Struggling?

Well, the conference is amazing. It is great to be here.

We had Benny Perez yesterday morning. Benny is a Mexican American pastor with passion, depth, anointing and joy. On top of that, he's pretty funny!

Benny challenged us and reminded us of how important it is to rely on the strength of God. He shared his own challenges of even the past week - a friend who also attends their church, Las Vegas entertainer Danny Gans, died on Friday. Another pastor friend in LV fell morally.

Using the story of the man with the withered hand in Luke 6:6 and following, Benny mentioned that in the midst of our struggles of why? what? how come? etc. God wants us to reach out to Him.

Here's a few things that Benny said:

1. We all struggle in various ways. Jesus is not intimidated by our struggles. We all have them. Jesus embraces us in the midst of our struggles.
2. In His grace, Jesus reaches out to us, calls to us and doesn't sit by waiting for us to reach out to Him.
3. Religion is when we forget about hurting people and spend more time debating how and why we do things the way we do.
4. Apart from God, I can do nothing. With God, I can do whatever He calls me to do. (Moses, Jeremiah, Gideon)
5. God starts with people that struggle. He has the incredible power to turn our tests into testimonies and our mess into messages for Him.

Be encouraged. Jesus is calling out to us in the midst of our struggle. Stretch out your struggle to Him. Let Him do what only He can do.

We Want to Die in Each Other's Arms.

The sanctity and value of life is continually under assault. There's a new front opening in Switzerland that we will probably have to engage at some point here in Canada. I really love my wife, but this creeps me out.

The head of a controversial assisted-suicide group in Switzerland says he will seek legal permission to help a Canadian woman and other healthy people like her kill themselves, raising startling new issues in the emotional debate over euthanasia.

Betty Coumbias, an elderly Vancouver resident, has indicated she wants to die alongside her husband, George, who suffers from severe heart disease.

Mrs. Coumbias explains in the documentary, The Suicide Tourist, why she would take her own life despite being generally healthy.

"From the day we got married, [my husband] was all my life," she tells Mr. Minelli. "I love my two daughters, but I love him more, and I don't think I can face life without him, and since we read about Dignitas, we felt what would be better than to die together, you know, to die in each other's arms?"

The article goes on to say:

People sometimes want to die after losing a spouse because of pure loneliness, but the condition is not irreversible, argued Prof. Somerville. She recalled a doctor telling her at a conference in the Netherlands, which has a similar liberal approach to assisted suicide as Switzerland, about how she gave a lethal injection to an elderly woman who had repeatedly asked to die after her husband had passed away. Prof. Somerville said she asked the physician if anyone had suggested simply buying the lonely woman a cat.

"She said, ‘No, but what a remarkable idea. Next time we'll try that.' "

Launch

My new political commentary blog is launching today. Click here to get there. If that doesn't work, you cna go to www.comoxvalleyview.blogspot.com

Why Go To Church?

Someone emailed me this today, and i thought it interesting...Going to church is not the only thing, but it is certainly the place for encouragement, support, and relationship that only family can give.

A Church goer wrote a letter to the editor of a newspaper and complained that it made no sense to go to church every Sunday. "I've gone for 30 years now," he wrote, "and in that time I have heard something like 3,000 sermons. But for the life of me, I can't remember a single one of them. So, I think I'm wasting my time and the pastors are wasting theirs by giving sermons at all."

This started a real controversy in the "Letters to the Editor" column, much to the delight of the editor. It went on for weeks until someone wrote this clincher:

"I've been married for 30 years now. In that time my wife has cooked some 32,000 meals. But, for the life of me, I cannot recall the entire menu for a single one of those meals. But I do know this.. They all nourished me and gave me the strength I needed to do my work. If my wife had not given me these meals, I would be physically dead today. Likewise, if I had not gone to church for nourishment, I would be spiritually dead today!" When you are DOWN to nothing... God is UP to something! Faith sees the invisible, believes the incredible and receives the impossible! Thank God for our physical AND our spiritual nourishment!

Crime Scene

I jumped in the vehicle this morning at 5:50 am on my way to exercise, and immediately noticed something wasn't right. The glove box was open and riffled through, there were papers all over the place, and the box between the seats was open as well. It didn't appear that much was missing at first. But as I looked closer, I discovered Shanda's designer sunglasses and case to be gone! I thought my prescription sunglasses were gone as well, but it turns out I had left them at my office.I generally have a good habit of locking the doors on the vehicle, but I guess I pushed the wrong button on the automatic locker! Arrgh...

My mom's vehicle was also gone through but she didn't have anything in it that was 'stealable'.

That is about the 4th time this has happened at our house in the past year. My other truck has had the window pried open a couple of times and my paint ball gun stolen from it.

It's ticking me off...I'm really cheerleading for this now!

Relevant or Revolutionary?

I was really challenged when I heard this quote from Matthew Barnett on Sunday..."If you want to be relevant, raise awareness of a problem. If you want to be revolutionary, do something to solve the problem."

That's a challenging statement no matter what the issue or problem that comes into view. Using this definition, I want to be more than relevant. However, too often I think that is what I've settled for.

Each of us come into contact with issues - some of which we are uniquely qualified to engage with our gifts/skills/talents, while others not so much. We will need the guidance of Father God to see which we are CALLED to. However, I think that too often we (or at least I) brush things off as being beyond us. I need to pray into the issue until the 'burden' of the problem lifts. If it doesn't lift, I believe that I need to ask Father what action He wants me to engage in.

Although it isn't always easy, I really think that I although I can't do everything I MUST be involved in doing my part and using my gifts/skills to solve certain issues that God places before me. With the help of Jesus, I will do my best to leave my rut for someone else to live in.

Hungry?

We were at Angelus Temple (aka The Dream Center) in Los Angeles on Sunday morning. Yes, we go to church on holiday!

As I sat to listen to Pastor Matthew Barnett, one of the foremost Christian leaders in America, I was both surprised and encouraged. Pastor Matthew was talking about how important it was to be a church that lived and operated in the supernatural and by the power of Holy Spirit.

Surprised why? Aren't they already operating in the supernatural?This is a church that has over 200 ministries that serve the city, they visit and feed the poor, they house the homeless, they disciple the addict, they rescue the prostitute, and on and on it goes.

YES, and here's the encouraging part - they don't ever want to become a church of 'good works'. Pastor Matthew was reminding himself and the church that everything that they do or hope to do - amazing things that are happening today and that God has yet in store - must flow from a growing and hungering relationship with and for the presence of Jesus.

Here's some quotes from Pastor Matthew's talk -

"We go in and out of supernatural strength way too much in our calling. We need the presence of God in and through our lives. Let God minister to you regularly. We must never only be a people of good works but must be built on prayer and times of refreshing in the presence of God. This is God's work that is far beyond what we are able to do.

Compassion without the favour of God is not enough." We must live in the supernatural filling of God."

This is also what we are hearing from God for our Church family. God is speaking the same thing to His people no matter where we are. "Be hungry for relationship with Me!"We need Him and His strength if we are going to see a world changed. Nothing less will do...

Arrows of the Lord

Another one of the highlights of Saturday was for Shanda and me was to be there with Tristen and Clara. They were part of our church’s Master’s Commission. They are both serving now in the LA Dream Center / Angelus Temple (Foursquare Church) They're pictured here with Alexandra in front of Angelus Temple - built in 1923 by Amy Semple McPherson, the founder of the Foursquare Church movement.

Anyhow, we watched in amazement as Clara (she’s the block ‘pastor’) fluently gave instructions in Spanish (learned while serving), saw people come up to her and give her hugs and greet their ‘pastor’. Clara comes here on a weekly basis, although her main ministry is Metro Kidz. At Metro Kidz she goes out into the places others don’t want to go (gangland) and gives kids hope, the love of God and a vision for a better future.

Tristen volunteers at other ministries although her main ministry is coordinating the delivery of all the tons of food donations to the Dream Center. She uses her administrative gifts and puts that together with a love for the people and children of Los Angeles and does a fantastic job! Tristen was excited to be with us handing out the food on the front lines - food that she had arranged to be delivered.

At the end of it all, we gathered in a circle and Clara went off praying in Spanish as these precious people gathered around to pray and be prayed for. More than food – hope, encouragement and love were given in large quantities.

These girls arrived to our MC in 2004…look what God has done in and through them as they have hungered after Him and followed His leading. No passivity, no procrastination – simple hunger and following the leading of Father. One prophetic word over Northgate is that there will be ‘arrows of the Lord’ (people) sent out or shot out to the nations. These girls are two arrows…shot out and making a difference. It’s a family sending out family seeing His ‘kingdom come, His will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” Northgate readers you can be proud. We were moved to tears and are proud to be part of a church family that sends out such as these.

CV Political Scuttlebut #4

Well, It was about 8:44 PM last night on the ferry and my cell phone rang. It was a call from someone at the BC Liberal candidate selection meeting. This person reported that Don McRae had won the nomination and will be the candidate for the BC Liberal party in the upcoming provincial election. No numbers were announced, but hopefully they will be forthcoming. I suspect that it was a first ballot victory. Don had a good, well-connected team around him. However, it is going to take more than that team to win the riding.

I have heard that at least one (and possibly two) of the losing candidates would not be helping the winner. I certainly hope that is not true. If this riding is going to be won, there will need to be unity from all the members - and far beyond words. There will need to be time, work and effort put into getting Don elected. It's easy to talk about how you'll support whomever wins, but action speaks far louder.

Adrenaline Junkie Type #4

4. The Dramatist – some adrenaline addicts get a degree of satisfaction from their addiction because it gives them an opportunity to draw attention to themselves and their plight. They complain about and describe their overwhelming situation, seemingly seeking admiration or pity from those upon whom they unload their problems.

Adrenaline Junkie Type #3

3. The Organizational Deflector – this type is like the previous one, except that the issue being avoided is trouble within the organization. Often a CEO or senior executive of a struggling company convinces himself/herself, as well as others, that he or she is too busy to stop and take an honest look at the company’s situation. As the company spirals, the adrenaline addict only works harder, trying to be convinced that the problem can be solved by working more hours at breakneck speed. The organizational deflector will do anything to avoid confronting the real problems which are often more complex and require real change

Adrenaline Junkie Self Test

Further to this, here's a little self test to see if you might be - or be on the track of being- an adrenaline junkie. Answer the questions below with a simple yes/no. Keep track of your answers.

Adrenaline Addict Self-Test

I drink caffeinated coffee or drinks to get or keep going.
I eat sugary foods / sugar to calm myself down.
I tend to over promise and then rush to get it done at the last minute.
I find some way to sabotage myself or a project, yet usually pull it off.
I tend to take on more than I really want because I feel I can.
I react strongly to the unexpected.
I find myself getting very upset or irritated (whether I show it or not) when people let me down, missdeadlines or do less-than-optimal work. Sometimes I take it personally.
I arrive at work rushed or already “on”.
I get grabbed by surprises and disturbances and then I can’t calm down for a day or more.
I feel an inner rush or lack of stillness or peace much of the time.
I’m the kind of person who tends to find the toughest way to get something done.
I drive more than 5 miles over the speed limit, tailgate or criticize other drivers.
I tend to run or arrive late, even if it’s not my fault.
I find that I attract more problems and disturbances than I feel I deserve.
Money is currently tight and I have been working on getting ahead, but haven’t.
It is difficult to focus on any one thing for more than 10 minutes at a time.
I don’t give myself plenty of time during the day for the things that are likely to come up.
I talk a lot even after people have stopped listening.
I please people to the point of feeling compulsive, regardless of appropriateness or cost.

Scoring: If you answered yes to 5 or more of these, welcome to the club. When you’re ready, willing and able, invest in outside counsel to get through this addiction. From here

Adrenaline Junkie Type #2

Further to this...
2. The Personal Deflector – this is the type that uses their addiction to keep from assessing themselves and reflecting on their situation. They often have problems in their personal lives – or no personal life at all – and the last thing they want to do is face up to that. So they convince themselves that they have no time for their personal lives; which, sadly, only exacerbates the problem and prolongs the pain of dealing with it.

Adrenaline Junkie Type #1

One of the problems that I see with being an adrenaline junkie is that we just stay too busy. Too busy for family, for prayer, for down time, for relationships -with God and others. We are a BUSY society!! This addiction often manifests in work, but can really be seen in any team setting, including (or especially) family.

Not all adrenaline addicts are the same. There are four types:

1. The Accomplisher – this is the classic type of adrenaline addict, the one who has an almost innate need to stay busy and cross things off a list (mental or actual) in order to feel productive. They like to be able to measure daily progress in terms of what they have completed, even at the expense of the bigger, longer term view. Accomplishers are most susceptible to developing an adrenaline addiction because they are prone to take on more and more work.

We'll go through the other 3 over the next day or so...

Want a Pet?

Ever wondered what it would be like to have an out of the ordinary pet? The next time your child / grandchild asks for some off the wall pet, just show them this video...

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It's Probably Time.

I'm glad that I have a job that is great where I am working for and with people that are awesome! However, I have had jobs where there came a point when it was time to move on. Ever see yourself in one of these examples?

The Valentine a Husband Really Needs.

For the wives - I read this partial list at this blog
Some good insight on ways to reach your husband and grow the health of your relationship

1.Pray for him daily and trust God to answer your requests.

• Pray for his well-being, wisdom, protection, blessings, guidance, knowledge, spiritual maturity, success, purity, strength in temptation, etc.
• Look for God’s answers to your prayers.
• Thank God for working in your family.
• Thank God for your husband.
• Pray for your attitude.

2. Look for the positive side of things that you may find irritating.
3. Make a list of your husband’s qualities that you appreciate. Review and add to your list regularly.
4. Tell your husband what you appreciate about him. Tell others what you appreciate about him.
5. Don’t criticize your husband to others – especially your children.

One Year to Go!

It is exactly one year until the start of the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver/Whistler! It is exciting to have it come to our province. I don't think that we'll be able to go as I missed putting in to get some tickets. Now, the only option will probably be scalpers. Oh well, I guess it is nice and warm watching it at home -even better! (at least that is what I'm telling myself).

I went to a Chamber of Commerce event last night where Silken Laumann was the speaker. There was some mingling before with a great appy buffet from the chefs of the Kingfisher featuring bounty of the Comox Valley. Tender and tasty buffalo meat wraps, a grilled tuna that was a bit raw on the inside and sushi and vegetables. It was all amazingly good!

Oh - back to the story. The great thing of the Olympics is that they often provide us with pictures of accomplishment and inspiration.

Silken was a 1992 Olympia who had a severe injury that severed tendons, ligament, had 200 pieces of wood stuck in it (another boat hit her) and generally mashed her leg just 10 weeks before the Olympics. She went from being a gold medal favourite to being told that she'd never row again and would walk with a limp for the rest of her life. She did not accept that prognosis, but went to work and ended up competing in the Olympics and winning a bronze medal! An amazing story of courage, passion and determination.

She said a particular quote about the power of dreams, "What lies between you and your dream realized is the belief that somehow, some way you are going to get there." In other words, belief or faith is a huge factor in your success.

Now that is just the power of human belief which God placed within us. I was challenged when I thought that when you put that with the fact that, as Jesus followers, we have God Himself behind us we should be the biggest dreamers for positive change! The world (our lives, families and communities) can, and should be, a different place as we allow God to dream through us!

What are you dreaming for? Is it bigger than you?

Yes or No

On Thursday night, I finished reading Organic Community by Joseph R. Meyers. It it he quotes a man by the name of Keith Johnstone: "There are people who prefer to say, 'yes', and there are people who would prefer to say, 'no'. Those who say 'yes' are rewarded by the adventures they have and those who say 'no' are rewarded by the safety they have."

Too often we say no to possibilities that God sets before us. Maybe like me, you are tempted at times to comfortably settle into life and silently say 'no' to God, His call, and the need of our world. However, we cannot dream very big or see very much if we are 'no' people. No" gives us security - but also the prison of scarcity, predictability, sameness and pessimism. "Yes" opens a door to a plethora of possibilities, spontaneity, adventure and optimism. That sounds more like the kind of life Jesus lived...

I want to grow as a man for God.