Amplified Thoughts

New Music!

2011-10-22T11:00:00.000-07:00

I picked up some great new music yesterday. Jazz guitarist's "All we need..." an instrumental album of John Lennon & Beatles tunes - great music for creative writing! I also picked up the new Downhere cd "On the altar of love", which reminded me a story.

Last summer Des and I were looking to use up a gift certificate to the Christian Bookstore in Vernon. Our last purchase was supposed to be a 'down here' cd, since we were recommended to get some of their music by a friend. So we found the tab where there was supposed to be 'down here' cds, picked one out and bought it.

Our our way to the coast we put the cd in the car stereo, and while we enjoyed it I though - I didn't know 'downhere' sounded like this? After I first listen through I decided to look more closely at the cd cover. Turns out we didn't buy a 'downhere' cd after all! Rather we bought a cd called 'The Drawing Room' (http://www.myspace.com/inthedrawingroom)- which I thought was name of the 'downhere' album we had purchased! So all that to say we unintentionally bought a cd from an artist we didn't know, and thankfully ended up really liking it!

Jesus loves rioters

2011-06-21T19:24:00.000-07:00

After Wednesdays‘ nights hockey game, and proceeding riot, a friend of mine posted something important for us to remember. He wrote “Jesus loves rioters too”. That reminded me of this verse,

“The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost.” 1 Timothy 1:15

As disheartening, and despicable it was to see people acting like they did, if it wasn’t for God’s grace in my life, I could be right beside them doing the same thing. But Jesus loves me, and love them just the same.

As we’ve been learning in our Bible Study, it’s not just our actions that matter (that make us righteous or sinners) it’s what’s in our hearts. And even at the best times our hearts can be a harbour for many sinful things. Praise God that He loves and forgives us nonetheless and that our hearts have been washed clean by Him! If Jesus loves rioters, then we must love them also, which does not excuse them from their crimes (I hope they face full justice for what they’ve done), but just because we view them, or anyone else, as criminal we are still indebted to show them God’s love because He loved us while we were rebels.

New things ...

2011-06-15T15:39:00.000-07:00

I am endeavouring to write weekly "thoughts" for our church here in Cherryville. Here is my first one, and I'll try to get "caught up" as we go along here :)

Once again, thanks to everyone for helping us feel comfortable here in our new home. I hope to use this space to share some thoughts from week to week. In nothing else it might help me to be disciplined in writing :)

One word used to describe Cherryville's people is 'independent'. Independence is a valuable trait. Oftentimes it means that one is capable of taking care of themselves, that they have in mind where they want to go, and are able to see that through Sometimes, however, independence can lead us to where we don't realize that we need each other.

1 Corinthians 12 has much to say of how, as believers, we need each other. "The eye cannot say to the hand 'I have no need of you' nor again the head to the feet 'I have no need of you'. " We need each other in order to grow to be the mature Christians God intends for us to be. From the young to the old, the veteran believers to those new in the faith. We all have need of each other, teaching each other, encouraging everyone in their faith. A friend of mine used a term called 'eclectic mentoring'. The idea was that we can learn something from everyone around us. How amazing would it be if we viewed everyone as being a person we can learn something from, that they will help us to be, in a sense, more complete.

I hope one of the things our community of faith will be known for is our love for each other, and also that we treat each person as extremely valuable because they were made and loved by God, but also because we need them, and our lives would be much poorer without them.

Confession is good for the soul/ heart ... etc

2010-09-16T16:47:00.000-07:00

I learned a valuable truth about myself last week. It was while Desirée and I were driving back from Prince Rupert, and were talking about life and ministry. She asked me "do you believe you've done what God has been telling you to do?"------ I wasn't sure.----- Now, yes, I believe in many ways I've been seeking God in what to do in this season of ministry, however there was this moment of honesty when I realized: I'm at times more motivated to do something because someone wants to see it done, because if I do it I may look better as a pastor, because ultimately I am tempted to be more interested in what people think of me than what God thinks of me. So I had to tell her "I don't know ...." However, I am resolved once again to seeking God's "well done" more than any person that I may be tempted to try and please! How about you?

The hike that wasn't meant to be

2010-07-15T09:37:00.000-07:00

Desirée and I were excited to do more hiking this summer, and after a couple of good hikes we set our sights on Evelyn Mtn just a bit outside of Smithers. It's part of the Hudson Bay Mtn Range, and not that hard to get to.

So this last Tuesday, our day off, we prepared to conquer this mountain! We got ready all our supplies, and headed out. Now the trick to this hike is that you need to park outside a gravel pit, and walk about a half-hour (according to the guide) to the trail head. So we walked, and walked, swatted flies, walked, swatted mosquitos, and after about an hour on the trail still no visible trailhead. Hmmm... but then some promise! We found a couple trucks and trail heading into the bush - YES! So we start the climb, or so we think. After a bit, we realize that this trail isn't the well travelled trail we were looking for, but a brand new trail being cut into the bush - and we had no idea where it might take us. And to top it off, I think they're falling trees in the area. So we made the decision to turn back, and see if we somehow missed the actual Evelyn Mtn trail.

After backtracking for a half hour, success! There's a trail, and we totally missed it. Eventhough we were tired we thought we'd try this trail out for a bit, and found out once you start going up a trail, it's pretty hard to stop! So on we went, until to my horror our dog Morley disturbed a wasp nest that was in the ground! I noticed her zip past me, in some distress, then noticed a hole in the ground with some wasp emerging - and told Des to RUN! Unfortunately, I didn't tell her what we were running from!! Ooops :) So we hustled down the trail, and poor Morley still had a wasp clinging to her tail, but she eventually shook that off, and I was able to explain to Des what the problem was. No I didn't see a bear! Ohhhh!

After all that, we decided to call an end to our conquering hike of Evelyn Mtn, however consoled ourselves by eating our supper by Round Lake, watching Morley play in the water. A good end to a wonderful day off outside!

A Lesson Learned

2009-10-23T10:47:00.000-07:00

*Note - this story actually happened, although some points may have been made up for dramatic effect*

This has been a busy week, no make that a crazy week! One of those weeks when on Monday you just hope to hang on, and make it through to next Monday. One of my solaces was to be found in getting to eat a pizza Desi and I had made together. Not just any old pizza either ... a homemade, smoked salmon, mushroom, goat cheese pizza! You see, when we make pizza for ourselves, we make two of them, one we eat right away - the other is put in the freezer to be used at a later date, and this was the week that we were going to eat our other pizza.

The plan was to eat it while in between work and our youth service at the church on Thursday night. So, upon arriving at the office on Thursday I put our pizza in the fridge downstairs for later consumption.

There was one other event happening at the church that afternoon, a memorial service in which there was to be a food and refreshments served afterward in the basement. The thought crossed my mind as I put my pizza in the fridge "hmmm they wouldn't think to use this uncooked pizza for the reception would they?" After concluding that at a reception, an uncooked goat cheese smoked salmon pizza would be highly out of place, I continued on with the rest of my day.

Meanwhile, an amazing dedicated crew of ladies were preparing food for the reception. Upon opening the fridge they noticed someone had put a strange food item at the bottom ... an uncooked pizza! They weren't really sure what to do with this, it seemed a little odd, however people have donated odd items for receptions in the past ... and there was no label saying that this was for anything but the reception - so ... they warmed up the oven ... cooked the pizza ... and put it out for everyone to enjoy.

As the afternoon moved along, my thoughts went to how we were going to enjoy our wonderful dinner. Hot and fresh right out of the oven. Just before I left to pick up my wife from work, I went down to pick up our supper ... only the pizza wasn't there were I left it. It was at the moment that I noticed my mother putting a slice of pizza into her mouth, then exclaiming how delicious it was!

My lesson - if you're going to leave yummy food in a fridge that is used for other purposes then your own ... label it well... or consider it gone!

How powerful is Jesus?

2009-07-21T08:57:00.001-07:00

I've heard it said that some men have trouble worshipping Jesus because they have a hard time worshipping someone who, in their minds, they can beat up. It's true that Jesus is often portrayed in the gospels as humble, mild, peaceable - and yet there are stories where He shows righteous anger, and uses force. However, our cultures view on Jesus probably resembles more Ghandi then Gladiator. Here's something amazing I came across the other day, and it gives a glimpse into the power of our Risen Lord.

Let me set the scene, it's the end days, the very end - and a man called the "man of lawlessness" fueled by Satan, has set himself up above every religion and god, including Jesus, as the one to be worshipped by the world.

2 Thessalonians 2:8

"...the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will kill with the breath of his mouth and bring to nothing by the appearance of his coming."

So here is this man who thinks he's really something, and Jesus comes in .... and breathes ... the the lawless one is done!!!! All Jesus does is show up, and evil and deception is dealt with! What an amazing God!

Why I love maps

2009-06-08T11:11:00.000-07:00

My wife has come to learn lately that I really enjoy maps. I remember clearly pouring over the maps in Tolkien's "The Hobbit" and "The Lord of the Rings" books. Trying to follow the adventure, and wondering what lies in those areas of the map that the books don't discuss. My enjoyment of maps continues on with looking at maps of BC (dreaming about places I want to go) maps of trails I want to take ... and I now have an even greater reason to love maps : they keep you from getting lost!

The story starts with the end of our bi-annual Pastors Conference, this year held in Langley BC. Des and I decided to take an extra day to shop, and so some walking in Vancouver. The plan - head to Stanley Park and walk the seawall (8.8kms). I fairly hefty walk, but one I knew would be perfect for the beautiful day that it was. So off we went, shopping a bit in Langley, driving to Surrey, and taking the SkyTrain downtown. My thought was that it should be easy to catch a bus from Canada Place to Stanley Park. However, finding that bus didn't go very well ... ahh well it's a beautiful day, and not a very long walk to the Park - so off we go. Once there, we even decide to cut through the park to make it a slightly shorter walk ... good plan. We reach the Lions Gate Bridge, my toes are a bit sore but it's a beautiful day for walking. We start going around the seawall - magnificent!!

After a good long while, my feet are complaining, and we start thinking that it would be nice to finish this walk and have a nice dinner somewhere. We reach a place called Third Beach, and foolishly decide to cut back through the park to arrive back where we started. So we walk, and walk, and walk, and walk (my toes are now really not feeling well) and arrive back near the Lions Gate Bridge, where we started walking the seawall (weird I thought we'd end up closer to downtown). At this time my feet are just about done, and we decide to take a break at a restaurant we found in the park. After a great meal we trek off, sorta certain which way we're going. We do eventually find our way out of the park, and discovered .... if we could have carried on the seawall, and not tried to cut through the park - it was only 3kms till we would have reached downtown!!!! We were quite close actually. Instead we walked an extra 5 or 6 kms going the way we did!! GROAN! Now, I blame this on two things:

1. I'm a guy, and I don't like to ask for directions.

2. There were no maps on the seawall, that we could see, and therefore we didn't realize how close we were to reaching the end of our walk.

To top it all off, once we were out of the park we had to walk/ hobble our way back to the Skytrain station ... and that is why I love maps! :)

A Sabbath Heart

2009-03-30T09:38:00.000-07:00

I preached yesterday about Sabbath, and I'm really glad to have gotten loads of great responses to what I had to say! I suppose people enjoy hearing that they should have rest!! I thought I'd put down some of the practical points of how to keep Sabbath, and some of the resources I used in putting this all together.

The two golden rules of Sabbath from "The Rest of God":

1. Stop doing what you “ought”.

Sabbath is a time to cease, to stop. Stop from what? The bible says that we’re to stop from our work. That doesn’t mean just our jobs, it’s scope is bigger then that. It is stopping from those things that we feel we “need” to do, we ought to do. It’s removing those taskmasters spoken of in Deuteronomy. It’s a day when you take your list of things to do, and say ... it can wait. Now, this takes some intentionality. While Israel was in the wilderness, they had to collect double the food the day before the Sabbath. In the same way, you may need to work hard to accomplish necessary things before Sabbath in order to fully rest. However, our aim is not to be legalistic about it. If something comes up that needs doing, you can do it with a clear conscience. Please though, work hard at ceasing from those “oughts”.

Here’s the trick though, what one may call an “ought”, others find to be a joy. For example, it was a joy to me a few summers ago to come home and work on the farm during my holidays. Why? Because most of my time was spent in an office looking at a computer screen. To get out in the fields driving the tractor was wonderful for me! It wasn’t draining, it was life giving.

For some, the last thing you’d want to do on your Sabbath is to get in the car and drive. For others, it feels like the best thing you could possibly do is to drive. That’s why we need to keep ourselves from listing what one should or should not do on the Sabbath. And this leads us to our second golden rule

2. Embrace that which gives life.

We need to know not just what to avoid on the Sabbath, but also what to pursue. Mark Buchanan writes:
“When Jesus broke man-made Sabbath regulations, He always went this direction: He healed, He fed, He claimed the right to rescue creatures fallen into wells or to lead to wells creatures falling down with thirst. Jesus pursued those things that give life. Whatever had been stolen by sickness, by the devil, by sheer accident and mishap - these things He sought to take back and give back.... What better day than Sabbath to trounce Beelzebub, to trump death, to reverse sickness, to repair injury, to pamper ourselves?”

What makes you feel alive, what energizes you? Is it being outside, is it curling up with a good book to read? Is it time spent doing things with others, is it time spent alone just you and God? Sabbath is a day for those kinds of pursuits.

What should you do on a Sabbath?

You should rest.

You should worship.

You should feast.

You should play.

You should listen.

Resources:

I got a LOT of material from Mark Buchanan's book "The Rest of God".
The Rest of God

Plus this blog:farmStrong Blog
And this paper:Sabbath Keeping Essay

An admission ...

2009-01-26T10:06:00.000-08:00

I am a slacker .... well certainly when it comes to blogging!! Quick update:

> married on November 8th

> 2 week honeymoon on Gulf/ Vancouver Islands

> moved up to Smithers, BC

> started working at Mountain View Assembly as a pastor

> Des is working as a receptionist/ office manager at Bliss Wellness Spa and Massage Clinic

> sold townhouse in Vernon

> bought our home in Telkwa (with great thanks to DJ Mio)

Well, I hope I can get back on the blogging horse

The Whole Story - Part 2

2008-07-31T10:56:00.000-07:00

Fast forward till last week ... Once I came home from a week away at Lakelse Teen Camp, I had decided that it was time to get engaged! So after many dreams and schemes, I decided upon a plan. I made a collage of pictures of Desi, and Desi and I, along with a title that said "Desiree is ..." and descriptive words such as "Beautiful" "My dear" "Musical" etc..

After watching one of Desi's friends perform his piano pieces at the Music School, we decided to go back to my place to hang for a while. I wasn't entirely sure when I'd "pop" the question, but I had a feeling that I should take this opportunity. So, I grabbed the collage, and had her close her eyes, then presented it to her. She thought it was really sweet, and then I replied ... "there's one description that's missing...." then I pulled out a little piece of paper that said "My wife"....... and that was that!!

Btw - Wedding date is November 8th, Location: TBA

The Whole Story - Part 1

2008-07-31T10:13:00.000-07:00

I must testify that prayer works! For as long as I can remember I've been praying that I'd find a wife, and a lot of that time seriously wondering if that day would ever arrive. 31 years old and zero girlfriend ever wasn't helping much! But then, spring of 2008 came, and I became reacquainted with a spunky Godly beautiful girl named Desi.

We had crossed paths a few different times over the years, however our "chance" meeting in February was about to change our lives. It was a Thursday night and my friend Jim and I were the only ones to show up for our young adults Bible Study at Talkin Donkey (a local Salv Army coffee shop). There was a political event going on in the shop, so we decided to go to another coffee shop in town (The Bean Scene aka. The Bean) and do our study there. It just so happened that Desiree was at The Bean that night, taking time to talk and get to know different customers and staff there. Jim suggested that we sit with her, so we did ... and we talked... and talked ... and talked. That's when I started to think "wow this girl is really easy to talk to, and I'm really enjoying our conversation".

Fast forward a bit and Desi had been coming to our bible study, we went on a few hikes together, and had some one on one coffee times. On March 25th I decided I'd take a bold step. I knew I had some deep feelings for Desi, and I was pretty sure she was feeling the same, so I texted her that I was going to be at The Bean for coffee that she could join me after she was done work if she wanted to. I really didn't know if she'd come. But she did. She was leaving the next week for a 2 week trip to Israel, so we talked about that a lot. Then I abruptly changed gears, and got to asking how she was feeling about "us", since we were spending a bunch of time together. After sharing how I felt, I was thrilled to learn she felt the same!!!!

A picture can say it all...

2008-04-24T09:57:00.001-07:00

For those who don't know, her name is Desiree, and she is fantastic! Beautiful, Godly, Passionate for God, Talented, Anointed ... (you get the picture)

Lessons almost learned the hard way

2008-03-13T11:27:00.000-07:00

Probably one of the most common thoughts when we here of someone making any sort of tragic mistake is that "well that won't happen to me". We tend to think that we're somehow smarter, and somehow a bit more streetwise then the avereage person, and therefore able to spot scams and fakes more the the gullible average. At least that's how I used to think until last week.

About a month ago I decided to sell my laptop. I had had it for about 3 or so years, it was still in fairly good shape, but the hard drive was insufficient for my music - and I really wanted a Mac (truth be told). So I made an ad for Craigslist, and waited to see if anyone would be interested. After a month of no replies, I was pleased to get an email with someone inquiring about my laptop. After a couple emails this person indicated that they were in New York, and wanted to send a laptop to a friend of theirs in Africa. That should have been a red flag ... but I didn't really think much of it.

So I got an email from Paypal indicating that I had money waiting for me, I clicked the link in the email: saw that everything looked legit, however the shipping address wasn't New York, but Nigeria Africa (second red flag missed) ... well no matter I had received enough extra money for shipping that it should be covered. Thankfully, I was heading out of town for a while, so I emailed the buyer and told him I wouldn't be able to ship the laptop till later, he replied that that was fine but I needed to send it very quickly. (Third red flag missed)

Once I got home I tranferred my data off my laptop, reformatted it, and got it ready for shipping. I phoned UPS to get an estimate on how much it would cost to ship my computer to Africa, and they said they would call me back. (thankfully they didn't). While waiting for their call I printed off the Paypal email to make sure I had the shipping address right, and that's when I noticed something odd. The email said I was to ship the laptop by March 3, as it was now March 7th I wondered if this might be a problem. After checking with my friend Trevor, and checking my Paypal account which showed that I had no money, and had zero transactions, I emailed the fraud section of Paypal, and learned that the email I received was a fake! I was literally minutes from shipping my laptop to Africa for nothing, plus paying a bunch for shipping.

Looking back at my craigslist email, it warns that you should not do business with people outside of your local area to advoid getting scammed ... guess I missed that part ... lesson learned!

From the wild into relationships

2008-01-23T10:07:00.001-08:00

I went with some friends last night to see the movie "Into the wild". What an amazingly powerful film! I think we all left it a bit shaken, hopefully in a good way. The film follows a bright young man who leaves everything behind to persue his dream of living in the wilds of Alaska. He figures that he doesn't need anyone or anything to be happy. He soon realizes that as fantastic as the location he is in, he writes that "happiness is real when shared".

This makes a lot of sense to me. I remember one of my Mom's uncles talking about the death of his wife. He remarked that the sadness really manifested itself when he had a particularly great day in the wild, maybe seeing some beautiful scenes, or wildlife. Then, he'd realize that when he got home, he'd have no one to share his experiences with.

One of my goals this year is to include others in what I do. In years past I've experienced some amazing things: driving through the Kootneys, camping on Saltspring, exploring Botanical Beach near Port Renfrew. But, all of those experiences I did alone, and in that as great as they were, always felt a bit hollow, a bit less joyous. The thought always crossed my mind: "I wish there was someone here to share this with". So in this next year, I want to revist some of the amazing places I've been, but bring others along with me to share in the beauty and wonder of what God has created.

The time came...

2007-10-18T14:52:00.000-07:00

I was very fortunate to get the "car of my dreams" 4 years ago. It was a 1990 Toyota Corolla 4x4 Wagon. Perfect for hauling gear, driving "out back" camping etc... This week that car finally met its demise in the form of a head gasket. With 355,000kms - I figured it was about time for something else. I did some checking around and found this little beauty. 2004 Toyota Echo Sedan. It might not be a 4x4, and I might not be able to fit as much gear as I had before, but this is what I love about it: it's red (I know silver is in, but I really wanted something with some colour to it), it's going to be very fuel-efficient (a nessecesity in our world today), it has less then 200,000kms on it (a first for me I think), it's fully loaded, and it is going to meet my needs. It doesn't meet all my wants, however I was okay giving those up to gain what I think to be important.

Intoducing...

2007-06-27T15:06:00.000-07:00

Here is the new bass I was able to pick up! Thanks to all my friends and the church for helping me carry on playing bass with a quality instrument! It is a Dingwall Afterburner I. It is everything I was going for: Cdn made (they're hand built in Saskatoon) 4 string, and I was able to buy it locally!

Benefit Concert

2007-06-22T10:29:00.000-07:00

I'm excited! Tonight I'm hosting a benefit concert for me to replace my bass that was stolen a month and a half ago from the church. It's going to be a fantatic night of music, with 3 others besides myself dishing up some great tunes. The only drawback, I feel really foolish asking people to help me get a new bass. The astounding thing is that people really do want to help me with this, which is awesome! If you live nearby and want to come out, feel free! 7pm at Alexis Park Church. Admission is by donation.

Smithers Flood

2007-06-06T13:32:00.000-07:00

Here's some video taken of the flood in Smithers. This golf course is going to have quite the massive cleanup after it's all said and done.

Holiday Blog Part 2

2007-05-09T16:49:00.000-07:00

Day Three

All I had to do this day was get to Saltspring Island, and set up camp. It was a very cold morning, and since I didn’t yet pick up a bbq lighter for my campstove, I broke camp and heading towards the ferry, although not before taking a much needed dip in the Harrison Hotsprings Public Pool!

I thought I got to the Ferry fairly earlier (2:30pm), but little did I know … a lot of people like to travel to Victoria on Monday afternoons! After only few hours wait, I was off and sailing. Thankfully, once we hit Swartz Bay, it was a quick turnaround, and I was right on another ferry heading to Saltspring Island.

As I was packing my camping stuff down to the campsite, I heard some of my “neighbours” yelling in joy! I went over to see what was up, and sure enough … the Canucks beat Dallas!! Buoyed by the Canucks win, and set up camp, had some tea, and went to bed with the sound of the surf/ waves/ and occasional ferry going by.

Day Four

It was raining, and it was cold … and I didn’t much feel like getting out of my toasty sleeping bag! So I waited, and when the rain seemed to stop – I quickly got dressed and ventured outside. It was beautiful out there, albeit a bit chilly still! The camp sites are all on a large grassy slope overlooking the ocean. So picturesque! I wanted to eat some fruit, but my colder self informed me that something hot was required. So oatmeal it was.

After that, I was still cold, so I decided that the best way to warm up would be to take a “little” hike. Now I must explain … up to now everything on the Parks map looked huge, but ended up being quite small in actual distance. Knowing this, I did something out of character for me, I didn’t bring my backpack with water and extra food. I thought one fruit bar would do it for me, since I just had a hearty oatmeal breakfast. This has my first mistake of the day.

I hiked for a while, and saw some amazing sights! The day was still cloudy, and a bit drizzily, but I was enjoying my time by the sea. I thought I arrived at the end of the trail, and like I thought, I thought the trail would be longer. It was nice none the less. Then I found more trail, so I thought – let’s see where this goes. Where it went was farther and longer then I had anticipated, and the cold I had seemed to be sapping more energy then I had thought it would. By this time my oatmeal wasn’t giving me much energy, so I broke out the fruit bar, a bit earlier then I wanted to, but hey it should give me energy for quite a while.

With the end of the trail in site, I was exhausted! That kind of tired where you’re not thinking very clearly, but I was so close to the end! I soldiered on, and reached the end of the trail! Whew! I was soo glad! I took some time to rest, and then turned it around to go back to camp.

I decided that I’d take the most direct route back to camp, rather then the scenic/ meandering route. This was a good choice, in theory. I got to the point where the trail turned to head directly to camp, checked the sign to make sure I was in the right place, and kept hiking. It was supposed to be only 700meters to the next signpost. I hiked, and hiked, and hiked, and thought I must have taken a wrong turn! Rather then heading directly back to camp, I seemed to be gaining elevation, and heading west of camp. I kept going until the trail I was on ended. Uh oh! I calmly looked around, but I couldn’t find if the trail kept going anywhere near. I knew there was a farmer’s field nearby, so I bushwhacked a bit to see if there was any kind of trail there … nope. I remarked to myself “this is how people get lost and in trouble in the woods” lol! My only option was to backtrack on myself, and pray I missed a trail that lead back in the general direction of the camp. Turns out I did. There was a little, not very well marked, trail that heading in the direction I should be going … and there were trail markers letting me know I was on the right track! Praise God! Those markers became very precious to me! I was constantly worried from then on that I’d get “off trail” but seeing those markers every 50 meters or so kept me knowing that I was on the right path.

In the end it turned out, rather then taking the shortcut back to camp, I didn’t take the right trail, and took the longest way possible to get back to camp. I also hiked to the highest point of land in the camp. Earlier, it was my plan to hike that trail, but in that moment it really didn’t matter! My lesson: NEVER forget your water/ extra food when taking a hike! Funny how the most powerful lessons learned often have to cost you something. To cap off the hike, the sun finally came out, and it turned out to be a beautiful day!

Day Five

I packed up my tent and belongings, and headed off to Vancouver Island, stopped briefly at a coffee shop in Ganges where I had left my MEC jacket the night before. Once I arrived in Victoria, I found my brother’s townhouse, where he’d been living this past year in Victoria, settled in and watched the hockey game.

Day Seven

I was planning on resuming camping this day … however the forecast called for rain all day! So, Cory allowed be to stay at his place one more day, even though he was gone, on the road back to Smithers. The forecast seemed to smarten up, and said it was only going to be a showery day. So I decided to take a walk. The walk was fantastic, however the “showers” actually meant “rain”. I was was pretty drenched by the time I got back to the house!

Overall, it was a really great holiday. It was nice to come and go as I pleased, with no paricular place to be. After my holiday I still had a young leaders retreat called TimeOut in Victoria, and a BC PAOC District Conference in Victoria as well. So I almost had a full 2 weeks off. Very nice ... very nice indeed!

Holiday Blog Part 1

2007-04-25T18:41:00.000-07:00

After many years of holidays that only consisted of going home to Smithers. Here is my first week long vacation on Saltspring/ Vancouver Island!

Day One:

My plan had been to have everything packed and ready to go the day before. However, that didn’t happen! I few details got in the way, namely helping Trevor buy his new MacBook (whoo hoo) and 30 hour famine.

So I got up at a decent hour (for me at least) and started to finish off my laundry, buy groceries, got an oil change on the car, and got packed. My seemingly reasonable goal of leaving by 1:00pm, became shattered when I left Vernon at 4:00pm. But that was okay!

Once I got to Chilliwack, the first order of business was to find a Boston Pizza, and see if the Canucks game was still on. It wasn’t, and maybe that was a good thing, since they lost. I decided to camp just past Harrison Hot Springs, so I took off in that direction, making camp around 10:00pm. Thankfully the new headlamp I picked up that day came in handy!

Day Two:

I wasn’t sure if I’d get up and go to church anywhere. However, since I never/ or at least rarely get a chance to be in a worship service and not on stage, I decided to make the most of this opportunity. I went to Christian Life Community Church in Abbotsford, where my friend Chad was leading worship (very sweet!). It was a good service, and I got to reconnect with lots of old friends!

I spent the afternoon in downtown Vancouver, where one of my main goals was to get to MEC to pick up some more camping supplies. I haven’t been downtown Van in quite some time, so I made the dubious choice to walk to MEC from the Granville Skytrain station. Great walk, but I could have made it MUCH shorter by getting off at the Stadium, or Science World station. Lesson for next time!

That night I reconnected with ex-Vernonites Travis and Geoff, where we had a fantastic Mexian meal, and great time catching up with each other.

Geoff dropped me off at the Metrotown Skytrain, where I attempted to get back to my car, which was parked in Surrey. I say attempted because I didn’t realize that there are now 2 types of trains that are on Skytrain. You used to just take any old train you wanted, and you got where you’re going … not any more! So I hopped on this train, and it said that it’s end destination was VCC/Clark Station, and it wasn’t a station I was familiar with, but I was going in the right directions so I thought, why worry! A few stations later I realized I was not heading towards Surrey anymore, but toward Burnaby. Turns out, some trains go to Surrey, some go to Burnaby. Who knew!!! So I backtracked a couple of stations and got on the right train back to my car.

To be continued ...

Blast from the past

2007-04-20T14:39:00.000-07:00

Can you imagine me being a metal-head? Well I was. Back in highschool I was following Christian Metal bands quite closely. I think I was mostly influenced by my good friend Jeremy, and by some of the older teens from the Terrace youth group that I looked up to. Well, I came across this video from a band called Delieverance, and boy did it bring back memories! I used to work on that rhythm guitar part all the time! In fact, I remember playing a Christian metal song at my high school talent show ... by myself! Just me and my dad's electric guitar. If I saw someone do that now, I'd think they were pretty strange, but back then.. I guess I didn't really care lol!

Amplify Easter Reflections

2007-04-16T12:06:00.000-07:00

We did a special Easter Monday service at our preteen, youth and young adults gathering. We had different "stations" set up in the basement of the church with write-ups on each topic, (Jesus in the Garden, Peter's Denial, Crucifixtion, Jesus is Alive, Tell the World, and Communion) scripture to read, and questions the students could ponder. Here's some video that Alex took and edited. Check it out!

It was bound to happen eventually

2007-03-23T14:25:00.000-07:00

My beautiful new (to me) Gretsch Country Classic broke a string last night. Those strings were great while they lasted, but now they're only a memory .... okay seriously this guitar has been a huge blessing to me! My friend Dan sold it to me, and everytime I play it I am astounded that such a quality guitar has come into my hands!

Myself and the Amplify band played at UBO Okanagan last night for Nexus (an on campus Christian ministry). It was a really great night! The room we played in was one of the larger, and perhaps nicer, classrooms. Setting up around the massive podium was a bit of a trick, but we made it work! It always a bit of challenge playing in front of new people, most of whom you don't know, but I think we all joined together well to lift our voices in praise to God. I did unfortunatly break a string, but thankfully it didn't happen until the last "bridge" on the very last song we did, so disaster was advoided there!

Afterwards we enjoyed the Subway subs that Matt Duffy provided for us, hanging out in a furniture-less lounge, making sure no one stole the instruments from our vehicles!

Summer plans

2007-03-21T09:52:00.000-07:00

Do you have plans for the August long weekend this summer? Not yet? Well usually I'm in that boat also, however NOT THIS YEAR! My brother Aaron has finally taken the jump of being the first van der Meulen brother to get married! He is marrying a fantastic girl named Vanessa, and it's going to be a great party!

In other news ... this week is pretty wild. I've got a myriad (hmmm that's a nice word eh... don't think I've used it before) of events going on, worship services to lead, maybe even a sermon to preach!

BTW: that picture is Aaron and Vanessa with Vanessa's neices (Delaney, Avery, and Cammy)

His eye is on the sparrow

2007-03-08T20:31:00.000-08:00

I've done a basic recording of "His eye is on the sparrow". A few years ago I came across this great hymn and thought that I'd like to use it for worship. However, as I played through it I realized I'd have to be a country or gospel singer to make this song work. So, I fooled around with the song a bit and came up with a new melody and a
new feel for this song.

You can check it out at MySpace

I love things .... when they work

2007-02-21T12:24:00.000-08:00

I love my car, it has everything that I need, and some of the things I want. Four wheel drive, lots of room for cargo, cd player ... but all those things don't mean a thing if the car won't start. So right now, I hate my car, but I'm hoping soon to love it again once it smartens up and works for me :)

Should worship lead into the Word or respond to the Word?

2007-02-21T11:04:00.000-08:00

I've been pondering this question for a while, perhaps ever since I read "Facedown" by Matt Redman. There he talks about how worship is a response to the revelation of God. Which I think is true, when we catch a glimpse of who God is - we respond in worship. How do we catch a revelation of God? One of the biggest ways is through His Word I would say. That causes me to think, and I've been hearing it from other people as well, that our worship should flow from a response to the preaching of God's Word.

For years I've been taught the opposite. I've been taught that worship softens people's heart for the preaching of the Word, and I even heard this taught at a pastors' conference I was at last week. Here's the scripture the preacher used to make that point ...

Hosea 10:9-13
9 "Since the days of Gibeah, you have sinned, O Israel, and there you have remained. Did not war overtake the evildoers in Gibeah? 10 When I please, I will punish them; nations will be gathered against them to put them in bonds for their double sin. 11 Ephraim is a trained heifer that loves to thresh; so I will put a yoke on her fair neck. I will drive Ephraim, Judah must plow, and Jacob must break up the ground. 12 Sow for yourselves righteousness, reap the fruit of unfailing love, and break up your unplowed ground; for it is time to seek the Lord, until he comes and showers righteousness on you. 13 But you have planted wickedness, you have reaped evil, you have eaten the fruit of deception. Because you have depended on your own strength and on your many warriors

Here's what he had to say about this scripture:

Worship, then the Word; Seeking, then Sowing
Judah (meaning "praise") shall plow! Judah is the ministry of praise, prayer, worship, and the seeking of the Lord. We must pull the plow of the Spirit through the soil of our hearts in order to prepare the earth for the planting of the seed. As we are faithful in plowing (praise and worship) and planting (ministry of the Word), God will send rain and provide a plentiful harvest.

Is it just me, or is using this Hosea text as a key to how we should order our worship gatherings a bit of a stretch?

Do you know of anywhere else where it mentions that worshipping God leads to the preaching of His Word? What are your thoughts on this?

Meet the Millenials

2007-01-23T12:14:00.000-08:00

Meet the Millenials

Very interesting article from Christianity Today! Here's some quotes that caught my attention:

"• For a while, I stopped going to church, and just decided I'm going to read my Bible, and that's going to be my church. Every time I went to church, I just felt like a stranger standing among strangers.

But I finally found a church. … I did everything I could there because I really felt like they were family. I felt like there was a reason for me being there. And I knew that the pastor cared about me and my life. If I ever missed, I'd have people calling me to make sure everything was okay … asking if there was anything they could do. ... —Jen (senior)"

"Our parents succeeded if they made a lot of money and owned things," says Jen Clark, a 2005 graduate of Belmont University in Nashville, Tenn. "While our age group likes money and things too, we measure ourselves more by how we make a difference in the world."

"Unfortunately, says church researcher Thom Rainer, many church leaders don't challenge their flocks. Content to stay status quo, they create worship services that are merely watched and stale ministry programs that require little sacrifice or effort from those who participate in them."

"• In 2006, the iPod surpassed beer as the most popular thing on campus."

So this leads me to wonder:
as a leader how am I doing at, really caring about those that come out to our ministry/ church?

What more can be done to make a difference in the world and not just "do church"?

How can invite people to grow from being "watchers" of church, to being willing to participate and even sacrifice in serving?

When can I upgrade and get a real ipod (or iphone *drooling*) instead of my shuffle!

Where is your "home"

2007-01-16T12:53:00.000-08:00

I'm in the process of reading a book by Erwin Mcmanus called Soul Cravings". I made this comment on his website about an idea in one of his chapter/ entries:

"I just finished Entry 8 on “Love Lost and Abandonment” and I must say the idea of “home” being found in our relationshipes really hit home to me (no pun intended lol). I think there’s incredible truth to that idea. For me, my sense of “home” the last few years has been found in the Young Adults group that I led, and in the pastoral team we had at our church in Vernon BC. In the last year numerous things have come to disrupt those things in my life, and I couldn’t quite nail why it was that I was feeling “lost” being the only staff member to remain, while everyone else was gone, and seeing young adults leave for college, and being the one still at home. I guess I’ve realized that I was finding my sense of home in those relationships, and without those - the sense of loss/ lostness (if that’s a word) was quite great. I’m not to sure how to resolve this yet, but I just wanted to say that this Entry made me realize in part what I’ve been going through this past year. So thank you for that!"

If we find our sense of "home" through our relationships, maybe that's why some people find it easier to move around. Their relationships aren't geographically based, as I think has been the way things have been in the past. So location doesn't necessarily equal "home". It's a interesting thought for me.

EDIT: Here's a good quote from Erwin's book "Home is ultimatly not about a place to live but about the people with whom you are most fully alive. Home is about love, relationship, community, and belonging, and we are all searching for home."

O Holy/ hilarious Night

2006-12-18T10:31:00.000-08:00

We had our annual APC Family Christmas program last night. A great night overall, the children sang and recited their lines well, the teens made us laugh, and there were some terrific solos. My role was to lead everybody in Christmas Carols ... no problem. Except, I chose to sing O Holy Night, one of my favourite songs - but not the easiest one to sing or play. So I had some words and chords in front of me, and got through the first verse and chorus with no problems. Onto the second verse ... I can't read the sheet in front of my that well, and when I peek up at the words on the screen, I realize that they're not on the 2nd verse, but on the 3rd! So I venture onward, when, as I feared, I got the mental picture of the South Park version of O Holy Night - and I get the giggles. I did everything I could to get control and finish the song, which I barely managed, and quickly moved onto the next carol! I'm not sure if I'll ever be able to sing that song without laughing :)

it's a bit chilly in here

2006-11-28T09:33:00.000-08:00

Nothing all to crazy going on here, except for some pretty cold weather, which I don't mind come to think of it. It might be -18 now, but it's sunny, and I'll take sun and cold over warm and cloudy almost any day!

Speaking of chilly, that's how I've been feeling spiritually lately. No real reason why, but I just feel a bit unfocused as of late. I read back about times when I've had some really amazing insights about life and God, feeling sharp and alive. Instead right now I'm feeling a bit sluggish, so here's to warming up my heart and soul, and charging ahead into whatever the future holds!

another Remerance Day come and gone

2006-11-13T13:58:00.000-08:00

I was a bit torn this year whether to make the trip to the Muliplex to take in this year's Remeberance Day service. Basically, I was tired and didn't really feel like getting out of bed quite yet, but I did. It was good as usual, one of the guys read a portion of John talking about what love is and being part of the vine, which I thought was a really powerful portion of scripture to be reading.

Again, the service was quite emotional for me. I don't feel strong emotion very often, it's just not who I am. However, since my grandfather, who was a WW2 vet, died last fall, Rememberance Day is just that more poinant for me.

I got to spend the afternoon watching my cousins' son play hockey, and then go out to their place in Enderby for supper and to lead worship at their church called The River. Awesome time as always! The only downside is that they haven't been setting up a sound system, since they've only had a small group. This time, however, there was at least 30 people, so I had to sing and play pretty hard to be heard! Good times! Thankfully I only had to play bass Sunday morning!

After church I went back to my cousin's to watch a Korean War movie (I can't recall the name of it, but it was all in Korean, and about two brothers) to wrap up the day.

Snow ... in October!!

2006-10-28T13:47:00.000-07:00

So I just chatted with my Mom today, and they've had a whack load of snow in the Bulkley Valley! Enough snow to close the highways and knock out power! That's incredible! Thankfully my parents can hook up their tractor to the farm generator and make their own power :)

Here's a link to my good friends the Elliot's showing just how much snow there is in Smithers right now.

The Elliot's

Holiday!

2006-10-19T14:54:00.000-07:00

I had a wonderful holiay, going back up north to Smithers. It was so relaxing just to visit family and friends, and be in a church service where I wasn't doing anything!!

Highlights: my parents expression upon seeing their upstairs bathroom torn apart as my brother is renovating it (it was a good expression btw, the new bathroom is going to be fantastic!), my Mom's reaction upon realizing that the chair they thought that they bought from IKEA wasn't the chair that they actually got, and hiking with my Mom and her friends in the Babine Mountains - such a beautiful hike, eventhough my legs didn't quite appreciate what I put them through!

Reflections from "The Last Battle"

2006-09-27T11:51:00.000-07:00

I just finished reading all of the Chronicles of Narnia. It was a fantastic read, from both a story point of view, but also from a theological/ allegory point of view also.

At the very end of the "The Last Battle" all the main characters are in "heaven". Also there is one of the foreigners who didn't care for Aslan/ Jesus, and spent his entire life serving the god Tash, who is the opposite of Aslan, so I guess would equal Satan. When this character recounts why he's there, he says it's because that Aslan told him that everything good he ever did, even though it was for Tash, was actually for Aslan even if he didn't realize it at the time. I guess the idea is that, any good we ever do, no matter who we say we're doing it for, is actually being done for God. Any evil done, no matter in who's name, is done for Satan.

The other thought, is that you will find whatever you are really searching for. So this character, eventhough he thought he was seeking Tash, was actually seeking Aslan, since he never "found" Tash. I'm not sure I've totally got my mind around that idea yet lol. I'll provide some quotes later on, maybe that'll help.

What do you think? Does this line of thinking present any problems?

Back to the heart of worship?

2006-09-03T20:34:00.000-07:00

"I'm coming back to the heart of worship, and it's all about You, all about You Jesus ..." Matt Redman

I've been thinking about a super simple idea when it comes to worship. Namely, that our worship is soley for the purpose of glorifying (making big) of God. That's what is should be about, and you'd think that'd be obvious. However, how often do you hear of one's desire to experience God through worship? Preferring this leader or church or ministry because they really felt like they "connected to God"?

When did corporate worship become about what we experience? I sure don't see it in the Bible! I see people worshipping God only because He is God!! The sacrifice system sure wasn't based upon connecting with God, and yet that was the prodominant form of worship for a very long time.

So is that to say that we don't, or shouldn't meet with God when we worship Him? Not neccesarily, a benefit of drawing close to God is that He does draw close to us. (Jame 4:8) However, what if you don't feel something, or experience that intimacy? Should we then seek out other places or ministries where we do experience that? Maybe we should go on lifting up Jesus, right where we're at. I promise there will be hard times, there will be times when God seems far. But, there will also be great times when you're full of happiness, and God seems as near as ever! As my friend Kyle would say, we need to take spiritual accountability for our own lives. Rather then giving excuses of why we don't worship like we feel we should (I don't like that style, I can't worship to new songs, I can't worship to old songs, I like it fast, I like it slow) We need to CHOOSE to worship God no matter what context we find ourselves in.

It's not dependent on a music style, or a special leader, in my opinion. It's simply about responding to who God is! Try this, use all seven days of the week to find ways to respond to God. You can do this anyway you want!! Then, what a joy it is to join together with others at least once a week to worship God together with other follower of Jesus!

For me, I want to continue to be concious as a lead worshipper in choosing songs and encouraging people to worship God for who He is, not for what they get out of it because it is fitting for the righteous to praise Him! (Psalm 33:1)

Do we need a WOW factor?

2006-08-25T17:09:00.000-07:00

I came across this article the other day. Here's the beginning premise of it :
"At one time or another, someone in your life has probably told you that first impressions are important. Mom may have reminded you to comb your hair or wipe off the milk from your mouth. A coach or teacher may have encouraged you to "put your best foot forward because you may not get a second chance." If you're a pastor who has ever given a trial sermon to a congregation, you know the importance of first impressions.

As the pastor of connections at Granger Community Church in Granger, Ind. (gccwired.com), I know that first impressions matter for churches. Before you've even preached the message or the worship team has sung the songs, your guests have already formed opinions of your church based on their first impressions.

Churches that understand the lasting nature of first impressions also understand that people matter. When people matter, guests are "wowed." And when guests are wowed, they know they're valued."

I can understand to point where the writer is coming from. I think it speaks well of a church when the take proper care of their building. That things look neat, and that the bathrooms are clean. However, do we really have to "wow" people in order for them to join our community of faith?

I guess all this depends on the reason for your worship gathering. Is it for the church (the body of local believers), or for vistors? I'm assuming that this pastors' church is geared for visitors, which is fine I suppose. However, I'd take a vistor being wowed by authentic relationships, and genuine worship over aethestics and programs anyday.

Chubb Lake Teen Camp

2006-08-24T13:29:00.000-07:00

What a week! I had the honour of leading worship for Chubb Lake Teen Camp again this year, and what a fantastic week it was! There were groups from Abbotsford, Kelowna, Westbank, Vernon, Williams Lake, Quesnel, PG and Ft. St. James there.

It was a bit of a strange start in the sense that I had never met the guy who was speaking this year, Troy from Evangel in Edmonton. So, it was tough to know what to expect. Needless to say, Troy did a terrific job, and it was powerful to see and hear how God was using him throughout the week to minister to teens.

I was able to assemble the same band as last year, Jared Mitch and Tanner, which was a joy! I think this year they've all grown up a bit or sometime, since by Wednesday it became a major decision for them whether to play sports in the afternoon or nap!! Napping was starting to win out by weeks end.

For me, it's always affirming to have a week like this was, simply leading people to express their hearts to God, and being open to where the Spirit is going. These teens were incredible in their response, they were so ready to really throw themselves into worship. So that made it such a joy to lead them, and also a responsiblity to use songs to lead them well, not just playing the "top songs" that they love or want to jump around to. Although there was a lot of that, especially to wrap up the evening chapels!

So yeah, awesome week overall - I'm excited to keep hearing what God was up to in the lives of everyone that was there!

Why we are saved

2006-07-27T12:19:00.000-07:00

I came across a great podcast yesterday, which was an interview with Rob Bell who wrote Velvet Elvis and is behind the Nooma dvds. He was talking about some of his ideas, and one being that the church exists, and we are saved, to do good works. It's not the entirity of of why we're saved and we're not saved just because we do good works, but it seems that it should be a natural result of surrendering our lives to Jesus.

Check out Hebrews 10:23-25. It's the classic verse used when people say that they don't want to go to church. "Well, you know Hebrews says don't forsake meeting together ..." However I think there's more to what the writer is saying then that. It says:

23 Without wavering, let us hold tightly to the hope we say we have, for God can be trusted to keep his promise. 24 Think of ways to encourage one another to outbursts of love and good deeds. 25 And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage and warn each other, especially now that the day of his coming back again is drawing near.

That portion seems to be talking about more then just gathering together. Instead it hints to the reason behind our gathering. And that is to encourage each other to do good, and love others. There is so much to this whole idea, that I feel like it's going to take me some time to put it all together. But, I find the idea refreshing. I was saved, in part, in order to do good to others. Simple. Beautiful.

A wave is coming

2006-07-20T10:18:00.000-07:00

A heat wave that is :) I don't know anything about Farenheit, but it does make temperatures look impressive!!

The Story is being written

2006-07-18T10:58:00.000-07:00

I came across a really great thought while reading Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, the other day. Sam and Frodo are having a discussion about if anyone will remember their quest in the future, and what folks may say when they talk about the quest to destroy the Ring. Sam is talking about his memory of the stories he grew up hearing, about how a hero obtained a Simaril (think magical jewel) from a villian, and how powerful those stories were. He then realizes that the "light" that Frodo was given from Galadadriel is part of that same Simaril that he heard about in those old tales. So, the adventure that started many years ago, is continuing to unfold through the story of Sam and Frodo.

I think our lives can be viewed in the same way. There is a Story that we belong to. It started with Adam and Eve, continued with Abraham, Moses, and David. Jesus is part of the Story, in fact His presence in the Story changed everything, and took the story in a very different tangent, expanding to encompass the entire world in the same Story. Apostles, missionaries, pastors, and parents have had a role to play in the Story.

Here today, we can choose to join in, and be a part of the Story also. The Story of those who have lived revolutionary lives that do not look the culture that they're surrounded in. The Story of those who have realized that they need God, and put their entire trust in Him. The Story that there is a conclusion that we're living for which is worth putting all our effort in. There are pitfalls, and villians, heros and sidekicks, many chapters and many twists.

How amazing that the Story that God started, is still be written through the lives of seemingly normal people who say "yes" to pursuing a Kingdom that they cannot see, and won't fully realize in this life!

I'm outta prison!!!

2006-07-11T11:18:00.000-07:00

Okay, maybe I better explain that title!! I've had an ongoing saga with Revenue Canada. I received a letter from them in March explaining that I would not be getting my GST cheque for April because I had be incarcerated in a prison or a similiar institution!!!!!!!!!!!! I was like, umm... last time I checked I'm pretty sure I've never been in prison! So I called one their agents, pleaded my case, and he said that he'd try to sort it out.

Fast forward a couple of months. I receive another letter from Revenue Canada, they say that I need to contact Corrections Canada and prove to Revenue Canada that I have never been in prison! I think that's kinda weird, I have to PROVE to them that I'm a law abiding citzen... but if that's what I had to do ....sigh. So I went down the RCMP, got a Criminal Records check, yep just like I thought ... I'm not a criminal. So I sent that away to the Surrey Tax Centre.

Finally today I received a call that they are striking from my record that I have ever been in prison, and will be sending me my GST cheques. Whew, good news! It reminds me of Lord of the Rings when Treebeard tells the hobbits that the Ents have been talking all morning and have finally decided .... "you are not Orcs". lol Well, if nothing else it makes for an interesting story, and I will no longer hear ask church members, "so... you out of prison yet?" :)

Storm Chaser

2006-07-06T19:46:00.000-07:00

I love watching thunder storms. For two days I've spent time scrabbling around town trying to find that "perfect" spot to watch some lightning action. I don't know why I enjoy it so much, but there is a great sense of discovery when you've been watching the sky for minutes, then glimpse a spectacular lightning strike! Maybe it's because it's unpredictable? You can't tell when a strike is coming, it just comes out of no-where, sometimes catching you by suprise. It's just too bad that the storm warning tonight hasn't made for any serious storms ... as of yet :)

Weddings .... lots of weddings

2006-07-03T15:32:00.000-07:00

I've had the privledge of "performing" three marraiges since May. Pretty crazy! It's a honouring and scary thing to have one of the most important moments in a couple's life in your hands. Either you lead them well, or it gets imfamously remembered from that moment on!

Thankfully, each one has been awesome! I think my first wedding was more nerve wracking for me then for the bride and groom! But, they were very gracious and easy going. The second one was cool since it was back in my hometown of Smithers. The weather is always changing up there, and with an outdoor wedding we weren't sure quite what to expect. It was lightly raining when the groom and I took our places, however by the time the bride came up, the rain had stopped. Eventually the sun even came out ... crazy nothern weather!!! :) This last weekend I did my cousin's wedding, which was very cool. It was a small family affair done outside in Enderby's countryside. The only drawback, the heat and mosquitos. Thankfully both were not a problem on the wedding day! However, for the rehearsal ... we were jumping out of skin trying to keep the mosquitos at bay while trying to remember what exactly we were going to do the next day!

The first one

2006-05-26T13:35:00.000-07:00

Well, I've got my first wedding coming up tomorrow! I'm actually a bit nervous about it. Weddings are one of the most most important days in a couples life, and I'm playing a major role in this one! It'll be fine though, I'm sure. After this, I've got two more weddings planned, so at least I'm going to be getting some practice! :)

It's a camping life for me!

2006-05-09T11:46:00.000-07:00

It's a great time when you get to go camping two weekends in a row! It certainly doen't happen all that often, at least not in my life! First off, Kyle Liz and I headed down the the coast to take in Summit Pacific's Grad ceremony. We were able to get away on a Thursday night, and so arrived at our campground at Cultus Lake at 1:30am. The next day, we had all day to do whatever we wanted! So, Liz went to visit her grandparents while Kyle and I rode the Skytrain into Vancouver and back, stopping in a Long & McQuade in Surrey to check out some guitars :)

The next day, we packed up our site just in time .... as soon as we started to head out down came the rain! There is nothing worse then packing up your camping gear while it's wet - so we were very blessed! We decided to take our time on the way home, and travel the Hope-Princeton Hwy, rather the taking the Coquihalla. Such a beautiful drive!! We even went off the main road a bit to check out where Lizs'family used to camp in the summer, although at this time of year there was quite a bit of snow still!

Fast forward to the next week: I'm trudging along in my week, when I get a phone call from my cousin. Turns out her daughter broke her arm a couple of weeks ago, and since the arm wasn't healing properly (doctor's fault) they needed to travel down to Children's Hospital in Vancouver. I gladly told them that I'd love to drive them down, and so we did.

Part two of camping ... while they were at the hospital: I camped at Porteau Cove, just south of Squamish, which is right on Howe Sound! It was one of the most beautiful sites I've ever been to! Tenting sites ... right on the ocean - how great is that! So I set up my site, and took off to hang in Van for a bit before returning. As I set up my stuff, I realized that in my rush to get on the road at 5am - I forgot my sleeping bag. No problem, I thought, I'll pick one up this afternoon at MEC, or find a cheap one at Canadian Tire or something. Turns out I didn't have time to get over to MEC, so I thought I'd head up to Squamish for supper (Taco Bell ... why isnt' there one in Vernon!!!!!) and look for a place to get an inexpensive sleeping bag there. Turns out, Squamish is much smaller then I remembered it. No Canadian Tire, that I could see, no Wal Mart - and nothing open at that hour where I could buy some bedding. So ... do I drive all the way back to North Van to pick up a sleeping bad, or just tough it out? I decided, foolishly, to tough it out.

After watching some seals play in the surf, and a large cargo ship go sailing by, I layed up my clothes are prepared to enjoy some sleep. Yah, um.. that didn't happen. I was soo cold!!! I even thought about asking some of the neighboring campers if they had a blanket to spare, but didn't. I did eventually fall asleep, although not for more then an hour or two at a time. All this to say, I will never forget my sleeping bag again!! And, I really enjoyed my two camping trips ... got so much thinking, reading, and pondering done. I mean, how great is it to read a great book on a sunny day, on the ocean!! Priceless!

Easter is great (but I'm glad it's over)

2006-04-18T14:25:00.000-07:00

Wow, what a crazy weekend! A great weekend, but chock full of stuff. It started on Thursday night for me, with the final practice for the Good Friday Service, which I co-led with another pastor. Everyone except our drummer was there, so it was a good chance to figure out exactly what songs we'd be doing friday morning, and what exactly the arrangements should be.

Friday: I wanted to sleep till at least 6am, however by 5:30am I was wide awake. I arrived at the hockey rink at 7:15 for set up, with our sound check at 8am. Everything went very smooth, with the only trouble coming from the fact that we were not allowed to take down the plexiglass boards, due to a hockey tournament over the weekend. This have us a pretty nasty echo! When the drummer was playing his kit, the echo from the snare was pretty much coming back to us on stage on the off beat!! However, the SW guys did their best to make things sound as good as possible, and the show went on.

The service itself was terrific! I only wish that there wasn't 50ft between the stage and the people, and that the lights didn't make it so I could only see the first row of chairs lol! Overall, it was a terrific morning, with over 3,000 people attending! Awesome to see!

That evening I took in a rock show that my roomate put on - probably the loudest show I've ever heard in my life!!

Saturday: came into the church in the morning to get some work done for our Easter Sunday morning. Went home, watch some Jays, then back to the church to finish up some tasks. Once I got home, I got a call from my cousin wondering if I'd like to come out to their church in Enderby to play some guitar - and of course I said "yes"! So I rushed there, had some great supper, played at church, then had some sherbert ice cream and tea afterwards.

Sunday: Back at the church for sound check/ practice at 8:30am. We had a great time with lots of different instrumentals and solos with Pastor Gary and Kyle interjecting with sermonettes. Afterward, I got to have lunch with the Meiers, which was fantastic! I always have such a great time hanging with Darrin Rebecca and the kids!! Then, I went home, walked to Blockbuster and back, watched War of the Worlds and then to bed!

Monday: At the church once again at 9am - started work on our monday night Amplify gathering. We were going to be setting up our own version of "stations" of the cross. Some with interactive elements (lighting a candle, nailing a card with your name to a cross, and writing out a prayer as a part of a communal art peice), and reflective prayer elements as well. We spent the whole afternoon setting up our downstairs. The night itself was incredible! I was blown away seeing teens, young adults, and pre-teens walk through the different stations, spend time in prayer, hang out watching the Passion of the Christ, take communion etc. It was amazing to see them worshipping God without us "directing them" or any worship band playing, and with no preacher preaching! We ended the night off with Darrin leading worship.

After cleaning up, it was off to Bean to Cup to chill for a bit and have an awesome Chicken Caeser Wrap!
Phew, and that was my weekend. I think I'm ready for a holiday lol!!

Here are some pictures from the Good Friday Service.

I'm not made to be an action hero

2006-03-17T18:37:00.000-08:00

I had a interesting thing happen to me some time ago. I was walking in downtown Vernon, and was waiting at a cross walk for the light to turn so I can cross the road. I saw a very cute little Toyota Echo Hatchback waiting to turn left opposite of me. I was thinking about how I like the look of those cars, and they I'm sure they'd be fun to own when the light changed and I started to cross the road.

All of a sudden I realize that the cute little Echo is coming at me full boar! Now, I always dreamed that if someone was going to try to run me over, I'd be very sneaky ... wait till the car almost hit me ... the lunge out of the way. Did I do that this time.... nope ... did I even move ... nope. All I could do was yell and turn to face the car!! Thankfully the little old lady saw me at the last second and jammed on the brakes. I seriously thought that I was going to be hit by a cute little Echo that night. Turns out, I wasn't made be an action hero afterall.

It's finally official!

2006-03-10T11:15:00.000-08:00

What a wild week! I got to attend this years Conference on the Ministry in Abbotsford, which was fantastic! I think I probably get more out of re-connecting with friends, then from the services. It's so encouraging, and challenging to hear what other people in ministry are going through, and what they're up to.

Wednesday night was the Ordination service. Bascially, it's a affirmation of God's call on our lives to be leaders in ministry. I was quite nervous about addressing the whole conference to be honest. Thankfully, we only were allotted two minutes each, so I didn't have to wax all that eloquently!

It was an honour to have Pastor Don and Pastor Walt with me as my mentors, and I had soo many encougaging words shared with me, which was very special. Then afterward, we celebrated at Boston Pizza! It was great to see both my Smithers world, and my Vernon world come together to have a great time!

Now, life goes on. It's funny how some seem to think that I'm going to change drastically from Ordination. I don't quite know why they think that. However, I'm becoming more committed to fulfilling God's call on my life now, then ever before. I know there are a tonne of areas to grow in, and my desire to be an apprentice of Jesus, and to see others make that decision, is hopefully going to propel me on into whatever this future has in store. Baby steps, baby steps...

It's almost official

2006-02-21T22:03:00.000-08:00

I just learned today that I've been officially reccomended for ordination. It just needs to be ratified by the Conference on the Ministry. So, if you happen to be in Abbotsford on March 8th, come on by Abbotsford Pentecostal Assembly at 7:00!

God is seeking us

2006-01-31T17:01:00.000-08:00

I came across this thought today. It comes from my friend Darcy while we was attending a gathering of denom/parachurch/education leaders. Mike Frost in – from Sydney Australia was speaking.

"Mission is not about man’s search for God, but instead God’s search for man. We’ve turned God into a static thing, and that’s bad theology. We invite people to come and meet God in our churches, while all throughout scripture God seeks out people."

As I chewed on that, it struck me how true it is! God is always the initiator, He's the one who has been making the way for us to know Him. From creating the world, to Jesus' death and ressurection, to sending the Holy Spirit - God has always been the one taking the first step in making a way for us to know, and be known, by Him.

The question that comes to mind from that is: how do we create spaces where people can be found by God, rather then having spaces where we invite people to find God?

Too many endings, time for some new beginnings

2006-01-23T11:17:00.000-08:00

It's been one tough year. This sunday Pastor Don annouced his resignation. I'm torn between feeling sad that this leadership team that I've been a part of for the last five year is gone, and yet I'm happy (although I'm not sure if that's the right word) for Don and Lorraine. I think they're making the right decision, and I'm totally behind them. Yet, it's going to be very sad to see them go.

So lots of endings. I hope I can see some new beginnings, because too many endings at one time gets a bit discouraging.

More time in my car then I care to think about!

2005-12-30T15:12:00.000-08:00

Christmas holidays have come and gone, and it was fantastic! I always love going home, speading lots of time with family and friends, and walking/ nordic skiing with my Mom. I'm still feeling the affects of skiing, a few days after! lol

I definatly spent more time in my car, this holiday, then I care to think about. For starters, I had to drive down to the Coast to pick my younger Bro, then from there drive up to Smithers. All in all, about 25hours in my car! Thankfully Cory was quite willing to drive some of that, since I was starting to hallucinate I was soo exhasted!

On the way home, I was glad to have come passengers along. They were on their way back to Abbotsford, and hitching a ride with me would save them numerous hours on the bus to Cache Creek. We started nice and early, and were making decent time, although the roads were not the best - so I was taking it pretty easy. When, all of a sudden, we got stopped waiting for an accident to clear ... for 3 hours!! Everything was going pretty good from there, until we hit some major fog near Clinton. That was tough, but even worse ... there was some dude driving in our lane ... going the wrong way in the fog!! Had to swerve to miss him, then just had to laugh and shake my head. What was he thinking!! lol

So yah, lots of driving, lots of stories to tell ... great holidays!

The end of an era

2005-12-07T13:58:00.000-08:00

It was sad to hear my friend Hugh resign as youth pastor here at Alexis Park Church. It's the end to one of the most balanced team of leaders I've had the priviledge of being a part of. Each of us are very different, yet with each other really bring a balance to the church.

The hard part, for me, will carrying on Amplify without Hugh. He was the one with the orginal vision for this ministry, and it will not be the same without him. None the less, I'm looking forward to a new "season". If this last Monday was any indication, Amplify will continue be loud, passionate, and all about Jesus!

Ordination here I come

2005-12-01T21:39:00.000-08:00

I took another step closer to ordination this week. I got to attend an ordination seminar in Chilliwack put on by the BC/ Yukon District of the PAOC. It was a fantastic time! First off, we were so well taken care of! The facility was top notch (Stillwoods Camp), and the food was quite amazing. The sessions them selves were full of great teaching, hilarious stories, and truely God inspired moments.

I also got to hang with some great friends. I was totally suprised and stoked that my friends Ron and Brooke, who are minstering in Mexico, made it up for the seminars! I hadn't seen them in years!

So, I'm one step closer to being a "Rev", how crazy is that. That seems quite hard to imagine actually. Next up ... interviews.

Rememberance Day

2005-11-11T18:33:00.000-08:00

I took in the Remberance Day service at the Muliplex today. It was quite an emotional service for me, especially when the pipe band entered the rink. Since my grandfather died a few weeks ago, and was a WW2 vet, I was definatly thinking a lot about him today. My only regret is that I never really got to talk to him about it when he was alive.

It's very important to remeber all those who put their lives on the line, so that we could enjoy the freedom we have today. Most of them were just young guys who dropped everything to fight. I just can't imagine what that would have been like. I wonder if courage like that is still around today? I think I'd like just a little bit of that in my life.

Merge

2005-11-09T10:27:00.000-08:00

It was great to travel down to the Merge conference this past weekend. The trip itself was quite an ordeal. There was a travel advisory on the Coquihalla Hwy, and a rock slide closed down the Trans Canada! We ended up taking the Coq, but taking it VERY easy! It was snowing like crazy at the Toll Booth! It's fun to see snow, but driving in it - that's a different story!

One of the most most impacting parts of the conference was Jeremy Postal's truth talk on the "Big Sexy Lie". Basically it's the lie that we can do life on our own. The truth is that we were never meant to live life solo. We're meant to be in community, and in relationships - it's what we were created to be!

Jeremy talked about a concept called "Eclectic Mentoring", which was facinating. It's about an attitude that is eager to learn from everyone that's around you. From leaders that you look up to, to friends, and to those who look up to for as an example. Eclectic in the the sense of learning from a diversity of sources. Mentoring in the sense of learning a definable art or skill.

It was great to catch a glimpse into Jeremy's heart, and to leave there with lots to ponder. One of the goals I left there was to engage in meanful conversation whenever I can. So much of what I talk about is soo "small talk", and is very unfulfilling. I don't want to spend my life like that.

Thanksgiving at Home

2005-10-13T10:59:00.000-07:00

I've made my yearly trip home to Round Lake for Thanksgiving. Wow, it's been really nice to have to time off to be here. I'm hiking a fair bit with my Mom, which has been fantastic! It's really sunny now, so I'm hoping we can get a hike in today, maybe Moose Mountain - which I can see from my parents dining room.

I also helped Dad put in a new casing for our well yesterday. It was amazing to think of all the work they did to put that well in many years ago. Water, something to take for granted till to see what it takes to get it to your house lol.

Good Times

2005-09-19T13:09:00.000-07:00

Wow, I had a great time with the CnC at Matt's parents place last night. Travis had me laughing so hard I couldn't breathe! Everytime I walked away to try get back in control, he'd laugh ever harder, which got me laughing, and on and on it went! Gotta love balderdash!

I am so amazed by God

2005-09-13T12:26:00.000-07:00

For the last year or so I've been a part of planning a new venture in our church. We took the step of cancelling our sunday night service, which was geared for the "young at heart" and cancelling the midweek youth service, to create a monday night gathering called Amplify. Our goal is to see preteen, high school students, and young adults encouter God and live loudly their faith in everday life.

Well, last night was our first Amplify we thought it was awesome! Most everthing clicked like it should, from the music to the video to people's response to the preaching. It was a fantastic first night.

Then, this morning our secretary shared that a friend her pre-teen daughter took to Amplify decided to follow Jesus last night! Very Happy We had some video running during the worship time, and during a clip of Jesus with the crown of thorns, she started to think about Jesus! This is amazing since I hadn't really planned out the clips I used for video, just kinda grabbed what I had and looped it.

Another girl this preteen brought out, also was really affected by the night, and wants to check out our church! I am stunned, amazed, and soo thankful to God for how He works! It's teaching me to not underestimate the ability for media to touch the heart.

Wow, what an amazing journey God has for us!

It's a new season!

2005-09-07T17:02:00.000-07:00

Isn't it weird that the fall is almost more of a new year than January 1st? I love that Septemeber is marked by new begennings! I'm working hard on our new church website, and it will be soo good to see that up and working. Then Darrin sent me a proof of our new site for Emerge Ministries - and how I was blown away! It was soo good! I can't wait to get it out there!

What a blessing to be in a place where you can launch out into brand new things. We have a new event on monday nights called "Amplify" and it's really exciting to see the possibilites of what God can do! We're really dreaming to see pre-teens high school students and young adults catch a glimpse of God, and never be the same again! Hugh mentioned today that it's like starting a brand new ministry, yet with all the support knowledge and backing that's happened by being here in Vernon for five years. I can't wait!

Fall colours in the Bulkley Valley

2005-08-31T15:50:00.000-07:00

Seeing a picture like this really makes me miss home! I think Smithers is probably one of the most beautiful places I know

Looking at Hudson Bay Mountain

Shouldn't we care?

2005-08-31T14:49:00.000-07:00

I'm amazed at how little I care somtimes. The fact that it takes a graphic newscast to really focus my attention on an issue, or a natural disaster is so frustrating!

I'm reminded of the camera man charcter that Joquin Phoenix played in "Hotel Rwanda". Paul, the hotel manager, was so glad that Joquin's character was going to show pictures of the Rwandan massacre on a newscast, thinking tha people would then force their country to get involved and help stop the massacre. The camera man commented that people would "probably say 'that's aweful what's going on', and the go on eating their dinner". I don't want to be like that - but I often am.