Love is patient, love is kind…

It rings in the ears.  Just like that other classic saying, “Patience is a virtue.”

After the June that we had you would think that we’d be satisfied to wait on God for our needs but I find myself more and more tied up with worry about our auto situation.  We know what we want, we have some money to get us there, but we need to sell my car to get us the rest of the way.  And once that is done, then there will be the next problem - that of shopping for the van we want, which is actually pretty hard to find.  We will probably be looking in the USA at this stage, and shopping long distance is not easy.

There are two really affordable vans I have found on eBay and I would love to move on them.  However, the interest shown in selling my car has not materialized into a serious offer yet.  It is so easy to slip into base thinking like, we haven’t prayed enough (like God can be coerced by vervency or frequency).  But the reality is patience is a part of discipline, which is really what God is trying to instill in us (but mostly me).

Enter into this my choice of the next book to read through: Romans.  I hit on chapter 5 this morning and unsurprisingly, Paul had something interesting to say to the Roman church on just this issue:

Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us. (Romans 5:3-5)

My baser nature wants me to jump all over these opportunities, because they look like fantastic deals that may not come up again.  And we could do it - we do have clear credit cards right now.   However, we don’t want to use them anymore except for absolute emergencies.  Yes, the car will ultimately sell, and this would be the most immediate solution, but that doesn’t build patience does it?  Some of the most God honoring things I have seen done are when people do not go into debt but wait upon God to provide and then pay with cash.

Our faithful friend Megan once again reminded me it has been too long since I have written anything here.  I can only plead busyness - work has gone ballistic in the sense that I feel like I am in a rocket right now at work.  IT is a good thing as God has been blessing like nobody’s business.  It’s almost like he knows we need the money for that new van!

On top of work, of course this is our big “Great Canadian Adventure” Week here in Surrey.  We have 46 people up from two churches - Ripon, CA and Ashland, OH.  They have been incredible servants and we’ve seen some powerful things happen as we serve alongside them.  I’ve been running the Yard Cleanup teams, and the reaction of people to completely free acts of service as big as yard cleanup has been amazing.  I myself have had 3 families tell me they will be at church on Sunday because of this - others I have talked to said there could be as many as 10-15.  Cheryl and I also had the opportunity to speak to the teams about our vision for Medicine Hat.  What a privelege!  More to come in our newsletter, which we will be emailing probably this weekend.

Anyways quick points:

• Thanks goes to Mike Silliman, fellow Grace Brethren Church Planter back east for the encouragement.  Check out his blog - he does good posts that really make you think.
• I found a neat Scripture memory application that I am going to try and talk Cheryl into letting me buy… when we have a moment to actually… you know… talk or something.  Yes, we are that busy this week!
• Just ran across a very good article (as usual) by Jonathan Dodson.  Advice for a 1st Year Planter.  I’ll be reviewing this article next year for sure.

Until next time!

God continues to provide us with opportunity to grow, but in terms of direct preparation, not much is happening right now with all the other events swirling around us.

We are beginning the wrap-up of our Awana year and that has been an incredible experience.  I think I can safely say that both of us have grown to love the program itself and how it teaches our kids key spiritual disciplines alongside building a foundation for their faith and heart for evangelism.  I fully expect to see great things next year with all our leaders having a year under their belts and feeling comfortable, and kids returning understanding what is being asked of them, and even more intently reaching out to their friends and neighbours.  Shane Schneider’s leadership has grown so much in the last year, and we think he and his wife Laurie will take Awana to a whole other place next year.

Last Monday I had the opportunity to meet with a young man named Seth (follow the link to his Facebook group), who has been burdened with a heart for church planting.  He is currently touring Canada, connecting with churches and organizations who are seeing God move in this fashion, and seeking where God would have him serve.  We are praying for him to find his place (although it would be REALLY cool if he found his way back to us to join our team!)

Philip has had me organizing some things related to he Great Canadian Adventure here in Surrey.  We will be having fifty people from two churches in the USA come up in two short weeks from now, for a week of service and love on our community.  I have been working on arranging a couple of Senior’s Appreciation events at nursing homes, and I will also be organizing the service teams to do yardwork in a couple of target neighbourhoods.  There is much much more in store for that week.  But this is all run-up for me, because once that is over with, I will be working on plans for the 2010 Great Canadian Adventure, to Medicine Hat!  Stay tuned for more on that, and how you can join us for a week of foundation-building in Medicine Hat!

I’ve been truly blessed with my service in our Discovery class on Sunday mornings.  I am taking a family through a study of the Gospel of John and have been so excited to watch their excitement to learn about Jesus and the Bible and what it means to follow Christ.  We had them over for a barbeque on Thursday night, and found out that she is a fantastic singer and he play guitar!  They may have thought we were joking about guitar lessons but we’re pretty serious!  Last Sunday we were talking about what baptism looks like at our church, and I told them about the baptistry at Sunshine Ridge we have used the last couple of times.  They were thinking something much more literal, and told me they wanted to be baptized in the ocean!  Given our leanings toward practicing as closely to New Testament as possible, I think they will fit right in with us!

So now you are pretty close to up-to-date.  We will have our next newsletter out in a few days so stay tuned, and please keep us in your prayers!

On top of all in the previous post, we’re challenged by the need for a larger vehicle, sooner than later.   With the Twins coming earlier, we may outgrow our minivan as early as 4 weeks from now.

By God’s grace, we have reached consensus on what we need, the challenge now is how to get it.  We have decided that for us, the Dodge Sprinter will be the best vehicle.  They are not actually made by any of the big 3 - they are actually bult in Europe by Mercedes, then dismantled and reassembled, and rebranded Dodge.  They have an incredibly fuel efficient 2.7 liter 5 cylinder Diesel engine, which surprisingly isn’t that noisy, and the interior appointments are vastly more comfortable than the usual GM or Ford 12 passenger vans.  The seats are actually built for adults, with headrests, and the overhead clearance means you don’t have to crumple yourself to get in, even in the back.  Tons of cargo space and 10 seats means we will be set.  Cheryl test drove one and we were both impressed by the handling and the sightlines, which are nothing like the big vans we have driven in the past - you can actually see out the windows where other cars are!

However, used ones are rare.  We found one at the lot about 5 minutes away from us, but the dealer would not let it go for a price we could afford.  Probably for the best - it had some questionable things about it.  Our approach now is going to be selling my 08 Dodge Caliber (and taking a massive loss, but it’s got more value than our 04 Ford Freestar) privately, and then taking our cash and the cash from the Caliber and going shopping south of the border.  Cars are MUCH cheaper in the USA because the recession is heavier down there, and the Canadian dollar has conveniently creeped back up to close to par, so the savings are really substantial.  If you’re in the USA, please let us know if you spot any Dodge Sprinter Wagons in the 15-20k price range!  We are serious.  I don’t care where you live, if it is a good deal we can come get it. Philip Bryant has airmiles he can lend and he or another friend and I can tag-team drive it home.

Please pray that our car will sell soon and for a good price, and that God would provide a window to a well-kept used van, and the time in my schedule to retrieve it.

Thanks for kicking my butt to write more, Megan!

Life is quite packed full right now.

Changes at work have left me with a lot less time on my hands during the day.  After work, with Cheryl now showing about 37 weeks in size (though she is just finishing off the 29th of the pregnancy, as you can see to the right), there is a lot more to do around the house.

We’ve got a pile of things to run with right now, and I kind of feel bad that there are some things that are getting left by the wayside though I wish they weren’t.  I think about three different couples that will be moving at the end of the month, and how much I’d like to help but don’t think I will have the time.

Besides the size, there is another reason why Cheryl needs help.   We got word with the last ultrasound appointment that one of the twins isn’t growing as quickly as the doctor would like.  It is getting to the point where questions are being asked about bringing them out early.  Quite early.  Ca. 32 weeks (a regular pregnancy is 40 weeks, for those who might not know).  That’s the beginning of July.

Of course the longer they stay in the better, but if the Drs think they will be healthier by coming out, then that is what will be.  In the meantime, we are trying to do everything we can to make sure they dont’ have to.  Cheryl is on “couchrest” I call it.  She isn’t allowed to move around a lot.  That means I spend a lot of time leading the charge against the household chores when I get home.  My housework platoon is a little distracible, so sometimes the work doesn’t go as smoothly as I would like.

Not much to do with the church plant, I know.  I’ll do another post here to talk more about that.

Just to let you all know, if you’ve tried signing up for our email newsletter (see the sidebar) and you couldn’t because it would flip you over to my Twitter, I have fixed that.  You can now sign up for the e-newsletter.  Next update will be in a few days!

After washing his disciples’ feet, Jesus spends the next while comforting his disciples.  He talks about how he will always be with them, and how they will be sent the Holy Spirit after he is gone.  But then he breaks into a reality check.

¹⁸“If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. ¹⁹If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. ²⁰Remember the words I spoke to you: ‘No servant is greater than his master.’^[b] If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also. ²¹They will treat you this way because of my name, for they do not know the One who sent me. ²²If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of sin. Now, however, they have no excuse for their sin. ²³He who hates me hates my Father as well. ²⁴If I had not done among them what no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin. But now they have seen these miracles, and yet they have hated both me and my Father. ²⁵But this is to fulfill what is written in their Law: ‘They hated me without reason.’^[c]

- John 15

I was thinking about my class on the Gospel of John that I am teaching right now at church.  I am introducing a family and a friend to the truth about Jesus and what he taught us to believe in the Gospel of John.  It’s already been an exciting journey with them and I have been praising God for their enthusiasm and interest.

I was doing my prayer/dog walk this morning and I began to think about how it is important that as they recognize what Jesus us calling them to, and decide to follow him, that I be clear about the consequences of that decision.

In other countries around the world, the cost is clear.  In many countries the cost is brutal - government harassment, persecution from Hindu or Muslim extremists, jail, even death.  What we face here in Canada is not nearly as bad (though it is proceeding apace with restrictions on public speaking about the Bible where the Bible disagrees with “accepted truth” about certain things.)  However there is a cost.

It got me thinking about my own life and the cost that I have paid to follow Jesus.  To be sure, there have been many - far too many - instances where I have to my shame not stood up for Jesus.  Yes, I avoided consequence for that for the moment, but it weighs on my heart and drives me forward today to live my fiath more publicly.  In that way I can sympathize with Peter’s denial, and how it drove him into leadership in the church, never wanting to feel that shame of denial again.

But I have paid several times.  I remember the first job I had after my paper route - at McDonald’s.  I had worked there 6 months, and I had fallen into the trap of following the crowd.  We had developed a routine of snitching small things to eat while on shift - we were supposed to pay for all food (at a small discount).  I don’t absolve myself of guilt on that count - I made the choice to break the law.  However, one day, we got caught.  The assistant manager lined us all up and asked us to own up to the theft (of a Chicken McNugget to be sure).  I was the only one who confessed, though I knew others had done the same that day.  A week later I was out of a job.  I could not lie about it, and I can only blame the Holy Spirit for convincting me of that.

A year later, I was working at Little Caesar’s Pizza.  I was the day shift guy, on solo most of the time.  One afternoon, a man came in with a 4 year old boy, and the boy had to use the bathroom really badly.  The only bathroom we had was in the back of the store, and we were not supposed to let anyone behind the counter for any reason.  I took pity on the kid and let him come back there to use the bathroom.  A month later, my boss told me that the same man had returned to the store with his kid and asked to use the washroom again.  When he was refused, he got offensive, yelling that he had been allowed to before - a quick deduction by my manager labelled me with the offense, and I owned up to it immediately.  It cost me my job again, though my manager in this case was much more sympathetic and wrote a glowing referral letter for me.

I say this because I recognize that hardship has come from my decision to make Christ Lord.  I don’t hold perfectly to anything but I do my best.  That best will conflict with the world.  The world wants me to compromise, to not rock the boat, to cheat, to deny, to be “safe”, to not offend.  Jesus wants me to love him and love his people.  Jesus want me to do good, and to accept consequences without grumbling, for I know what I deserve.  These two cases are part of a much broader journey of employment, and caused me for a long time to doubt my worth as an employee.  In some ways I still struggle with doubt.  But I have confidence that as Jesus taught, that in the world I will have trouble, but I take heart because he has overcome the world, and one day this will all pass away, and I will receive the crown of glory that he has waiting for me.

Check this link out - the pictures are stunning.

Dreaming…

Care to dream with us?  Can you picture yourself there yet?

The Fellowship of Grace Brethren Churches holds annual regional focus retreats where pastors and elders can get together and encourage each other and build relationship.  The Northwest Focus Retreat is just the Northwest District, so most everybody knows each other… except us.

This was the first retreat where we as Community of Hope’s leadership board attended.  Not the whole board mind you - I think it mostly had to do with availability.  Myself, Gord, Ken, Jason and Philip left immediately after church to drive down to the Clear Lake Bible Camp near White Pass, WA.

Jason was going down to finish up his Licensure review.  You may ask, “What is licensure?”  It is the process of a church organization authorizing you to marry and stuff.  It is also the first step towards ordination, or the recognition and commissioning you as a shepherd of a church.  Jason had already been licensed in the church he was at before but he was asked to be licensed by the Grace Brethren.  It is a two stage process - first they give you a long written test that basically covers a ton of theology.  Then they have an oral review where a board of other pastors asks you questions based on what they consider your weakest written areas.

Part of the reason Ken and Gord and I went was because we are going to be seeking licensure soon and it would give us an opportunity to see what the oral reviews were like.  The other part was it was a great opportunity to get to know the other guys in the district.

So we drove down Sunday afternoon.  Monday all day was a teaching session led by John McIntosh, the lead pastor of Simi Valley Grace Brethren church - a pretty big and pretty successful church.  He is also this year’s moderator of the FGBC.  He was a fantastic, gentle, challenging speaker.  I was very blessed by our study of 2nd Timothy.

Other blessings: spending a little time talking with Greg Howell, pastor of Goldendale Grace Brethren.  What an encouraging man.  Greg Stamm, talking a little about his son and hearing his enthusiastic support for our work in Canada.  Scott Avey, and his heart for the Brethren and seeking where God would have him next.  Hiller Payne, my new friend from Mukilteo, who I will not allow to forget his offer of gumbo!

Can’t wait for the next retreat with these gentlemen!

• Speaking blessing to someone in prayer is immensely powerful.  My wife blew me away on Monday night with that one.
• Repentance works.  I laid my bad attitude at work before the Lord in prayer this morning as I drove.  I’ve been incredibly, illogically upbeat ever since.
• Sometimes, even when you think the worst of someone, they really do follow through.
• I can’t believe I am going to have six sons!  I mean, it really is beyond belief!
• I need to be more deliberate about connecting with all the men in my community group.
• I need to initiate the next step with my neighbours.

How about you?

• What have you learned from God this week so far?
• What blessing do you have, when you think about it, is unbelievable?
• What have you been letting slide?
• What do you need to initiate?

You can answer in the comments if you want, or not, but if you just take these questions and think about them, and act, you will be blessed.