Love Is Moving Issue 26 - MAR/APR 2018

ISSUE 26

CANADA’S CHRISTIAN YOUTH MAGAZINE

MAR/APR 2018

WAITING FOR A MIRACLE Abigail Morgan p. 4

FEED YOUR RESOLUTION Jamila Holder p. 7

ALLURE OF BUSYNESS Marina Hanna p. 12

WHAT DEFINES YOU? Josiah Piett p. 14

$3.95 CDN

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CONTENT 10

5

Summer Jobs

Answers

8

Prayer

14

Oil

19 Gas

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WORDS FROM THE EDITOR As Oswald Chambers puts it, the life of a Christian is defined by our faithfulness in the “drudgery of day-to-day life.” Throughout Scripture, it is clear that a life lived in service to Christ is not a call to an easy ride, but rather one of discipline, difficulties, wrestling and working out our salvation with fear and trembling. Yet, despite the fact that we can expect to go through “valleys of the shadow of death,” the Lord has made mind-blowing promises to His people. There are seasons and moments where we see beautiful spiritual breakthroughs that reveal the power and glory of our omnipotent God in our small and seemingly insignificant lives and problems.

In issue 26 of Love Is Moving we are celebrating these moments of breakthrough—stories of God’s faithfulness, the power of answered prayer, the joy that is found when we see how much God cares for us right in front of our eyes.

While there are many stories, anecdotes and resources that celebrate breakthrough, we are also featuring a three-part piece on the recent issues surrounding the Canada Summer Jobs government program.

These societal shifts will have a big impact on local churches, ministry organizations and summer camps Canada-wide. It’s important to be aware of what’s going on around us and be able to respond wisely and boldly for the sake of our communities in Jesus’ name.

On the Flipside for Leaders, we have assembled a variety of resources, devotionals and encouraging personal stories written by those who participate in the hard, beautiful work of youth ministry. Enjoy hearing the voices of other leaders across the country who may be wrestling with similar issues and celebrating similar triumphs.

Finally, we are releasing the Love Is Moving app for smartphones! Be sure to flip to page 20 for instructions on how to download, enjoy and engage!

This app will offer the opportunity to view exclusive content, win prizes, and challenge your youth group—be sure to check it out!

Sincerely, Conor Sweetman, senior editor

Brian Heimann Cover Mark Stewart

joinlovemovement

@loveismoving loveismoving.ca

ART DIRECTOR MARK STEWART

ISSN 2561-5262 (Print) ISSN 2561-5270 (Online)

SENIOR EDITOR CONOR SWEETMAN

Publisher The Evangelical Fellowship of Canada TheEFC.ca

EDITOR IN CHIEF & FOUNDER BENJAMIN PORTER

Editorial Consultant Bill Fledderus

EDITOR IN CHIEF & FOUNDER JOEL GORDON

Contact info@loveismoving.ca including submissions and subscriptions

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WAITING FOR A MIRACLE

Words by Abigail Morgan I had been waiting for that big miracle moment: when the angel shows up at the end of my bed and tells me what is to be foreseen in my future. Maybe the miracle would come when I tangibly witnessed a miraculous healing of a loved one. You could say I was a Christian in waiting. I wanted something to happen in my life that would make me believe and know that this God stuff was really real.

I grew up in a Christian home with parents and grandparents who were on their knees praying for me every day. I appreciated this act of love they displayed for me, but I wanted to know why and how.

Finding purpose in this world is a hard thing. Many people are successful by human standards, but they still die miserable.

Being miserable does not only come from a focus on material possessions, but it is also often found when you live a life with no purpose. When you’re not able to grasp why you’re here on this earth, self-doubt and sadness come flooding in.

I’ve sat through many seasons filled with thick silence as I’ve waited for the God I’ve learned about all my life to finally whisper in my ear. My understanding was that if I went to church and did good things like mission trips and volunteer work, I would eventually encounter Him and have my supernatural God experience.

This past year, I went to Haiti for one month on a mission trip by myself. I absolutely adore the Haitian people, their love for such simple living and the joy that radiates from them is astonishing. Halfway through my trip, a nurse from Australia arrived. She was an older lady who came to work with me in the medical clinic. She talked with passion, love, and fierce joy about her relationship with Jesus. She wanted so badly for that entire Haitian village to surrender to our God. I admired this characteristic of hers, and I wanted so badly to know how on earth she had become this way.

I got up early one morning to walk to the beach before breakfast.

I saw my Australian friend out on the pier by herself. She had her hands raised in the air and was dancing and praising God. Eventually she got down on her knees, and it looked as though she was begging. I sat there and watched her as I thought to myself, “God why can’t I have this passion for you? I want to pursue you, know you, wake up each morning to praise you, and to surrender for the forgiveness I know I need.”

The truth I had been waiting so long for suddenly dawned on me. I was waiting for the perfect time for God to encounter me, but in reality God was waiting for me to accept the offer He has.

I was looking in the wrong places all along. I wasn’t seeking my Heavenly Father, I was waiting for Him to come to me.

The plan for my life is still unclear, but I know that purpose is found in God.

God encounters each one of us in different ways. Stop waiting for Him to show up in a miraculous way, fall on your knees as you accept the gift He has for you every day. My Australian friend taught me how to worship and how to be thankful. She taught me how to accept the gift of life. I no longer sit back and wait for something miraculous to happen – I see miracles happen every day as we accept a life with Christ.

Deuteronomy 4:29 says, “But if from there you seek the Lord your God, you will find him if you seek him with all your heart and with all your soul.”

The plan for my life is still unclear, but I know that purpose is found in God. I found purpose on that beach in Haiti and I brought it back with me to live out in my daily life. Seeking my Heavenly Father has never given me so much clarity.

Surrendering to my Heavenly Father now gives my life purpose.

So when the waves of life crash, I am ready and armed with the only sustainable grace that I need, and it comes from my relationship with Jesus.

Abigail Morgan Grand Bay Westfield, NB Jesse Bowser

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WHEN GOD ANSWERS Words by Candace Maxymowich

“I don’t even know why I’m praying for this anymore,” I thought as I sobbed. “It seems like every time I pray for something, God says ‘Thank you for your prayers, but that’s not My will, please accept this.’”

I was ready to give up on what had gone from fervent explanations of the reasoning for my request to mumbling a few words for the thing I wanted most. I didn’t really believe my fervour or mumbling even mattered anymore. I thought that if God wanted to answer my prayer, He would – and if He didn’t want to, He wouldn’t, so why waste my time, energy, and emotions on something I had no control over?

I hated the place in which I’d found my apathetic heart. I wanted to believe my prayers were important to God, that He listened intently like a loving Father and considered my desires carefully. I wanted to believe He was working for my good and not just answering prayer requests arbitrarily like I pictured Him doing while He sat on His throne.

I’ve come to learn life is full of battles that would be impossible to conquer without God’s provision. It’s vital we take note of the way we are instructed to approach His throne in those times of need. Hebrews 4 tells us to come boldly – meaning to be confident, courageous, forward, strong, and firm. There’s a big difference between wishing to receive something from God and being determined to receive it.

I began to get specific and did my best to be bold in my asking. The more I prayed, the more I began to have peace, but not peace that made me feel confident my prayers would be answered – rather, peace with any answer. As my heart’s desires began to change, so did my request.

a long time. I thought to myself, “God answered your prayer and gave you what you wanted – Why can’t you just be happy about it?” I’ve come to realize it’s ok to grieve the end of a previous season when God answers a prayer.

When God answers a prayer that involves a life change, it’s alright to grieve. Actually Praying with the expectation of an answer I think it’s healthy and necessary to mourn doesn’t mean expecting God is going to do exactly what you want. Rather, praying with the former things as we transition into the expectation means believing God is going to new things. Ecclesiastes 3:1 tells us, “For everything there is a season, and a time for bring goodness and growth out of whatever every matter under heaven.” I think that situation you find yourself in – whether it’s at times we’ll experience grief as we leave the exact outcome you’re hoping for or not. a season behind, no matter how excited we It doesn’t mean it will be quick or easy or are about the answer God has given us. seem like a good thing at first, but the only way to be confident in our If you’re prayer lives is to trust that struggling with God is good, He loves us, I’VE COME COME TO TO LEARN LEARN I’VE conflicting and His will is ultimately emotions about going to be accomplished.

LIFE IS IS FULL FULL OF OF LIFE an unanswered

an answered We have to remember that BATTLES THAT THAT WOULD WOULD or BATTLES prayer, take just because our prayers heart. God is aren’t working or God BE IMPOSSIBLE IMPOSSIBLE TO TO BE faithful to hear seems a million miles your prayers and away, it doesn’t mean He CONQUER WITHOUT WITHOUT CONQUER move on your is absent. He promises behalf, and He He’ll never leave us. Even GOD’S PROVISION. PROVISION. GOD’S will be faithful when we don’t underto help you emstand, we can still trust. brace the answer. If you’re stepping into the Even when we have unanswered prayers, we new thing God has called you to, remember can still have faith.

He will be with you in the transition, too.

Yet, even when our prayers are answered, it’s not always easy.

Sometimes grieving happens when God answers a prayer we’ve been praying for

Candace Maxymowich Winnipeg, MB Maarten Van Den Heuvel

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TRUSTING GOD IN THE FACE OF ACNE Word by Morgan Clark “Are you eating well?”

“What kind of soap are you using?”

“What happened to your face?”

These are all questions I have regularly heard from well-meaning people over the last ten years. My journey began in a dermatologist office at age ten, because I had scar on my nose; little did I know that this would be first in a long line of frequent visits. I developed what is called cystic acne, a condition which typically affects teenagers and young adults. Note: this is not your typical acne, but rather large and painful cysts which cover the majority of the face.

few months I would pray for healing — that one morning I would wake up and it would be gone — but that did not happen.

By the end of the semester, things took a turn for the worse, to the point that I could hardly get a spoon of cereal into my mouth due to the pain, I did not want to leave my room, see my friends, or even go to church.

I started to reconsider what my dad had said, and I began to wonder if maybe he was right — maybe this was something I could trust God with. I knew that I did not have any other options and that I could not go on like that, so I decided to take a leap of faith and try Accutane.

I remember that first night, looking at the little yellow pill in my hand. I prayed desperately for protection, prayed that it would work, prayed for a miracle. Over the course of the next few months, I Each time that did experience side-effects from the medication, but fear crept in, I only minor ones. I would get my blood-work done each was reminded month and every time the that I could trust dermatologist would look at

Starting at that young age, I was provided with many different “solutions” to this problem — soaps, medications, dietary changes, etc.

Each time something did not work, I would simply try something new. However, God and that I when I was in Grade 12, the dermatologist told me that had an army of my only other option was to take a drug called Accutane. people praying After doing some research for me at home.

I decided that, due to the risks, this was not something I wanted to put into my body.

So I decided to wait it out.

The dermatologist did say that she believed my acne would be gone by the time I finished my first year of university.

However, as I neared the end of my time on Accutane, I began to fear that once I stopped taking the medication the cysts would come back. And what if they did?

I had no other options. Each time that fear crept in, I was reminded that I could trust God and that I had an army of people praying for me at home. I knew God was faithful, and I knew that whatever happened He would still be with me.

Just a few months ago, I finished my last dose of Accutane. Other than some scars, you would never know I struggled with cystic acne. Do I still wonder why I ever had to have cystic acne? Absolutely. But I also see it taught me about myself, my identity in Christ, and the character of God. I learned beauty is not about the outward appearance, but that it is about your heart. I learned to trust God in new ways, that God will not let me down, and that He works in mysterious ways.

When I think about this time, I am reminded of my dad’s favourite Proverb, which says, “Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths” (Proverbs 3:5-6). There are so many things I will never understand, but I now know I can trust in the Lord to do the miraculous. Whatever situation you might be in, know that you too can trust God to do what might seem impossible, and to use it to bring Himself glory.

Fast forward to the end of second year and not only was it not gone, but it had gotten a lot worse. I clearly remember having a conversation with my parents about reconsidering Accutane. Again, I was scared of the side-effects and the stories that I had read online, so I told them that I did not want to take it. It was at this point that my dad asked me a question that I will never forget.

He asked me, “Can you trust God to protect your body while you are on this medication?” That night this question rattled me, and I became defensive and upset. I wondered why God would not just heal me, why He might want me to take this medication with the potential to harm me. In the next

the results, he would say, “They’re perfect.”

Each time I heard that, I knew that God was protecting me.

Morgan Clark Newmarket, ON Scott Webb

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FEED YOUR RESOLUTION TAME YOUR TONGUE Words by Jamila Holder

Let’s be honest — chances are, you have read a New Year’s article on resolutions before. You probably know health-related resolutions are among the five most popular kinds. Aren’t we all familiar with the benefits of eating healthy, whether it’s paleo, keto, vegetarian, organic, vegan… but wait!

Before you tune me out, what if I told you that food is not the problem or the enemy?

The truth is, we actually have to make an effort to be ignorant about our food choices — which leaves us to pose the question, If we know better, what is stopping us from taking action and eating healthier?

Like any New Year’s resolution, getting started is arguably the hardest part, but what if I told you that there is another battle that few master when it comes sustaining food resolutions? I bet you know this battle all too well – go ahead and try a new food and you will know what I am talking about.

I realized what this battle was about last November, when I participated in a Daniel Fast. I am a true foodie, so you can imagine how fasting is not a strength of mine, and how eliminating sugar and meat from my diet could even seem ungodly.

After the first week of withdrawal symptoms, I began to discover alternative healthier options that looked delicious, but I had to be willing to try them. There is something interesting that happens when we try new foods; it’s almost like our bodies

go into hyper-critical mode. Our brain begins to wonder, Will I like this? Every muscle in our face stands on high alert as our tongue is given the role of being a guinea pig.

When a strange taste and texture interact with your mouth, your mind combs through its archives of similar taste experiences to draw the final conclusion: Do I like this or do I hate it?

If you decide you like it, you will most likely finish your plate, perhaps even ask for seconds. However, if you decide you hate it, the likelihood of ever trying it again diminishes.

A few years ago I saw the most ingenious food ad. It was an ad for Tums, and the tag line “Is your food fighting you?” stuck with me. The battle I want to highlight could be summarized by a similar question: Is your tongue fighting you?

After surveying friends, I began to realize that we are all fighting a losing battle. We have developed a psychological framework of excuses that are inhibiting our ability to achieve our food goals, the main excuse being that we didn’t like the taste of “healthy food.”

However, the realization that my body is the only ticket that grants me access to exist on earth, trumps all excuses.

As a believer, I have found that we ourselves are the biggest transgressor of eating unhealthily. I was taught to bless my food before partaking; “Father bless this food and let it bring nourishment to my body,” but if the meal I chose was not nutritious to begin with…you get my point.

We know our bodies are the temple of God. Is your body in its current state the best dwelling place for God? If not, it’s time for some resolutions. In 2018 let’s ask God to help us to tame our tongue, so we can introduce it to a new food and re-train it to love what is good for our body, mind and well-being.

Jamila Holder North York, ON Katarzyna Kos

The tongue is usually the first to abort our healthy eating mission.

It is the first point of contact that determines which foods we would eat. Unconsciously we have trained our tongue to enjoy the foods we do. It loves what it loves and hates what it hates because we trained it to.

In conjunction with our brain, our tongue will determine whether we achieve our healthy eating goals in 2018.

“The truth is, we actually have to make an effort to be ignorant about our food choices”

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A FRIEND TO THE HOMELESS Words by Matthew Demitroff In the summer of 2016, God showed me the blessing of waiting.

I didn’t spend that summer singing camp songs around the fire, or chasing after campers in my cabin. Instead I flipped burgers in a sweaty chip truck and scooped ice cream in a chilly convenience store, saving every dime I earned and counting down the days to when I would arrive at Tyndale University.

As I waited, God prepared me for what was to come. I had a vision of a dark Toronto sky and a bright light radiating from Tyndale, which poured out and covered every corner of Toronto. The light even covered the entirety of the CN tower, almost like the sun. To this day, I still do not fully understand what this light represented, but I knew that Tyndale would be involved in a mission to share the authenticity of God’s love in mission. To put it lightly, I was excited to start school.

In my first week at Tyndale, I already began to do mission work within the city — my friend James and I decided to go

downtown exploring, talking and sharing with homeless people. We had barely known each other for a few days, but God had already set the design for the night. We went downtown and asked God to lead us to people within the city who we could pray for.

“

After our prayer we bought crispy rice squares at the bulk store and headed out into the city, handing them out to people on street corners, starting casual conversation as people munched on their sticky treats. That night, we met two people in particular who expanded my perception of homeless people.

Afterward, he thanked us for taking time out to come speak with him.

As we moved on, we met another man (let’s call him Richie) who had been on the streets for quite some time. He could barely hold a conversation with us but appreciated the food and our company as we sat with him.

I learned through Richie and Dante that though they were on the streets, they still enjoyed the time we spent with them. They needed love, and we expressed God’s love by offering them company and a listening ear to their stories, praying for them as they spoke.

James and I had to be sacrificial in order to see the blessings God had prepared when we were obedient to his voice.

Let us take time out of our day to enjoy

We had barely known each other for a few days, but God had already set the design for the night.

The first person (let’s call him Dante), was sitting overtop of a vent. We sat with him, asking if he wanted prayer — immediately he broke down in tears, explaining how he had been on the streets because of his unstable family situation. Dante asked if we could pray for his family and his current situation. As we prayed, I could feel Dante’s body shaking because of his suffering.

”

one another’s company, as we sacrificially give our time to God and see what He will ultimately accomplish. These times downtown revealed to me the incredible things that can happen when we seek His direction and enjoy the little blessings in one another’s company.

Matthew Demitroff Toronto, ON Nina Strehl

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Power Made Perfect in Weakness

Life as a Christian Nurse Words by Beka Ermel

I received a report on a little boy with a terrible infection that progressed to a diagnosis of meningitis. A few days before, he was healthy and acting like a typical two-year-old, today he lay quietly in bed, moaning only when he was being poked and prodded for an assessment. The family was lovely but very anxious, as any parents would be in a crisis situation. I had cared for multiple patients that were unable to move or speak due to a late diagnosis of meningitis when they were younger, and I prayed this wouldn’t be the prognosis for my patient.

My heart broke for them as I worked quickly and calmly around restless family members in the room who were unaccustomed to the beeping of the hospital monitors or the routine needle pokes. It was new to them, and they looked to me for the slightest bit of reassurance. I couldn’t fix the problem, but I could care for them in a way that made it just a little better. I sat with the mom as she cried, swallowing back tears so I could try to be a calm voice in the midst of chaos. I was a stranger to them but

felt an automatic connection because of the dire circumstances that had brought us together.

As I walked home that night after work, I cried. My heart was so broken but so full for them, wanting more than anything to take away the pain and uncertainty they were experiencing. I loved this family, though I had just met them. “Break my heart for what breaks yours” are words I often pray. God was bringing that prayer into reality as I allowed Him to fill my heart with a deep compassion for the people around me.

“Mom, I will never be a nurse, I’m not good at science.”

That was my response after trying to select my courses for Grade 11. Biology and chemistry were not options after I had nearly failed Grade 10 science the semester before. Even if I was interested in nursing, there was no chance I’d get through the science component of the program to finish a degree. I didn’t know what I wanted to be at the age of 18, but I knew I wanted to get out of school as fast as possible to start a career where I was making a difference but didn’t require much studying.

That didn’t seem like a good enough reason to disregard a career God seemed to be drawing me towards. God was challenging me to take a leap of faith and to rely on Him for the knowledge and capabilities I needed.

After miraculous coordination and timing, with many tears and doubts in between, I made it into a nursing program eight months later. God had His hand in every detail; even when I underestimated my potential, He didn’t give up on me.

My experience throughout nursing school affirmed that God guided me to this career with a purpose in mind. One of those purposes is walking with people through the most critical times of their lives, and caring for them in a way that reflects Jesus. I have my moments of stress and exhaustion, but I pray every day that I may be filled with the Spirit to not only acknowledge what my patients are experiencing but to walk with them through it, as Jesus walks with us through our most trying times.

I came into work a week later and was assigned to take care of the same little boy with meningitis. This time he was standing up in his crib looking around with a smile on his face. His MRI came back normal and he was able to go home free of any long-term issues. My heart was soaring as I soaked in the expression of relief on his parents’ faces as we talked about his improvement over the last week. As they prepared to go home, the mom and I hugged, communicating an unspoken appreciation for the impact we shared in each other’s lives.

High school came and went, and afterwards I took a year off to save for university and volunteer for a mission organization overseas. In that year, God revealed to me that His plans for my life were much greater than I had anticipated. It began when I met a woman who had taken adult school courses to get into nursing later in her life, It’s humbling to know that God chooses to and here I was (18 at the time) and thinking use us to share His love even when we don’t it was too late for me. After that conversafeel adequate. We are made adequate when tion I stayed up for many nights thinking our strength comes from God Himself, so “nursing would that His power is made perfect in be my ideal job, our weakness.

I’m just not going God had his hand in into it because I Beka Ermel don’t think I’m every detail; even when Toronto, ON smart enough.”

Hush Naidoo

I underestimated my potential, He didn’t give up on me.

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SLEIGHT OF FUNDING CANADA SUMMER JOBS PART ONE

Words by Sawyer Bullock “If liberty means anything at all, it means the right to tell people what they do not want to hear.”

- George Orwell If the topics of money, politics, and religion were not enough to create sufficient hoopla, the federal government has found a way to combine all three! Much controversy has arisen concerning new application criteria for Canadian Summer Jobs grant.

In response, further clarification has been given by the Minister of Employment Patricia Hajdu and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau; their comments focusing on the term “core mandate.”

Groups applying must agree that the job and the organization’s “core mandate” respects reproductive rights, among which is “the right to access safe and legal abortions.”

The online application defines core mandate as, “the primary activities undertaken by the organization that reflect the organization’s ongoing services provided to the community. It is not the beliefs of the organization, and it is not the values of the organization.”

Hajdu has said “… the law of Canada says that Canadians have a right to be living their life free of discrimination, and we’ll be prepared to support our decision,” and that faith-based organizations that don’t focus on anti-abortion activities should feel fine signing the attestation.

To summarize, the government is seeking to reduce discrimination by withholding funding from groups that undermine the existing rights of other groups. In assessing this, it is first worth noticing that the government is combating discrimination against certain groups by discriminating against groups. “No, no,” they say, “we are discriminating against groups who threaten the rights of others.” And how is this accomplished? By transgressing rights to freedom of conscience, religion, and equal treatment under the law enshrined in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

There appear, then, to be competing rights: the right to an abortion versus the right to protest abortions.

Regarding the former, no one in the world has the right to an abortion; any view otherwise misunderstands what a human right is. Human rights are entitlements grounded in the intrinsic value possessed by all humans. While it may be legal to have an abortion, that is permission endowed by the government; this is not a right. This removes the façade of virtue from Trudeau’s position and exposes this for what it is—a political move.

anti-abortion campaigns and therefore are fine to comply with the Canada Summer Jobs criteria. According to this same reasoning, the core tenets of an elected government are not to discriminate against pro-life groups, so they too should have no business with these same criteria. This form of argument is both reductionistic and misleading. Applicants must check a box claiming that their core mandates respect reproductive rights including abortion; this is not neutral and is incompatible with holding the sanctity of life.

In sum, the Canada Summer Jobs criteria discriminates against groups who do not

“No, no,” they say, “we are discriminating against groups who threaten the rights of others.”

The “core mandate” clause is equally vacuous. Accordingly, the core tenets of faith groups have nothing to do with

endorse abortion and normalizes abortion as national dogma—even a human right.

If you do not agree, you will be penalized by your own government. To solve this, we as a culture must reason past the point of platitudes and seek to maintain policies that protect the freedom of all religious groups.

Sawyer Bullock Toronto, ON Nathan Dumlao

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SLEIGHT OF FUNDING FIRST HAND EXPERIENCE PART TWO Words by Hannah Beadle My experience with the Canada Summer Jobs program has allowed me to be employed by places that I’m passionate about, rather than just getting a job to make some money in the summer. These grants have made it possible for me to work for non-profit organizations and ministries that I feel are doing very meaningful work and who wouldn’t otherwise be able to afford to hire me. I was able to pour into these opportunities at my local church as they, in turn, poured into me.

Because these organizations are usually smaller, I was able to work at a church with only three people on staff, which meant I was given great experience in a place of position and authority. Yet, it also meant that I had to deal with certain circumstances and issues that you would never have to engage with in an entry-level job. It stretched me and allowed me to learn how to deal with other people and rely on God in things that can be really tough and challenging, especially as a younger person.

These opportunities empowered me to serve the community through the summer day

camp that we offered free to the community. We had lots of kids come through the summer who never had to pay anything; we were able to provide a place of fun and learning for children whose parents just needed a place to drop their kids off for the

compelled to help people and work in their communities in ways other organizations aren’t. Since Christian faith compels us to engage in outreach, the government may not realize that by holding back on funding these groups, they may actually be withholding valuable help for those who otherwise may not receive it. As a result, we may be left with large holes in the community’s fabric that the government didn’t realize was being patched up by the organizations and ministries they are marginalizing.

I was able to pour into these opportunities at my local church as they, in turn, poured into me. day. We would often see families and kids in the grocery store or around town, and they would ask us when the camp is because they were so excited. The church has a well known presence in the community which was a big blessing to a lot of families.

In my opinion, there’s no doubt that the clause in the funding agreement will marginalize religious groups, seeing as they are most often pro-life. Because of their worldview and belief systems, these ministries and organizations are

Hannah Beadle Toronto, ON Dino Demopoulos

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Written by Marina Hanna How many times have you said something to this effect: “If I can just get through this, then I will finally be able to…” ? If you’re a North American young adult like me, you’ve probably heard it this way: “If I can just survive this semester, I’ll finally be able to rest.” Or perhaps it’s “Once I graduate I’ll get to sleep a full eight hours” or “I just need the caffeine to live right now. I’ll give it up once I’ve gotten through this paper.”

the ideal difference between a believer and non-believer is not a consistent state of bliss, but a deep and abiding peace. That peace should proceed from a wholehearted trust in God, and a mind focused on the prize that lies ahead (Philippians 3:13), rather than just the next appointment in your iPhone calendar.

Marina Hanna Toronto, ON Matthew Henry

In Romans 12:2 Jesus cautions against loving the things of this world and suggests an alternative: experiencing transformation These statements show how we can be by the renewal of one’s mind. I see this living in a constant, frenzied expectation of verse not as an invitation to move my gaze something better, just over the next hill. heavenward again. As I I recently turned 19 and am now, I wander around am now beginning to my own world and notice “The burden He offers consider how I will build this lifestyle of perpetual a life for myself. I’ve done us is light. When you busy-ness beckoning me a lot of soul searching to itself, like a siren to a about the kind of life I look at your own life, do sailor. In a way, the air of want to lead. I’ve observed it displays to you experience a sense importance the adults around me others is alluring, but I in search of a life worth of lightness, of peaceful sense God calling me to imitating. However, more. everywhere I look I see freedom?”

I believe He is asking us exhaustion, frustration, to hand over the pesky disorganization, and busywork we unnecessarily impose upon stress. I see over-caffeinated people ourselves, so that He might equip us with overwhelmed at the length of their to-do burdens that are both lighter and more lists. I see people who live to crash on the fulfilling. I only hope that we have the weekend, and never allow themselves a courage to stand still long enough for this moment of pause to think, dream, laugh, or exchange to take place. even smile. It makes me ask myself, “What kind of a life is that?”

After so much observation, my conclusion is this: I loathe the rat race, and I refuse to be a participant in it. It’s a lifestyle of perpetual busy-ness that I want to be as separated from as possible. Yet, it’s everywhere I look: in the workplace, household, classroom, and even the church.

So what am I to do? Jesus Christ himself said this: “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light” (Matthew 11:28-30, NLT).

THE ALLURE OF BUSYNESS

Did you catch that? The burden He offers us is light. When you look at your own life, do you experience a sense of lightness, of peaceful freedom? The truth is, you’re supposed to. Your new life in Christ is supposed to be marked by a rested soul, whose burden is light. A life like that is marked by joy, peace, patience, and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23). I don’t believe I’ve ever seen someone whose countenance indicates either of those qualities, but I’m trying to believe it’s possible.

It’s important that I make something clear: I’m not suggesting that as a committed follower of Christ, you must feel content and carefree all the time. I know that Christ promises us suffering and heartbreak will come in this lifetime (John 16:33). However, 12 | LOVEISMOVING.CA

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THOUGHTS FROM A WORSHIP LEADER Words by Robbie Downs “Because we are alive, we are strong. We can’t watch it go for nothing, watch until it’s gone.”

As I sing out the lyrics of Needtobreathe’s “Nothing Left to Lose,” I can’t help being intrigued by the creation of lyrics that speak to their audience. Growing up listening to Christian artists such as Citizens & Saints, Switchfoot, and Kings Kaleidoscope, I learned to have an appreciation for Christian music that sounded different.

In my early teens, I started to pick up singing and guitar. Singing was a revelation to me; I could speak the words I wanted to say while feeling the emotion and worship at the same time.

Following this, I began to write lyrics, which flowed out of me as I dug into Psalms and other books of the Bible that spoke to me as I prayed over them.

I found myself expressing the emotions I experienced as a Christian in a public school striving for purity in an environment where I was surrounded with indulgence. I was surprised to see that most of the lyrics God gave me weren’t for me, they were for others.

Taking lyrics God gives you in your personal devotions and sharing them with the world is difficult at first. My fears: “What if God had something else in mind?” My doubts: “Will people really hear God’s meaning and truth through me?” His answer: “Sing to him a new song; play skillfully, and shout for joy. For the word of the Lord is right and true; he is faithful in all he does” (says David in Psalm 33).

I had to trust that the God who created me knew His plans before I sang my first note or wrote my first lyric. Our God provides, my album spoke. Not only into my youth group, but into my school. God’s words were spread through my city in music simply by my little faith. I was along for the ride while people lifted me and encouraged me by expressing the impact my music had on them.

I had to trust that the God who created me knew His plans before I sang my first note or wrote my first lyric.

“Jesus, may my worship proclaim your heart to those who don’t know you, and your joy to those who do,” I prayed as I stood in a circle with those whom I recorded.

God wants your heart. Acknowledging that God can—and will—change others through me brought me into this beautiful intimacy with God. “Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus” (Philippians 1:6).

Worship is a continuation of God’s desires for us; we are to be immersed in worship that evokes our desire to praise the Holy One.

Robbie Downs Kamloops, BC Austin Neill

So often, words of encouragement and truth for those I was reaching out to fell into my notebook. God’s words for those in my life were stronger than ever. As a multitude of songs were finished, God propelled me to a bigger idea. This truth, His truth needed to be shared. God had bigger things in mind.

Scott Cyr is a worship leader I got connected to through Eagle Bay, a Bible camp I have attended annually. Scott is also the leader and producer of a worship band, The Valley Collective. I thought it fitting that a connection could be made. To my joy, he took me in and worked with my music, and we started the recording process.

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IT’S A CHOICE WHAT DEFINES YOU?

Words by Josiah Piett Outside of the story of Jesus of Nazareth, the most powerful stories ever told are by individuals sharing their own personal encounter with Jesus. Through these stories, others may desire or begin to have their own encounters with the same Jesus.

For this reason, I want to share how I encountered Jesus of Nazareth – through the image of a house.

This “house” was formed by its circumstances and surroundings. Since birth, I have suffered from chronic renal failure, along with many other urinary issues. I spent many days of my childhood in the hospital due to infections, surgeries or just complications. I also experienced deep rejection from my peers at schools. For me, these two things defined and dictated the house that I lived in.

The road my “house” was built on would be called Slavery Boulevard. The house was built on the foundational belief that I had been abandoned by God, and was therefore a failure who would never be accepted, understood, or loved by anyone.

Even though my family did their best to support and love me, these beliefs formed through my circumstances ultimately defined who I was.

It wasn’t until the summer I was 13 that I encountered Jesus of Nazareth. My encounter truly reshaped, redefined, and restored me in a way that would literally change the trajectory of my life. Jesus didn’t just enter my house, He completely relocated it by revealing to me the cracks within the foundation of my old house. Jesus showed me I had never been abandoned by God, but that God had always desired to embrace me — even through my pain and suffering.

Jesus promised me that He had never abandoned me and would always be with me.

As result, I gave my entire life to Jesus.

Even though I did not truly know what this would entail, Jesus received me as a son and gave me His Spirit. My house was rebuilt and relocated from Slavery Boulevard to Freedom Avenue. Instead of my circumstances forming my house, it was the promises of God my Father. My house is now built upon the truth that God, the Father over all things, has embraced me and loves me.

Therefore my acceptance is anchored in the Father’s acceptance of me. I am not a failure – I am forgiven. Even though I may be misunderstood by others, my Father understands me. I am loved by the Father, and He says I am worthy of his love. Jesus has restored my identity and redefined my purpose.

The Father will always reveal Himself through vulnerability, and therefore God has allowed me to choose whether or not I will live in this new house He has built for me. This choice comes in the form of believing or not believing He is who He says He is, and that I am who He says I am.

Even to this day, I am faced with a choice when I wake up and unhook my drainage bag, look down at the scar that marks me and the catheter that is in me. I have a choice whether I am going to let my health problems dictate who I am or embrace my Father’s view of me. When I was younger I thought my disability was the only thing that would ever define me and dictate where I was going. However, I discovered through my encounter that Jesus has greater things to speak over my life.

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Jesus has something different to say to you – He says He loves you. In His eyes, you are worthy of His sacrifice on the cross. He desires to redefine, restore, and relocate you into the house He has built for you.

The amazing thing is that this is the same truth for your life, even as you read this.

Regardless of your circumstances or your past, you have a choice over letting these things define who you are. Jesus has something different to say to you – He says He loves you. In His eyes, you are worthy of His sacrifice on the cross. He desires to redefine, restore, and relocate you into the house He has built for you.

Even if you are reading this and cannot relate to my story at all, Jesus is still desiring to relocate the things that dictate your life, even if what ultimately defines your life is you.

for humanity and for you. This has been revealed through Jesus and received by His Spirit in all of us who choose to recognize our need for Jesus.

For many years of my life, I believed and bought the lie — hook, line, and sinker — that my life was defined by my circumstances. All this did was leave me as a slave to myself. But now I have been set free by knowing my heavenly Father, through Jesus, in His Spirit. And so can you — it’s a choice.

There is an enemy of God who doesn’t want you to discover the life God has designed you for. In the case of Adam and Eve, this enemy took the form of a serpent, but since that time, the enemy has taken many different forms. Ultimately, all these different forms are focused on one goal: destruction of life without God. I think the enemy is really good at deceiving people with the lie that it has more power than it actually does. You see, even in the Garden of Eden, the serpent actually did not have the ability to force Adam and Eve to eat from the tree — it could only use words of deceit. To this day, the enemy still doesn’t have the power to force you or anyone else to do anything; it can still only use its voice to deceive you, whether it be audible or through circumstances.

The enemy doesn’t care if someone places their identity in religious duty, their career, their accomplishments, their failures, their ability to do or not do certain things, whether it be in their riches or in their poverty, in their sickness or in their health, in their relationships or in their isolation, as long as God’s children are finding their identity in something other than Jesus.

But we have a choice, to not buy the lies of the enemy. The heart of the Father is still

This article is a summary of one of the three parts from the book called Beautifully Simple that is in process of being published. If you are interested in hearing more from the book, as well as staying up to date on the process of publishing, feel free to like and follow the Facebook page called Beautifully Simple and/or feel free to follow the twitter account @BeautifullySmpl to read weekly quotes from the book.

Josiah Piett St. Catharines, ON Jad Limcaco

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Sponsored Content

COMPASSION GENERATION This series is about youth who strive to develop this generation into one of compassion. They are responding to the brokenness in the world by taking action with Compassion Canada. We hope these stories inspire and encourage you.

THE POWER OF PRAYER IN THE DEVELOPING WORLD

Words by Alyssa Esparaz How do you react when you see all the poverty, injustice and suffering in the world? Some of us might feel overwhelmed and hopeless. Others might rush into action without carefully considering our response.

But how often do we think to respond with prayer? I get it—I will be the first to admit that with so much going on in the world, and so many distractions all around me, it is far too easy to ignore Jesus’ example of turning to our Father in heaven.

But stories from Compassion’s local church partners in the developing world often remind me of the importance and the power of prayer. Our brothers and sisters in the developing world show us that in the face of overwhelming and hopeless situations, it is vital to turn to prayer.

The stories of Gerardo, Mackline and Pablo are all inspiring examples…

Gerardo

Mackline

Pablo

Gerardo often saw his father around his neighbourhood in Nicaragua.

But the heartbreaking reality was that Gerardo’s father would not recognize him as his legitimate son.

Abandoned by his mother, Gerardo longed for the acceptance of his father. He shared this hope with his grandmother and with the staff at the Compassion Centre at his local church. They prayed with Gerardo for years. Eventually, evidence of God’s work in the heart of Gerardo’s father became clear. A relationship began to grow not only between Gerardo and his father, but his father’s wife and family, too. Today, Gerardo takes his father’s last name, and when his grandmother became too sick to care for him, Gerardo moved in with his father. The power of prayer brought reconciliation to this once-broken relationship. “I prayed and the Lord answered me,” Gerardo says. His next prayer is that his father would come to accept Jesus as his Saviour.

When Mackline, a young girl from Kenya, began experiencing sharp abdominal pains, her family immediately felt hopeless. Just a few years prior, they had lost Mackline’s older sister to similar symptoms.

They were sure that Mackline’s situation would be the same. But Compassion’s local church partner rallied around them, helping with medical costs and covering Mackline in prayer. When she was diagnosed with liver cancer, that commitment to prayer became vital as she fought for her life. Many miracles occurred throughout Mackline’s treatment.

She was one of the first patients of the children’s cancer ward at the local hospital. Her response to chemotherapy was literally described as miraculous. And her early diagnosis made the difference that saved her life. Mackline’s mom describes the Compassion staff at the local church as relentless. “They showed immense dedication,” she says, “They went the extra mile and visited and prayed for us.”

Pablo spent his young adulthood in the neighbourhood of Gualey in the Dominican Republic. Living amid violence, danger and gang wars, and working at a drug- and alcohol-ridden nightclub led Pablo into a destructive lifestyle of crime and substance abuse. It eventually caught up with him, and Pablo was put in jail. Upon his release, he began to think about his wife and two children, Vladimir and Kasey. This was the beginning of an incredible transformation in his life. Although he didn’t know it, this was the answer to the prayers of the members of the local church where Vladimir and Kasey were enrolled in the Compassion program. “I so appreciate the church, because they prayed to God to save my life, and He heard them,” Pablo says. Today, many years after his arrest, Pablo is a pastor and leader in his community.

His story is a beautiful picture of the transformative power of prayer.

I hope these stories inspired you as much as they inspire me.

Prayer can be mysterious, but these stories show us one thing for sure: Prayer is powerful, and through it relationships are reconciled, bodies are healed, and lives are transformed.

So, what is that big, overwhelming thing in your own life that you need to turn to God with in prayer? He wants you to bring it to Him! And looking beyond our own lives: As the Body of Christ—and particularly as young people in the Church—how can we be incorporating prayer into the way we respond to poverty, injustice and suffering, both locally and globally?

Want to pray daily with us? Visit www.compassion.ca/prayer.

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Alyssa Esparaz Pickering, ON

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could muster. Our goal was to encourage, unify, and equip young people from smaller churches. We did this for about two years.

After the two years were up, the small groups of teenagers who were coming out to these events had formed one cohesive group. It was no longer a gathering of fragmented individuals. So, we opened wide our doors to the Christian community in Montreal, and waited to see if anyone else would come.

MONTREAL YOUTH FOR CHRIST Words by Jason Brereton Montreal has an amazing number of church buildings, but many of them have very small congregations, and some are even needing to shut down for good. Most churches that have youth groups do not have very many teenagers in them. For years there’s been a real need to bring together small groups of Christians from across the city.

At Montreal Youth Unlimited (YFC), we felt this need already several years ago, and have since been trying to love and help churches in this area. How? Through games, worship, a message and a lot of cotton candy.

It started small, with about 30 teens and some leaders coming to Terra Nova Youth Centre in Dorval city once a month. Some churches brought as many as 12 teens, while others brought the two or three they

I remember telling the speaker that first “open doors” night to expect between 30 to 40 teens. He seemed comfortable speaking in front of that number. When 120 teens flooded into our building, we knew God was at work, and I knew I owed our speaker an apology! Since then numbers have varied from 80 to 170 teens. Several teens have given their lives to Christ, and many have been encouraged in their walk with God. It gets better. At one of the rallies, a youth pastor named Cheryl Johnson said something profound — she said to me, “Jason, this is great. What’s next?”

Initially, I wasn’t sure that there needed to be a “next.”

What was happening was already a good thing. Then some youth pastors invited me to a meeting where they wanted to dream of what could eventually be.

leaders across the city lower their denominational guards and work together as the brothers and sisters in Christ that they are.

With this goal in mind we have created a group called EPOCH MTL. We feel God is leading youth workers in Montreal to love each other and work together for Kingdom purposes long-term.

A few weeks ago we held another event at the YFC centre where we aimed to challenge youth workers to run Youth Alpha in their groups. Our hope and prayer was not only to encourage and inspire the youth, but also to motivate them to run Youth Alpha in their own schools.

Hours before the event, things weren’t looking good. The weather called for freezing rain. It was freezing outside, we were just missing the rain. The other organizers and I hadn’t spent as much time as we would have liked to promote the event. So, as leaders working for the King of Kings, we laid our situation before God.

we realized God plan for our city, we just need to line up with it.

Over the next few months, we continued to meet, dream, and pray. At one of our meetings, we realized God already has a plan for our city, we just need to line up with it. With that in mind we prayed hard and looked to the Lord for an answer.

We left that meeting with two main goals: First, we needed to launch Youth Alpha into Montreal schools through Christian students. Secondly, the launch of Youth Alpha needed to mark the beginning of something great — an era where youth

To my great joy, there were approximately 110 teenagers and 40 youth leaders present.

The teens were challenged to commit to sharing the gospel with one friend before 2018 finishes. The youth leaders were challenged to become an effective team, working together to launch initiatives like Youth Alpha across the city. The freezing rain began about half an hour after the last person had left Terra Nova, leaving just enough time for people to get home safely. God is good.

Here at Montreal Youth Unlimited we see the hope and potential in every young person. We are so excited to experience what God will do through His teenagers in the coming years!

Jason Brereton Montreal, QC Jordan Mcqueen

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THE OIL Words by Tamar Ashman

The oil spent had no cost, A receipt received but no loss.

No trials won, no words, no sound But a conscious mind of who wears this Crown.

In all I had possessed, this oil was named best, And If I was put to the test, I’d come up short, worth less.

I could not hide even this, to be lesser than that in the eyes of the Pharisee.

But in all that the Crown Man did pay, And there at His feet behind I lay, Drenched in tears, love conquered the fears.

From the past He peered, to the future He cleared.

And in all this to know the oil has no cost, But in Him such love is never lost.

Tamar Ashman Charlottetown, PEI

The Christian Witness

Devon Janse Van Rensburg

Words by Shawn LaVie The Christian witness and testimony is one

I knew who Jesus was, but I did not KNOW

I felt spiritual guilt for my sin that I had

of the most powerful tools given to man-

Jesus, until I did.

never felt before, I was drawn to the word

kind for spreading the Gospel and making

I saw a vision of a suit of armour being

of God and considered it to be infallible and

disciples of all nations. Your testimony is

lowered from the ceiling, plated with silver

my only pathway to discipleship.

unique to you, each Christian’s story of how

and gold. At that exact moment, my heart

I hope this article allows the reader to

they first met God is their own.

was inflamed with a burning faith, and a

reflect on their regeneration; the moments

My testimony starts in a non-denomin-

desire to learn everything I could about

leading up to and after our transformation.

ational church while my girlfriend (now

Jesus Christ. It wasn’t until later that I read

Always remember that God loved you

wife) and I were visiting friends in Shediac,

Ephesians when Paul writes about putting

enough to replace your heart of stone with a

New Brunswick. I grew up all my life not

on the full armour of God — my mind was

heart of flesh!

knowing Jesus before that point — I mean,

blown!

Shawn LaVie Charlottetown, PEI

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IS YOUR LIFE LOW ON GAS?

Words by Rose Ennin It’s quite embarrassing to admit, but I have had more than one encounter where my car suddenly stopped moving right in the middle of street. Thankfully, both happened on not-so-busy streets. In these instances I immediately realized what the problem was—you see, I’ve been somewhat of a risk taker, seeing how far I could drive as my dashboard signalled the flashing “empty tank” icon. It’s gotten to the point where I can calculate how many kilometers I can travel before I need to really fill up.

To be completely honest, in those instances it wasn’t that I didn’t have money on me, I just got used to putting it off because I “knew” I had time left to get gas. But what happens when you overestimate the time and mileage? Well, you embarrassingly get out of your car and try to hail down someone who can help you get this now immobile car to the nearest gas station.

Sadly enough, a simple task that would have taken no more than five minutes suddenly becomes a costly ordeal. How far can you really go when the very thing driving you runs out of fuel? Suddenly those things that seemed more urgent pale in comparison to what is truly essential and needs your utmost attention.

I remembered this because I find myself at it again. No, I’m not stuck in my car on the middle of the street, but if I can be honest I have been feeling stuck in my mind in the middle of my journey. Towards the end of last year I experienced a burn out. As a result, I was not as productive as I needed to be. I had found myself easily distracted and avoiding what I needed to be concentrating on. My perspective became clouded, and all I could see was difficulty in every task I needed to complete. It overshadowed my ability to accomplish meaningful work.

After many weeks of denying what was going on, I needed to stop myself and ask what was going on?! I decided to look back at my journal and re-read some of my older entries around the time when I was cruising down the highway of life.

I realized in that cruising time I was consciously and consistently fuelling myself daily with the Word of God and prayer. I had a more realistic and responsible response to the signals that would flash on the dashboard of my life. For instance, when I had a discouraging moment, the Word of God that was in me could quickly discern and separate it from myself and keep on moving forward in faith.

However, when you fail to be consistent in fuelling yourself, the vehicle of your life will begin to slow down. Suddenly, discouraging moments cause you to second guess if it’s a true reflection of you. You begin to discredit your ability and ingenuity. Next thing you know, you stop moving completely, opting to avoid the very thing you have invested in, because Heck! What’s the point in even trying?

love myself if I don’t first allow God’s love to shower over me in the form of His Word and communicating with Him daily?

God’s word is not just something I read so I can check it off my list of Christian things to do, it is so much more than that. It’s the fuel that keeps us moving (not coffee, as much as I can admit I like it). Spending time with God in prayer and in His Word will move you back to life and not death, get you back to moving in grace instead of being stagnant in fear.

“He energizes those who get tired, gives fresh strength to dropouts.

For even young people tire and drop out, young folk in their prime stumble and fall.

But those who wait upon God get fresh strength.

They spread their wings and soar like eagles, They run and don’t get tired, they walk and don’t lag behind.”

- Isaiah 40:31 From a bundle of Roses held together by God’s grace & peace (literally)

“God’s word is not just something I read so I can check it off my list of Christian things to do, it is so much more than that. It’s the fuel that keeps us moving” I reached that point in just a few short weeks. In reflecting upon this in a new year, I have learned that I wasn’t truly loving myself by removing myself from the place of true love, the love of God. Jesus tells us to love others as we love ourselves. Well, how can I love others if I don’t first learn to love myself? More importantly, how can I

Challenge If you want this year to go differently than previous years, resolve to make Him first and see what ground you really gain in your life!

Rose Ennin Toronto, ON Markus Spiske

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BOREDOM TO BLESSING I had recently left my own business and the position of youth and young adults pastor in order to pursue full time ministry with Youth for Christ. My wife and I packed up and moved to the province where we met, Quebec, La Belle Province. I wanted to engage with young people directly.

Psalms 71:17 O God, You have taught me from my youth; And to this day I declare Your wondrous works.

The Story

Words by Shawn Naylor

Close your eyes and imagine a scenario where you go from a state of stillness to suddenly hurtling towards the earth at 300 km/hr. Of course, I’m describing the process one must endure when jumping out of an airplane. Now, let’s say that out of these two states — stillness and freewill — you feel more comfortable hurtling towards the earth at 300 km/hr. This is where we go from the boredom of standstill to the exhilaration of blessing.

Every day I am in awe of what God has done and continues to do in my life. “To this day” (Psalm 71:17) I can recall a moment where God moved and I went from bored to blessing in an incredible fashion. What I would like to do, if you’ll let me, is share this incredible moment in the ministry I have been called to. Then I’ll quickly move to what I have learned, all in the hope you can apply this to your life. Sound like a plan?

The Terms Boredom is simply the state that you are in when life feels monotonous and disappointing; it seems that you are not on the trajectory you expected. Blessing, on the other hand, is when you are in the sweet spot of your calling; where everything has come together and it’s so good! In this state, time doesn’t slow down, but seems to speed up — this is the blessing I’m talking about

Within the first couple months, I found it difficult to get any solid footing anywhere.

Then, at the suggestion of one of my ministry partners, I volunteered at a kids day camp — I did NOT want to go. So, I prayed about it and hoped the Lord would say “This is not your target demographic!”

That is not what He said to me (*shake my head*).

So I prayed again for clarity, then for confirmation, which finally led to me finding myself at the camp. I would love to tell you that it was a wonderful experience, but it wasn’t. I kept asking myself, “Is this what God wants for me?” I was struggling; I was smack dab in the middle of boredom.

How could God use this?

While at the camp, I met somebody named Hunter. He had funny accent, but I thought that everyone from the area did. He asked me what I did and I shared with him that I was a worker and speaker for Youth for Christ. He responded by saying, “Oh really?

We should have you come down and speak at our youth convention,” to which I replied, “I would love to!”

Now, I thought that this opportunity to share the gospel would be in the surrounding area. To make a long story short, I found

out that I would be flying down to Texas. I went from a standstill to 300 km an hour in only a short period of time. The time spent there went by so fast, but did it ever feel right!

I spoke at the youth convention and the lead pastor of the church was in the audience.

After the first night, the pastor asked me to preach at both services on Sunday morning, with the all cameras filming and being broadcasted live on TV. I was nervous, but it felt so right, and time sped by. Now God did some incredible things on that trip, but that’s a story for next time. I went from a standstill to 300 km an hour, from boredom to blessings!

The Lesson What I have learned from this, and have had to apply CONTINUOUSLY, is that as soon as we move in the direction God has called us to, you might have to endure boredom (the plane ride to altitude), in order to position us for incredible breakthrough and blessings. Boredom, standstill, the struggle, the dark time, always precedes the blessings, the calling, your destiny.

Boredom is the place where we cry out to God asking, “Why am I here?” If we are obedient (the essential ingredient) during this placement, however long, and listen to his response, I have found that He says, “The blessing is on the way!”

Are you willing go where He calls you to?

“To this day!”

Shawn Naylor Ottawa, ON Freddie Marriage

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Our message is of dire importance, and we’re saying it badly.

CHURCH MARKETING IS SLEAZY

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Words by That Church Marketing Guy “Marketing” is kind of a greasy word. Like, it’s just slimy. If you rubbed it on a piece of paper it would go see-through, you don’t want to touch it. So I, like many others, used to cringe when I heard the term “church marketing.”

Let’s keep the slime out of the church, shall we? When I heard “church marketing” I immediately thought of a televangelist hocking prayer cloths at 3:00 in the morning. I thought of churches with a lot of flash and no substance. I thought of this empty shell that gives Christianity a bad name and makes it harder to be an effective witness to those who don’t know Jesus.

Then I did some research.

In an attempt to learn how to communicate better, I started stumbling onto marketing techniques that effectively convey and communicate a message. See, we cringe at the word marketing because we have been marketed to badly in the past. We’ve had call centres and used-car dealers and people selling random junk try and fool us into buying their cheesy wares, and we have rejected it.

But, that’s not marketing. Marketing is this: understanding human behaviour and human nature, and communicating a message to people about something they actually want or need. That’s good marketing. And guess what? We have the thing that everyone needs: Jesus. There is nothing sleazy or slimy about understanding human behaviour and using it to convey the message that Jesus loves the person you’re communicating with, and died for them, so that they can live life to the fullest.

That’s probably the least sleazy thing I can think of. The church needs to be able to communicate better. We speak in this weird language that you can only understand if you’ve grown up inside the church culture.

People on the outside don’t understand what we mean when we say things like “washed in the blood of the Lamb.”

Our message is of dire importance, and we’re saying it badly. That’s why I’ve made it my mission to help ministry workers

communicate clearly, focus their message, and grow their church. Marketing helps us concentrate on the demographics we are sorely lacking in the church and then tells us the appropriate ways to communicate with them. Let’s resolve to stop communicating badly. Let’s resolve to stop speaking in Christianese and to actually reach out in empathy to those outside of the kingdom.

We are often fine with outreach, so long as it happens comfortably within our church bubble, but real outreach is messy and uncomfortable. Real outreach means real people with real flaws and really rough edges. Real outreach requires marketing so that we can put a face to the marginalized,

the overlooked and the people we need to see in our pews and it invites them in. It says “Come, learn, and grow” both to those we seek through outreach, and to ourselves.

So you will see this column here going forward, talking about how churches can market themselves more effectively and position themselves better for discipleship, evangelism, and outreach. It’s the word of God we are carrying, we need to be able to speak it loudly and clearly.

You can follow That Church Marketing Guy on Twitter @churchmrktngguy and find his weekly videos on Youtube on the Digisciple.Me channel.

That Church Marketing Guy Brampton, ON Ian Dooley

11F | LOVEISMOVING.CA

2018-02-19 7:56 AM

SOMETHING SHINY OVER THERE

believe they were so lucky to find such an amazing treasure and have the opportunity to “get in” and be a part of it. They did everything they could and liquidated everything they had because nothing compared to the treasure. It was worth their everything; they literally gave up everything else they had - they sold pots, pans, horses, probably even their home - just to have this amazing treasure.

Words by Renee Embree

“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field. “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it.”

Matthew 13:44-46

This struck me hard. As long as we think anything may be more valuable than fellowship with Jesus in his Kingdom, we can’t be His disciple or follower. This caused me to ask myself, “What am I tempted to think is more valuable than fellowship with Jesus?”

• a job outside of ministry with less hassles and a bigger pay cheque?

• family?

• my own success?

To a man who loved his family more than anything, Jesus said to leave his family, not look back, and come follow Him.

Where do you fall into a pity party about following Jesus? Where has it gotten hard and lost its shine?

To a rich man, Jesus said to sell everything to the poor.

I read this passage recently and realized I’d fallen into a slump. I had begun to carry this attitude that following Jesus — joining God’s Kingdom work — was getting to be too much heavy slogging. I was in a “woe is me” state and it wasn’t good for anyone.

I was having quite a pity party, saying to myself, “look at the churches in decline, look at the challenges we’re having around summer student grants, look how unpopular Christianity is in culture…woe is me!”

In this passage in Matthew, people couldn’t

• getting to do my own thing?

• for everything just to be calm and stable?

• something else that looks shinier over there?

What seems more valuable to you then Jesus and His Kingdom?

This is not new.

What am I tempted to think is more valuable than fellowship with Jesus?

To a man who was comfortable and attracted to Jesus for

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the blessings he’d receive, Jesus said “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.” (Luke 9:58) Is Jesus and His Kingdom the greatest thing ever in your mind and heart?

Would you have said “No, thanks” to the treasure in the field or the pearl right now?

“It’s not worth my EVERYTHING.” It is actually easy for things and people to sneak in as more valuable than Jesus. It is easy for the amazing treasure of being God’s child, of being include in God’s Kingdom here and now, to lose its shine.

Has Jesus lost His shine for you?

What’s been sneaking in as more important or valuable than Jesus’ Kingdom?

What can you do to remember the treasure?

Ask Jesus to help you see (for the first time or again) the amazing treasure that He is.

I am praying for you - that Jesus is your treasure. I am praying you have a breakthrough and this relationship with Christ would be the shiniest, most valuable treasure at the centre of your life.

There are people I regularly pray for to see Jesus as the greatest treasure - family members and friends that don’t know Jesus, youth who have had seeds planted in their hearts long ago and am praying for them to come to fruition, churches that seem in a slump, and leaders that seem in a slump.

Jesus is the greatest treasure of all. He is worth our all. May He be the shiniest person in your life.

Renee Embree St. John, NB Ksenia Makagonova

LOVEISMOVING.CA | 10F

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2018-02-19 7:56 AM

HIS PEACE IS YOUR PIECE God saw my process all along, but I had forgotten how to see from His point of view.

I got too myopic and focused on controlling everything I could in front of me—not realizing if I just let go, opportunity was all around me. Coming out of my comfort zone, God showed me the grander picture, but not so that I would become farsighted.

It was at the United State of Women Conference — hosted by the White House in the Washington D.C. Convention Center — where I had one of my biggest epiphanies. I had not planned on going to this event, nor did I even hear about it. It was a friend and his family that I had gone to visit that weekend away who made sure I did not miss the opportunity (mostly because one of the members worked there)!

I was not remotely in the right headspace to even picture myself in a sea of 6,000+ individuals, let alone 99% of which were women entrepreneurs. I was the last person in the world I would have pictured going to this event. I was visionless and had little hope for my future.

New Eyes

Words by Lisa Hanash

Watching the President of the United States speak, I stood shocked. Not because of what he said but because of the mere realization that I was present. “How did I get here?”

“Who am I to even be here?”

Then a thought entered my mind, “Who are you not to be here? You are My child and it’s

by My grace.”

It was while the First Lady spoke, which further revealed the lie I was believing about myself. She said, “People used to ask me, ‘What do you want to be when you grow up?’ This implied that at one point that I would stop growing.”

It was true. I had put so much pressure on figuring out what I wanted to do and be that I had forgotten how to just be present and see what was around me that would improve my growth.

You never “Grow Up”

“

Certain clichés aren’t always true just because they are often spoken. I always thought I had to figure out some special answer to feel better about myself. I’m 26 years old now, and I still haven’t figured out where I’ll be in 10 years from now, let alone next year.

Without a process, there is no revelation, and without revelation, there is no inspiration.

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”

I dream a lot about my future, but it’s in God’s time that He reveals His purposes to us.

“He is before all things, and in him all things hold together” (Colossians 1:17). Learning to surrender age, time and my plans to God is not easy.

I realized I could not do it on my own, but that I needed the Holy Spirit’s guidance to lead me. I did not need another perspective but new eyes—God’s eyes. What we focus our eyes on, we will become like. So, “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God” (Hebrews 12:2). Being in relationship with God and others gives us a distinctive opportunity to recognize when we are living in either one of those extremes.

Your Journey Is Your Inspiration Without a process, there is no revelation, and without revelation, there is no inspiration. I recognize now that God values every little “yes.” The process of becoming is constantly in our midst as He runs to meet us with His grace in every experience. When we pay attention, holding firm to His truth, “We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28). So if it is not the good yet, then it is not over.

To finish the story, I had not been visionless, I was not hopeless, I had just forgotten to believe the truth; I had forgotten how to trust the Father’s goodness. There are people in your midst that God has placed as gentle reminders that He is good and that you can trust Him no matter where you go.

Remember, where you are going, no one has ever gone before—follow His peace and you will find your piece.

Guiding Prayer: Father, create in me a pure heart and renew a steadfast spirit within me (Psalm 51:10).

Lisa Hanash Montreal, QC Patrick Fore

2018-02-19 7:56 AM

JOSEPH

acknowledging that God has provided all we need (and trusting that if what we want is really what we need, God will provide that too). The other element involves acknowledging that we need to help others receive God’s blessing (that is, what they really need). We are only able to acknowledge and know God when we walk with Him and trust Him.

MOMENTS Words by A. A. Adourian Wouldn’t it be great to be like Joseph?

He is betrayed by his brothers and sold into slavery, then thrown into prison for years because of the lies of Potiphar’s wife.

If that’s all we see in Joseph’s story, our answer would surely be “No!” But the full story is that no matter what Joseph does, he succeeds because, the Bible tells us in Genesis 39:21, “the Lord was with Joseph and showed him steadfast love and gave him favour in the sight of the keeper of the prison.”

Indeed, when we first encounter Joseph in Genesis 37, we can see that God’s favour is with Joseph. God blesses as He chooses.

It seems unfair until we understand that God has a purpose behind the blessing. We remember His words in Jeremiah 29:11, that He has plans for us—to give us hope and a future—both individually and collectively.

In this we can take heart: No matter who we are or where we are, God finds us. We can see that God never leaves Joseph. And like Joseph, we have a responsibility to walk in faith. Giving up is simply not a-n option— especially when we believe God has blessed us. What does it mean to be blessed?

One way to consider blessing is by

Joseph’s actions illustrate this for us beginning in Genesis 42. When the famine causes Joseph’s brothers to go to Egypt for food, Joseph recognizes them as his brothers. He could have turned them away in revenge, but Joseph provides for their physical needs. However, he knows—and perhaps his weeping is evidence of this—that the truth has to come out. These No matter who are his we are or where brothers!

He needs we are, God finds to tell us. We can see them who he is, and that God never he needs to know leaves Joseph. about his father.

Joseph needs healing.

When Joseph sees his brothers in Genesis 43, he is overcome with compassion (verse 30). He weeps several times upon seeing them. He weeps upon seeing his father (Genesis 46:29). And when his father dies,

A. A. Adourian Scarborough, ON

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he weeps again (Genesis 50:1). And again when his brothers ask for forgiveness after their father dies (Genesis 50:17).

Joseph weeps when they ask for forgiveness? Is that what we do when someone asks us for forgiveness?

Joseph’s reply “comforted them and spoke kindly to them” (Genesis 50:21b). He says: “Do not fear, for am I in the place of God? As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today. So do not fear; I will provide for you and for your little ones” (Genesis 50: 19-21a).

We can choose to have Joseph moments too when we forgive others—in a way that comforts them and speaks kindness, realizing that our ultimate example of compassion is Jesus himself. A Joseph moment does not ignore reality; it faces reality by acknowledging the truth of our hurt and disappointment but choosing to walk in faith and trust God. From Joseph’s example we see that spiritual breakthrough happens when we acknowledge God all the time—even when it may seem that He has forgotten us, and when the world encourages, even supports, us to take revenge instead of exercise forgiveness.

Because Joseph walked in faith even when he was waiting in a cold jail cell, his actions result in success, victory, and healing not just for him but for all those around him.

And isn’t that what God does by leading us to our Joseph moments?

LOVEISMOVING.CA | 8F

Aaron Blanco Tejedor

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2018-02-19 7:56 AM

CONFLICT OVER CANADA SUMMER JOBS Words by Barry Bussey Overview of the Situation Just before Christmas, the federal government announced that it will no longer permit Canada Summer Jobs (CSJ) grants to any employer unless they attest that they are in favour of government ideology on social policy.

The attestation says: Both the job and my organization’s core mandate respect individual human rights in Canada, including the values underlying the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms as well as other rights. These include reproductive rights and the right to be free from discrimination on the basis of sex, religion, race, national or ethnic origin, colour, mental or physical disability, sexual orientation or gender identity or expression.

A number of Christian charities have decided that they cannot attest to this statement of the government as it is written for a number of reasons. First, it is vaguely written, being open to a number of interpretations - including the idea that you

must support abortion; second, it appears to suggest that charities are responsible for applying the Charter in their workplace as if they were government actors; third, there is a new values test for government support.

To quell the growing criticism, the government issued “Supplementary Information.” However, their position did

not change—the attestation, as flawed as it is, remains. Definitions were given to the words “organization,” “core mandate,” and “respect” that are unknown to the English language. “Core mandate” now means “primary activities” and “not the beliefs” or the “values” of the organization. I have yet to meet up with a religious organization that defines its “core mandate” as activities alone.

“Respect” now means “primary activities, and job responsibilities, [that] do not seek to remove or actively undermine these existing rights.”

Even after the attempt to clarify, the deeply flawed attestation remains. It continues to confuse human rights with Charter rights; it excludes human rights exemptions to religious organizations in hiring practices; and it makes unclear claims to “values” which haven’t been defined.

For these reasons religious organizations have either: not “checked the box” that says “I attest” to the government’s interpretation of rights; or checked the box but crossed out the offending section; when filing

their applications for CSJ grants. The government has stated that they will not accept any application that does not accept the application form as it is. Therefore, if the government holds to that position then many churches and religious charities that did not do as required by government will not receive the money.

What This Means for Youth Leaders This means that the many Christian charities, churches, summer camps that have been providers of summer jobs for young people may be ineligible for government funding under the Canada Summer Jobs program. This is unfortunate and unnecessary; the government did not have to use an ideological conformity test for the receipt of CSJ funds.

Ways to Respond Write (snail mail not email), call or visit with your Member of Parliament to express concerns about this situation.

Use this public exposure as an opportunity to inform Canadians of the great work your organization does in the community: - write a blog; - make a video; - write a letter to the editor; - contact a reporter to tell your story.

There is much that can be done with the ingenuity and technical knowledge of young

people to let government and Canadians, in general, know that this was an unnecessary controversy. The government has no business requiring anyone to have the “right opinion” to receive government funding or benefit of any kind. All citizens are to be treated equally.

Barry Bussey St. John, NL Kimson Doan

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2018-02-19 7:56 AM

TOBACCO & MY M.DIV GRAD SWEATER Words by Keith Blair I am washing my sweater for what seems like the third time this week.

When I first got this sweater eight months ago, to commemorate my graduation from Acadia Divinity College’s Master of Divinity program, it represented a fresh start. A new beginning. A realm of opportunities that would allow me to trust in God’s leading more than I ever had in my life.

At this point, I have worn it to a multitude of social gatherings, youth events, camps, back and forth from my hometown of Toronto, Ont., to my new home Kentville, N. S., where I have served as the Baptist church’s part-time youth pastor for the last three years. This sweater has indeed seen its fair share of stretches, stains, and odours.

To me, the endurance of my grad sweater throughout months of ongoing ministry seems a small price to pay for the establishment of connections, bridges between the church and a small rural town filled with people who seem desperate for some kind of hope.

I take a whiff of the stench coming from my sweater, and sigh in mock frustration.

Cigarette smoke is a notoriously difficult smell to remove from any clothing, let alone my favourite grad sweater. Yes, the Word instructs us to see our bodies as a temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19-20), and as such, I would not think that cigarette smoke would be commonly found on any cleric’s garments.

However, this has been the cost of discipleship in this town. I am not a smoker, but to me, the rancid stench serves as a reminder of the mission of our church, which is, in part, to reach out into a hurting world with the love and grace of Christ.

The person responsible for my foul-smelling garments this time is a young man, no older than fourteen, who has unfortunately spent most of his young life in trouble with the law. He has lived with almost every developmental disorder that one can think of and has suffered unspeakable traumas in his past. He began his journey

of substance abuse at the age of eight and cannot seem to go more than a few hours without a nicotine fix.

When I first met MH two summers ago, many caregivers — teachers, law enforcers, even social workers — seemed ready to write off this young man as another casualty of Kentville’s crippled society. One day, however, he managed to find his way to our youth group, and the rest, as they say, is history.

KB When did you first start attending our youth group, and why?

MH: The summer you guys started showing movies, almost two years ago. My friend invited me.

KB What made you want to come back?

MH I don’t know. It was fun, and I liked the people there. You were cool to hang out with, too.

KB What has your experience been like in youth group so far?

MH It’s been fun! We play games, and hang out, and learn about God, and stuff.

KB And what do you think about some of the things you’ve learned so far?

MH It’s cool. I mostly still come for the fun, but I know that God is good!

KB Tell me a little bit about God. How close do you feel to Him right now?

MH I feel like I’ve grown closer to Him since I started coming to youth group. There’s a lot I don’t get, but I want to know more.

KB You’ve come to church on Sunday morning on occasion, too! What’s that been like, and how different is it from youth group?

“...to me, the rancid stench serves as a reminder of the mission of our church, which is, in part, to reach out into a hurting world with the love and grace of Christ.”

MH It’s a lot different. I feel like people keep looking at me, but I get to hang out with you, at least!

KB Do you still see yourself going to church in five years?

my friends are still going, too.

KB And what if they aren’t?

MH I don’t know. Maybe?

KB I hope you’ll still go. There are people there who have really gotten to like you, I promise!

MH Okay.

KB So what do you think God is doing in your life right now?

MH I don’t know. (pause) KB Okay. If you could ask Him for one thing right now, what would it be?

MH That he could help me get through school, and help my friend’s dad, who has cancer right now.

KB Of course. Can we pray for that right now?

MH Sure!

In the two years since MH first came to our group, we have heard story after story in our community of how much he has changed for the better. While he is still apprehensive towards law enforcement officers due to past experience, his rapport with the local police department has significantly improved. MH still smokes, he still gets restless after sitting still for more than 20 minutes, he still occasionally disregards many authority figures in his life (including myself), and he still challenges the status quo of our Sunday morning worship service.

However, standing up for the journey of faith upon which this young man has embarked has clearly been one of the greatest accomplishments of our youth ministry, and personally, one of my greatest highlights as a youth pastor. God clearly has a plan for this young man, and it is my hope that we as a community will continue to support him, pray for him, and surround him with the love and hope of Christ as he continues his faith journey, one step at a time.

May we come to see the cost of what it takes to endure in discipleship — in my case, the smoke on my sweater — is worth the salvation of even one soul.

MH Yeah. As long as

Keith Blair Kentville, NS Priscilla Du Preez

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2018-02-19 7:56 AM

THE MISSING GEMS OF

DISCIPLESHIP Words by John B. Macdonald Dallas Willard’s The Great Omission and Frank Viola’s Discipleship in Crisis capture something of the overall malaise in the current state of discipleship.

My suspicion is that discipleship programs over the past 50 years must take some, if not much, of the blame for this malaise.

This article takes a poke at modern discipleship programs and proposes a solution.

Let’s start with a parable.

PARABLE Once there was a great king who provided a skilled jeweler with many rare and valuable gems. He instructed the jeweler to use all the gems to construct a necklace that portrayed the glory of his kingdom and the growth of its loyal subjects. In time, the jeweler presented a necklace to the king.

The king examined it carefully. He then asked, “Why did you not include the other gems I gave you?”

“Your majesty, I carefully selected and arranged those gems that I thought would fulfil your instructions. I did not feel that the other gems were necessary, or as important.”

To which the king responded, “All the gems are needed to portray the glory of my kingdom and what it means to be a faithful subject.”

First, is fasting. Matthew refers to fasting in Matthew 4:1-11; 6:16-18; 9:14-15.

My search of the 50 discipleship programs revealed only one that dealt with it substantively: Richard Foster’s Celebration of Discipline. One or two others referred to the word “fasting” in a list of disciplines, nothing more.

Second, is dealing with conflict. Matthew includes numerous instructive scenes in which we observe how Jesus responded to conflict. For example, we have Jesus confronted in the Temple (21:23-27; 22:15-33). Elsewhere Jesus teaches the disciples regarding inter-personal conflict including Matthew 5:21-26 and 18:15-20.

Among the 50 discipleship resources, only one dealt with conflict: James C. Wilhoit’s Spiritual Formation as if the Church Mattered.

Third, is teaching eschatology. Eschaton is the Greek word for “last;” eschatology is the study of last things, or last days. Some may refer to this as unfulfilled prophecy.

Jesus’ teaching to the disciples in Matthew 24-25 is full of references to the last days and His future coming. This is not to satisfy curiosity about the future; it is to motivate faithful living in the present. See for instance, 24:42-44; 25:13.

How many of the 50 discipleship resources included eschatology and its motivation for faithful living in the present?

Zero!

There are numerous other “gems” discounted and omitted by modern discipleship programs. Those “gems” include sexuality, marriage, and singleness; wealth, finances, and possessions; treatment of the vulnerable and marginalized; value of community; persecution and suffering.

CONCLUSION Instead of constructing discipleship programs, why not re-discover and re-engage with the paradigm that has already been given to us as the Gospel of Matthew?

My contention is that Matthew is a paradigm for making disciples of Jesus in all areas of life. All the “gems” are there, in their proper order.

Dr. MacDonald serves with Outreach Canada and can be contacted at jmacdonald@outreach. ca. As a foretaste of Matthew’s Paradigm you can download a free copy of “Listening Well to Matthew” by subscribing to his website Living Theology at www.johnbmacdonald.com.

John B. Macdonald Vancouver, BC Kira Auf Der Heide

What does this parable mean?

Constructing a discipleship program is like a jeweler fashioning a necklace. The gems have genuine value, but the selection and arrangement tend to reflect the culture and tastes, training and experiences, preferences and aversions of the jeweler. The gems left on the table are discounted and omitted by the jeweler, and yet they are necessary in the eyes of the king.

This parable suggests discipleship programs are more a human construct than they need to be. They are useful, but not as comprehensive or powerful as intended.

Typically, discipleship programs manifest the cultures and tastes, training and experiences, preferences and aversions of their designers.

EXAMPLES As an experiment to demonstrate this observation, I took down 50 books on discipleship from my shelves. Here are my findings for three of the missing “gems.”

This test is suggestive, not exhaustive

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This parable suggests discipleship programs are more a human construct than they need to be.

2018-02-19 7:56 AM

LIFE AS A CHRISTIAN MUSICIAN Words by Mireille Pruneau For as long as I can remember, I’ve always loved music. I grew up in a God-loving family who listened to music every chance we got. In fact, we had a humongous DIY sound system—thanks to my father—and a turntable in the main room, a small radio/ cassette in the bathroom, another big sound system downstairs, and I had my own little tape recorder and Sony Walkman Sport in my own bedroom. Did I just reveal my age?

Needless to say, music was everywhere.

it into music. All of my experiences, my questions, my thoughts, my doubts and my assurances become reasons to write.

One day, I randomly ran into a high school friend I had not seen in years at the gym. She started telling me about a car accident she had just had and how she was battling physically to recover but also emotionally, as she was struggling with depression.

I went home that day and wrote “Feel the Sunshine.” It could also be read “Feel the Son Shine,” an encouragement to turn to Him in times of despair. This song was placed in the Top 10 of Canadian Christian Songs in June and July 2013. It was also nominated at the Covenant Awards / GMA Canada that same year.

“All of my experiences, my questions, my thoughts, my doubts and my assurances become reasons to write.”

We attended a church in a small city in the province of Québec.

We had Sunday school with its own worship service. At an early age, I realized that I could connect with God through music. It’s as if I could clearly hear from Him and speak to Him.

Having been raised in a French-speaking family, the choice of French God-centered songs was very limited. So, as a teenager I turned to English music and I still remember the first time I heard Flood by Jars of Clay and Jesus Freak by DC Talk. I had to use a French/English dictionary to understand what they were singing about—no Google Translate. I was amazed by the fact that they were Christian bands on mainstream radio. It gave me courage to strongly affirm my faith as a teenager.

My mother’s guitar was always in the storage room. Finally, when I turned 14, I grabbed the guitar and started learning chords from a small worship booklet that contained a chord chart and a few worship songs. That’s how I learned how to play “Amazing Grace” in French. Shortly after that, I started writing and I soon started combining words and chords together.

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There is a devotional book by Oswald Chambers that I really like; one entry was about God’s grace. It led me to write “Graciously Uncertain.” This song is about being uncertain about many things in life, but finding reassurance in knowing that Jesus already won and that He is our reward. So we graciously navigate the uncertainties of life.

On my latest album, the song “Like No Other” is an ode to how my mom raised me in the ways of Christ. She read my sister and me Bible stories every day and prayed with me at night. Being a mother made me reflect on how I was brought up and about how I want to bring up my children.

In the Bible, Philippians 4:13 says “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” This is what prompted “With You.” For me, it is such an important promise from God. We can overcome anything with Him. I believe we have to be reminded on a regular basis! The French version, “Avec Toi,” was also nominated at the Covenant Awards / GMA Canada 2018.

I write music in order to offer encouragement to anyone who might need it along their journey, no matter where they are. My songs speak about my journey and of those around me. Hopefully, my songs will make you wonder, ponder, question, admire and dwell on the One who died for us all because of His love for us.

When I moved out of the family home to continue my studies, I chose an English institution in order to learn the language better. I then started writing and singing in English. It wasn’t long before I got involved in musical worship in small groups and eventually in a local church. I always kept writing.

Mireille Pruneau Ottawa, ON

All of this brings me to the present—I am living my story with God, and I love putting

Justin Clark

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ALLOWING A PLACE FOR DOUBT IN YOUR YOUTH GROUP

Words by Heather Mitton

Bedford Youth

A few months ago, I sat across from a girl, new to our gathering, who was shaking her head about Christians who couldn’t just “take things as they were presented.”

As the coffee cups emptied, our rowdy group of committed but cheeky Jesus-followers tossed around ideas we’d been wrestling with, and began our regular practice of exploring each other’s difficult questions.

When we started on what was meant by the authority of Scripture I saw a familiar look in her eyes.

Panic.

For her, questioning faith or expressing doubt was at best impolite and at worst a sin.

I felt for her.

I used to have a nice, tidy Jesus shelf in my brain where I stuck ideas that made me skeptical.

At the time, I thought I was being faithful by systematically eliminating any trace of doubt or misgiving. But the truth was, no matter how far back I wedged them, those thoughts were still there.

If you talk to young adults who have left their faith behind, many will comment that things weren’t quite adding up for them.

And because sharing skepticism is not always encouraged (think: “trust and obey, for there’s no other way”) they packed up their doubts and moved on.

I hate hearing that.

Because the fantastic thing about God is that He knows everything you’re thinking.

Which means that when Pastor So-and-So’s sermon, or that Facebook article everyone is sharing, makes your eyebrows shoot up... that’s no secret to God.

If you’re telling me that nothing about this complex, mysterious, counter-intuitive faith has ever bothered you, I’m going to suggest (so very gently) that you need to ask more questions.

In fact, I am going to make a bet (and I’m pretty sure we’re not allowed to do that) that if you commit to the process of lifelong faith, you are going to bump up against theological ideas that make you uncomfortable.

So here is the profound truth I realized, after feeling shame about my own doubt: Either you trust in Jesus... or you don’t.

Let me say it another way: Either you trust in Jesus... or you don’t.

Sorry, that was the same way.

Because it really can’t get much more straightforward than that.

Our faith is not our denomination, our book choices, or our Bible study track record — those things are external.

But if we believe, as I think we do, that our faith is fundamentally, inextricably, rooted in Jesus alone, then our faith doesn’t depend on getting everything exactly right in our hearts and minds about our beliefs...

God knows it all, and our doubts and uncertainties don’t threaten Him. That realization was freeing.

It gave me permission to ask the hard questions and put things to the test, because I knew it was safe to do so.

It seems to me that God was compassionate in Scripture toward the people doing some heavy-duty wrestling; but He sure wasn’t a fan of apathy.

act of courage.

To explore our skepticism is to say to God “I value this relationship so much that I am not content to let hidden parts of myself keep us from knowing each other fully.”

Asking hard questions won’t keep us from God... but hiding them just might.

If God wanted hands-folded, no-questionsasked followers He could have made us that way. But He didn’t.

Besides, what we think is rebelliousness may very well be the Holy Spirit moving around. Throughout history there have been countless ideas pitched to us as God’s plan that we now know were certainly not (indulgences, anyone?). In fact, some of our most revolutionary thinkers were people who heard what everyone else was saying on behalf of God and thought, “I don’t buy that”.

How do you relate to skepticism and doubt?

How do your students hear you talk about it?

Some questions to work through together: 1. What nagging questions have I shelved in the name of honouring God? 2. What image do I have of God that makes me think my doubts are not welcome?

3. Do I see doubt as a betrayal or a desire to work at a more authentic relationship with Christ?

4. What do my students hear me saying (directly or indirectly) about their doubt?

5. Do I have trusted people who can take my questions seriously and help me navigate closer to Christ?

Heather Mitton Bedford, NS

Our students need to hear this: Doubt is not a betrayal, but an intentional

Joris Voeten

3F | LOVEISMOVING.CA

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