Are we about to have our least “regionally” influenced Assembly ever?

General Assembly, a meeting of C&MA leaders in Canada, is normally held in one of our cities, alternating between eastern city (like Ottawa or Toronto) and western (like Calgary or Saskatoon). But this time, over 700 leaders will holding Assembly in Antalya, Turkey!

In one of the MBA newsletters, it said that some leaders coming to Assembly may need to switch airports in Istanbul, making the trip across the Bosporus, which separates Europe from Asia. What a great illustration of the reality of unity – someone has to cross a significant bridge to order to arrive at their destination.

I’m a prairie boy, but have served in Ontario since 1996. I was wondering if having Assembly “off-shore” may impact or ‘dislodge’ some of our allegiance (or prejudice!) towards a given part of Canada.

And then came these Olympics! Underneath the “crude bravado” marketing (we didn’t need it!), it’s hard to miss the mix of athletes from all over Canada supporting each other, the hopeful cheering from across the country for the athletes, the shared appreciation of each person’s story. Seemed like regionalization was “hold”, even though regional identity was still an important part.

What will prevail when we meet together?

A favourite quote about being missions-minded : “This character develops not when a church –or it’s representative — leaves it’s geographic location. Rather, it happens when a church takes leave of the cultural loyalties alien to the gospel.”

I’m looking forward to times of corporate worship. So many different cultures, regions, languages, represented….and before us the bridge, built by Christ’s love for men. May it be that ugly loyalties well-known, and still others yet to be discovered in our hearts, can be dropped like Sid Crosby’s gloves after winning the big game.

Surely this is the joy of Ps.133. Holy Spirit! Keep me from packing my cherished grievances and bringing them along to crucial times of worship and decision-making.

Plenary Session Urbana09

It’s been a long time coming, but I know that I need to provide a source for people interested in following ideas and messages that came from Urbana 09. Here are 4 themes that emerged as important for me:

Empowered

A trendy word in many different communities, but I’ll tell you what I mean in this context:  there were women and men of all kinds of different cultural backgrounds who discovered in Christ a whole new dignity and worth. This was beautifully illustrated by testimony after testimony: for example a Korean-American missionary who lives among the Japanese shared how he had to forgive them for past crimes and overcome his cultural prejudice…and now reaches out to them in genuine love.  Rwandan Antoine R., forgiving the Hutus now sitting on a reconciliation council… so extreme…but perhaps my favourite was a girl who discovered she could be a “proud Latina in Christ” on her missions trip. (Cheryl Bear from Manitoba gave another stirring example – this came out through several female testimonies).

What I loved was the boldness, confidence in the words of all these believers! It was not a boastfulness that came through, but a joy of their authority in Christ to live and serve as he leads them. Ultimately, it was obvious that this was not an “American” or “North American” evangelical Christianity that we were celebrating, it was the fragrance and life of Christ taking root in all peoples. It really did feel like revolution. All these people, strength enough to forgive horrible injustice, serve out of love for Christ, free to be who God made them to be……perhaps I am jealous for a better identity than the one marred by sin that is me by nature (and works easily enough in some settings -white, educated North American male).  What does it look like for my own love of others to be shaped only by the love Jesus had for me, for my confidence to stand up and be counted to be shaped by the dignity Jesus has given me as someone deputized by him to transform the world! (Favorite passage comes to mind “But you have made me as strong as wild ox. You have anointed me with the finest oil.” Or Jeremiah’s commissioning “Do not say ‘I am only a child…Look, I have put my words in your mouth. Today I appoint you to stand up against nations and kingdoms.”

Incarnational

Ramez Atallah’s understated messages on the model of Jesus in missions had great power, and is worth using for small group discussion and study. (Catch the parable he uses at the beginning of the intro message, as well as the final story at about the 14:50 mark). The idea of how we influence our world by “moving into the neighborhood”, intentionally loving the people we live among, was emphasized. But this never seemed to be diminish the importance of the proclamation of the gospel, or degenerate into a sheepish “lifestyle evangelism”, but instead was a call to suffer with those in the margins, become a blessing to those around us, and even care for the world in which we live. (A great skit about what keeps us in North America from incarnational living was called, “Fences“)

Missional

There was a great encouragement that I sensed throughout the week, partly hearing from one of our Alliance International Workers Gerald Hogenbirk. I asked him what he would say if he had a chance to all the students finding their seats. He said “Oh man, I’d say ‘Go for it! Don’t worry about what anyone says that might deter you from doing what God is putting on your heart…Don’t be afraid! Just do it. It will be the greatest thing.” (I’m paraphrasing here, of course). Messages that spoke to me on that level:  Creation Care, by an incredible woman who herself is living out a dream God gave her years ago as a graduate student, the brief challenge at  the very beginning of Urbana by Jim Tebbe.

Prayer

Well, the thing that seems the easiest, yet we all know is the hardest – prayer. I told it many times by now how God anointed one of our Toronto pastors, Sunder Krishnan, with a powerful message called “Pray Big, Pray Bold.” This was particularly a challenge to our mindset about prayer, moving us away from only asking for our daily blessings while ignoring the much more exciting and inviting purposes of a God who is redeeming the world. The key passage is a prayer of the early church in Acts Chapter 4 (verses 23-31). The following day, amidst 60 or so other seminars (every afternoon had many seminars to choose from) about 700 students filled to overflowing a room where Pastor Sunder gave a seminar on the same subject.  What was it about a message on praying according to scripture that captivated the hearts and minds of so many people? Let’s not discuss it for too long – take advantage of opportunities to pray for God-sized breakthroughs now with a friend!

An additional observation was that whenever I asked students what their favorite thing about the conference was, the most common answer by a long shot was “The manuscript Bible study in the morning”. I initially expected “the preaching” or “the music”….WHAT? The Bible study?  I couldn’t believe it. The part of the conference that meant getting up early, walking 20 min in the cold to sit at a round table with 10 or so peers to read a passage, take turns commenting on it and applying it…. And now, a month later I have heard of groups in many of the churches that sent students to Urbana where small group bible studies are starting – using the same “Manuscript Bible study” pattern established by the good people of Intervarsity.

To paraphrase I mentor I came into contact with while at the conference: “God is on the move…..”

Me and C.S.

Andy (Cobourg AC) was on our very first “exploration” Fusion team to Mexico City. It was a largely a journey of prayer, and of hearing the stories of our International Workers. Lisa Clarke (and Wendy Boon!) and Paul & Cindy Ens shared their hearts for the city. God used that trip in my life to teach me what it meant to share a burden for a people and a place.

I remember being taken by Pastor Arturro to a neignbourhood to be introduced to a family fairly new in Christ. They treated us to lunch and then asked for a testimony. It was Andy’s turn!

“Oh, I don’t have much of a testimony..” he says humbly. After more encouragement he starts out, “well, my grandparents were Christians, and my parents were Christians, and now I’m a Christian too.” Ha! I remember seeing the interest of these new Christians holding on to their faith under very difficult circumstances! Imagine a vibrant faith being passed on from one generation to the next! Andy went on to share about his grandmother’s hope that he would do a missions trip, and had actually saved money just for that purpose without him knowing. When he decided to come, she presented to him.

Seeing Andy at Urbana 09 was great, since he went off to Brock University for the past four or five years and I always felt God had special plan for him. Here he is, sorting out what God is calling him to in the years ahead, putting everything on the table.

I also met Richard, a retired United Methodist pastor from Tulsa, who since his wife passed away has given his time to ministering to students at a university. Richard was a student like Andy at Urbana 67, and shared with me what an amazing time of Biblical study that was with great preaching by John Stott. Then I met 4 people from Montreal; African, Haitian, Tunisian! Go Montreal! It’s pretty cool that the main speaker Ramez has a long history of serving there.

So why was I weeping yesterday morning?

A lady who has been in war torn country very much in the news for the past 30 years, gave an incredible appeal for young people to consider long term missions. Bombs, different brutal governments were constantly part of her family’s experience. I realize that I can’t really do it justice – it was just beautiful testimony of God’s grace in her and her husband’s life. God was sufficient to help them be his light in as impossible a place as there ever was. She told a story of violent extremists coming to the village where they were, confronting local village leadership with being “backslidden” from the tenets of their faith because of their welcome to the foreigners. The local leader stepped forward boldly, confronted them right back saying, “You have insulted our guests. These people have served here for years, eating our food and taking care of our sick. We know why you are here, to change our minds. Get lost…” The band of extremists left, out numbered. This woman and her physician husband remained in perhaps the most dangerous country in the world, because they couldn’t imagine leaving. Like Richard who I met earlier, they committed their lives to God’s service at Urbana ‘67.

Ramez also was hot yesterday morning – preaching on the text where Jesus goes to the temple and clears it of the businesses that were going on in the Gentile courts. It was so good. As he gets near to the end of his messages, he starts to really pour out his heart. He spoke on the tie money has on us, and applied the passage to when our “means” to do God’s work overcomes the “message” we were originally charged with. He shared a story about a young couple at an Urbana in the early 80’s that decided to dedicate themselves to God’s purposes. They wrestled through the promptings of God, and ended up not going into missions. “End of story, right?” says Ramez. They ended up establishing a business, and made steps very early on to live a simple life no matter how successful it got. They pay themselves a very modest salary, and the rest of the profits go to missions. They now give about a million dollars a month to missions, and their lifestyle is unchanged. Ramez gives a few principles on giving that I need to put into a curriculum soon. Then last night Shane Claiborne talked about taking a hammer to our Ipods! (Much nervous laughter – if you know about this guy, that could be an altar call!).

Oscar Muiru’s message last night was also very profound, wise and continued to shatter my stereotyping of African worldviews. I highly recommend it.

Urbana site with all the videos, theatre presentations, sermons of the past 3 days: http://www.urbana09.org/program.webcast.cfm

Thank you for all who are praying. On the way in this morning on a shuttle bus, I talked with Joel Sjaarda of Rexdale. We started talking about how God speaks to us. Joel shared some personal and wise reflections, and said to me: “It’s a strange access we have to God”. Oh, man. Tell me about it. But it seems to me that God declaring, stirring, prompting powerfully at this conference. Continue to pray for our many young people to receive it!

Off to day 4!

I am surrounded by 20,000 young people who have gathered to study God’s word and ask him to speak to them about how “The Word became Flesh”, and how that relates to their lives.

On a rainy Boxing Day evening, over a hundred young people from Eastern Canadian District of churches (see the “About” section of this blog) gathered at Rexdale Alliance Church. They were amazing hosts, pulling out a red carpet of food, games, help with registration (Andrea and Priscilla may be in fact angels), while students poured in from North York Mandarin, Emmanuel and Ottawa CAC, East York MAC, Cornerstone, Rexdale,….

Those who know me well, my gifts and weaknesses in particular, know how this brings tears to my eyes. God has made all this possible, through the help of many, many others and also through some  blessed encounters. I’m also realizing there is a ”stirring” going on, which is deeply humbling and mysterious. Stetson Ford said, “I wasn’t going to come, but then I prayed about it….”. Thomas Sarmiento, studying engineering (renewable energy focus) and public policy, is still working on a paper here and is pumped to see all the seminars on “Green” theology. This morning I had breakfast with a young man who writes for Zoomer magazine, and his wife, who is in her 3rd or 4th year of a social work degree. O God, please reveal your glory and then your purposes for these young people.

We’ve walked through the icy, windy St. Louis streets through all kinds of  mighty American monuments – very nobel and striking.

But what have we heard so far? Here’s the best part:

Jim Tebbe, Urbana’s head guy, said God’s plan for us is much smaller than we think: the person next door to us, in our family or across the hall. To illustrate, he had us call to mind a friend or loved one who is not yet a follower of Jesus, write it on our hands (as God has written us on his, and to illustrate how he loves this person), and raise them and say it out loud. Then he said God’s plan for us is also much larger than anything we can imagine — that we have no idea where God will lead us if we will just say “Yes” and keep on saying “Yes” to him. He illustrated with his own life of missions service, now working with InterVarsity. He made this one beautiful comment: “My wife and I have said Yes to many things, and we’re not done doing that by a long shot” (as best as I can remember it).

Ramez Atallah from Egypt was our teacher last night, who simply and beautifully unpacked verse 14 of John 1 “The word became flesh, and dwelled among us….”. He began saying, “Imagine a middle class,  American young couple, who live and work in the garbage slums of Cairo, and find they cannot cross the barrier between them and then poor around them. And so when the young wife becomes pregnant she chooses to have the baby in that most dangerous and unsanitary of places. Why, just to show how much they love the people there…. . He then says that is only a fiction, yet this is what God has done for us. His teaching was plain, straighfoward, and it has stuck with me though I was tired. (Look at this site for his message – Day One – Ramez Atallah: http://www.urbana09.org/program.webcast.cfm)

He finished by telling a true story of young artist who came to Christ, who then shared his faith with a young garbage collector in Cairo. Eventually the young boy came to Christ, and after a couple of years, convinced the artist to come visit his home and family in the garbage slums. He did eventually, and the family received him and Christ into their hearts as well. Soon there were more and they gathered for church, the artist became their pastor. The story that unfolded from that is too incredible for words, and brings tears to my eyes. I hope I can link this story somehow to my blog. Here’s my paraphrase from the video they showed of artist, now a Coptic priest:

“When I first went to the people, they hid from me and would not come. I tried to follow them but my sandals got stuck in the mud. The Lord told me to use boots. It was too dark, so I had light a lamp to find my way around. Still they would not come. Then I would take their hands and kiss them, but still they wouldn’t come, so then I stroked their hair and kissed their heads….eventually they came. All this [these ideas] I recieved from the Holy Spirit…”

I haven’t fully unpacked all this, but I know that’s Jesus – don’t you?

The churches in our Eastern Canadian District are currently in a period of “gathering” to pray. Pastors, leaders, and many others are deciding how to participate in an idea that was chosen by a large gathering of their peers last May. We’re calling it “Provoked 2 Prayer” (click to see our trailer), and it’s an adventure – I’ll bet many are wrestling right now with how to lead the church to pray. We’re hoping to have a continuous chain of praying communities from January 1st to March 30th.

Interesting to find out the the 24-7 people are also promoting a week of prayer in March – right during our General Assembly for the C&MA!  The following is their trailer for their event.

I have been deeply moved by the 24-7 Prayer movement happening in England and Europe, and spreading into the U.S.. We are not doing the same thing, but we can sure learn from this group. It’s so simple, there’s a high participation of young people and yet deeply respectful of history and scripture. It gives me hope. Although I cannot claim Ezra’s grief, surely it is not only I who see the great gap between our radical theology and belief, and our relative mediocrity when it comes to being God’s people in this world.

When I visit an ECD church, and see hearts open, ready, wanting to engage in God’s mission – I want to join them to this type of commitment: love for Jesus — wherever that may lead us. OF COURSE IT WILL LOOK DIFFERENT IN US! But we’re very close relatives to this European movement….I still have hope that in the Alliance we’ll feel this kinship, and that it will cause us to examine our hearts and habits…say “Hey, that’s the way I felt when Jesus called me… how come that flame has dimmed?”.

I’ve hardly mentioned the element of confession when describing the Provoked 2 Prayer initiative in our District. It is a reality, however, that it in the brokeness and full realization of our need for God’s forgiveness that we make a significant shift in direction. I’ve heard the story of Ezra repeated time and again in modern times – confession, repentance, and soon our agenda gets a burial and God’s bigger plan emerges in a way that can be sustained…naturally, it’s his plan and so he makes sure it happens, now that he has his people back.

My challenge for them that night came out of the Matthew/Mark passage where the “rich young ruler”  comes to Jesus.  I’ve got a new favorite Bonhoeffer quote “And if we answer the call to discipleship, where will it lead us?” That’s where truly missional living begins – after we give our hearts to him, well,  all bets are off. Jesus is just saying “Trust me, leave those other loves, come follow me and see if my reward is not greater!”.

Sunday morning, I was able to worship freely before preaching at the English service at 9:30 am.  Great music team took care of planning things thoroughly and with depth. It was cool seing friend and colleague Dave Nguyen give leadership while the English pastor, Daniel Tjoe-a-long (another friend I highly respect!) was away. Pre-service, there was a prayer meeting people popped in and out of – I got to join in a prayer for their city…honestly, I realized I don’t often hear a prayer for a churches city. An elder showed me the property next door the church is purchasing in order to expand.

Then I had an incredible privilege – after all these years of participating in Chinese Mandarin services, and English ministry services – my first ever Cantonese service!

3 observations: 1) Beautiful, highly practiced choir and music. In the days of my youth at Hillsdale in Regina – this is what I was discipled in! 2) I was reminded by God through both services that the Cantonese congregation is representative of a remarkable group of people who since coming to Canada have had an incalculable impact on the C&MA and Global Ministry. 3)In speaking to an elder following the service, I learned that it is difficult for them to find a Cantonese speaking pastor and that poses a major obstacle as they look to the future.

I felt that brother’s weight of discouragement – where to from here?

I wanted to encourage him…it just seemed impossible to me that God did not have some wonderful future yet for the Cantonese congregation. They’ve planted numerous churches, sent and supported missionaries, launched Mandarin ministries…..Yet I cannot answer. This journey, however, is likely to drive them to prayer and seeking of God’s purpose for them….and that always leads to something beyond what we could ever imagine.

Having a Vietnamese lunch across the street afterwards with some of the 20 somethings from the English service – I have to wonder about their future as well. Socially smart, well-educated, world-travelled (scrolling through the Iphone for pictures from a recent trip to Asia) and likely well-taught through their years in church…what will God do with this crowd?

I actually think it will be the same for these communities as it for many others – that God has called them, with their talents and yes, with their brokeness (alas, we are all broken), to this place and to this time for a reason! It will be specific to them, and no one can discover it for them…it must be in their encounter with God.

Since the most significant thing happening anywhere is that God is reconciling the world to himself in Christ then it seems to me that our mission-minded stance should be: why us, why here, why now? (With everything we have and are on the table!)

What am I sure of? That they (both groups) do not see yet what God sees – all of the potential for incredible influence theycould have for the gospel. That is the condition of many of us today.

Like the advent passage this hope is glorious:  ”With God all things are possible”. I can’t wait to see what will come as God works through these brothers and sisters!

Good questions included; “How do we as leaders mobilize the people around us for missions?”, “How do the Canadian born children of immigrants find their way through the pressure to make a good living, as well serve Jesus wholeheartedly?”; “How do I keep my confidence when discussing my faith with an atheist?”. There were other good q’s as well, and I wish we had more time to go back and forth. I feel these young people represent a rising wave of change for the church. I am looking forward to their impact on the world!

That night, at Scarborough Chinese Alliance’s Missions Conference,  I heard Gerald Hogenbirk preach about “lighting a candle, instead of cursing the darkness”. Next day, in my home church we had a special guest Wally talk about the many ways believers were lighting candles to show God’s goodness and love in place where there is great darkness. Last evening, our church had prayer time focused on that Spice Island, as well as on Oshawa – praying that we will be a light in darkness here.

Imagine someone from the Globe and Mail/Vancouver Sun asking: What “darkness”?  How would you answer? Here’s a stab – “Wherever the redemptive, healing power of Jesus to free humanity from the hold of sin is unknown. It’s darkness because of the sad effects of sin in individuals and communities: hatred and conflict erupt frequently,  the weak  become exploited, the degradation of women and children becomes commonplace, hopelessness and broken trusts abound.” For scripture, we could use Paul writing to Timothy - telling him that Christ Jesus came into the world to ” ’save sinners – ‘and I am the worst of them all”. He told him in the same letter that God “wants everyone to be saved and to understand the truth. For there is only one Mediator who can reconcile God and humanity – the man Christ Jesus. He gave his life to purchase freedom for everyone. This is the message he gave to the world at just the right time”.

But at the end of the day in the eyes of many around us we may look crazy. Why do we believe so strongly in raising great amounts of money, or praying with regularity and intensity, or going to very dangerous places in order to bring the good news of Jesus to men and women?

A quick breeze through the New York Times shows that the early Alliance supporters piqued secular interest! Their firm commitment to the plan of making Christ known everywhere is absolutely amazing – but it was not always understood!  (1898FallMissionsConference, SimpsonPledges1902)  You can find lot’s of  reports of their massive gatherings, and massive offerings! (Why are they doing this? Is it the music, the emotion…)

I remember a story Bill Hybels told about a fairly new believer who was being challenged by his accountant about his generous giving to ministry. Later, talking with his pastor one on one, he asked “I’m not crazy, am I?”.

Do I worry about what the world around me (my neighbours, the Toronto Star, civic leaders) think? For sure I do! But our confidence – our lack of shame – comes from our own experience of His mercy to us, and that the gospel really is the remedy our world is crying out for, and it’s been entrusted to the church to dispense in those creative ways He enables us by His Spirit.

It’s been on my mind for a good long time, especially this year: why do does the concept of a great hero resonate so powerfully in our world?

Both Hollywood and television have always done well with hero-themed movies, and lately it seems the concept is everywhere. The “Heroes” show is just one more example, ordinary people (who are yet weak, and still struggle) who have special powers and can use them for good or evil. Our longing for this story extends to celebrity culture: people love to raise up their fellow humans on a pedestal. It might be because they are exceptionally quick with a stick and a puck, or have fine features and acting ability (or just fine features), or appeal to us as fresh answers to our political stalemates. Consider even the church (or a high school, a company, a university department), and you can probably learn within a day or a week who are the heroes. It may very likely be mythical virtues set upon them, but someone past or present in that community is the hero, and the one for whom people either strive to be or strive against. These particular heroes, if still living, wield extraordinary power to move people in one direction or another.

This longing fora real-life, just and powerful hero who would deliver us…well, it matches up with the promise and character of God himself. AND HIS CHOSEN WAY of bringing hope and justice to the nations is through the empowering of ordinary, broken people….the church.

 Isaiah 42 invites us to take a good long look at the hero anointed by God to bring justice:

“Look at my servant, whom I strengthen. He is my chosen one, who pleases me. I have put my Spirit upon him. He will bring justice to the nations.

He will not shout or raise his voice in public. He will not crush the weakest read or put out a flickering candle.

He will bring justice to all who have been wronged….”

So in Jesus, the hero of heroes, we find our highest example. But His chosen way to fulfill his mission ….is us! He commissioned his disciples: “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses…”

I’ll get to the point: Hollywood or any hero-building community can re-write the script a hundred times over but they are only adjusting  the fine points of a theme God built into the human condition. We are meant for great things, to bring mercy, justice, compassion, peace, complete with extraordinary power. Our sin (well recounted in so many versions of the “hero” story today) makes us a brittle race, destined for self-destruction. But in the self-sacrifice of Jesus on the cross, God demonstrated his love for men and women, making a new life possible, complete with the filling of His spirit in us. 

So every time you see a twist on theme of the hero, be reminded that all deepest longings in us and in our world for a true hero are met in the true character and mission of Jesus, who,  in turn, has selected you.

“You will be a light to guide the nations. You will open theyes of the blind. You will free the captives from prison, releasing those who sit in dark dungeons.”

Urbana is a student missions conference put on by Inter Varsity every 3 years, and has a long history of being very focused on challenging the next generation with a biblical and spiritually vital message of the power of the gospel, and the call for us to carry it into the world. Speakers throughout the years at Urbana have been evangelists like Billy Graham and Luis Palau, pastors and writers like John Stott and Rick Warren, and church leaders from around the world, like Ajith Fernando (Sri Lanka) and Ray Aldred (First Nations, Canada). And of course, many, many missionaries; Elisabeth Elliott (always challenging), David Adeney (China -wrote a great book), Samuel Zwemer (Middle East and the Muslim world) to name a few.

BUT SO WHAT!

“We are praying that this convention might be just the beginning of a mighty missionary movement on the part of thousands of Christian students throughout North America. We hope that we may be an instrument in God’s hands, not only as a home mission, preaching the Gospel to America’s college students, but also as a foreign missionary recruiting agency … supplying a stream of trained missionary candidates, a pool of consecrated manpower for the evangelization of the world.” (original founders of Urbana conference, 1947, following first Urbana)

The reason I am booking bus seats and hotel rooms, and sending emails, etc…is because, like these pioneers who had vision, I believe the gospel is the only remedy for what is destroying us.

Put yourself into the story found in the Toronto Star, September 5th (A27), about Dakota Hunter, who lived in Nelson House, a community in northern Manitoba. When Dakota was13, he started to take tae kwon do “and took to heart the message of his instructor…who told him to listen to his enemeies and let them be tough”. CBC came along and did a documentary about this young lad “trying to stay at peace with himself among the turbulence of growing up native in a northern Manitoba band”. He was known as a good kid, raised money for cancer research, part of a local group respecting traditions (Lance Runners), and trusted in the area to babysit or do odd jobs.

But bullying from increasingly aggressive teens could not be escaped. Gang life was too pervasive a force in the area. Two other young men (one of whom used to be a close friend) who wore the colours of a certain gang, showed up in the middle of the night to his house

“..they weren’t welcomed in. Dakota’s sister saw her younger brother’s reaction as he noticed the two boys and instinctively shrank from the doorway. A moment later he faced them directly..”What are you doing here”….the two young men suggested Dakota take a walk with them. He refused. One of them called him a [coward] but when he didn’t respond …they left….but less than 20 minutes later, her brother was heading out the door.

 ”I’m going for a walk”.

“An hour later his sister went looking for him, and instead found RCMP and other people. “How fast can you drive to Thompson?”. By the time Tiara made it to the regional hospital an hour away, her brother was dead, 2 days after his 17th birthday.

“…Tiara Hunter’s anger still festers…..”

Do you not feel that? Grief, pain, …. Lord, how must you feel about this?

I know that it’s complicated. But after you add up all that’s wrong, and you consider the best intentions of briliant minds, I have no confidence in the solutions that will be proposed. Who can bring healing to the hurt in this community? Who can bring real peace to Tiara Hunter? Who can bring reconciliation between teens at war, in places where opportunity is missing and despair abounds?

I am passionate for the church to get the picture of God’s love for the Hunters, and for the gang members who committed the crime, which comes from God’s word and the work of the Holy Spirit in us. Only Jesus can bring lasting real change, and he has chosen to do it (really, this is how he has chosen do it) through people who themselves were rescued from a disastrous past (and headed for a disastrous future) – you and I.

And so who will go? As teachers? As doctors? As servants? As friends?

Who will pray passionately, deliberately and with perseverence for God to do something new? 

Who will commit to a plan or project and see it through, no matter what the cost?

It may take a lifetime. It may take a life.

But He will equip that person (those people) with what they need to bring changes within hearts, and not only that, but will spark within those he loves the resolve to stand against the tide of hate, and inspire them to build tangible structures which demonstrate his love and mercy to all.

This is why I am excited to bring students to Urbana 2009 - the seemingly impossible places of pain in our world will become places where Jesus can demonstrate his redeeming love and mercy, through the unremarkable (to some), yet totally consecrated people that he calls his own.

Psalm 126:6  ”They weep as they go to plant their seed, but they sing as they return with the harvest.”