Clutter Busting....

I've been helping a church where I served as Youth Pastor 20 years ago.  Their pastor has resigned and they needed someone to help them through this transitional period and I was both interested and available so we are going on a journey together.  It's been an interesting experience.  A lot has changed over 20 years for everyone.  The church is smaller and older than it was 20 years ago.  I am larger than I was 20 years ago... but like everyone else, I'm also 20 years older which puts me in a very different place than the last time I was there.

We did something today that I think was very symbolic.  We threw away 20 years of accumulated 'stuff'.  Some would say 'junk'....  5 or 6 truckloads left the building today.   It was exciting.  20 people spent the morning working, laughing and just chucking stuff out.  Never have so many been so happy to throw away so many things!

While that's exciting, especially if you are a 'clutter buster', what's more exciting in my mind is the very significant break from the past.  Without exaggeration, I threw away things that were saved from when I was on staff there!!  We laughed more than a few times about what we were finding as we worked our way through shelves, boxes and closets.

I don't know how it is for you, but there are times, (like now) when I look at my life and see the definite need for some serious 'clutter busting' to take place.  I don't intentionally set out for things to get complicated or to pack needless baggage along the way.  It just happens, and it happens for a lot of reasons, some of which are more valid than others. 

There are some huge temptations in clutter busting.  The biggest is to want to clear the clutter in someone else's life.  The best way to handle that just might be to remember the words of Jesus when he told us to take the beam out of our own eye before worrying about the speck in our brothers eye.  He's right (again...)  Simply put, it's not your business to be messing with someone else's clutter.  Get your own stuff in order and keep it that way.  At least that's the lesson I'll be working on over the next few weeks....

Getting the church ready for Richard Dawkins

I got an email today asking me if my church was ready for Richard Dawkins. This caught my attention, mostly because I don't pastor a church. The email really made me laugh....


Dawkins is an evolutionary fundamentalist. He is as extreme and narrow minded about evolution as some of our more 'narrow' Christian brothers. In my mind that takes a lot more faith (albeit misguided...) than what it takes to embrace a Creationist view of the beginning. (If this statement sparks the desire to debate the origins of the earth, feel free to do it with someone else, I don't have the time...)

The email said that churches should be ready to teach against the evils of evolution because Dawkins was going on a tour to mark the 150th anniversary of Darwin's death and that he would be promoting Darwin's theory of evolution. For what it's worth, my first thought is that Darwin knew the truth about evolution and Genesis within a nanosecond of his death. It's too bad we can't get his thoughts on evolution after 150 years of experiencing wherever he finds himself spending eternity. I'm confident that Richard Dawkins would be abandoning evolutionary fundamentalism in a heartbeat if he was able to hear what Darwin had to say today.

My other thought, was 'Richard Dawkins is coming to church?' Wow! That's really amazing! I hope he visits a life giving church where he can encounter God's presence, love and power.  It would be a good thing for him!

I've come to a place in my life where nothing is impossible for God. If he wants to move on the heart of an unbelieving Richard Dawkins and bring him to church on Sunday, my expectation is that Dawkins will leave a believer in the ONE who spoke creation into existence in microseconds. Now that would really shake things up wouldn't it?

I continue to be puzzled by the way we respond to people who disagree with our faith. Why would we warn people about Dawkins and his teaching when the bible tells us that our battle isn't against flesh and blood. Wouldn't it make more sense just to pray that God would do something very Sovereign and powerful that would result in something very profound happening in Dawkins life? That might prove to be far more faith based than whatever it is I'm supposed to do because 'he's coming'.

I hope Dawkins makes it to your church and that when he gets there, he encounters the power and wonder of the living God!! Sort of like Saul on the road to Damascus.... Wouldn't that be interesting???

Knock, Knock...

I had the funniest thing happen to me at the Legislature today. I was visiting with a new member. We've been talking about connecting for some time, so I was looking forward to getting together. I arrived a few minutes early, he took me too his office and we started to get to know each other. About 15 minutes into our visit, there was a knock at the door. When he opened his office door, two special constables were standing there, accompanied by two very nervous looking staff members. They announced that they had an alarm coming from the office and wanted to be let inside.  The member responded that he hadn't pushed an alarm button and wasn't in any danger.  It turns out that the 'laptop lock' that he thought he was playing with actually sent an alarm call down to the security office. So... after a quick lesson on how to use the security button, the constables left and we were able to return to our visit.

After they left we had a good laugh and then prayed together.  When I went back to the office to turn in my security pass, the constable who visited the office met my rather sheepish look with a big grin and chuckle! 

Every day at the Legislature is an adventure....

Protests, Petitions and the Need for Good Government

I'm beginning to see something very interesting in the current political climate. It's safe to say that it's a very different world at the Legislature than what it's been for the past 2 years.  The atmosphere is completely different than what I expected.  I assumed the rhetoric would die down and things would 'simmer' rather than boil.  I was very wrong....

The Government has been forced to make some difficult and extremely unpopular decisions due to the current economic situation.  The Opposition has no end of material for Question Period, the ensuing media scrums and the radio talk shows.  I don't necessarily think this is a bad thing.  In fact, if you can see past the bluster, desk thumping and heckling (all part of our political system....) this may well be the best thing that can happen in our province.

A strong and effective opposition is the key to good government.  While it's true that the Government has a majority and will likely vote according to policy and platform, the awareness of unhappy and dissatisfied voters will undoubtedly give them cause for sober reflection, especially if the Opposition is successful in providing effective resistance on key initiatives. 

 During the election, we prayed that God would give us leaders of His choosing who would provide good and effective government for us.  While the government's decisions have been somewhat surprising and unexpected, I'm starting to see that God is using a host of circumstances to provide exactly what we asked for.  We need a strong Opposition who will ensure that the effect of Government decisions and actions is in the public eye. 

In the midst of this new political atmosphere, we have a responsibility before God for those who have been elected to lead.  It would be easy to be caught up in the anger that is being directed at the government, but it is neither becoming nor fruitful. Disagree if you choose, but understand that our greatest effectiveness comes as we make petitions rather than signing them.  

The fact is that our leaders on both sides of the Legislature need someone praying for them and encouraging them NOW more than ever.  We need to rise to the occasion as never before to stand in the gap on behalf of those making the most significant decisions in our province in a generation.  Call your MLA and tell him/her that you are praying for them.  I promise you, they will be grateful!

Roll Away The Stone...

Picture this for a moment.  Someone you love dies unexpectedly.  Your best friend shows up 4 days later having missed final goodbye's and the funeral.  You take him to the grave side where he begins to weep and then...  He says .... 'Dig him up'


A bit taken aback, you turn and say 'Seriously?  You know he's been dead for 4 days and it's not going to be pretty...'


'Dig him up!' your Friend replies, 'I want to show you something...'


If you didn't know that it really happened with Jesus, you would be just as likely to be repulsed at the brash and crude request.  Most of us would have walked away in shock and disgust.


I've been thinking about the story of Lazarus recently and I'm seeing something that I've never seen before.  I am seeing Lazarus as a metaphor.  Lazarus represents something that is common to all of us.  He represents the disappointment of his sisters.  They weren't disappointed in Lazarus, but in Jesus, in his passing and in his lost future.  Lazarus represents embarassment.  How could they face their friends who all knew that they had expected Jesus to help only to experience something different. They believed, but  Jesus was absent when they needed him most.  Lazarus could even represent their despair.  It's reasonable to assume that since they were both unmarried that the three of them lived together and Lazarus was taking responsiblity to care for his sisters.  Now suddenly and unexpectedly, their future was at stake as well.


What do you do with your disappointments, embarassments and fear?  Mary and Martha wrapped theirs up in grave clothes and spices, placed them in a tomb and rolled a large stone in front of it.  I think we do the same...  We take our disappointments, despair, pain and embarassments and hide them deep inside a cave somewhere in the recesses of our lives, cover them over with a rock and move on with our lives desperately hoping that we can leave them behind.


Every so often, on His timetable rather than ours, Jesus shows up at the places where we've buried our 'stuff' and asks us to roll away the stone.  I think He comes often and with intent because what's buried behind the stone holds incredible potential and possibility.  God sees value in what we've buried behind the rock and He wants to redeem it in our lives.  That can only happen when we respond in trust and obedience.  Rolling the stone away is the first step in experiencing God's work in our lives. 

Stop and listen today.  Perhaps Jesus is whispering 'Roll away the stone...'

Getting Ready for The Fall Session

Getting ready for the Fall Session


The government has anounced that the Legislature will resume on August 25 with a Speech From the Throne, followed by a Budget Speech on September 1. This is an unusually early start to the session and will undoubtedly be a very challenging one as the government seeks to address the current economic situation.

The new session is also an exciting one for us as a ministry as this is the first time that we have been in place when a new Parlaiment has come together.  We've been successful in laying a stable ministry foundation over the last two years and are able to move forward with some exciting ministry plans.  

We are currently preparing to launch a regularly scheduled devotional meeting for members at their request.  In general this will simply be a gathering for those who would like to receive spiritual encouragement and pray together on an ongoing basis.  As with everything we do, it will be non-partisan and designed to be supportive and encouraging for those who will come.  This comes at the request of several members and represents a major step forward for us. 

Our second initiative is in it's infancy but also represents some exciting steps forward.  Several members of our core prayer team have developed what we are calling a 'Prayer Tour' of the Legislative Precinct.  The vision is to use the points of interest as catalysts to prayer along specific themes.  I'm very excited about what they have put together and think it will pay tremendous dividends as we begin to use the ministry tool.  Soon, we will be able to invite teams to Victoria to visit the Legislature, go on a prayer tour and spend a day or two with us.  Our plans are still in development, but we wanted you to know about what we are doing so that you can make plans to join us at some point in the future.

NB Paper Apologizes to PM

A few weeks ago, I wrote about the PM taking communion at Romeo Leblanc's funeral.  It turns out that the story originally published by the Saint John Telegraph Journal was inaccurate.  Here's the story on the apology from the same paper in today's Victoria Times Colonist.  Hopefully the apologies will reach the same level of zeal as those who were telling the story the first time around.

A New Brunswick daily newspaper issued a front-page apology Tuesday for a July 8 story that claimed the prime minister pocketed a communion wafer during the state funeral for former governor general Romeo LeBlanc.
The Saint John Telegraph-Journal apologized to Prime Minister Stephen Harper for the story which the newspaper said “was inaccurate and should not have been published.”
The story created a national controversy that lasted for several days while Harper was attending a G8 gathering in Italy and preparing to meet the Pope.
“There was no credible support for these statements of fact at the time this article was published, nor is the Telegraph-Journal aware of any credible support for these statements now,” said the apology. “The Telegraph-Journal sincerely apologizes to the prime minister for the harm that this inaccurate story has caused.”
The newspaper also apologized to the two reporters whose bylines appeared above the story.
“Our reporters Rob Linke and Adam Huras, who wrote the story reporting on the funeral, did not include these statements in the version of the story that they wrote. In the editing process, these statements were added without the knowledge of the reporters and without any credible support for them,” said the apology.
The story said that a senior Roman Catholic priest had demanded that Harper's office explain what happened to the communion wafer which was handed to the prime minister during the state funeral. The story also described video footage that showed the prime minister taking the wafer, but cut away before Harper was seen consuming it.
A Telegraph-Journal newsroom employee who answered the phone said “no one will be talking” about the issue.
An aide to publisher Jamie Irving said there would be “no comment.”