4 years ago

Four years ago today, on a Sunday afternoon, I fought a losing battle against the grace of God. Yep, it was July 30th, 2004 that the Lord dragged me kicking and screaming into His light. I look back on over the past four years with mixed emotions. Firstly, I’ve been blessed immensely by being given a drive and passion for examining my faith. Thus, I have acquired a tremendous amount of knowledge that other Christians of my spiritual-youth have not been exposed to. I also can see how God has brought about a level of maturity in me, which I am immensely thankful for. I still have a LOOOOONG way to go, but I’ve learned compassion and moderation with my brothers & sisters.

At the same time, I can’t help but look back and see how often I’ve failed, and continue to do so. I sometimes feel like a lottery winner, who realizes how much he’s frivolously, and selfishly spent. I pray the sanctifying power of the Spirit would conform me, and break me of those sins I still harbor in my heart. It would be nicer if the Lord would painlessly take such things from me, but He and I both know… the only way I seem to learn is when he breaks me of them… often in uncomfortable and painful ways.

However, I have so much to rejoice about too! My family and friendships are well and blessed. I’m seeing people’s hearts changed, and new passions for truth being nurtured. I’ve watched as my own family has grown, and been blessed in so many ways. Praise to the almighty God who, for no other reason aside from his own glory, chose to not only create, but get involved with us.

so THAT’S where acid rain comes from

One of the most anti-theistic comedy programs on the air is The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, but you know what? I still think it’s pretty funny, mainly because he’s at least unbiased when it comes to mocking theistic worldview in its entirety. He’s not just picking on Christian theism, but Judaism, Islam as well as the major humanistic and polytheistic religions. I also enjoy the fact that he spends most of his time picking on Americans… which is a favorite pastime of mine.

However, I heard comedienne Janeane Garofalo on there, and while I recognize that she’s a comic, and not a social analyst, I think she said some things that represent an enormous chunk of liberal western thinking. Here’s a sound clip from the interview, and you can actually watch the whole interview online by clicking here. Basically, she’s shocked that the USA currently has a so-called “fundamentalist” president. What is the deal with this word?! Why does it carry with it all this excess baggage that indicates the subject is a cave-man, anxious to bash potential mates over the head and drag them back to the old hole in the ground.

For Ms. Garofalo, anyone who believes that the universe was intentional is apparently suffering from some sort of delusion. It simply amazes me that these people cannot carry their world-views through to their logical conclusion and see that, if you believe that our existence is an impersonal, unintentional combination of time and random environmental factors, then there is absolutely no reason to attach any value to human life, or the world around us. What reason could she possibly, logically propose to offer any foundation to a condemnation of murder? She can’t, not logically. Naturalistic humanists are forced to inconsistently borrow from the theistic system in order to define standards of right and wrong, and attach value to existence. However, I don’t think she really had too much interest in maintaining a logical train of thought, since she feels George W. Bush’s environmental policy is a direct result of his eschatology.

Don’t get me wrong though… I’m not a Bush supporter. However, I can’t think back on a single U.S. president I would, in good conscience, support. Guess that’s the Canadian in me, though. Anyway, please leave some comments on Ms. Garofalo’s statements, and share your personal experiences with similar discussions…

weekend at terry’s

Well, we just got back from our weekend visit with Terry & Brenda Atkinson, up in New Brunswick. It was a joy and pleasure to see them both again, and spend some quality time just sitting around talking. We miss them terribly, of course, but Terry will always hold a special place in my heart. He’s the pastor who introduced me to Christ, baptized me, and married me to my wife. I think, should he outlive me, I’m going to have to have him perform the funeral service, just to maintain consistancy.

They’re currently dealing with the tough issue of women in ministry at thier church right now, as they are hiring a new associate pastor for children, and the obvious choice for such a ministry is a female. While I’ve never found the discussion/debate on the issue of women in ministry overly edifying, this is a rather interesting situation that primarily focuses on what the role of a "pastor" is. We Baptists generally shun titles, but it seems that the term "pastor" has been elevated in many circles to a title that carries a lot of excess baggage with it.

Regardless, the trip was well worth it, and we both loved seeing Terry and Brenda again. We pray that thier ministry would continue to be effective, through the power of the Holy Spirit, to the glory of God.

used pottery – half off

Those who know me, know that I have self-esteem issues. I’m not self-deluded; I know why I’m a joker, why I’m a private person, why I enjoy spending time alone. It’s not like I’ve convinced myself that I’m “just a loner” or something. I’m also the worst kind of hypocrite: A Christian who teaches others about Christianity, while continuing to rebel against the God who redeemed him. Somebody said something to me today, however, that reminded me that God is indeed the potter, and we are the clay.

They said that they enjoy our theological discussions because it’s one of the only times I’m comfortable and confident. Isn’t that odd? That the proverbial class clown, overcompensating for obvious sense of inferiority, should seem comfortable and confident when speaking of the absolute, immutable, omnipotent, all-holy God. The God who should have condemned him. The God who didn’t. The God who he constantly asks, “Why me?”

In looking back on my life, and all the nasty things that have happened (as well as all the good things), I see more clearly why each was useful for a bigger purpose. Isaiah cries out, “Yet, O LORD, you are our Father. We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand.” Yet, like an old clay vessel that has seen a lifetime of use, we are chipped, marred and worn. We look at the damage done over the years and think, “What a worthless piece of crockery. It may have been nice once upon a time, but look at it now.” Yet, someone fills it with water one more time to water a plant, and we watch as it spills and leaks from the various cracks and holes, and we snicker to ourselves, saying, “Look at the mess it’s making!”

But see how much more earth was watered by the broken clay pot. Each of those spills may have fed a hidden seed. And to hear someone express the fact that they enjoy talking to me about God reminds me that He can use anything… good stuff… bad stuff… even a crackpot like me. (Sorry – couldn’t resist.)

everyone out of the pool!

We all headed to Chris’ yesterday to help him install his new above-ground pool. I use the word "help" with a rather liberal definition, because I threw my back out pretty early on, and everyone else… well… let’s let the pictures do the talking…

Anyway, as far as I know, Chris is still stuck in the pool. I’m going to miss that guy… he was the best.

katewood camp

I was so concerned about sending Katelynn & Shelby to Kingswood Christian Camp, mainly because I know neither of them had ever done camp before, let alone a Christian camp. However, this whole situation has just reinforced the idea that God does, in fact, honour the children we trust in his hands. Katelynn came home, completely wired for sound, with so many stories about all the cool things she’s experienced. One of the most important things that both of them learned, I guess, is the fact that Christians are just regular people. Well, except for maybe Kris, who’s almost as weird as me. Anyway, I think they found it immensely helpful to break through the social stigma of Christianity, and see that – hey, we’re normal folks – and some of us are pretty cool! I can’t say enough about Kingswood. I know there are people who disagree with the fact that it’s co-ed, but I’ve seen it impact so many lives, so positively. It’s definitely been an immense blessing to Alyssa, Shelby & Katelynn.

ups n downs

What a week! So many ups and downs, that it seemed to drag on forever! The major down was we’re dealing with some challenges at work that are proving incredibly irritating. I don’t care what troubleshooting field you’re in, be it computers, mechanics, or engineering – it’s incredibly aggravating when you know there’s a problem, but you just can’t quite put your finger on the cause. We’ve got one of those that we’re dealing with now, and I find it extremely frustrating on many levels. Not only is the issue challenging in and of itself, but it also is chewing up all my time which could be spent working on other things that need to be accomplished.

On the up-side, we had a house-guest for almost a full week. Shelby came and stayed with us until Thursday night. That was a blast. We watched anime, played video games, talked – it was super. Plus, Alyssa adores Shelby, and thinks she’s the funniest person alive, so they hung out together during the day and had lots of fun, then I’d get to come home from work and spend some time with her too. While having Shelby is a definite plus, it was also a little bit sad. Tieren, Katelynn & Shelby have all dealt with more than their fair share of instability and chaos, and that has manifested itself in several ways. Alyssa has had to deal with the same sort of challenges, so I understand what they’re feeling fairly well. I pray that God might grant them the foundation they need to build a structure that lasts, and that my family can help in any way possible.

Tonight, Katelynn is coming back from her week at Kingswood camp, so I’ll be sure to report what happened there. Shelby wants to go back to Kingswood for another week, so that’s awesome! I mean, she’d never even been to any camp before, let alone a Christian camp, so it’s very encouraging that she’s anxious to go again. This weekend, Tieren’s boyfriend Ron and I are heading over to Chris’ to help finish putting in his swimming pool, and Tieren & Ron should be in possession of their new car. Should prove to be an interesting weekend!

pretty in pink

After two bottles of bleach, followed by two bottles of pink hair-colouring, Katelynn finally sought professional help. No, not with a child-psychologist, but a professional hair-designer. Now she’s back, and pinker than ever! It’s hard to resist the urge to bite into her hair! Mmmm… cotton candy! Meanwhile, Shelby and Alyssa returned from Kingswood Camp last night and both of them had a blast! It was so cool to see them both sort of sad to leave, and hugging their counselors goodbye at least a dozen times. Kingswood has been such a blessing to my daughter, and I know it does a great work every year. I pray that our church family would always have a passion for our young people! They are the future of the church!

maintaining perspective with sensitivity

I’ve encountered a couple of situations lately that have demonstrated profoundly that I am still quite handicapped when it comes to making correct judgments to speak or maintain silence in particular contexts in which sensitivity is a concern. I’m not into gift-wrapping Biblical truth, or sugar-coating it to make it easier to swallow, but there is an element of maintaining a degree of sensitivity so not to shut up ears against what is being said.

“It’s not what you say, it’s the way you say it.” I’m working on it – God help me.

stoopid day

Boy! I have no idea what’s up with me today. I think I got plenty of sleep last night, and I don’t feel really sick or anything… but I feel incredibly dopey today! I mean, seriously – it’s like my brain capacity has shrunk substantially. I’m here at work, just staring blankly at file-lists, thinking, "What was I looking for again?" Here’s hoping it’s just a nasty case of 24-hour Alzheimer’s, and not permanent brain-stall.

Personally, I think it’s my involvement with Americans… they suck the brain cells right out of ya.