I Love Me!

I was having a conversation earlier today with my Youth Pastor and my Children’s Pastor about ministering to different generations, and how difficult that is. Then my cousin, Connie Denbok, another pastor, posted a link to an article that spoke to some of those differences. It was a New York Times article by John Tierney called “A Generation’s Vanity, Heard Through Lyrics.”

The article was not very flattering at all. It spoke of the trend of youth culture away from community and towards selfishness and narcissism. This quote gives the basic findings: “Dr. DeWall and other psychologists report finding what they were looking for: a statistically significant trend toward narcissism and hostility in popular music. As they hypothesized, the words “I” and “me” appear more frequently along with anger-related words, while there’s been a corresponding decline in “we” and “us” and the expression of positive emotions.”

So, according to these psychiatric professionals, there is a trend among our youth and young adults to think of the world through a very ego-centric lens. As John Maxwell would say, we’re all tuned into the same station – WII-FM (What’s In It For Me?) My question is twofold, is this true and why? Of course, I realise, as do the authors of this study, that we speak in general terms. There are exceptions to every rule.

There have been some interesting studies done over the years about generational differences. Every marketing firm uses the characterizations and preferences of the different generations to develop their marketing strategies. The most common generations we deal with are:
Traditionalists - Born between 1925 – 1945
Baby Boomers - Born between 1946 - 1964
Generation X - Born between 1965 – 1980
Generation Y / Millennials - Born between 1980 – 1995

Each of these generations have very different influences. Traditionalists, for example, lived through either or both of the Great Depression and World War 2. Because they've known real hard times, they have a tendency to prefer stability over risk and to shun debt in favour of living within their means. They also tend to trust authority and value loyalty.

Their children, the Boomers, experienced the surge in the worldwide economy after World War 2, the growing impact of television and inter-continental travel, as well as incredible technological advancement. They also saw the Vietnam War and the Civil Rights Movement lived out in their living rooms through TV. Because of all of these influences, Boomers tend to be optimistic, competitive and questioning of authority.

The next generation, Gen X grew up with MTV, Video Games, Personal Computers, and often alone. In their time the divorce rate tripled, both parents were often working and many were latch key children. This group is known for their skepticism. Because of continued advancements in communications, they are eclectic in their beliefs, blending different belief systems. They also tend to be resourceful, self-reliant and adaptive to change.

The generation spoken of in the article is largely made up of the Gen Y/ Millennials. These guys (North Americans) have grown up with a cell phone or blackberry in their hand. They've played every video game system out there. They've also witnessed the rise of terrorism and 9/11, and the increasing concern over the environment. They tend to be more of a realistic generation. They are globally concerned, value diversity and change, flexibility and recognition.

To speak now to the question(s) raised by the article. Is it true that they are narcissistic and selfish, and if so, why? Leaving behind the anecdotal evidence we all could use, what are the factors that could contribute to this? I think there are many. For one, there's the spotlight we've placed on the issue of self-esteem. As psychologist Lauren Slater writes, "Based on our beliefs, we have created self-esteem programs in schools in which the main objective is, as Jennifer Coon-Wallman, a psychotherapist based in Boston, says, 'to dole out huge heapings of praise, regardless of actual accomplishment.'"

We've also eliminated competition in many of our children's sports. There's even a push on now to stop keeping score in children's hockey games, because we may hurt the self-esteem of the losing team. According to Slater and others, there's a growing body of evidence that people with low self-esteem will not necessarily become the underachieving failures we thought. In fact, many with low self-esteem actually turn this to their advantage. They try harder. In fact, "the discrepancy between high self-esteem scores and poor social skills and academic acumen led researchers like Nicholas Emler of the London School of Economics and Roy Baumeister of Case Western Reserve University to consider the unexpected notion that self-esteem is overrated and to suggest that it may even be a culprit, not a cure."

Another factor to consider is an almost limitless exposure to media. They have grown up with the world at their disposal: music, movies, internet, information..., all on demand. When we get what we want, when we want it, and we're told we deserve it, doesn't it follow that we grow to believe the world does revolve around us? I think it certainly is true that many of today's musicians have bought into this and are promoting the "I Love Me" doctrine.

Yet, I've also seen another side to this generation. I've seen many with a very real desire to make a difference. Many of today's youth seem to be looking for a cause to believe in. I think that this is one of the greatest challenges of the church - to present the counter-cultural Gospel of Jesus Christ to a new generation and call them to rise above the trend towards selfishness and to truly make a difference.

How do you counter a lie? Obviously, with the truth. Jesus Christ claims to be the truth, and calls us to join Him in changing the way the world operates. His Gospel, lived out, will turn the world on its ear. Do you want to be great in God's Kingdom? Serve. See Mother Teresa or Sandra Tineo if you want an example. Do you really love God? Fight injustice. Follow the lead of men like Martin Luther King, Jr. and William Wilberforce. Are you tired of dysfunctional families? Love your own. Jesus changed centuries of ingrained prejudice and respected the personhood of women and children. Follow his example.

The truth is, regardless of the generation in which we were born, all of us are deeply flawed, but God loves us anyway. Each of us must choose how we respond to the love of God extended to us. The proud reject God, believing that they don't need Him; but God is drawn to the humble (James 4:6). The Bible tells us that there's really nothing wrong with loving ourselves - as long as we love God first. His love enables us to love ourselves and others. When Jesus was asked about the greatest commandment, here is what He said: "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments." (Matthew 22:37-40)

The world is a messed up place. It's easy for us to turn inward. But, as John Andrew Holmes said, "It is well to remember that the entire universe, with one trifling exception, is composed of others."

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Akiane

I've had so many hits on my post about Akiane Kramarik that I thought I'd revisit the subject. I've been watching with interest some of the interviews posted with her and looking at some of her art again. It's a very interesting story, and part of the intrigue is the mystery surrounding her and her family's beliefs.

Akiane Kramarik is an incredibly talented young artist whose paintings can now sell for millions of dollars. She has been featured on Oprah, CNN, Good Morning America and many others. Part of the intense interest around Akiane is due to the spiritual nature of her art and her claims to have received her inspiration from visions and dreams, beginning at an early age. As a 3-4 year-old girl, she would try to explain to her mother what she was seeing. Finally she began to draw what she had experienced.

Her mother, seeing her obvious talent, began to provide her with the tools she needed to develop. By the age of 8, her work had begun to win her recognition. For samples of her work, listed by age, go here. What is really remarkable is that Akiane's parents were atheists, she was also home-schooled and her family didn't own a television. Yet Akiane continuously provided a stream of spiritually themed art. This plus her continued insistence on her encounters with God eventually lead the whole family to convert to Christianity, according to her mother.

This spiritual journey seems to have changed between this interview in 2006 and 2010. In a wide-ranging video interview in 2010 Akiane spoke of her family's spiritual journey, referring to her own beliefs as non-denominational, and stating that she has always believed in God, and still does. She has painted Jesus, angels and heaven. Much of her art is about people, and is often blended with her poems. She would probably not refer to herself as a Christian but as "spiritual." She writes of other dimensions which she has visited in her visions and dreams, and often puts these visions onto canvas; she says that she has been given glimpses of the future and of the past.

As a pastor, I'm often asked for my opinion about Akiane and people like her. Is she for real? Does God really show her visions of heaven and other dimensions? Has she seen Jesus? Is this what He really looked like? These last questions come from the mention of Akiane's painting in the book, "Heaven Is For Real." This is a book about a young boy who had a near death experience and began to share things with his parents which they hadn't shared with him. He also claimed to have visited heaven and seen Jesus. The painting of Jesus that he claimed was authentic was the one that Akiane had painted at age 8.

Setting that aside, here are some thoughts. Firstly, the modern church has had a hard time knowing what to do with the arts. Generally speaking, the church has tried to put people into molds and keep them there. If artists don't fit the mold, they're often treated very harshly. This seems to have happened with Akiane, as she has received very sharp criticism of her work, even when she was a little child. She refers to some who have told her that her artwork is "demonic" because it has dark shadows in it, and she should burn it. On almost every website you'll find sharp criticism from very outspoken "Christians." Seeing this, I'm not sure how I would react as a new Christian if people told me my creations were demonic. This may help explain her continued spiritual searching. She seems to be saying what Mahatma Gandhi said: "I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ."

Secondly, I do believe that Akiane is gifted with natural talent, and the Bible teaches us that every good and perfect gift comes from God. What we do with that gift or talent is our responsibility. It seems that Akiane is a sincere young lady, trying to make the world a better place. I also believe that children seem to have a much keener sensitivity to God, and much of her earlier work reflects that innocence.

Finally, and here is the part that I hope is not misunderstood, anyone who makes truth claims will be called upon to defend those claims. As Akiane gets older, her belief system will, no doubt, be refined. It is one thing to say that you were inspired to paint a certain work of art; it's another entirely to say that God has revealed some new truth to you for the benefit of the world. When you make a truth claim you will inevitably bump up against others and that will cause friction.

The question is, does Akiane's art reflect God-revealed truth or is it the product of a fertile imagination. My guess is that it is a little bit of both. As a Christian, my frame of reference is Scripture. The same Jesus that Akiane painted as an 8 year old stated clearly, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." (John 14:6) This is clearly a truth claim. It's also a large part of the reason that other religions have such a hard time with Christianity, it doesn't lend itself to compromise.

I, for one, will be watching Akiane's career with interest. She is a very gifted artist - who is doing very well for herself - and, no doubt, has a bright future. I do fear that her very narrow frame of reference (home-schooling, self-styled spirituality, and small management team) will keep her from having her beliefs tested. I believe in the spiritual principle that "iron sharpens iron," and that our experiences and beliefs need to be tested. I won't be rushing to judgment, however, it seems that there are enough people doing that.

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Canada's Shame

I've been following the Canadian election news waiting for this story to break. It happens every election, but usually it is driven by the left-of-centre Canadian parties. The gist of the story is that you can't elect the Conservatives because they have a "secret agenda" to end abortion in Canada. This time the story didn't come from a left-wing source, but rather from one of Harper's own MPs.

Brad Trost, while speaking to a gathering of pro-lifers, said that their petitions and lobbying had helped to bring about the de-funding of Planned Parenthood by the Canadian government. Planned Parenthood, while providing other services to women, is one of the largest abortion suppliers in the world. In the U.S. alone, they provided 332,278 abortions in 2009. Planned Parenthood claims that abortions represent only a small percentage of the services that they provide, however, those claims are misleading. In 2007, Charlotte Allen explained that Planned Parenthood (at least its U.S. branch) bundles services for the purpose of minimizing the role of abortions. For more on this go here.

All of that is besides the point. The problem with this story is that it is simply not true. Paul Bell, a spokesman for the International Planned Parenthood Federation, states that: "It's certainly what Brad Trost seems to think. It's certainly what some political parties seem to think, but that's not what we've been told." In fact, IPPF submitted a new application for funding but the election was called, interrupting the process. Stephen Harper has repeatedly gone out of his way, to my great frustration, to say that not only will his party not bring forward legislation to limit abortion, they will defeat any private members bill which attempts to do so.

This won't stop Igatieff, et al, of trying to make political hay out of the issue. The Liberal Leader responded by saying that "Everyone who cares about women's rights has to rise up to stop Mr. Harper." He says this in spite of the fact that there are pro-life Members of Parliament in other parties, including his own. (Szabo, McTeague and McKay to name three). Brian Lilley rightly states in a recent article that: "This isn't a religious or moral view - it's science. Thanks to new technologies, including 3D ultrasounds, we know much more now about how a child grows in the womb and the stages of development than when Canada's abortion laws were struck down in 1988... Life truly does begin at conception."

Simply put, this issue which many of us believe is of vital importance, is not on the agenda of any of the major political parties in Canada. That is because the issue would be poison to the Conservative party, who have decided that the lives of unborn children are not as important as forming a government. The other major parties would seem to fall on the side of preferring unrestricted, fully-funded, access to abortion for all Canadian women. I think all of them have stuck their heads in the sand.

As Lilley says, "Canada remains the only major industrialized nation without any restrictions on abortion." We're not moderate, we're anti-life to the extreme! When it is legal to kill a child who could easily survive outside of his/her mother's womb, we have a major problem as a civilized society. As I've said before, I believe it's schizophrenic to do surgery in utero to save a babies life on one floor of a hospital, yet to abort a child of the same gestation on the other. What makes a child human? The fact that his mother wants him? Is that really the position we want to hold on to?

It's my firm belief that the problem in Canada is not that people are that cold-hearted; I believe that many are simply ignorant of the facts. I speak with many who are surprised to find that there is no limit to abortion in Canada. I speak to others who are unaware of the scientific and technological advances like 3D ultrasounds, or advancements in medicine that have greatly advanced viability. I think (hope) that, presented with the facts, most Canadians would take a far more moderate position than that which is currently the status quo. According to a 2006 Environics poll, 64% of Canadians were in favour of some form of protection for the unborn.

All that being said, there is no real political home for pro-life Canadians among major political parties. Harper has made it clear that, as long as he leads the party, this issue will not be allowed to be raised. It has clearly been sacrificed on the altar of political expediency. The problem is that "it" is not just another issue like universal daycare or the HST, "it" represents hundreds of thousands of young Canadian lives. For all of the good things that could be said about this beautiful country, for this, we should be ashamed.

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The Truth About Easter

As many of you reading this would have ascertained by now, I am a Christian. I am not a Christian because I was raised in the church - I actually left the church as a teenager, returning after a search for the truth. No, I am a Christian because that is where the evidence lead me. As C.S. Lewis said, "I believe in Christianity as I believe that the Sun has risen, not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else."

In a number of other articles I have presented some of the reasons why I believe my faith is reasonable. As it is the Easter season, though, I thought I would include a series of quotes about Easter and the Christian faith from a number of different people, most of whom you will recognize. Many of these started out as atheists, but after a search of their own, came to the same conclusion as I have - Jesus Christ is who He says He is. I hope this starts some conversations.

"Christianity, if false, is not important. If Christianity is true, however, it is infinitely important. What it cannot be is moderately important." - C.S. Lewis

"A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic – on a level with the man who says he is a poached egg – or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God; or else a madman or something worse. You can shut Him up for a fool, you can spit at Him and kill him as a demon; or you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God. But let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about His being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to." - C.S. Lewis (Author, Professor, Former Atheist)

"Jesus of Nazareth, without money and arms, conquered more millions than Alexander the Great, Caesar, Mohammed, and Napoleon; without science and learning, he shed more light on things human and divine than all philosophers and scholars combined; without the eloquence of school, he spoke such words of life as were never spoken before or since, and produced effects which lie beyond the reach of orator or poet; without writing a single line, he set more pens in motion, and furnished themes for more sermons, orations, discussions, learned volumes, works of art, and songs of praise than the whole army of great men of ancient and modern times." – Philip Schaff (Historian)

"I may, I suppose, regard myself, or pass for being, as a relatively successful man. People occasionally stare at me in the streets – that’s fame. I can fairly easily earn enough to qualify for admission to the higher slopes of the Internal Revenue – that’s success. Furnished with money and a little fame even the elderly, if they care to, may partake of trendy diversions – that’s pleasure. It might happen once in a while that something I said or wrote was sufficiently heeded for me to persuade myself that it represented a serious impact on our time – that’s fulfillment. Yet I say to you — and I beg you to believe me – multiply these tiny triumphs by a million, add them all together, and they are nothing – less than nothing, a positive impediment – measured against one draught of that living water Christ offers to the spiritually thirsty, irrespective of who or what they are." - Malcolm Muggeridge (Journalist, Former Atheist)

"All heaven is interested in the cross of Christ, all hell terribly afraid of it, while men are the only beings who more or less ignore its meaning."
- Oswald Chambers (Author)

"If Jesus Christ is not risen from the dead, there is not one glimmer of hope for the human race. When I leave office, I'm going to spend the rest of my life studying and writing about the resurrection of Jesus Christ. It's the most important event in history." - Konrad Adenauer (former chancellor of West Germany)

"These three great facts--the resurrection appearances, the empty tomb, and the origin of the Christian faith--all point unavoidably to one conclusion: The resurrection of Jesus. Today the rational man can hardly be blamed if he believes that on that first Easter morning a divine miracle occurred." - Dr. William Lane Craig
(Author and University Professor)

"The Watergate cover-up reveals the true nature of humanity. Even political zealots at the pinnacle of power will, in the crunch, save their own necks, even at the expense of the ones they profess to serve so loyally. But the apostles could not deny Jesus because they had seen Him face to face, and they knew He had risen from the dead. No, you can take it from an expert in cover-ups -- I've lived through Watergate -- that nothing less than a resurrected Christ could have caused those men to maintain to their dying whispers that Jesus is alive and is Lord. Two thousand years later, nothing less than the power of the risen Christ could inspire Christians around the world to remain faithful -- despite prison, torture, and death." - Charles Colson
(Former advisor to President Nixon, imprisoned for his role in the Watergate scandal. Author. Former atheist.)

"The foundation of our religion is a basis of fact - the fact of the birth, ministry, miracles, death, resurrection by the Evangelists as having actually occurred, within their own personal knowledge." - Simon Greenleaf (1783-1853), Harvard Law Professor & former skeptic.

“To me the evidence is conclusive, and over and over again in the High Court I have secured the verdict on evidence not nearly so convincing. As a lawyer I accept the gospel evidence unreservedly as the testimony of truthful men to facts that they were able to substantiate.”–Sir Edward Clark, British High Court Judge

"The cross is that centre of the world's history where all men and nations stand revealed as both enemies of God and yet loved by God." - Dag Hammarskjold (Second Secretary-General of the United Nations)

"For the Christian, the resurrection of Christ from the dead is the tour de force of his apologetic and guarantees his destiny. It is the lynchpin of his argument as he defends the Christian faith. It deals with the most painful of all of life's struggles - the agony of death, which cuts us all down and taunts any hankering we have for omniscience." - Ravi Zacharias

"I have found myself dislodged from one position after another, hauled out of each sanctuary; chased down Fleet Street, through Broadcasting House and the Television Centre, past Great Turnstile and Bowerie Street, Madison Avenue - from such cosy and easily accessible niches I am remorselessly driven. Where? To this symbol of our Christian faith which is also a gallows or a scaffold - the Cross; to this foolishness of men which is also, we are told, the wisdom of God; to these two stark pieces of wood nailed together." - Malcolm Muggeridge

"That Jesus succeeded in changing a snuffling band of unreliable followers into fearless evangelists, that eleven men who had deserted Him at death now went to martyrs’ graves avowing their faith in a resurrected Christ, that these few witnesses managed to set loose a force that would overcome violent opposition first in Jerusalem and then in Rome — this remarkable sequence of transformation offers the most convincing evidence for the Resurrection. What else explains the whiplash change in men known for their cowardice and instability?... One need only read the Gospel's descriptions of disciples huddling behind locked doors and then proceed to the descriptions in Acts of the same men proclaiming Christ openly in the streets and in jail cells to perceive the seismic significance of what took place on Easter Sunday. The Resurrection is the epicenter of belief." - Philip Yancey (Author)

"This is the great choice every human being has to make: Is the resurrection true or only a myth? If the latter, it is an abomination, taking away any validity to the Christian claim. Believing that the resurrection was merely symbolic doesn't create liberal Christianity or a more enlightened version of our faith as many argue; it reduces Christianity to something utterly vain, a belief system like paganism. For if we were to believe Christ was not bodily raised, then Christianity would rest on the belief in human sacrifice - offering an innocent man to die for our sins. This is not enlightened thinking; it is barbaric. It is why so-called liberal Christianity is untenable, no better than paganism." - Charles Colson

Finally, let me conclude with this video of the testimony of Lee Strobel. Lee was an atheist and a cigar-chomping, crime editor for the Chicago Tribune when his wife became a Christian. Here is his story:


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Minding Our Manners

Here's a subject that I've been thinking about often. How is it that we can restore civility to our society? Those who know me well know that I'm not a prude. However, this is getting ridiculous. Everywhere I go I find my senses assaulted with a steady stream of vulgarity and downright rudeness.

I remember as a teenager that every once in a while you might run into someone who wasn't quite up to speed on the social graces, and of course you had some using profanity to act cool. Now it's everywhere, all the time. Does anyone else have a problem with this, or is it just me? I'm really trying to understand.

This subject reminds me of something I read a long time ago about William Wilberforce. If you recall, Wilberforce spent his life fighting the slave trade in Great Britain. It was abolished the year he died. But here's the part that struck me. Read this: “God Almighty has set before me two great objects, the suppression of the slave trade and the reformation of manners.” At first reading I have to admit, I found it somewhat amusing. But now I think I get it.

He lived in a horrible time in British history. Not only was the slave trade going strong, but in parts of London, every other house was a tavern, and prostitution was rampant. Many, if not most, of society's elite lived lives of debauchery and gloried in it. When Wilberforce became a Christian, he became convicted that his life needed to amount to something - that was when he declared his two-pointed vision. Many have had ideas and made bold declarations. What was impressive about Wilberforce was the way he set about changing things.

He gave away one-quarter of his annual income to the poor. He fought on behalf of chimney sweeps, single mothers, Sunday schools, orphans, and juvenile delinquents. He helped found parachurch groups like the Society for Bettering the Cause of the Poor, the Church Missionary Society, the British and Foreign Bible Society, and the Antislavery Society. He wrote books to appeal to the upper class to help them realize they had a responsibility as leaders to model responsible behaviour in a civilized society. He also helped to found the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA).

He understood that society is not changed overnight and that what people need are role models. I think the same is true today. As a Christian leader, one of the things that frustrates me the most is watching people of influence, especially parents, setting horrible examples for their kids. Do we really want everyone dropping 'f' bombs in everyday conversation?

And while I'm ranting, why do they have to put that same kind of language in every movie? - and then in Canada, rate it at PG? I don't know how many times I've brought home a movie rated PG or PG-13 for a night, only to find when it starts that the U.S. rating is 'R.' Five minutes in, and 10 'f' bombs later, I've had enough. I don't think that makes us more enlightened, I think it means we couldn't care less about the junk our kids are putting in their minds.

And then there's the music, dare I start on the music - all aimed at the kids. Topping the charts on i-tunes right now is E.T. by Katie Perry and Kanye West featuring sexual dialogue and profanity. Next in line is "S&M" by Rihanna, which is a song about... S&M - aimed at your 13 year old daughter. Here's a line: "Sticks and stones may break my bones But chains and whips excite me." Charming. The rest of the top ten are more of the same, including Jeremih and Fifty Cent and Britney Spears, et al, almost all with the same theme: "I want your body, whoa, whoa, whoa..."

In my line of work, I talk to a lot of people battling low self-esteem issues. Teenage girls are especially prone to this. We're not helping them at all, as a culture, by glorifying artists who are treating women as sex objects. Have you watched MTV lately? I couldn't take much more than a couple of minutes as some singer, dressed as a pimp, surrounded by scantily clad women he calls his b*****s, raps about what he wants to do with them. Wow! Isn't that what you want your daughter to grow up and do - star in a music video with a misogynist rapper? Then we've got the idiocy happening with Charlie Sheen. I think it's a little crazy that everyone's criticizing him for living his life in real life the way he was playing it on his show.

I know I'm ranting, but it bothers me. I was always taught the old computer principle GIGO - "Garbage in, garbage out." What's true about computers is also true about the mind. You fill it with junk, junk is what you get. Here's a challenge: try to live your life in such a way that, if your children knew everything about you, they'd still be proud. And for you Christians out there, live your life in such a way that you enhance God's reputation in the world. Finally, here's a verse from the Bible that I think is very appropriate for today:"Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter." (Isaiah 5:20) That verse was written some 2,800 years ago. It could describe a lot of what's going on around us. I'm going to try to do a little better in my corner of the world in making it a safe place for everyone. Anyone in favour?

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Election Rambling... Arggghhhh!

Here in Canada we're smack in the middle of yet another Federal election, and in the U.S. the war drums are beating for a Presidential election in November. (It falls on my birthday this year, yeah for me!) The bottom-line is that we have non-stop politics. Everywhere we look, everything we read, everything we hear. So I'll add to the noise.

I used to be what you'd call a political animal. I loved policy talk, voting strategy, candidates debates, etc... I've helped to organize "meet and greets" for candidates and, for a time, considered involvement myself. I have to admit I've grown quite cynical lately. There are a number of reasons for that.

The first of those is that I've grown up and realized that the government cannot (should not?) solve all of our problems. From my experience, the more the government gets involved, the more complicated it gets and the less effective it becomes. It's not that the issues we talk about aren't important - they usually are - it's that the nature of government does not lend itself to solutions, but rather bureaucracy. I agree with Charles Colson, who said: "A good society isn’t built by government dictates but by the shared values of what Edmund Burke called the “little platoons” of society-families, churches, civic groups, and other associations." I find his perspective interesting, having followed his fall in Watergate and his ministry since.

Rather than help, in my opinion big government often hinders community development through layers of bureaucracy and red tape. Many of our Federal and Provincial ministries seem to have forgotten why they were created and, therefore, exist only to perpetuate themselves. I recognize that there are many individuals within these departments for whom this is not true, but I believe that, by and large, the system has failed.

Another reason for my cynicism is that party politics and the role of the media have almost destroyed rational debate. Here's a "for instance." Somehow, in the '70's, it was decided that the abortion issue was settled, though there is no law on the books. I hear this all the time from our national media. Every time a candidate dares to express an opinion that the issue should be discussed (or even if their opinion becomes known) they are not only vilified in the press, but usually ostracized by their own party. It's not the only issue. I've watched in amazement as candidates have been demonized because they are evangelical Christians. In some parts of the country, regardless of qualifications, being a believer is enough for a person's candidacy to be a non-starter.

Because of these, and other reasons, many Conservatives, like myself, find ourselves without a political home. In order to be elected, Stephen Harper has seemingly abandoned his right-wing base and muzzled everyone in his party. It may have gotten him elected, but it leaves a sour taste in a lot of people's mouths. Remarkably, some in the media still accuse him of a hidden agenda - to foist his dreaded "right-wing" morality on an unsuspecting public. His agenda is simple, and it's not a secret - to get and hold power. That being said, I still believe his party is better than the electable alternatives. The Liberals, NDP, et al have demonstrated that they are far left of center on most things, certainly on moral issues, and the Conservatives now occupy the middle. I find it morally reprehensible to ever cast a vote for a party that believes it's a "right" to kill an unborn child. Where's Preston Manning when you need him?

Then you have the controversy in my own riding of Simcoe-Grey. Our current MP, Helena Guergis, was elected as a Conservative, but ran afoul of our Prime Minister when her and her husband were accused of wrong-doing. Though vindicated, she was not allowed back into the Conservative caucus. In fact, she was not even granted an opportunity to hear why she was ejected in the first place. She has sat as an Independent Conservative and is running as one. Her votes in parliament have gone with the Conservatives. Now she faces a worthy opponent, the newly nominated Dr. Kellie Leitch.

When I was called recently by the Conservative Party and asked how I would be voting, I replied that I was undecided. I told them they needed to have the Prime Minister clean up the mess he has made in this riding. I also predicted that the Conservative vote would be split between Leitch and Guergis and the Liberal candidate Alex Smardenka would likely waltz right between them to an election victory. the other candidates in Simcoe Grey, as of this writing, are Katy Austin for the NDP, Jace Metherall for the Green Party; and Peter Vander Zaag for the Christian Heritage Party.

Some would say to vote for a fringe party. That's okay for a protest vote, but these have very little chance of winning a seat, nil of forming a government. Personally, I've never been one to throw a protest vote, I try to be strategic. This year I find myself looking very carefully at the options out there and trying to decide where my vote could really make a difference.

It's sad. The issues we face are many, and serious; yet we don't often talk about the issues. Often, it seems, we studiously avoid them. We'd rather attack each other's character than look at why we agree or disagree with "Cap-and-trade," or take a serious look at our Health-care system. I have friends who are NDPers, and Liberals and Green Party members and more. I like them. We don't have to agree on everything to be friends. (Of course, they may not like me after reading this).

As you can tell, my frustration level is rising. However, I will still cast my vote. I'm just not sure for who this time. I will vote because I can, because in Canada I'm allowed to have a say in who makes decisions for me. I'm thankful for that. As Winston Churchill said, "It has been said that Democracy is the worst form of government except all those other forms that have been tried from time to time."

I long for a return to civil discourse, but I won't hold my breath. If you differ with my position, that's okay. Just don't call me names; tell me why you believe differently. I might even buy you coffee so we can talk about it. And remember, if you don't vote, you really shouldn't complain about who wins or loses. Have your say come election day, a lot of people paid a high price so that you could exercise that right.

Related Articles:
Unsung Heroes - Linda Gibbons
The "A" Word
Oh Canada!
Unborn Victims of Crime Act

Carly Fleischman - A Window Into Autism

I just watched a video posted on a friend's Facebook page. It was so impactful that I knew I had to do a blog about it. It was about a young lady from Toronto, Ontario, named Carly Fleischman who, at an early age, was diagnosed with autism and a severe learning disability. Carly was blessed to be born into a wonderful family whose love for her knows no bounds. Let me first begin with a confession.

I have a great deal of respect for those who work with special needs people. It takes very special people to be able to do that - my wife is one of them. It is an incredibly tasking and challenging role that demands great patience and self-control. I've often made the statement that "I could not do that job." After watching this video, I'm all the more appreciative. It has re-enforced my views on human dignity - that all of us are created in the image of God, and are worthy of respect. Here's a "thank you" to all of you who dedicate your lives to help those born with disabilities.

For the first eleven years of her life Carly was almost completely unable to communicate. Her family spent thousands of dollars and thousands of hours on therapy, in an effort to get into her world. When she was, one day, introduced to a computer, her world - and theirs - was changed forever. This event opened up a new world for Carly, but also opened up a window into the mind of a severely autistic child. Carly now writes her own blog and is writing a novel. Her inspiring story has been featured on Ellen and Larry King Live.

I'm sure that many of you were familiar with Carly's story long before I was, but I'm writing this to try to help spread the word a little further. Autism Spectrum Disorder is often misunderstood. "Health care providers think of autism as a “spectrum” disorder, a group of disorders with similar features. One person may have mild symptoms, while another may have serious symptoms. But they both have an autism spectrum disorder." (From the National Institute of Child Development and Health) Carly has severe symptoms, so her ability to communicate about her experience is shedding great light on what goes on inside the mind of these wonderful people. For more information, please check out the Autism Canada website.

To all of you deal with autism or who are parents or caregivers of autistic children, God bless you. I trust that you will find this video encouraging and inspiring.



Articles of Interest:
Unsung Heroes - Linda Gibbons
If God Is Good, How Could This Happen?

Book-burning 101

Terry Jones, Pastor of the ironically named Dove Worldwide Outreach Center, has set off a firestorm of rioting worldwide after he burned a Qur'an on March 20. He threatened to do so last fall but was talked out of it and said it would "never" happen. Yet, here he was again. His church staged a mock trial and found the Qur'an guilty of "crimes against humanity", including the promotion of terrorism and "the death, rape and torture of people worldwide whose only crime is not being of the Islamic faith".

They then made a display of setting it on fire as the small congregation - and a crowd of media and curious on-lookers - gathered around and watched. (Video posted to You-tube of course).

There are so many directions to go with this story that it's hard to know where to start. First off, let's look at what Jones' used as his justification for this book-burning. According to a blog on the church's web-site, their Biblical basis for doing this was from the book of Acts 19:18-20. Does this passage teach us to burn offensive materials? No. What it does is give us an account of what some people did whose lives had been transformed by the Gospel. They brought their scrolls, and they burned their own scrolls, demonstrating that they recognized their sorcery was wrong. The public impact seemed to come from the public sacrifice of these monetarily valuable materials by the people who owned them! Huge difference.

The early church did not take someone else's sacred book and deliberately provoke a community, which is what Terry Jones did. This was a display for the media, pure and simple. If this was a church growth stunt, sadly, it will likely have some effect. There are enough fringe people out there who will flock to his church. It just goes to show that anyone can draw a crowd. I obviously don't agree with the Qur'an, but you don't change someone's mind by trying to enrage them. I think in carrying out this act, Smith and his congregation actually violated scripture. 1 Peter 3:15-16 says "But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander."

There are a lot of people speaking out against their behaviour, but it's not their "good behaviour" and it's not slander. Terry Jones was wrong.

However, it does open up another discussion. Does it make any sense to answer Jones' claims that Islam is a violent religion by attacking innocent people? If Jones was wrong for burning a Qur'an, then those who attacked the UN compound and killed 12 people are certainly more wrong. They are unwittingly proving his point. That's not the end of it either. Riots have spread, and still continue, with the death toll rising to 20 at this writing. What is the justification for this? There can be none.

The apologists for Islam must continue to answer for this seeming propensity to violence. These protesters are likely some of the same people who danced in the streets when the Twin Towers fell on 9/11, claiming thousands of American lives. It's sad that the "Christians" in Florida are being hateful, and it's sad that adherents of the "religion of peace" felt it necessary to kill to prove their point. It's also sad that some will launch into the usual claim that "all religion leads to violence," and start singing "Imagine." What gets pushed to the side in times like these is truth.

We should be able to discuss and debate without resorting to the extremes apparent in this story. There is such a thing as truth, and it does matter. Whether you're a Christian, Muslim, Hindu, Atheist or Agnostic, stop being rude and let your argument stand on its own merits. As someone said, "If we throw mud at each other, we'll both get dirty and we'll both lose ground." I like Ravi Zacharias' approach to this, so I'm going to conclude with a video clip from him. These are some of the reasons that I'm still a Christian.



Related Posts:
Remember My Chains
Book Review: "What Good Is God?"
What Is A Christ-follower?

Unsung Heroes - Linda Gibbons

It was Martin Luther King, Jr. who said that "An individual who breaks a law that conscience tells him is unjust, and who willingly accepts the penalty of imprisonment in order to arouse the conscience of the community over its injustice, is in reality expressing the highest respect for the law."

If that is indeed the case, then Linda Gibbons has demonstrated that she has no peers in Canada. This 63 year old great-grandmother will soon have spent more time behind bars than Karla Homolka and many other convicted murderers. Her crime? Silently praying within sixty feet of a Morgantaler abortion clinic in Toronto. She actually at times has had the nerve to hold a sign asking "Why Mom, when I have so much life to give?" For this she is treated like a common criminal.

Linda is now behind bars awaiting her appeal before the Supreme Court of Canada. Over the past 17 years, she's spent almost 9 years in a prison cell, and has been incarcerated for the last 26 months. She could be released today if she would agree not to protest near the clinics. She refuses to agree to these conditions on principle, believing that the demand is a contravention of her freedom of expression.

So while in prison Linda provides counsel to the younger women she calls "her girls," trying to help them break out of patterns of drug abuse and life on the streets. She is proud of the fact that she has saved three babies from abortion while on the inside. Speaking to an interviewer she said: “Wherever I am, I am free to do God’s work. I can be on the outside or in the inside. It doesn’t matter. I don’t feel burdened by what I’m doing.” (For the full article go here.)

It seems that our legal system really doesn't know what to do with Linda precisely because she has the courage of her convictions. The supposed issue at hand is a "temporary injunction" which was put in place in 1994. Ummm, at what point does that become permanent? Our judicial system doesn't seem to want that issue before the courts so they are charging her with everything except contravening that injunction. She's been charged with "obstructing a peace officer," and "disobeying a court order." These charges allow the courts to not deal with the question of the merits of the temporary injunction. So Linda stays.

Why is she so passionate? Others have taken the same stand as she has, yet took the opportunity for release when offered. “I didn’t have the courage to break the injunction,” says retired high school teacher John Bulsza, of London, Ont., who was named in the original injunction in August 1994. “Everyone of us should have protested with her and this case would be history. She’s our Gandhi and we’re letting her take the fall for the rest of us.”
Linda herself had an abortion when she was a young woman and doesn't want anyone to have to deal with that. She also was born with a cleft palate and underwent successful surgery as a child. She wonders, with the advanced pre-natal testing as advanced as it is today if she might not have been aborted if born later. So she stands in defense of the unborn at every opportunity. She doesn't fight, she doesn't yell. She doesn't threaten, harass or argue. She simply bears silent witness to what she feels is the genocide of millions of Canadian babies. Her lawyer believes that she is a "prisoner of conscience." Others are not so impressed, believing that Linda is getting her just desserts for thumbing her nose at the law.

When thinking of Linda's plight, I can't help but draw comparisons to Martin Luther King, Jr., with whose quote I opened this piece. Some may not think the comparison appropriate, but that would depend on your view of the rights of the unborn, I suppose. When King was imprisoned, the rights of blacks weren't recognized by everyone either. He stood against what he felt were unjust laws, willingly paying the price for finding himself on the wrong side of, what he considered to be, unjust laws. One of the obvious differences is that Linda is not a dynamic leader with a national profile like King was. She does not have the speaking or writing ability which allowed him to clearly articulate his position. Linda quietly lives out her beliefs, for her it seems there is no other option.

At the time of this writing, the case has been adjourned to April 12. It will be interesting to see if the top court of our land is comfortable allowing a 63 year old great-grandmother to be held indefinitely behind bars for breaking a temporary injunction put in place way back when Bob Rae's NDP ran Ontario. One thing can be said for Linda Gibbons, she is one person who has the courage of her convictions.

Related Articles:
Unsung Heroes - Ralph Edmund
Unsung Heroes - Sandra Tineo
The "A" Word

Unsung Heroes - Ralph Edmund

Here is the second article in my series on unsung heroes. These are people whose stories need to be heard. They are making a difference where they are, often under very difficult circumstances.

Ralph Edmund was born into privilige in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. That is a rare thing indeed, but rarer still is the fact that Ralph, with opportunity to live in luxury in North America, has chosen to give his life in changing the country he loves for the better. After High School in Haiti, Ralph graduated magna cum laude from Baruch College in New York and returned to his native Haiti to develop a homegrown pharmaceutical company.

Farmatrix started with $2,000 in funding and 3 employees. At the time of the earthquake in 2010 the company had over 80 employees and grossed over $2 million. What is most remarkable about Ralph and his partner Alain Vincent is the way they do business. They determined from the beginning that they would not participate in the common Haitian practices of paying bribes, cheating on taxes, etc... As Christians, they would build their business "the right way." The result has been remarkable.

However, being successful in Haiti carried with it some very real dangers. Gangs are rampant, and prey on people of means. Kidnapping, robberies, even murder are common occurrences. Ralph's life has been in jeopardy numerous times. On one occasion, while stopped at a busy intersection, a man with a 9 mm gun ran toward his car and began firing. Four bullets went into the car, one almost hit his spine and his chaffeur was hit and almost killed. On different occasions both his sister and sister-in-law were kidnapped and held for ransom. Their families have since left Haiti, yet Ralph stays.

With Ernso Jean-Louis and Sylvie Theard, successful Christian entrepeneurs, Ralph established Haiti Partners for Christian Development, a branch of Partners Worldwide. Their goal is to connect rich and poor through mentoring partnerships. Ralph has worked in some of the toughest areas of Port-au-Prince, promoting dialogue between gang members, businesspeople and political leaders. He also spends time mentoring young entrepeneurs, amid the constant challenges.

When asked what keeps him in Haiti he responds, "I am building things... I have hope." He also said, "I don't want to run from the problem - I want to be part of resolving it. Even though I may have only 10 businesspeople who will stand with me, we will stand together as part of the solution for Haiti."

Why would we call Ralph heroic? Because he willingly places himself at risk for the sake of creating positive change in his country. No-one would blame him for leaving; for finding safer environs and building a personal fortune. Even after the 2010 earthquake damaged his factory, Ralph chose to stay and has rebuilt. He has larger goals in mind. "My interest is the time we spend sharing our lives, so that we can build a community together. Then if that community becomes a healthy and strong country, that is up to God." This is how God's kingdom is built - one person at a time.

Learn more about Ralph Edmond and business development in Haiti in the book My Business, My Mission: Fighting Poverty Through Partnerships by Doug Seebeck and Timothy Stoner.

Related Articles:
The Great Paradox
Unsung Heroes - Sandra Tineo
Urban Onramps
Life On The Other Side

The Great Paradox

Jesus said some things that seem very hard to understand. One of those statements comes in the form of a paradox, found in Matthew 16:25: "For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it." Hidden in this statement, I believe, is the key to fulfillment in our lives. In order to understand this verse, or any other, we need to look at it in context.

Jesus was preparing to go to the cross. More than that, he was preparing his disciples for the events that would shortly take place. He said that he would suffer at the hands of the religious leaders; he shared that he would ultimately die. The Apostle Peter, always thinking with his mouth, was again the first to speak, and he said what everyone else was likely thinking. He said, "Never Lord, this shall never happen to you." Jesus' response was shocking. He declared that Peter was a stumbling block to him and was actually being used as a tool by Satan.

This was a remarkable scene with deep meaning. The truths represented here in the verses that followed I believe hold the key to truly understanding the Christian life. Jesus understood his purpose: "to give his life as a ransom for many." (Matthew 20:28) Any other plan, while obviously less painful, would have the devastating consequence of leaving the world without a Saviour. Jesus went to the cross, recognizing it was necessary for God's will to be accomplished, and knowing that, in the end, he would be raised up. He was willing to endure whatever cost for the sake of humanity. He chose to lose his life to find it.

He challenges us to do the same. This is that part of Christianity that many (most?) do not understand. It's not about religion, about empty tradition and ritual; it's about following Jesus Christ and joining him in bringing about God's kingdom on earth. It's not about blindly following some ancient symbol of heroic sacrifice either; it's following a living Saviour, who actually indwells his people by the Holy Spirit. It's not about receiving Jesus so that we can get rich and have all of our problems solved; it's about recognizing that God can use everything in our lives - the good and the bad - to bring about ultimate good in our lives.

So here's what he's saying: Jesus is telling us, first of all, that God's priorities must be our priorities. That's why his prayer to his father in the garden of Gethsemane was "Not my will, but yours be done." He was willing to submit his will to his Father's will. He invites each of us, in our own setting, to willingly lay down our priorities and submit them to God's higher purpose. And here's where the guys in the cheap seats start screaming.

How is it that God would ask (expect!) us to lay down selfish pursuits for a higher purpose? Doesn't he know that it's all about us? Haven't we all been told (especially in North America) that we deserve to be waited on hand and foot? Here's a news flash - true Christianity is counter-cultural and also counter-intuitive. Jesus Christ came to be a servant and his followers are called to serve as well. The reasons he can ask this of us are manifold: he created us, he knows us intimately - our individual gifts, talents and abilities. He also knows the purpose for which he created us; how we can fulfill that purpose, and has the power to bring that to pass. With all of that, yes! he calls us to lay down our lives in order that we may live.

Here's the kicker, we really can't grasp this truth without simply surrendering to it, and that is so hard for we who live in this Me-first culture. So what we've tried to do is remake Jesus in our own image: a safe, nice guy, who had tremendous insight into human nature and wants us to behave ourselves. Jesus did not come to make bad people good: he came to make dead people live! (See John 10:10) If you call yourself a Christ-follower, follow. While the sea of humanity muddles around in the valley, he's carrying his own cross up a hill, giving his life for others.

Items of Interest:
Remember My Chains
Unsung Heroes - Sandra Tineo
What have you got to lose?
What Is A Christ-follower?

Remember My Chains

A few times on this site I have written about the plight of Christians in different parts of the world. There have been a few reports over the past few weeks, that have caught my attention, which have not been widely reported by the popular media. What is normally reported is what is referred to as "religious violence" between Christians and Muslims or Christians and Hindus, etc... Digging a little deeper, what this usually means is that Christians have been attacked by a group representing whatever the religious majority of the country or region involved.

This article is not designed to absolve the Christian church of all guilt; we are all familiar with the crusades and other shameful periods in church history. Suffice it to say that those who participated in these and other regrettable chapters over the centuries were actually acting against the teachings of Jesus Christ. Thankfully, church leaders have gone to great lengths to try to make amends for these events, though they took place in the distant past. The full text of the apology issued to Muslims is given below. If you wish to read more on the "Reconciliation Walk," click on the link.

"Nine hundred years ago, our forefathers carried the name of Jesus Christ in battle across the Middle East. Fuelled by fear, greed and hatred, they betrayed the name of Christ by conducting themselves in a manner contrary to His wishes and character. The Crusaders lifted the banner of the Cross above your people. By this act, they corrupted its true meaning of reconciliation, forgiveness and selfless love.

"On the anniversary of the first Crusade, we also carry the name of Christ. We wish to retrace the footsteps of the Crusaders in apology for their deeds and in demonstration of the true meaning of the Cross. We deeply regret the atrocities committed in the name of Christ by our predecessors. We renounce greed, hatred and fear, and condemn all violence done in the name of Jesus Christ.

"Where they were motivated by hatred and prejudice, we offer love and brotherhood. Jesus the Messiah came to give life. Forgive us for allowing His name to be associated with death. Please accept again the true meaning of the Messiah's words:

"'The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because He has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favour.' As we go, we bless you in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ."

I'm thankful that there are good things happening in the area of reconciliation, but what I'd like to do today is to draw our attention to the millions who are suffering for their Christian faith in the world today. According to estimates, there are an average of 171,000 people being martyred for their Christian faith every year. As I said earlier, rarely do we hear of these through normal news channels. Let me draw attention to a few of them.

March 24, 2011 - (Mauritania) A report was received from Mauritania that a Christian Pastor named Ahmadou Abu Bakr was murdered by Islamists. He left a wife and three children, now in hiding. He had been kidnapped sometime before. His bullet-riddled body was discovered on March 6. It was reported that he was the fourth Christian martyred in that region of Mauritania since 2009. There was no report of arrests made.

March 23, 2011 - (Pakistan) As Christians gathered to celebrate the 30th anniversary of their Salvation Army church in Hyderabad, Pakistan, a group of young Muslims gathered nearby and began to harass young women who were making their way to the service. When some of the men came out to protect the women, some of the Islamists left and came back with weapons. They opened fire on the Christians, killing Younis Masih and Jameel Masih and seriously injuring two others. None of the identified attackers had been arrested by police. This comes on the heels of the assassination of Shahbaz Bhatti, the only Christian member of government in Pakistan. Bhatti was an outspoken critic of the anti-blasphemy law, used by Muslims to imprison Christians and other minorities. A Christian imprisoned for blasphemy also recently died in prison after being regularly beaten.

March 23, 2011 - (Iraq) A report by Sarah MacDonald tells us that conditions for Christians in Iraq are so critical it's been described as "near-genocidal." Since 2003 more than 500 Christians have been murdered. Islamic activists have targeted Christians in an effort to purge the country of a Christian community dating back almost 2,000 years. The increasing pressure on Christians has caused many to flee the country, bringing the estimated Christian population from about 1.3 million in 1991 to about 500,000 today.

March 23, 2011 - (China) ChinaAID reports that yet another Chinese house church was raided on March 13, 2011. 12 Christians were arrested, 2 of whom still remain in detention. They are Weng and Zhang Yongkuan. Police confiscated all Bibles and other books. Thousands of Christians remain in prison or in "re-education camps" in China. Many disappear, never to be heard from again.

March 22, 2011 - (Nigeria) The Stefanos Foundation, an organization established to support the persecuted church in Nigeria, reports an attempted bombing of a church on Sunday, March 20, 2011. The timer on the bomb apparently malfunctioned and it blew up prematurely, killing two attempted Islamic terrorists. Earlier that day, three Christians had been murdered at Duala Junction and six other Christians were being treated in hospital for stab wounds. Muslim elders in the region declared a jihad (holy war)on Christians on December 28, 2010, stating their intentions to cause such mayhem that the government would be forced to declare a state of emergency.

As you can see, these are all reports from within a less than one-week period. The following video on behalf of Christian martyrs was prepared by Voice of the Martys Canada. Please pray for Christians around the world who are suffering for their faith.



Items of Interest;
Shahbaz Bhatti - Christian Martyr
Modern-Day Martyrs in Turkey - A Reprise
Modern-day Martyrs in Turkey
Assumptions

Ravi Zacharias and Dr. John Lennox take on Stephen Hawking cont.

Here is the third video in this series for you serious students who have gotten this far.



Items of Interest:
Ravi Zacharias and Dr. John Lennox take on Stephen Hawking
If God Is Good, How Could This Happen?
Book Review: "Why I Still Believe"
Book Review: "Has Christianity Failed You?"
Assumptions
SCIENTISM

Ravi Zacharias and Dr. John Lennox take on Stephen Hawking

Here are two videos well worth watching that deal with Stephen Hawking's claim that God was not necessary for the beginning of the universe. For those of you who like to wrestle with the big questions, here you are:





Articles of Interest:
If God Is Good, How Could This Happen?
Book Review: "Why I Still Believe"
Book Review: "Has Christianity Failed You?"
Assumptions

Life-changers

I was reading my friend Dewayne Hamby's blog about the impact a recent message by Andy Stanley had on him, and it got me thinking. What are the moments that I remember that had a profound impact on my life? There have been a few of them, but one immediately leapt to mind - first a little background.

I began my pastoral ministry at a very young age, and have learned many of my life-lessons the hard way - by experience. By 25 I had already pastored two churches, assisted at another and was starting out as a Youth Pastor in Jacksonville, Florida. Like many young people starting out, I believed that I had all of the answers - or at least a lot of them. I was of the opinion that the reason I didn't have more success in my ministry was a lack of opportunity, or resources, or the right people around me, or... You get the picture. My Senior Pastor in Florida signed us up for a Pastor's Conference (I believe in Birmingham, AL) featuring John Maxwell as the keynote speaker. At the time, John was already well on his way to becoming a household name in the area of leadership development.

John began to speak, and I believe I had a front-row seat. It was one of those times when it felt as though John (and God through him) was speaking directly to me. I don't remember all of the details, as this was 23-24 years ago now. But what I do remember has had a lasting impact on me.

John spoke about personal responsibility and about being honest with ourselves. One of the quotes that I remember is this: "Your problem is not the problem, you are. Face it and fix it." He was talking about pastors who spend two years at a church and then, all of a sudden, hear God "calling" them to move on. Then two years later the cycle repeats itself, and so on, and so on... He went on to say that the reason for this cycle is that most pastors enjoy a "honeymoon" period at a new church, and once three years were up, the problems they faced could no longer be blamed on their predecessor. I have to admit, this was one of those "ouch" moments for me. I thought back over my few years in ministry and realized that there was a lot of truth to what he was saying.

I made a number of commitments as a result of that conference. One of them was a commitment to develop my leadership abilities, another prominent theme of the conference. From that one commitment has followed many lessons learned that have radically changed my life and ministry. I have made it a part of my life to attend at least one leadership conference a year and read leadership material on a regular basis. Another commitment was to not run from my problems but to face them head on and with grace. This has lead to two long-term pastorates, both of which have been extremely rewarding.

It's amazing the difference that one lesson can make. I am eternally grateful to John for his influence from a distance. Thanks from the guy in the front row.

Articles of Interest:
Book Review: "It Came From Within!"
Are You Listening?
Deliver Us From Mediocrity
The Rebekah Principle

Unsung Heroes - Sandra Tineo

I've decided to do a few blogs on unsung heroes. We live in a hard world, but there are some people who unselfishly and sacrificially give of themselves to make the world a better place. One of those people is Sandra Tineo.

Sandra was born and raised in a slum of Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic, called Aguas Negras. Translated into English, it literally means "Black Water," and is named for the sludge that often runs through the streets, and often the homes of this poor community. I got to meet Sandra a few years ago when I was on a fact-finding mission for our church.

Like many others who meet Sandra, I was left with a lasting impression of a woman who loves her people and has a red-hot commitment to improve their lives. She told me that her activism started innocently enough; she asked her pastor, in a better part of town, to start a satellite church in Aguas Negras, because she believed in the power of the local church. When he said "no" she was devastated. But as she continued to pray, she felt God telling her that it was she who was supposed to begin this work - this was her calling.

That was her first venture into community transformation. Since that time Sandra has started a school, and organized health workshops and medical clinics. Sandra is an unassuming woman, simply looking to meet the needs of the people as she sees them. She has stumbled into a holistic approach to community development. Recognizing the need for jobs, she started a cottage sewing industry for some of the ladies. Seeing the need for greater communication, she opened a room with computers with internet capability for the locals.

Growing up in this neighborhood, right at the mouth of the San Carlos River and below the cities sewage lagoons, she had first-hand experience with sewer water running through the streets and even the homes of many in the community. She began to seek out partnerships to build better homes that were built above the flood levels, or often simply to raise the floor level three feet and do necessary repairs.

Touring through the neighborhood with Sandra it's clear how much she is loved. In the streets and in every home she is greeted with a smile; children call out her name. Recognizing her gifts, at least one North American Church has offered to put her on their staff and continue to allow her to work among her people. In typical Sandra fashion she declined because, in her eyes, it would have put her above the people she served.

So she continues to work where she grew up, helping where she can. When someone needs medical care, she will try to connect them with an agency or a donor that can assist. When a crisis arises, Sandra meets it with the faith that has allowed her to build a thriving ministry in a slum. She has been called the Mother Teresa of Puerto Plata for obvious reasons. Their motivation was/is to serve Jesus Christ through serving the "least of these." A true unsung hero - Sandra Tineo.

Apostle to the Irish: The Real Saint Patrick

Here's an article from Charles Colson about the real story behind St. Patrick:

Apostle to the Irish: The Real Saint Patrick By Charles Colson
Breakpoint Ministry
CBN.com -- If you ask people who Saint Patrick was, you're likely to hear that he was an Irishman who chased the snakes out of Ireland.

It may surprise you to learn that the real Saint Patrick was not actually Irish -- yet his robust faith changed the Emerald Isle forever.

Patrick was born in Roman Britain to a middle-class family in about A.D. 390. When Patrick was a teenager, marauding Irish raiders attacked his home. Patrick was captured, taken to Ireland, and sold to an Irish king, who put him to work as a shepherd.

In his excellent book, How the Irish Saved Civilization, Thomas Cahill describes the life Patrick lived. Cahill writes, "The work of such slave-shepherds was bitterly isolated, months at a time spent alone in the hills."

Patrick had been raised in a Christian home, but he didn't really believe in God. But now -- hungry, lonely, frightened, and bitterly cold -- Patrick began seeking out a relationship with his Heavenly Father. As he wrote in his Confessions, "I would pray constantly during the daylight hours" and "the love of God . . . surrounded me more and more."

Six years after his capture, God spoke to Patrick in a dream, saying, "Your hungers are rewarded. You are going home. Look -- your ship is ready."

What a startling command! If he obeyed, Patrick would become a fugitive slave, constantly in danger of capture and punishment. But he did obey -- and God protected him. The young slave walked nearly 200 miles to the Irish coast. There he boarded a waiting ship and traveled back to Britain and his family.

But, as you might expect, Patrick was a different person now, and the restless young man could not settle back into his old life. Eventually, Patrick recognized that God was calling him to enter a monastery. In time, he was ordained as a priest, then as a bishop.

Finally -- thirty years after God had led Patrick away from Ireland -- he called him back to the Emerald Isle as a missionary.

The Irish of the fifth century were a pagan, violent, and barbaric people. Human sacrifice was commonplace. Patrick understood the danger and wrote: "I am ready to be murdered, betrayed, enslaved -- whatever may come my way."

Cahill notes that Patrick's love for the Irish "shines through his writings . . . He [worried] constantly for his people, not just for their spiritual but for their physical welfare."

Through Patrick, God converted thousands. Cahill writes, "Only this former slave had the right instincts to impart to the Irish a New Story, one that made sense of all their old stories and brought them a peace they had never known before." Because of Patrick, a warrior people "lay down the swords of battle, flung away the knives of sacrifice, and cast away the chains of slavery."

As it is with many Christian holidays, Saint Patrick's Day has lost much of its original meaning. Instead of settling for parades, cardboard leprechauns, and "the wearing of the green," we ought to recover our Christian heritage, celebrate the great evangelist, and teach our kids about this Christian hero.

Saint Patrick didn't chase the snakes out of Ireland, as many believe. Instead, the Lord used him to bring into Ireland a sturdy faith in the one true God - and to forever transform the Irish people.

Short-term Missions - Good or Bad?

I've been reading a lot lately about the subject of Missions. I'm finding, more and more, that the practice of sending teams on short-term missions is being called into question. It used to be thought that this was one of the best ways to share the love of God with those less fortunate - send a group of compassionate people into a needy area to accomplish a prescribed task and build relationships.

However, some have criticised this practice, (see article) saying that there are rarely long-term positive effects and that, often, it creates an unhealthy dependence on foreigners on the part of locals. It also can draw long-term missionaries away from "real" ministry in order to accommodate short-termers' need to "get something done."

As a pastor, and one who has spent some limited time on the field, I see both sides of this argument. On the one hand, I appreciate that the problems of the majority world (developing countries) are far too complex to solve overnight or in a week or two. On the other hand, I've seen the benefit that exposure to the mission field can have in a person's life; often, it's transformational.

I believe that the answer is both/and. As a local church, we've set a goal of having all of our youth be a part of a short-term missions trip before they graduate from high school. We've taken youth to Northern Ontario to run basketball clinics, do church repairs and community outreach. We've sent teams to The Dream Center in the inner city of Los Angeles and worked on skid row and ministered to children in the streets. We've also sent teams to work with Haitian refugees in the hills above Puerto Plata in the Dominican Republic. They've built homes, fed children, helped in schools and built relationships.

The reason we've established this goal is that we believe exposure to those less fortunate helps us to expand our worldview and become more compassionate as people. Our hope is that a taste of missions will encourage generosity throughout our lives and even provide the spark for some who will devote their lives to full-time missions work. We also hope that our teams will see the good that is being done elsewhere and adapt some of these tools to help in our own community.

At the same time, we look for ways to be involved in long-term missions. That may mean supporting a North American missionary in another country or providing on-going support and partnership with Christian workers native to those countries. One of the key words emerging lately is that of relationship. Missions, at its base, must be about building long-term, healthy, relationships with people who have the potential to bring about real change.

I know that my 9 week stay in Malta in the early '90's and my trips to the Dominican Republic and The Dream Center have profoundly changed the way I see the church and its role in the world. It has helped me change the way that I think about people, and to understand that each person deserves to have the gospel presented to them in a way that they can understand.

I'd really like to hear from those of you who have been on short-term trips yourself. Where did you go? How has it affected you? What do you think was accomplished? Do you recommend the experience to others? Let me know your thoughts.

Articles of Interest:
Dream On
Life On The Other Side
Dominican Republic - 2010