First, let me just say that I have NEVER seen a rainstorm like the one that greeted us on the drive from the Orlando Airport to Innisbrook on the day of our arrival.  I’ve never actually seen the heavens fall like that before.  It was coming down so hard and fast that at points the traffic stopped.  The rain was hitting the windshield so fast that you couldn’t see the car 10 feet in front of you.

Innisbrook Golf Resort and Conference Center was a lovely place to visit.  They were excellent hosts, and their facilities were quite nice.  The grounds, with the golf courses were pretty, but not a lot of room for walking.  If they’d had more sidewalks we might not have driven our car around as much.  They did have shuttles, but it was hit-and-miss getting one during busy times.  A little frustrating that their only clear “family” restaurant on resort was closed for renovations.

We weren’t really sure what to expect when we went down there.  In retrospect, it is clear that what this was meant to be about was fellowship.    It was about reconnecting with all those people from other areas of the country, celebrating what is going on in the many organizations that the Grace Brethren cooperate with, and being encouraged with messages to keep on doing what Jesus wants us to be about.  Jim Brown was the lead person and spoke briefly at the beginning of each major session.  He is a really neat individual.  We got to see all sides of him that week: from his self-concious, but nonetheless brave foray onto the streets of Tampa to find out what people believe about life and the afterlife, to his huge heart to reach lost people and encourage others to do the same, to the crescendo of his message, pointing out humanity’s needs in all corners of the world at the top of his lungs and at the edge of heartbreak.  You can definitely see why his ministry in Goshen, IN has been blessed.

He wasn’t the only character there either.  It was a pleasure meeting many of the faces of the Grace Brethren, and I was honoured to have some great conversations and learn more from many of them.  Sometimes they weren’t necessarily speaking to me, but their words showed me a passion for people and for Jesus.  I think of Tim Boal’s moving talk about Go2 Church Planting, the new arm to encourage and equip new leaders to plant new churches.  I think of Jim Laird and his wife, who blessed us with interest in what we are doing in Canada, and with prayer for us at our table.  I think of Terry White, who invited me to sit next to him at the BMH breakfast and helped me get the inside track on publishing and how they work.  I think of Mark Cahill and his two challenges to take seriously the Christian job of sharing the gospel as much as you possibly can, planting seeds, watering, weeding and so on to help create the harvest.  I think of my own pastor, Philip Bryant, who stirred the pot of the fellowship everywhere he went.  I think of Tom Avey, who despite having a billion things to think about and do as far as organizing, still had time for us and remembered who we were, despite having only ever exchanged one or two emails.  I think of Glen Sykes, a man who likes his sushi, but was gentleman enough to help my feisty boys while we were out at the Kobe Steak and Sushi.  His story was one that moved me in the few minutes we had for intelligent conversation around my sons’ silliness.

There is something rich in being a member of a fellowship (not a denomination) where the people are intent on Christ and intent on not telling you what to do but walking beside you, and encouraging you, and being encouraged by that fellowship.  I really felt that while we were at iGo.  We are both really excited and plan already to go to next year’s event, Equip ‘09 which will be in Columbus, OH.  I understand it is much more focused on training, seminars and teaching which is fine by us.  The speaker list already looks very exciting.  But more, the opportunity to be with these men and women again is anticipated most of all.

Between Jim Brown and Mark Cahill at iGo, and now me reading Organic Church by Neil Cole I am really being gutted emotionally.  I am finding myself so convicted that I am not bearing fruit in terms of a harvest of souls.  Well, God, I hope you’re happy, you’ve got me on my knees begging for fruit.  I just want to be the good soil so badly.

So last night a song popped into my head, and all I could remember was “Praise the Lord… o my soul… praise the Lord!”  Then “As far as the east is from the west… that’s how far he has removed our transgressions from us!”  But for the life of me I couldn’t remember the song’s title.

Then I get up this morning and read the book of Jonah.  What’s right there in front of me?  Jonah complaining about God’s personality.  “I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity.” (Jonah 3:2b)

Don’t you just hate people who abound in love and compassion?  How much more annoying is it when it is your God?  O for a God of Justice!

Oh, wait.  I’m me.  Little old sinful me who doesn’t deserve the dust from the heel of God.  Yeah God whose love has purchased me from facing his justice!

By the way, the song is called “The Lord is Gracious and Compassionate”.

The Lord Is Gracious and Compassionate

(Graham Ord)

The Lord is gracious and compassionate
Slow to anger and rich in love
The Lord is gracious and compassionate
Slow to anger and rich in love

Praise the Lord, oh my soul
Praise the Lord
Praise the Lord, oh my soul
Praise the Lord

And the Lord is good to all
He has compassion in all that He has made
As far as the east is from the west
That’s how far He has removed our transgressions from us
(repeat)

Copyright © 1998 Vineyard Songs (UK/Eire). All rights reserved. International copyright secured.

We’re back in Vancouver, and strangely enough the hot humid weather of central Florida seems to have followed us home.  It wouldn’t let us go in fact, as our arrival in Toronto was swathed in the same kinds of massive downpours we saw several times in Florida (which caused our flight to be delayed by an hour, leading to our homecoming at 2am!) Daytime highs today around 33 (about 90 for any American visitors!), but with two blessed differences: first, I got up this morning and it wasn’t that hot… more like 19C or 70F.  Having an evening heat respite is a big deal for me.  Second, it ends now!  Tomorrow’s high is more like 78-80F or 27C.  That will be absolutely beautiful after 5 days in the parking lot that is Orlando’s theme parks.

I’ve been twittering the odd thought that crosses my mind today.  So watch that if you like, but we will be writing more thoughts as we digest our experience down there.

Of course, that will be all mixed in between the burning needs to:

• Get in contact with my academic advisor re: grad essay (haven’t heard from him since May, and he finally emailed me while I was gone of course!)
• Call all our small group people for this fall to arrange to invite them out,
• Call all our Awana leaders to make sure they come to the tour this Saturday and block off the time for the Awana orientation next Saturday
• Call all our small group people from last year to arrange to meet and finish off our outreach event planning

Good thing some of those people overlap…

PS.  shout out to Zach, pastor and blogger out in PA that I met at iGo!  Great meeting ya!

We are heading to Florida for the Fellowship of Grace Brethren Churches‘ biannual iGo convention.  We leave on Thursday night.  The convention is in Tampa, Florida, so I am watching the Hurricane Forecasting website very carefully to see if we might get hit with a zinger while we’re down there.  We’ll actually be down there for almost two weeks, so it is conceivable that a hurricane could form and then hit while we’re down there, but if there’s nothing up to the day we leave, then that’s at least half the trip that will be fine.

Part of me would almost like to be down there during a hurricane.  It would be interesting to experience.  But don’t tell my wife that.

Oops.

PS.  I thought I’d just say this out loud – part of our journey down there is going to involve shuttling between airports, because of the way flights were booked.  We thought we were going to be stuck renting a car, after we had exhausted our efforts trying to find Christian in our affiliated churches who could help us out with a lift.  None of them were free to help, but an atheist political blogger I have had contact with, has not only volunteered to drive us, but is taking the day off work to do it!  I am amazed that God provides, and grateful for the ride, but I think it says something about some churchgoers that this woman would bend over backwards for someone she hardly knows while our “brethren” let us down.

I’ve been reading Ed Stetzer’s Planting New Churches in a Postmodern Age lately.  It is beastly-long as compared to the quick read that Launch was.

I was trying to catch some rays and darken the skin a little before we head to Florida at the end of the month for a little iGo action and a round of Disney.  I made the mistake of leaving the book on my lawn chair.  The boys got out the sprinkler and turned it on full-blast, drenching my lawn chair and my book, borrowed from TWU.  Because of its saturation, I think I’ll be buying the library a new copy, so I’d better enjoy this one!

In that light, I’ll say this: the chapters do go by quickly, and Stetzer does a good job of listing references on each chapter so you can do further reading.  In a lot of ways, since I am 3/4 of the way through the book, I have been disappointed thus far.

I actually started to comment on this book before.  I initially like some of his insights, early on, but as the book moves along, it gets more ordinary.  Not a lot is new in fact.  It is more a synthesis-type book than a new approach.  I find myself in later chapters reading his words which openly rehash material from a variety of other resources.  Not plaigarism – he cites his sources clearly – but just disappointing.  Like if I had read something else I’d get more.

The most recent couple of chapters I read were on building launch teams and on small groups.  The small groups chapter was actually weak.  He only discussed small groups of one model type – and I am not even sure I agree that it’s a good type.  It’s a jack-of-all-trades small group – one that is designed to provide fellowship and community, but also worship, Bible study, and evangelism.  I have become convinced in my time in different small groups that it is impossible to do all these things well when you try to do them in a small group.  Stetzer himself points out all the pitfalls of bringing non-Christians into a group full of Christians – the Christianese that gets flung around, the discomfort of being the “new guy”, the culture shock are all not good things for someone you are trying to introduce to the Gospel.  Not only that, but it also hurts the relationships of the people already there.  To “go deep” and really open up your heart in the safety of Christians is hard enough.  What chance does your group have of real authentic community when strangers keep appearing and disappearing, who could do anything with your deep secrets and fears?

The chapter on building a core did hold some useful discussion, but I was at a loss as to understand how his description of various means of teambuilding reflected unique approaches specifically for the postmodern crowds.  Maybe it’s because I see a much more intensive variety of postmodern people in Canada – specifically in my workplace at a technology company, and also in my studies of Whistler’s church planting challenges.  These people are not just people who don’t believe in existential truth, but live according to that reality.  These are people who have not heard a single positive message about authority, church, or traditional structures like marriage in 30 years – which is the lifespan of the majority I work with.  These are hard-core people.  It’s almost easier to reach new immigrants with a completely foreign paradigm and religion, because at least they believe there is truth out there, and have a greater connection and understanding of family and structure.

For all of its weight, this book feels light.  Too light to be very useful but I will finish it out before passing final judgement.

Another thought by someone else:

• Matt Jones’s glowing review.  I’d actually agree there are lots of good points.  How many are original to Ed?  I don’t know.  Maybe I am being spoilt by how much reading on the internets and such on missional ideas and church planting methods.  Since I had already read these ideas, I wasn’t as blown away by Stetzer’s presentation.