Lent - complaining

We are now a week into Lent.
I really struggled this year in figuring about what to give up.  There were lots of ideas but nothing resonated with me.  I am positive that a large part of it was that I am lazy and self-centered and did not want to give up anything that I enjoy.  However another reason (excuse?) was that I wanted Lent to really draw me close to God.  Often during Lent instead of really making me more aware of God's presence I have just been aware of what I am giving up.  Which is a good sign of how self focused I actually am.
Anyway after thinking, praying, I read an article where a lady gave up worry.  That's interesting.  Then when I was praying I felt God telling me to give up complaining (of course this something that I should give up forever not just for Lent).
So for Lent this year I am giving up complaining - and just just out loud but also in my brain.

And in the past week what I have discovered is that I like to complain.

The meaning of Christmas

This is a short article I wrote for the Altona Echo's Christmas edition:


The meaning of Christmas
Pain.
I know, I know Christmas is all about good things and happy times.  You know food, family, parties, children’s programs…
But sometimes (often?) it feels broken.  Instead of being a time of celebrating that all is good in life, it is a time when one may realize that life stinks.  Family relationships are shattered, debt is piling up, and it is kind of lonely.
Merry Christmas!?
But this is what Christmas is actually all about.  Christmas is about pain, brokenness and loneliness.  We forget that there would be no Christmas if things weren’t messed up.  Christmas is a celebration, a remembrance, that God entered into this world as Jesus.  And Jesus came into our world not because we are so good and happy but because we are bruised and beat up.  Jesus is here to rescue and save those who are wounded and lost.
The good news of Christmas is that God has not abandoned us in brokenness.  He is with us.  He enters into the mess of our lives.  Christmas is God’s response to our brokenness.
The story of Jesus, according to Matthew, begins with the announcement of the birth of Jesus saying that he will be called “Immanuel” which means “God with us” (Matthew 1:23).  It then ends with Jesus declaring “I will be with you always” (Matthew 28:20).
Jesus’ life, death and resurrection is understood in the light of the promise of God to be with us.
Christmas is a time for us to remember that God is with us, not that life is great but He is present.  And this is what allows us to say “merry Christmas!”

Men's Breakfast

On Saturday Jacob and Arlene Friesen shared at a men's breakfast.  They did a great job.  The theme was guy/girl relationships.  They encouraged us to work at answering some questions about the important women in our lives (wife, daughters...).
These questions were taken from Intimate Allies:

1. In what ways has your relationship with your spouse changed you (for the better)?  How has your spouse influenced you to reflect God's glory more clearly?
2. In what way is your spouse special?  How is she like no one else in your life?
3. Spend 15 minutes thinking about these questions: "What do I know and what don't I know about my spouse?  What intrigues me about my spouse?"
4. What are your spouse's potential, giftedness, burdens and passions?  Make a list for each of the four areas.
5. What is most beautiful and wonderful about your spouse?
6. What about your spouse makes you thankful?
7. How is your spouse like Christ?
8. How can you draw out her uniqueness, to live out God's glory in a way that no one else can?

Connecting with God?

When is the last time that someone asked you how you connect to God?

The other day I was in a meeting with pastors and church leaders and we were talking about renewal.  The leader of the discussion stated the obvious that renewal starts (and ends) with connecting with God.  He then asked each person to share how often they intentionally connect with God and what they do?  Seriously, we went around the circle and shared.  This is the first time I have ever been at meeting where this took place.
Now I should note that the leader did not do this in a judgmental sort of way but just invited people to honestly share.
A few things jumped in my head.

1. "Boy I am glad my time with God is going fairly well right now."  (Interesting how my initial response is worrying about looking weak and broken before others)
2. Why don't we ask this question more often?
3. The leader actually assumes that we are connecting with God.

Catacombs

Persecution.
Not something I truly understand or ever want to actually understand.
Something that many do understand.

There are many reasons why people are persecuted.  One of them being religion.  As followers of Jesus we are called to remember those who suffer simply because they are Christians.

"Continue to remember those in prison as if you were together with them in prison, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering." - Hebrews 13:3

On November 6 a drama is being performed, Catacombs.  This drama calls us to think about the reality of persecution.

https://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=274699909227142

The King Jesus Gospel

The King Jesus Gospel: The Original Good News Revisited

Scot McKnight

Zondervan, 2011

Main points:

1. The Gospel is: “declaring the Story of Israel as resolved in the Story of Jesus.” (page 79)
2. The church has lost the gospel having focused primarily on the plan of salvation.
1. The plan of salvation asks, “how we can get saved?”
2. The gospel tells a story into which the plan of salvation fits

Scot does an excellent job of showing how the entire New Testament uses this definition of “gospel” (Paul, Peter, the writers of the gospels and even Jesus).  Based on this Scot calls us back to preaching the gospel not simply salvation.  He believes that our focus on salvation has led us to create a culture where the most important thing is to have made a one time decision to believe in Jesus and have our sins forgiven.  This is not wrong in and of itself, it just isn’t big enough.  We need to create a gospel culture, a culture where the most important thing is Jesus resolving the story of Israel by being declared lord and messiah through his death and resurrection.  We are called to line ourselves up with this story, to become part of this story. 

Scot suggests a few ways that we create a gospel culture.  First, “we have to become People of the Story” (page 153).  We need to know/learn the entire story told in the bible.  Second, “we need to immerse ourselves even more into the Story of Jesus” (page 153).  Third, “we need to see how the apostle’s writings take the Story of Israel and the Story of Jesus into the next generation and into a different culture, and how this generation led all the way to our generation” (page 155).  Fourth, “we need to counter the stories that bracket our story and that reframe our story” (page 157).  Here Scot talks about how we need to counter the powerful stories of our world like individualism, consumerism…

Fifth, “we need to embrace this story so that we are saved and can be transformed by the gospel story” (page 158).  

Halloween

This is a question my church received the other day.  Here is answer that the church has written but what do you think?

“What does the Bible say about Halloween and Christians celebrating it?  Including but not limited to, trick or treating, costume parties and the like.”

The Bible never mentions Halloween.  Therefore it does not specifically tell us how Christians should relate to this day.  This has resulted in Christians coming to different conclusions as they seek to take the Bible seriously.  There are two streams of thought regarding this issue: 1) Avoid Halloween.  2) Engage in Halloween with discernment.

Avoid Halloween
Some Christians have nothing to with Halloween because they are convinced that this day is a celebration of evil.  It appears that the origins of Halloween began with the Celtic celebration of Samhain.  This was a pagan festival in which, among other things, focused on warding off evil spirits and ghosts.  Even today there seems to be a certain fascination with darkness and evil that is part of Halloween.  The Bible does teach that we should not participate in evil.

Engagement in Halloween with discernment
Many Christians believe that we can engage in Halloween with discernment.  Halloween may have begun as a pagan festival but today, some 1500 years later, it is radically different.  While there is a fascination with evil, many of the things done on Halloween are not evil in and of themselves.  There is nothing wrong with dressing up, or giving out (getting) candy, throwing parities…  Christians who hold this view believe that we can redeem even parts of Halloween and bring God’s light into this dark time.  There is a level of discernment that needs to take place.  The Bible does teach us not to fear evil but overcome it with good.

Conclusion
We believe that this is a family decision, not something that the church decides.  Each family may choose differently.  Some may avoid Halloween completely, others may just hand out candy, while others may attend Halloween alternatives (South Park MB hosts one – Winkler Bible Camp used, not sure about this year), and still others may have parties and allow their kids to trick or treat.