Q: The Hope You Have…? Continued…
Thursday, March 30, 2006
I’m still thinking about passion.
I’m still thinking about my hope.
I’ve still been thinking about why no one has asked me about my hope.
On the 15th I posted about 1 Peter 3:15. I questioned how the world sees Christians. This brought about the inevitable question - how does the world see me. Since then I have been thinking about not only my passion for Christ but how others might see that passion.
I realized that I don’t know a whole lot of people that even need to ask me that question. Most of the people I know already have the same hope.
Is this why we don’t get asked about the hope we have? Or is this why we don’t have passion?
Hmmm…
Author: Dave » Comments:
Mending Misconceptions in the Menno Mecca of Manitoba
Friday, March 24, 2006
I just got back from a brief trip to
Manitoba for recruitment business.
I met with some alumni that are now Pastors (
Nathan & Nikki, Jayson, and Danny) and also with Geoff & Kelly and the youth group in Boissevain.
Overall it was an encouraging trip.
I guess I don’t really have anything profound to say about the trip.
It was simply encouraging to see old friends again, chat about the ups and downs of ministry, offer few pieces encouragement and mostly just be encouraged myself.
I was given a renewed hope for how Youth Pastors are being treated.
I guess I had some presupposition and misgivings as I was heading into good ol’ southern Manitoba Menno towns.
I thought I was going to run into all kinds of political garbage and was going to be used to encourage a couple of weary youth pastors.
What I found was that these guys really didn’t need a whole lot of encouragement.
The truth is they are being treated really well.
This got me thinking - If all of these YP’s are planning to stick around for a while and are being treated so well, is it actually true that Youth Pastors only stick in a church for 6-18 months? (I’ve heard and repeated the whole range stats myself.) So, I did what any curious person would do - I punched it in a google search and I found a very interesting article on the subject found on the Youth Specialties website entitled
"Staying Power When the Door Looks Soooo Good"
Author: Dave » Comments:
Lots of Answers but No Question
Wednesday, March 15, 2006
Public perception - that’s what I’ve been thinking about lately. To be a bit more specific, what is the public perception of Christianity?
What sparked these thoughts were the (now old
news) infamous cartoons found in the U of Sask. paper entitled “
The Sheaf”. There have been many blog postings on this topic in the past couple weeks. (
Gil Dueck's,
Dan King's -
also see his 2 previous posts - and
Derek Turner's to mention a few). I really don’t want to get into details about this cartoon because it brings up hurt feelings every time I do (which is also why I have waited so long to put up this post) but basically the cartoon depicts Jesus in a compromising position with a “capitalist pig”. (Thanks Gil for the eloquent wording.)
Then I read
Jared’s post regarding a movie critique done by a Christian magazine (you can read Jared’s post
here). Jared’s post pointed out some disappointing truths about how we as Christians tend to judge and point fingers at other peoples moral decisions.
To follow that up, I also read some interesting thoughts in the book “Organic Church” (which we have just started studying as a care group). In the first chapter it talks about how we as Christians tend to sit in our ‘fortresses’ we call Churches, and complain about how bad the world is.
Somewhere in the middle of all this I started reading “The Journey of Desire” (which I mentioned in my last post). John Eldridge says this:
“A Curious warning is given to us in Peter’s first epistle. There he tells us to be ready to give a reason for the hope that lies within us to everyone who asks (3:15). Now, what’s strange about this passage is this: no one ever asks. When was the last time someone stopped you to inquire about the reason for the hope that lies within you? You’re at the market, say in the frozen food section. A friend you haven’t seen for some time comes up to you, grasps you by the shoulders, and pleads, “Please, you’ve got to tell me. Be honest now. How can you live with such hope? Where does it come from? I must know the reason.”All this brings me back to this same question, how are we perceived as Christians? Does the world truly see us as the U of S cartoonist shows it? Judging by the article in the Christian magazine that Jared wrote about maybe that isn’t so far off. Maybe we as Christians need to quit worrying about other people’s moral decisions, get out of our Church ‘fortresses’ and start being more passionate about the hope we do have.
Don’t get me wrong, I am terribly hurt by the cartoon and it should never have made it to print. But, the fact that it was even drawn suggests that something is wrong with the how the world sees us. The fact that this is the way the world sees us as Christians says that we need to make some changes in how we treat the world. And the fact that no one has ever asked me about the hope that lies within me suggests that I should live my life with a lot more passion.
Does it simply come down to our desires? If I were to desire eternity more and live my life full of passion due to the hope I have in the saving grace of Jesus Christ, would people ask me about the hope that lies within me? Hmmm….wouldn’t it be great if the warning in 1Peter 3:15 was actually applicable for North American Christians?
Author: Dave » Comments:
The Castrating Quest of Morality
Friday, March 10, 2006
My decision to read more non-fiction has brought me to a book I’ve had on my shelf for a while and never read. “
Journey of Desire” by
John Eldridge. I’m only halfway through and
already I am feeling incredibly challenged to continue on this path to resisting complacency. The book discusses Passion and talks about the common quest of many Christians to be more moral - to do what’s right and the resulting loss of desire, loss of passion. It took me couple of chapters to figure out what Eldridge was talking about but then he caught m
y attention with this quote,
“How can we hunger and thirst after righteousness if we have ceased hungering and thirsting altogether? As C.S. Lewis says ‘We castrate the gelding and bid him be fruitful.” Aside from being an awesome C.S. Lewis quote it has really made me think about where I’ve been focusing my attention lately and where my passions (if any at all) lie.
I have been on this quest - this typical Christian quest - to do what’s right, to be a nice person, to be a moral person. And in the process of pursuing these goals (that I have set for myself) I have actually become stale, torpid, and lethargic. I have become lazy and void of passion. I have had this focus lately on being nice, inoffensive, and moral - as a result I have become just that nice = careful or fine, inoffensive = dull or bland, and moral = proper and right. Sure doesn’t sound exciting. Yes, there is a place for me to try and be a “good” person but not at the sacrifice of being dull, bland, or careful. I need to be passionate, enthusiastic, and eager first - then I can properly pursue righteousness with the passion of a child that pursues a bag of candy in the grocery store - unashamed of what he looks like during his tantrum.
People used to know me as a passionate person (my parents new me as that child I just described). I wasn’t afraid of a tantrum (not only as a child - even though I was really good at it then). I was unafraid to speak my mind and to speak it with enthusiasm. I didn’t worry about what I looked like when I was passionate about something. What’s happened to me?
I think that a piece of it has to do with my disappointment with the passions I’ve had being stifled. But I think the bigger reason is that I wanted to be a “mature Christian”. The problem is, I had mixed up what maturity looks like. In my mind maturity was this strong, immovable, unwavering person (which may not be far from the truth) but somewhere along the line I forgot about the driving force behind that strength - passion for God, thirst for righteousness, and desire for a deeper relationship with Christ. John Eldridge says this about maturity.
“We hide our true desire and call it maturity. Jesus is not impressed. He points to the less sophisticated attitude of a child as a better way to live.” I ought to cry more, beg for what I want more, I ought to desire more - not less, I ought to be PASSIONATE!
Author: Dave » Comments:
Blogging away my Complacency
Wednesday, March 08, 2006
Since I started this blog and posting here a bit more regularly I have found myself doing a lot more reflection. Mostly, because I’m trying to think of new things to post up here but as a result I really have been challenged to think more. I know most of my reflections never make it onto this blog but I really am doing much more reflection. I had been coasting a lot lately just going through the motions, going to work, coming home and enjoying my son, working on little nit picking moral issues, trying to make myself a better person, all the while neglecting my pursuit of God.
Blogging has only been one piece of the puzzle. Many pieces have fallen together to bring me to this realization - starting with
Pastor Jeff’s latest sermon series, and the follow-up of a great care group night, adding to it was this season of lent and my decision to read more non-fiction, and then hearing Paul Woodburn’s amazing message on the sacrifices of experiencing God and meeting our latest campus visitor Barry and his passionate heart to know and serve God. These are just a few of the pieces that left me with this encouragement to quit coasting through life.
Isn’t it awesome how when God really wants your attention he will tug and pull at you until you listen? I’m really thankful for this blog. Even if only a few read it, it has already done me a world of good by pushing me out of complacency.
Author: Dave » Comments:
The Oilers Goaltender Training Program
Friday, March 03, 2006
Okay - right off the bat I will appologize if you are not a hockey fan but I think you will enjoy the clip below even if you aren't.
In case you hadn't figured it out already, I am a fan of the good ol' hockey game and as a hockey fan I have chosen to be an Edmonton Oiler fan. I was excited to watch the first NHL game since the Olympic break cheering on my Oilers on Sportsnet Wednedsday night. Imagine my disapointment when the Oilers scored only 2 goals in 37 shots while the St.Louis Blues scored a total of 4 goals in only 12 shots against 2 different Oiler Goalies (no Conklin wasn't even one of them).
Then I recieved this little clip. I can't tell you for sure but I wouldn't be suprised if this is how they train their Goalies. Regardless, maybe they should think about signing this guy - he at least seems to put in the effort.
PS - You'll want to make sure you have sound for this one.
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Author: Dave » Comments:
