Wednesday, January 30, 2008

Off to GU

Well we're off! I got most of my packing done... I hope and there is snow outside. We got about 10 people of to the USA for GU! I'm excited and nervous. I've noticed that I'm running low on patience at times. I'm also getting kind of forgetful and am looking at all the snow outside. There is allot! We got to drive through it. Do keep us in your prayers as we go! We need a couple of things....

  1. A powerful move of God
  2. Travel mercies/safety (in the snow especially and no tickets...)
  3. Patience - I hate travelling with snarky, arrogant, cutting people and as far as I know we have none... I hope!
  4. Pray against border delays.
  5. Real Unity
  6. Better memory for me!
  7. Bonding moments with God and the gang!
  8. Peace of mind.
  9. My homework. I'm scrambling to get it done!
  10. Any anything you can think of.
I'll keep you posted and let you know what happens! It will be riveting!

Monday, January 28, 2008

Tears of the Saints!

I recently met another G-Man! A man of God that is. He has done ministry in all parts of the world from Africa, Singapore, New Zealand, India and beyond. He said some profound words that really stuck with me. He mentioned about great moves of God and how they were birthed in tears. So often we try to replicate a move of God by using ideas, strategies, or techniques of 'successful' ministries and find little results.


The problem comes when we replicate the wrong thing. The move of God was backed by allot of tears. It was birthed out of desperation and whole hearted dependence on the hand of God himself. God revealed his will and out came the ministry. We should be doing the same thing first by coming on our knees in heartfelt repentance, seeking the very face of God. Than the Spirit will move he says.


"You number my wanderings;Put my tears into Your bottle; Are they not in Your book?"

(Psalm 56:8)


"Those who sow in tears shall reap in joy." (Psalm 126:5)


"Sow for yourselves righteousness, reap the fruit of unfailing love, and break up your unploughed ground; for it is time to seek the LORD, until he comes and showers righteousness on you."
(Hosea 10:12)


"But if from there you seek the LORD your God, you will find him if you look for him with all your heart and with all your soul." (Deuteronomy 4:29)

Sr. Pr's



I just had a wonderful conversation with a man of God from India. He noticed that same demands on his senior pastor as with ours. We both are involved in ministry among south asians and noticed some similarities you won't find as much among some North American congregations.





We noticed that senior pastors ministering among 'our' people are always called on to do home visitation. The congregation love to have the pastor come and bless their homes. With most North American senior pastors (but not all) there are the occasional home visitations but most of the time the congregation members must book an appointment and meet the pastor at his office.





We also noticed another thing. When ministering, 'our' people much prefer to take prayer from the Senior Pastor and not so much from the altar team or lay ministers. Why this is so? I'm am not sure. It is interesting.





These are just observations we have made about our own circle of ministry. It isn't indicative of the whole or based on any kind of research mind you. But it is interesting how we run into each other and seem to see the same thing even though we are from different parts of the world.

If only our people could be more mindful of a truer promise:

"In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will." (Romans 8:26-27)

Sunday, January 20, 2008

And Another Good Bye


I just hate good byes. I had to do another one today. Pr J is off to national head office for our denomination. He is on to bigger and greater work for the kingdom. He is a dear friend of mine and offered allot of support, comfort and encouragement during very hard times. I still remember meeting him at Delta Church many moons ago. He came on as a counsellor and later as the youth pastor. He pioneered an awesome vision called No Boundaries now called One Life! This little vision started growing from 100's to 200's to 300's and even 400's! He's another visionary, inspiring leader who will make an impact of Biblical proportions. He came from a Sikh background and has a vision of reaching and gathering nations. What is even more wondrous is that it is happening with this magnificent man of God. He's humble, gentle and focused and a real lover of Jesus.

The church set up a little good bye for him. I decided to join him and he shared an awesome sermon about obeying God. Later the church got together to send him off with blessings and prayers and even tears. Mine were included! I couldn't hold myself together. The memories kept coming in of the times he invited me to his home for dinner and invited me to be apart of a boundless vision and than there was the times he'd allow me to lean on his shoulder and even cry on it. It happened again today. I was asking God why he brought such beautiful people in my life and why must they leave? I miss so many people. They seem to come and go and here we go again. I really long to be with these people forever and I just have to wait for heaven for it to happen.

Nonetheless, Pr J said that we will be working together. He's new position actually calls for it and I long to be apart of what God is doing in his life. So it isn't really good bye but farewell... I can go on and on about him but will just leave it for some other day. I'll just end by thanking God for such good friends. We don't deserve them....

"...the world was not worthy of them." (Hebrews 11:38a)

Tuesday, January 15, 2008

GU


I'm kinda excited. I got some peeps who are on their way to a stellar convention. It is called GU down in Portland. I went a couple of years ago and had a blast. But this time it is different. We got some friends who have never went before. They don't know what they are in for. I'm really excited for them. I hope they get impacted hard! Here is a mixture of benefits and testimonies, and expectations they have about the convention:

Stronger Bonds (Unity)

Learn the Word of God (Training Seminars)

Be inspired on how God can use us and pioneer new work.

Hear from God

Band see another band live (Learn about Worship)

Receive, Refreshed so we can impart presence of God to others

Maintain that momentum in Spirit

Messages are still recalled from years past

Get a bigger vision for our community

Helped regain focus and peace

Open vision more to what God can do

Gain equipping and preparation to reach out

Heard whole CD all year through.

Ask God what is your calling? What do you want me to do God?

Receive call of God and Obey

Learn how they do conferences so we can host this work.


Can you do me a favor? If you see them, can you make them feel right at home? And remember:


"For God is not unjust to forget your work and labor of love which you have shown toward His name, in that you have ministered to the saints, and do minister." (Hebrews 6:10)

Wednesday, January 09, 2008

BUILDING PERMIT!


YEPEEE! WE GOT THE BUILDING PERMIT!


Our church is going into a desperately needed building project and now we got the permit!

Yepee!

All we need is money!

Tuesday, January 08, 2008

Answers!



You know what? It has been nearly nine years of knowing the savior. It has been a great and intense ride. But you know what? I got some questions and you wanna know something else? The questions get bigger and bigger and bigger. The answers get a little bit bigger and sometimes harder to understand. I've learned a few things on the way.

1. Don't sweat the small stuff. Separate the essential questions from the inessential ones. We can waste our time and have a crisis of faith over very insignificant issues. We need to know what needs priority, which we call the essential, and focus on that over the inessentials.

2. God may not give the answer right away. That doesn't mean that there is no answer. It just means wait. Sometimes a real depth of maturity has to take place before a concrete answer can be comprehended. There are certain questions I had that would only be answered after certain experiences had to take place to train me to understand the answer.

3. Sometimes we ask the wrong questions. I was thinking about the Bible that is. Sometimes we come to the Bible with the wrong questions. The book is meant to answer specific questions and so often we try to consult it with questions that it was never meant to answer in the first place. Here is an example. A person who has a question about cooking wouldn't consult a IPod Shuffle manual for the answer. It is the wrong place to look. Kapeesh?

Wednesday, January 02, 2008

Connecting



There is nothing like authentic connecting with other saints. It is so easy to get stuck in the rut of the routines we go through without exploring the meaning, purpose or who we are doing it for. After awhile you can feel like you are drifting all alone or flying solo but not today. Not tonight. We did some authentic connecting and having a heart to heart for a change.

We were able to bear our soul a bit, show that we ache and are in pain and not as picture perfect as in Sunday morning. There is a crack in the veneer that the make up and Goat Tee couldn't hide. We feel exposed, vulnerable and so conscious that someone might laugh, hurt us or think less of us than what we really are. But not today. Not tonight. We did some authentic connecting and having a heart to heart for a change.

What we didn't know was the we were being deceived. We were having and impact and didn't know it. The one who matters was watching as always and decided to smile down on us today. We had a real chance to know that we are having an impact, made a difference and that it would echo through all eternity. We shared some of the steadfast promises I mentioned to you before. We even admitted that we weren't everything they may think we are. We are imperfect, weak, and sometimes fail. But you know what? It didn't matter. Not today. Not tonight. We did some authentic connecting and having a heart to heart for a change.

God was smiling down on us today. Barnabas came by and decided to offer us some of his personal encouragement. It was timely and necessary and long awaited. It is great to be the object of someones affection for a change rather than feeling the contempt and suspicion the father of lies dishes out. Heaven and Earth will pass away but not His timeless promises. Not His timeless truth. Not today. Not tonight. Not ever!

"Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away." (Matthew 24:34)

"Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever." (Hebrews 13:8)

"But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you." (Matthew 6:3-4)