God is Big Enough to Ask

I spent this morning meeting with some of the most godly men I have been around in a long time. They are all leaders of different ministries in British Columbia whom God has burdened in some way or another with the plight of unreached people in our cities.

One of the guys told us about a pastor in the Middle East who caught a vision for his city and began praying about ways he might reach people there with the Gospel. He has spent the last number of years leading a church that built its “worship centre” into the walls of a cave. It seats nearly 12,000 people in an area that is almost entirely Muslim.

When my friend met this pastor, the pastor grabbed his hand firmly, looked straight into his eyes, and with deep conviction said, “Brother – Agree with me as we ask God for the transformation of my city!” My friend really had no choice, nor did he want one. “Of course I agree with you,” he said.

For some reason, the picture of a Middle Eastern pastor introducing himself to another minister with his soul-stirring vision for his city has convicted me today. Here is this guy living in one of the most populous cities of the world where many are openly hostile to the claims of Christianity.

Full Post >>

Oh, There Are 10,000 Charms…

Over the last few months, several of our worship leaders have led a hymn called ‘Come Ye Sinners’  (I Will Arise and Go To Jesus). Each time it has been sung, a few individuals are bothered by the line, “And in the arms of my great Saviour, oh there are 10,000 charms”. The most common question that arises is something along the lines that charms have to do with witchcraft, so why are we singing about it in church? In fact, I’ve encountered the same concern on internet worship forums. Here are a few thoughts to help you overcome any hesitations about singing these words as an expression of your worship to Jesus!

First of all, I wanted to assure people that we as worship leaders take great pains to assess the lyrical content of what we sing in church services. These are acts of worship, proclamatory truths, and creeds. They are also songs of expressing our hearts and thoughts toward God, and about Him. 

Second, looking directly at the phrase in question, poetic language such as is written in lyrics, often takes the approach of painting pictures with words. Taking one single word out of its context, much like interpreting Scripture, does not give full meaning to the reader. 

Full Post >>

The Power of Hope

What is it about human beings that make us so fickle… to change our way of thinking in an instant if circumstances warrant?

There I was last Friday night, gathered with 28,000 other football fans to see our local team’s home opener. But things weren’t going well, and by the 4th quarter, after a score that seemed to all but ‘seal the deal’ for the visiting squad, a quiet had descended on the faithful throng. Our guys couldn’t move the ball… even the shortest distance seemed to take forever, we needed two major scores to pull ahead… AND our kicker was injured, so no chance of scoring that way! Plus, we were up against the clock, and seconds were turning to minutes faster than a greased mongoose through a pack of hunting dogs!!! It looked, well… hopeless.

Suddenly, against the run of play, our team scored a miraculous long touchdown, and even though only less than two minutes remained, the entire building erupted into a frenzy… we all believed that maybe… just maybe… a miracle could happen here!!! The noise that continued for the remainder of the match was a display of eager anticipation of something ‘good’ that might happen.

Full Post >>

Partiality

This week’s sermon on Partiality and Prejudice reminded me of a conversation I had with a group of young women. The question of prejudice came up and at first we doubted its presence in our circles. Hadn’t we come a long way from slavery and the KKK? BUT the more we pondered, the longer the list became. Think of these:
    Western and Eastern Canada
    Home owners and the homeless
    Young and old
    Caucasian and Native or East Indian or ______ (any other culture)
    Male and female
    Employers and employees
    Those with children and those without children
    Married and single
    Kempt and unkempt
    Educated and uneducated
    White collar and red necks
    Athletic and non-athletic
    Musical and non-musical
    Technically update and non-techy
    Moneyed and poor
    Those who holiday regularly and those who don’t
    Those with the “right” friends and those with the “wrong” friends
    How bosses treat clients and how bosses treat their employees

Full Post >>

Breathing Through Disappointments

Last week God put me in a place to hear a message I desperately needed. Thanks Helen for hearing from God FOR ME. I know some of you were at the same event as me and chances are you got something different just for you from Helen’s message. How like God to be so personal.

Helen talked about 3 things we need to guard against as we journey with God and those he places in our lives – disappointment, distraction, and delay. The first one is what I want to explore with you.

We will all be disappointed from time to time but we can’t live in that disappointment because as Helen told us, it will turn into selfishness. It becomes all about ME. OH MY, is that ever true. Think about a recent disappointment – I’m sure you won’t have go to far back in time. As you think about it, rehearse it even and ponder it from every angle, there comes a point when it turns into “poor me”. That is a dangerous place to stay.

Full Post >>

Page 3 of 5 pages  <  1 2 3 4 5 >