with everyone.  Yet, the privilege of getting to serve the Lord Jesus as a shepherd to His people is something I will never take for granted and will always give thanks for.  So thank you Grace Church for letting me be one of your pastor's.

Finally, a great big thank you to my wife and children.  The life of being a pastor's wife and PK is not always an easy one.  What we as shepherds do day in and day out follows us always and this impacts a family.  Please know that I would not have made it all these years as a pastor without the love and support of a loving, encouraging and gracious life partner.  You are a blessing to me family!

Also, many from Grace have asked if I will keep on blogging and the answer is yes.  I am still "En Route" in this life and until the Lord calls me home I will seek to express myself through thoughts on this blog.  So many thanks for reading and may many of you continue to be encouraged through reading my thoughts on life as a Christ follower!

Transitions and Faith

"And without faith it is impossible to please God..." (Hebrews 11:6)


"By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going." (Hebrews 11:8)


It is well known that my family and I are in the process of a large transition to Ottawa, ON.  We are very excited about this transition in that we truly believe within our hearts that we have been called by God to go to this place.


But, there have been days whereby we have felt the pressure of such a change as there are many unknowns yet to be answered which can lead to stress (especially in those of us who like every single duck in a row).  In light of the pressures, I have found myself continually returning to Hebrews 11 and 12 to remind myself that this journey is not one of "every duck being neatly in a row" but rather an incredible journey of faith whereby I am left with no choice but to trust God to provide and work things out.


I am encouraged by the story of Abraham as he walked and lived an incredible journey of faith.  I am also encouraged that he was considered a man of faith even though he too had his moments of doubt whereby God had to grow Him.  Life is not always easy and transitions can and will stretch us.  But, when we walk in the will and promises of God, you realize afresh and anew that there is no other way to walk but the walk of faith.


I am still striving to get all of my ducks in a row for this transition as I do believe we have to do our part with the minds and bodies God has given us but I continue to ask God to help me walk by faith in the things I can't control for this I know pleases Him.


So, whatever transition you may find yourself in today, walk in His will by faith for this will please our Heavenly Father and grow you immensely.