The Leap of Faith

“Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.” ~Eph. 5:1
“The Entire Population of the World – with One Minor Exception – Is Composed of Others.” ~John Maxwell, Winning With People
A guy I had started a friendship with got fairly proactive and took me out to a skydiving course with him... We weren’t able to go the day of the course so I ended up going on a day by myself... It was quite the experience! I am in what might be termed as a “student program”, that is I jump on my own without anyone attached to me and each time I jump I have a different objective to achieve. I believe the objective this time was to make it down alive and bonus points for not breaking anything on the landing! (I hope that remains a long standing objective, in case I decide to go again... which I probably will, considering any hope of a low life insurance policy is already shot).
At any rate I showed up at this hick town airport alone asking them if there is anyone who will throw me out of a flying plane (I know of a number of people in the past who have wished to do a similar thing to me... although probably not for the same motives and they would have done so for free). I waited a while but nobody else show up and for some reason this didn’t concern me as you’d think it should have. It turned out for the “better” though... Eventually most of the instructors got ready and in no time (waivers signed) we were in the plane ready to hurl down to the ground hoping a backpack full of clothing material would save us. It was when I was kneeling in the plane ready to take off that I was informed we were going to do something a little “special”, or as the instructor said it “we don’t do this for students, but considering it’s just you...” (Previously I was told we they are dropping me off, quite literally, at 4,000 feet rather than 3,500 because they didn’t want to “stop” for me). What was this “special” treat? They call it “the Superman”; basically instead of taking off normally they get you to lean forward and as soon as your off the ground (this is about the time they asked me if it was okay) the pilot pulls on the stick thrusting the plane from a horizontal position to more of a space shuttle position (a.k.a. straight up)... it is quite interesting how the parts inside your body like to swap places when that happens but eventually my stomach decided to return to the position it was created to be in.
Up up up we went and just about when I thought it was time to get out the instructor said “this is a thousand feet” (three more thousand to go)! To tell the truth I wasn’t all that nervous yet, actually we got up to four thousand feet (everything became really tiny) and I was fine, the door opened I climbed out (almost too soon), I went to the end of the wing and hung there by just my arms... I was fine... I let go of the plane... that didn’t go so good! Suddenly my broken “DANGER!” Light came on in my head, whatever mechanical code it was it stood for, “yep gravity still works and it’s doing an overhaul on you!” Rather than making the all important “X” formation one sees in pictures of skydivers I made more of a squiggly “I” formation like someone who just jumped off a building thinking it was a footstool.
I ended up completing at least one of my objectives (to get down alive, even without braking anything!) and according to my instructors I did fairly well at the rest of the jump too (that is after the parachute caught me).I suppose as I think of this event I’m reminded how we need to live our Christian lives: to let go of the things we are bond to and trust the Lord to catch us (even when we don’t have a back up parachute); to enjoy the ride while being mindful of where we’re headed; and most of all to take “risks” for the Lord! There are a lot of people willing to do some pretty crazy things: Base jumping, diving and biking off cliffs, stunt flying, etc. I wonder though, How many of us are really willing to take a “risk” for the Lord? To take Him at His Word; to “live a life of love”; to reach out to a hurting world? Out of a sudden jumping from a plane doesn’t seem all that bad.

Trips taken, truths?... learning.

“The work of [The LORD’s] hands are faithful and just; all his precepts are trustworthy. They are steadfast for ever and ever, done in faithfulness and uprightness.” ~Ps. 111:7-8

Wow! It has been quite the number of weeks the last while! Some fairly intense things have happened along with some pretty cool things. As I am not currently connected to the internet so I’m not sure when the last time I wrote was, I’ll just write about the last couple of weeks...
Just before the beginning of July I went out to Saskatchewan for a surprise visit... I spoke at a cabin retreat for the Lost River youth group I lead for awhile and who have a part of my heart. The Lord showed me His faithfulness as I worked on preparing the messages (they were just in time and fell together wonderfully). I spoke on our desires and the need for our longing to be after God not the mirages and “broken cisterns” of life (A message I was/am needing these days). It was a great time connecting and hanging out with some pretty special people I got to know previously. That time was followed with a trip to Nipawin, Melfort and Lost River area visiting with some of the wonderful people I got to know during my time out there. I had a lot of fun playing soccer, River canoeing, watching fireworks, and talking with others.
Let me tell you a story! It is not one you have heard yet as I have only eluded it to one person so far... Actually I feel like making a number of disclaimers here but... oh well... On my trip home from Saskatchewan (a long trip to be sure) I ended up picking up two hitch hikers (not something I necessarily encourage). The first one was an older (middle aged) naive guy I picked up right after P.A. and drove to Shellbrook for a doctor’s appointment. We talked of the N.C.E.M mission near there and he said he listened to their program sometimes... It was good to talk with him and offer a ride as I tried to encourage him along the path God was trying to guide him down... The next hiker was a little more “interesting”... I picked him up shortly after I dropped the other guy off, just after Shellbrook. Let me give you some “advise”... 1.you shouldn’t normally pick up hitchhikers and 2.the other thing... if you do and they ask were your headed don’t say something like “Edmonton (6 hours away)” say something more like “where are you going? I can drop you off maybe in an hour or so...” Unless you’re ready for a long trip! No one ever gave me that advise (the latter)...
So the Hitchhiker (his name is Don) said, “Where are you going?” and I said “Edmonton”... then he said “ME TOO!” ...sigh. (I suppose if I were to follow the Biblical example of “going the extra mile” I should have dropped him off in say Price George, B.C. but I’m not sure he would have appreciated it, plus... 6 hours was long enough). I got to know Don a bit during our time together... be it through his signing to the music while he was not quite half awake; his continuous talking about whatever; his potty breaks in places others would not normally go (at least during daylight hours); or his mistaking a guy in a vehicle next to ours for a girl and calling him “good looking” (my words,) along with Don’s colourful language when he found out it was not in fact a female... You know what really strikes me about Don though... God loves him soooo much! I thought of Don after this time together and I’m quite glad for the opportunity the Lord gave to me in meeting with him... What a blessing it is to be able to do something even so small as that for the Lord! To do something small as that for someone... for anyone! Don is a guy who’s lonely and searching... there are many many more people just like him. Different faces, different names, the same depth of love from the Lord... Maybe we should do more than just think about loving people (namely the “Don’s”) and start actually doing it and rejoicing in the opportunities the Lord gives us to do so.
I would love to write more but I think I should end on that note...
“...The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’... He will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’” ~Mt. 25:40,45

So I haven't posted in awhile... I suppose that is a good sign prehaps pointing to that I might have a bit of a life. I've been really quite busy with going places and would love to write about it soon so stay tuned!

WILD MAN!!!

To tell you the truth it has been a long couple weeks (busy with little rest) and tonight I feel like reading some of my book much more then I feel like typing this... However I also feel a type of burden to write about something that has been going in my mind lightly... I’ve been reading a couple of books (I rarely read one at a time) and by providence they have recently crossed paths on an issue that hits me, my situation, and many other guys out there right where we’re at. I hesitate to write this as it is quite candid and yet at the same time it is a start to what guys really need to grab a hold of and start living out. I write mainly thoughts from Wild at Heart: Chp. 3...
“All men die; few men ever really live...” ~Braveheart. Eldredge quotes this at the beginning of his chapter and quite fittingly so as that is what we are talking about here: How so many men/guys are living what might be termed as the “Low life”, not just that we have fallen to all kinds of sin (in various forms) but also that we have not grabbed a hold of the passion within us. As Eldredge says it, “The real life of the average man seems a universe away from the desires of his heart.”(pg. 41). We wonder why so few guys are found in church or church related places (both young and old); A good friend of mine (Crystal) recently wrote a blog about her disgust of the TV/Video choices of some guys she knows; There are many stories of Pastors and teachers who have fallen to all kinds of sin... Consider, “If a man does not find those things for which his heart is made, if he is never even invited to live for them from his deep heart, he will look for them in some other way.” (Eldredge, 44). My friends, I feel for the most part our Christian community does not invite a man to follow the desires and passions of a pure heart within us! At least not to the extent it should. In part, that is the reason guys watch movies they shouldn’t watch, and look at pictures they shouldn’t, and many other sinful things. They are in pursuit of the adventure the church lacks, the adventure God gave them a thirst for.
I believe this has a lot to do with the calling of God upon our lives. In the first place the calling God has for us to live a pure life, devoted to the Lord and stayed upon Him. In the second place the calling the Lord has upon our lives as individuals! You can argue till the cows come home on Predestination vs. Free Will but in this instance I really don’t care, the Lord most surely has a call on our lives individually. He asks you to serve Him were you are at right now, in your job, in your school, in your neighbourhood... are you striving after those things which God would have you do were your at right now? Are you being faithful with the “little” so that perhaps one day you can be trusted with “much”?
Too many churches/people have lost the “power of challenge” because it isn’t comfortable, and generally in N. America we don’t like the things which stand in the way of comfort. I’m telling you Christians need to read Scripture so as to search and convict (oh, dirty word) their hearts; Preachers need to preach by the power of the Holy Spirit and for change (oh, another dirty word); and you and I need to get off our butts and start running the race, fighting the fight, and striving for the prize and victory which the Lord designed us for. I’m talking about putting our energies toward the things of the Lord and the things which he has laid on our hearts!
“We need to help guys find adventure, break the boredom, and discipline their minds by actively replacing porn [or other unhealthy pursuits] with healthy pursuits. This becomes a greater adventure when we draw a connection between the need for adventure and the need to be spiritually connected with God.” ~Gerali, TeenageGuys. Pg. 89

Joyful Heartache

Right now I’m listening to a Christian radio station the song(s) that are on presently are ones in which speak of the pain in a life. One of the songs was about losing a loved one... called something to the way of “When Superheroes Die”. The reason these few songs are currently playing is because someone has recently come to such lose and let the DJ know about it. While the songs were playing I was reading a bit about the Compassion child I recently decided to sponsor. His name is Pritom Sarker Porash and is about six years old, He’s from Bangladesh and the Lord loves him just as much as He loves you! It’s seems it is becoming less common for me to focus on matters such as these (not necessarily a bad thing) but for some reason our Lord has helped me to see such a beauty in the painful things in life. I think of that now as I consider the lady in Edmonton area who admitted her pain over someone very close passing away on her and as I think of this boy Pritom and his family.
Why is it that I find such beauty in the painful/hard things of life? Well there are a number of reasons I could guess for such a thing but let me first share a couple of verses with you I’ve been enlightened to lightly. “...But let the brother of humble circumstances glory in his high position; and let the rich man glory in his humiliation, because like flowering grass he will pass away...” ~Ja. 1:9-10. At first these verses are fairly confusing but looking a bit deeper helps bring out the meaning. It is an “upside down kingdom” in which we have been adopted into as God’s children and yet so often even as believers we get off track. If we were to write these verses it would be more like, “He who is living pretty good (has wealth, great relationships, and the such) let him rejoice for what he has; he who doesn’t have so much in life let him bag the Lord for mercy.” We didn’t write the Biblical words though, James did and he did so through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.
To help understand what is being said here look towards the start of the chapter, James says, “Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trails, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.” ~Ja. 2-4. Why is it that we are to rejoice in our trials? Why should the one of “humble circumstances” glory in his position? Why should the rich be thankful for that which humbles him? For this reason, true and enduring riches are not found in things or in what the world seeks. True and enduring riches are found in the Lord and being near to Him. As we allow those hurtful/hard situations and times in our life to draw us ever so nearer to our King we will find a beauty in the Lord like we have never known before and more and more our hearts will be satisfied with little else.
So then it is not so much the pain/hurt in life that I find beauty in but rather the wondrous riches the Lord draws out of such. If you are hurting right now, for whatever reason, may you be reminded of the beauty which the Lord is trying to create within you and let Him do His work. If you only know those who are hurting this day believe God for them and comfort them with His love.

"Wild" Boys, Amazingly View

So finally I got a picture of where I work! (Left) It is the home covered in trees right beside the river. We see some interesting things go by on the river every now and again (i.e. a Jet Boat). The field to the left of the picture is the group home's property as well it is used for baseball, soccer, golf... but most commonly for walking laps when the boys misbehave (it a good size). In between the rows of trees and the road are a bunch of dirt jumps the boys made (I haven't yet seen a better hick version of them). This is actually the older boys home where I've been working since the beginning of April, it is nicknamed "Riverside".

This is the main home (for younger boys 8-12), we call it "Forestview" (Right). It is just up the hill (to the right of the last pic) from the other group home. It has a hockey rink and a great sledding hill among other things. All the bush in in front has trails through it which are great for Skidooing and other adventures. What a beautiful place out in the country! Much better then what most group homes have to offer (many are in the city).

I sure hope you appreciate these pictures because I sure took a wild trek up some cliffs to get it! Along cliff walls covered in wasps, through thorns and brutal branches, infested by mosquitoes (I'm not joking at all! It is quite the journey... actually one we take with the boys the odd time)...the view is great though!

I've got a few more pictures I'd love to share... I'll do that later probably (although I'll be posting them on my Facebook account soon as well). It is a blessing from the Lord to work where I am, there are those tough days to be sure but there is something so much better about working in this type of capacity for people rather then bending a piece of tin! Somthing the Lord seems to be pressing in my life lightly is the need and blessing to think of others and serve them with my life, actions, words and prayers. That takes a lot of work!