I have been pondering the nature of church lately and wondering about the components of a typical Sunday service. I wonder sometimes if we have forgotten the grace that Bonhoeffer describes above. I wonder if we are so far removed from experiencing "koinonia" (fellowship) that we no longer recognize it when we have it. Each week we have the opportunity to gather together in a culmination of a week long walk with Christ and celebrate with our brothers and sisters that which has saved us. We do so through song sermon, through tears and laughter, through teaching and tithing and so many other ways.

 

But sometimes I wonder if perhaps we have forgotten why we gather at all. If we ever do. If we begin to resent the very grace of our weekly gatherings (where ever we gather). We will lose something of the grace God wishes for us in our lives.

 

Any who have been called as leaders into this community must model the joy of gathering together. If we cannot do that we cannot question members of our congregations when they struggle with joy in fellowship.

 

In my humble opinion the Israeli response to a series of rocket attacks from Gaza (one of which killed one woman and seriously injured two others) was VASTLY overstated. The massive airstrikes killed more than 230 Palestineans and injured more than 400 others. History has taught that these ridiculous exchanges do nothing to stop the violence. The Israeli airstrike should be condemned whole-heartedly. It will not be…but it should.

 

To my friends who believe through some poor reading of scripture that there will never be peace in the middle east and so why work toward that end? I can assure you via a good reading of scripture that human endeavor will never erase brokeness from our hearts but that is no grounds for diving head first into evil.

 

There are others who believe that scripture mandates we in the west maintain government policies that do all that is possible to maintain a state of Israel; That we bless whatever actions it takes to defend its sovereignty regardless of whether those actions are just because without such a state scripture cannot be fulfilled and Christ will not return.  It is pathetic to believe that God cannot accomplish His ends without human action. Pathetic.

 

The airstrike by Israel was nothing short of vengeance and judgement. No thinking modern warfare tactician or strategist would ever expect such a response to do anything other than fan the already hot flames of hatred against Israel in the middle east. There is no doubt the airstrike will only make things worse.

 

First Merry Christmas to everyone out there. I truly hope that you and yours draw nearer to God through this time and see God’s nearness to you as well. As for my car – I would curse it but that seems like a waste of time. We are really blessed to have it however I wish it would choose more appropriate times to stop working other than Christmas Eve.

 

It died in front of the church this morning – thanks to Darren, Paul and Bob for pushing it into the parking lot. After a little investigation we realized the battery was dead and not charging. I called a couple of guys. Thanks to Gord and Keith for their technical know-how. Eventually got the old battery out which was frozen solid. Put in a new battery with new ends on the cables. Still seems to be an alternator issue which we’ll have to deal with in the new year.

 

Today’s bill’s racked up to more then $180. Merry Christmas from my car. Stupid car. Well – it is over 10 and has served us faithfully without major repair issues so I understand that we have been blessed. The timing is bad, that’s all.

 

Anyhow – like a typical guy, I’m pretty happy with the new Interstate MS-Plus battery. It looks good and the starts fine for now. I’m also pleased with the shiny new connector on the battery. I’m glad we only have the one car. Now, I just have to fix the garage door opener. Sigh. It never ends eh? Entropy. The universe tends toward entropy – especially in my car and garage door opener.

 

 

Like that title? Pretty good eh? It actually refers to Beyonce’s new song of the same title which, frankly, I think is a pretty incredible song. The lyrics are fantastic and the whole package is very evocative. Definitely a thinker. Very moving. There’s a fairly strong message here for guys that they should pay close attention to. The video is also pretty amazing and gets the point of the song across. Here are the lyircs:

 

If I were a boy
even just for a day
I’d roll out of bed in the morning
and throw on what I wanted and go

Drink beer with the guys
and chase after girls
I’d kick it with who I wanted
and I’d never get confronted for it
cause they stick up for me

If I were a boy
I think I could understand
How it feels to love a girl
I swear I’d be a better man
I’d listen to her
Cause I know how it hurts
When you lose the one you wanted
Cause he’s taking you for granted
And everything you had got destroyed

If I were a boy
I would turn off my phone
Tell everyone it’s broken
so they’d think that I was sleeping alone

I’d put myself first
and make the rules as I go
Cause I know that she’ll be faithful,
waiting for me to come home, to come home.

If I were a boy
I think I could understand
How it feels to love a girl
I swear I’d be a better man
I’d listen to her
Cause I know how it hurts
When you lose the one you wanted
Cause he’s taking you for granted
And everything you had got destroyed

It’s a little too late for you to come back
Say it’s just a mistake,
think i’d forgive you like that
If you thought I would wait for you
you thought wrong

But you’re just a boy
You don’t understand
and you don’t understand, ohhhh
How it feels to love a girl
Someday you wish you were a better man
You don’t listen to her
You don’t care how it hurts
Until you lose the one you wanted
Cause you’re taking her for granted
And everything you had got destroyed

But you’re just a boy

 

This afternoon I am making a Black Castle to drink with my home-made chili. Just thought you’d want to know.

 

In a much better mood now I thought I would mention my latest music find. The group Glasvegas (rhymes with Las Vegas). They are a pub band from Glascow, Scotland and they have a pretty cool interesting sound. Kind of a loud, echoe-y, roughness that works well. You can clearly hear the Scottish brogue too but not in a campy Proclaimers kind of way. They are a very "real" band (whatever that means).

 

Anyhow they’re worth listening to but I think not everyone’s taste for sure. It really is hard to say who or what they sound like but I like them. Three songs worth listening to for sure are "Daddy’s Gone", "Geraldine", and "It’s My Own Cheating Heart that Makes Me Cry". I have to leave you with an "OFFICIAL BAD WORD ALERT" on the last song. There. You have been officially warned.

 

 

 

I am pouting.

 

I am at home and I’m actually pouting in anger. I figured maybe blogging it out would help. I really shouldn’t be pouting. I had a bad morning and now I’m stewing in it and not letting it go. Like I’m enjoying it or something. I really can’t stand being angry.

 

It is ironic that being angry makes me angry. Grrr. The sad thing is its really not a big deal and I shouldn’t be this ticked off.

 

Everything I should do – pray, read my Bible, take a deep breath – I am avoiding. Anger is an interesting thing. Like it has a life of its own and once it has been born it will do everything to stay alive…more than anyother emotion anger hangs on the hardest.

 

I guess my problem is that I take some things too seriously. Maybe I need to lighten up a bit. The world is still turning. I’m still breathing.

 

I think I’ll go pray after lunch and do a little Bible reading. I’m already feeling better. You’ve been a good listener…thanks.

Well – tonight we had 23 people from our MAC Mexico Mission (M3) Team Reunion at our house (the last pile left about half an hour ago). Mmyself and Corinna led a 25 person team on a trip to Tijuana, Mexico where we spent a week doing two Vacation Bible Schools a day to two different churches in two very different parts of the city – one upper middle class, the other very poor. It was one of the most testing, exhausting, fantastic things I’ve ever experienced.

I learned so much about myself and the people around me. I learned I had a greater capacity than I thought. I learned the people around me are capable of amazing spectacular things. I learned that I am part of a freaking amazing community of believers and I sometimes wonder what I did to deserve that. I learned I have a whole lot further to go and grow. A whole lot more to love. I learned I’m a pretty selfish person.

One of the things we did as a team at the end of our trip was to write a letter to God. Each of us composed our own letters to God about the trip. We could write whatever we wanted. Talk about what happened on the trip and what we hope would happen as a result. Then we sealed it in an envelope and they were all tucked away somewhere until this evening when we all got them back to read to ourselves. It was a pretty cool experience.

I can honestly say I love each and every member of the team. Every single one of them. We went through some pretty tough times together. Brutal heat. Exhaustion. Culture Shock. Relational strain. But at the end of the day each of us survived. We gave something of ourselves to the kids we met in Tijuana and to each other. We learned how hard it is to leave your home and culture to minister into the lives of others.

As I write this we are already planning next summers mission trip. It is local. We will be leading a team to the inner city to deliver a Vacation Bible School at a First Nation’s church. We hope to connect with the local mission as well. It’s scary and exciting all at the same time. I look forward to seeing what the next team will look like.

Anyhow – the evening was amazing. It was powerful and fun. It was comfortable which is good and I think God smiled (corny I know).

 

I was pleased to learn that Barack Obama has asked Pastor Rick Warren to preside over his inauguration in Jaunary. This is a role that has historically been filled by the Rev. Billy Graham, whose declining health has meant he is fairly immobile at this point. There was even a sense in the last inauguration when Franklin Graham presided that it was only in his father’s stead and not on his own.

 

At any rate I appreciate the choice of Rev. Warren.

 

So imagine my surpirse when I learn that Kathryn Kolbert, President of People for the American Way, a non-profit group that advocates for equality, freedom of speech and religion, publically stated that Obama’s choice was wrong because Warren is publically opposed to Gay marriage and abortion. The president of an organization dedicated to equality, freedom of speech and religion thinks Warren is a bad choice because his perspectives differ from hers. Is there a little irony in that?

 

I appreciate a quote from Obama earlier this week where he stated that he hopes to see "Americans learning to agree to disagree without becoming disagreeable." One can only hope that not only Americans learn this lesson but Canadians and the rest of the world as well.

 

You can read the Kolbert’s commentary here: http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/12/18/kolbert.warren/index.html

 

You can also read an alternative commentary by Ruben Navarrette here: http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/12/19/navarrette.warren/index.html

 

You can read more about Rock Warren here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rick_Warren

 

 

 

I was gifted with The Tales of Beedle the Bard today! Such a cool thing. Looking forward to reading it.