Silence

I have been a bit infrequent of late.

Part of that is work related as there is a boatload of stuff on my plate.

Part of it is intentional as I am really meditating on Ecclesiastes 3 right now.

In particular, the latter part of 3:7 which says there is a time for silence and a time to speak.

The word that is gnawing at me is right there:

SILENCE

I shared on Ecclesiastes 3 at church last week and something was said that just brought that word home to me.

I think silence is something we don't practice enough in Christianity.

It got me thinking though and I have been digging into the Word and looking at themes like:

"Being Still Before God, Silence, Contemplation and Reflection"

I just felt that I needed to take some time and reflect on these themes.

Only in listening to the Father can we really know His heart.

Day 6

Sunday was a feast day...

and feast we did.

Sipping my coffee, I really came to appreciate how "good" we have it in N. America.

Especially in light of this fact:

So far over $10,000 has been pledged for Blood: Water Mission's work in Africa.

As we are nearing the end of Day 6, I am finding it is not as hard to resist coffee and other drinks. I am finding it is VERY HARD to ignore the suffering in places like Africa and Japan.

What can you do to help?

Day 3

Well Day 3 is nearly done and it hasn't gotten much easier. I am fighting a cold/flu right now and only drinking water is a challenge.

Of course, considering that 884 million people are drinking from poor water sources, the fact that I can drink clean water is a blessing.

I have been looking at some of the 300 Scriptures on the poor and needy. Amazing that in both the Old and New Testament, God shows His concern and love for the poor. How can we do any less?

Day One

So today was Day 1 of our 40 day water challenge.

It was a lot tougher kickoff for me this year than it was last year.

As Sarah and I started the day, we talked about our coffee consumption and both realized that, WOW, we drink a lot of coffee. More than at any time in our life.

That was an eye-opening fact I wasn't expecting.

I also noticed how many people around me talked about coffee. Clients would sit in my office and talk about the good cup of coffee they grabbed on the way in the door, how good the coffee smelled, etc.

Sarah said she noticed today how she would normally grab a cup of coffee instead of a healthy mid-day snack. She also feels it is a privilege she has taken for granted. A privilege she missed while sitting in a cold ice arena watching our daughter figure skate.

I am keeping Luke 10:27 in my mind as we go through these 40 days: "He answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ ”

You can read about our 40 day journey on this blog and also track our drink total here.

40 Days of Water

Last year I decided to go off of coffee for 40 days! It was hard, very hard. However it was well worth it. (Pun Intended!) The money I saved went to the Blood:Water Mission in order to provide clean drinking water in Africa.

Forty Days of Water from Blood:Water Mission on Vimeo.

This year I'll be doing it again. This time, I will be joined by my wife, Sarah. We will take the challenge together and will blog about the process and the needs that the Blood:Water Mission are trying to address.

Will you join us in the 40 Day of Water challenge?

Do I Really?

Do we really want to know the God of the universe?

That was the question rattling around in my head recently. Do we--scratch that-- do I want to truly know the King of Kings and Lord of Lords? Do I want to know Him more?

I love the wording of this Scripture in the God's Word Translation:

"I want your loyalty, not your sacrifices. I want you to know me, not to give me burnt offerings."
(Hosea 6:6)

See, for years I thought I knew God. I thought I knew His character, His ways. I would tell people what God was like and how He acted in certain situations or felt about certain sins. I didn't think I was being presumptive. I was quoting things I had been taught in church. I was pointing out Scriptures as they had been shown to me...usually out of context.

Only in the last couple of years have I begun to find out how much I didn't know. It started when I re-read the Sermon on the Mount. I really started meditating on that passage of Scripture and, dare I say it, I found a Jesus I didn't recognize. Moving from that passage I re-read the 4 Gospels and found a Jesus I never knew before. One who showed grace to the sinner and had his harshest words for the "religious" leaders of the day.

I moved back into the Old Testament, and even there, I found a God of grace, of mercy. I always thought of God's character as displayed in the OT as being a bit more "harsh and judgmental." Instead I found a God of compassion, long suffering and grace. He still judged sin but He was constantly wooing His people towards repentance.

I realized I had always viewed God the way I wanted Him to be, merciful to me and harsh on the other "sinners" around me. I wanted Him to move the way I felt He should and to heal those I felt needed it. I thought I should have the answers when people doubted God and that I should defend Him a all costs.

Man, I have been so wrong.

My prayers of late have been to just know Jesus Christ and Him crucified. I am only just now seeing that I don`t have to have all the answers, that God`s ways are truly higher than mine.

Which, I think, is really a key point. God is bigger than I think. That scares me, which goes back to my first question. Do I really want to know the God of the universe, the One who moves His way and heals His way? Do I want God to be God, or my interpretation of Him?

The more I know, the more I realize I don`t know. In fact, I know enough to know I don`t know what I think I know. What I do know is I have a Savior who does.

Walking On By

Recently two elders within YWAM came up to our church plant in Smithers, BC for a special service. One of the men, Paul, shared the story of Jesus walking on the water and Peter stepping out to meet Him. You can read that story in Matthew 14:22-33 and Mark 6:45-52.

Paul briefly mentioned the later part of Mark 6:48. It was a little aside and not something he focused on but it started rolling around in my mind and I have been blessed by meditating a bit more on that Scripture.

The verse says, "Then He saw them straining at rowing, for the wind was against them. Now about the fourth watch of the night He came to them, walking on the sea, and would have passed them by."

Why would Jesus pass them by?

While thinking on that I, also realized how often I feel that way in my own life. I feel as if Jesus is passing me by and doesn't see the storm I am in. Work, family, life, pastor, friends, interests, it all seems to swirl around me in a bit of a "perfect storm."

I feel as if I am rowing against the wind.

Yet in that storm, Jesus walked close enough for the disciples to see Him. They cried out for they couldn't see Him clearly. As they did, He drew closer and revealed Himself more fully. He got into the boat with them, calmed the storm and they worshiped Him!

It is a comfort to me to know that, though it may feel like Christ is passing me by in the midst of the storm, in reality He is closer than I think!

All I have to do is cry out to Him.