Love Is Moving Issue 27 - MAY/JUN 2018

ISSUE 27

CANADA’S CHRISTIAN YOUTH MAGAZINE

MAY/JUNE 2018

CAN CAMP CHANGE YOU? Hannah Beadle p. 4

SUMMER READING LIST Andrea Nwabuike p. 7

ETERNAL AND INSTAGRAM AS THE TEMPORAL MINISTRY Abigail Morgan p. 17

Hannah Elaine Braden p. 6

CAN CAN SUMMER SUMMER CAMP CAMP CHANGE CHANGE YOUR YOUR LIFE? LIFE? $3.95 CDN

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CONTENT 10

5

School

Summer

14 Art

8 Weed

18 Hiking

19 Wellness

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WORDS FROM THE EDITOR We’re on the brink of something.

Though the seasons can’t make up their minds, and snow falls as I write this on a mid-April day, the sharp winter winds are finally dying down and spring is creeping in. As we look over the ledge of one season into another, we’re fuelled by the anticipation of what is to come. Our minds are filled with the idea that once we submit our final major project, once we check off the last box on the exam, once we hear the final shrill bell usher in our sweet summer, life will be GOOD… …But who are we kidding? In the back of our minds, we all remember the mid-July days when humidity and boredom mix together and cause us to fear we’ve wasted the precious few months of freedom. So, understanding our fickleness, now is the time to get ahead, while our energy and excitement allow us to look at the upcoming summer with rose-coloured sunglasses.

Fortunately for you, issue 27 of Love Is Moving—the magazine you’re holding—will help channel the solar-powered summer vibes into something you can use, something that will help you to grow emotionally, intellectually and, most importantly, spiritually. Jesus Christ has plans for you this summer. Ask Him what He’s got on the docket for you and your community.

Meanwhile, in the magazine we have a vast array of options for you to enjoy. If you are drawn to sweaty, awe-inspiring hikes through the forest, we have a story about lessons we can learn from nature. If you’d rather look at your phone outdoors, there’s an article on using Instagram for God’s glory. If you like reading (blessings on you), we have a lovingly crafted summer reading list for your inspiration. If you’re a leader with a busy speaking schedule this summer, guess what! We have a piece especially for you.

Etienne Girardet Cover Takahiro Taguchi

Contact info@loveismoving.ca including submissions and subscriptions

I’m looking forward to hearing how God uses this issue of Love Is Moving.

The stories are full of the heat of the Holy Spirit, and I pray He will use these articles to allow you to truly make the most of summer 2018, for His glory. If you have thoughts, comments or stories to add, please email me at info@loveismoving.ca. I am continually inspired by the faith and action of our readers and writers, and I welcome you into the conversation of how God’s love is moving across North America.

Sincerely, Conor Sweetman

Editorial Consultant Bill Fledderus Marketing Director Gina Waugh

joinlovemovement

@loveismoving www.loveismoving.ca

ART DIRECTOR MARK STEWART

EDITOR CONOR SWEETMAN

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

CO-FOUNDER JOEL GORDON

Publisher TheEFC.ca

CO-FOUNDER BENJAMIN PORTER

Circulation and Distribution Anita Kwan

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DESIGN YOUR OWN SUMMER SCHOOL

Summer is a great time to figure out how you learn best. During the school year, many of us teenagers are forced into a box—we have to write papers, memorize study guides or do group projects. There’s no choice. During the summer, however, we have more time to experiment and figure out what works best for us. For instance, many of my friends listen to podcasts every day; it seems like the trendy thing to do. I thought it’d be a great way to multitask—I could listen to a sermon while working out or washing the dishes. But I just couldn’t seem to focus. I finally realized that I’m a very visual learner, so instead of listening to a podcast while I wash the breakfast dishes, I now make time to read a book while I eat breakfast.

As you plan to continue learning over the summer, don’t feel like you have to think in terms of school subjects. Take advantage of your free time to learn about something you’re truly interested in, whether or not it’s on the class list at your school.

Last summer I took a free online college astronomy course; read biographies of missionaries; and gave myself a crash course in exercise science by writing for a CrossFit company. If you’re fascinated by something, go educate yourself about it! You’ll begin to really enjoy learning when the topic is something you care about, and plus, you never know where this kind of knowledge could lead—because of my longtime interest in learning Spanish, I’ve been able to help translate on mission trips, speak to parents at the nonprofit I work for, and complete paying voiceover jobs that required a Latino accent.

I

Words by Hailey Hudson

f you’re like most teenagers, the happiest time of the year for you is when school gets let out. You’re probably eager to leave behind the teachers, textbooks, and GPAs in favour of friends, ice cream, and the swimming pool—and that’s great! There’s nothing wrong with a little relaxation in the summer.

This summer, however, I’d like to encourage you to place a priority on learning. I’ve been out of school for a year, but I’m placing a big priority on continuing to learn, and I’d like to share some things I’ve realized about why it’s so important to learn and how we can make learning more fun.

Scripture is full of encouragement to do our best in all things. For instance, Colossians 3:23 reads, “Whatever you do, work at it

Whatever you choose to learn about this summer, make sure to place a special priority on learning more about God. Research different methods of studying the Bible and figure out which one works best for you. Read books by authors such as C.S. Lewis. Focus on memorizing Scripture. If you struggle with “Take advantage of your free time to this last one, I can’t recommend learn about something you’re truly the ScriptureTyper app enough. It provides an easy way to memorize interested in, whether or not it’s on the verses, and it’s a great alternative to class list at your school.” wasting time on social media. with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters” (NIV). Education is a powerful tool. I work for a nonprofit that tutors elementary school students— primarily refugees and underprivileged children—and I’ve seen firsthand how a good education can lift them to higher places.

As a Christian, my desire is to go everywhere I can with the gospel, and the more education I get, the better off I will be.

Education can help me serve the Lord more heartily and in more ways.

Summer school doesn’t have to be all bad—not when you can design the course list and learn about things you love using the method that’s easiest for you.

Enjoy learning as you go throughout your summer!

Hailey Hudson Cumming, Georgia Clay Banks

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INSTAGRAM FOR MINISTRY I

Words by Hannah Elaine Braden

nstagram. An app that has the power to throw any and every message in the faces of not just people, but souls—messages that create strong emotion, either of jealousy or inspiration, positivity or negativity, hatred or love.

We see politicians, celebrities, travellers, entrepreneurs, and stay-at-home mothers reveal their world in the form of curated picture feeds. We see it all: different nations, cultural groups, religions, political agendas, church groups, and communities that are being started. Today, we can see the world at the touch of a finger.

From a young age, I held a deep desire to be in ministry. Standing on the coffee table in my home, I donned my white night dress and gathered my family members to listen to me reading from the Bible. I would preach any sermon that came straight to my head. Though it was amusing to my family members and a curiosity to others, it will always be a moment I look back on when I think of the calling on my life. I possessed a deep desire to talk about this God who loved me from the very beginning.

I didn’t think of how much Instagram could be used as a tool to help minister to others.

Here, there would be the opportunity to connect with young girls who struggled with self-image and worth, and be able to remind them of how their Heavenly Father sees them. On Instagram, pictures can express the beautiful parts of life God has given and allow us to speak words that are bold and demand a reaction. However, like any blessing or tool that has ever been made, there is the ability to use it for both good or bad; the decision lies not in the tool, but in the heart’s intention of whoever uses the tool.

seemed to also come—strangers would When I decided to redirect my Instagram write me their opinions and say terrible use from the personal lifestyle that showed things about my God. “Friends” become off how many friends I had or the perfect strangers and mocked my words. moments I tried to create, it was because the Lord changed my heart. There was a But never had I received such blessing. God call to use this tool for more than myself; I gave me not only favour, but also dreams. wanted to speak words that burned every He reminded me how much more there part of my heart. I contemplated writing a was than myself. He book, going to school showed me Instagram for ministry, and was was a platform, and a wondering in what way platform that demanded “HE SHOWED ME could I participate in more than showing ministry outside my off my social life. It INSTAGRAM WAS comfortable world. was a platform where I Ministry wasn’t something that knocked on my door and gave me an opportunity to speak at a conference.

Ministry was speaking to my Instagram friends (whether 20 or 20,000) about this God who wrecked my world.

Ministry was loving and sharing the truth about Christ with every tool I was given.

A PLATFORM, AND A PLATFORM THAT DEMANDED MORE THAN SHOWING OFF MY SOCIAL LIFE.”

I decided to use the only tool I had to reach people—I decided to use the world of Instagram. I began to post about God a whole lot more, started a blog, started making some YouTube videos, and started to branch out with any outlet that was given to me. Posting captions containing the messages that Jesus put on my heart was hard; certain friendships started to dissolve, I was under constant scrutiny in the communities I was physically involved in, and doubts started to appear in my brain.

The more audience and attention my words and pictures received, the more opposition

could share vulnerably about my struggles and victories; where I could connect with people from all over the world. There were souls I connected on deep levels with—perfect strangers in this world, but siblings in the next.

It’s more than Instagram.

It’s about the heart. Like every action we do, whether the culture sees it as good or bad, Jesus looks at the heart’s intention. I am here to proclaim there is more than just “us.” He has given us words—words that are heavenly and powerful—to proclaim and to share. He has given us creativity to take pictures of the things He has created, to design using His colours and imagery. He has given us the desire to connect, to know and be known.

He has given us the tools; it is up to us how we are going to use them.

Hannah Elaine Braden Visalia, California Nigel Tadyanehondo

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WHY WE SHOULDN’T TAKE A VACATION FROM CHURCH

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Words by Rachel VanderWoude

spiritual house” (1 Peter 2:5).

or most people, summertime is vacation time. We like to take a vacation from work, school, and home, and give ourselves an opportunity to relax, de-stress, and hopefully return to daily life rejuvenated and refreshed. Unfortunately, when we take a break from all these things, we also tend to take a break from something else: church.

By participating in worship with other Christians, regardless of whether it’s our usual building or not, we are coming together with other living stones and taking part in God’s spiritual house. In the words of the Apostles’ Creed, “I believe in the holy, catholic church”—not catholic in the sense of Roman Catholic, but catholic in the sense of universal, communal, the mutual belief in Jesus Christ that binds all believers together.

Just because church attendance rates drop during the summer months, it doesn’t mean our personal attendance rates should drop too. Unfortunately, it’s only too easy to not bother with taking time on our vacation for church. It’s just easier to simply skip it altogether. However, going to church while on summer vacation is important.

Many of our excuses for skipping church during vacation are poor. One of the most common is that it’s too much hassle to find a church to go to. On the contrary—open up Google maps, Siri or the new Love Is Moving app, and ask for “churches near me.” Besides, if we can spend time planning hikes, museum visits, lake excursions, and beach vacations, surely we can carve out a few minutes to find a church to attend on Sunday morning!

Another common excuse for not attending church while on vacation is that we don’t want to have to talk to a bunch of strangers.

On the one hand, yes, going to a strange church means interacting with strange people. But on the other hand, these people are not strangers at all. Being a Christian and part of the church does not mean going to the same building every week, because the church is not a building! Rather, the church is made up of the believers: “you also, like living stones, are being built into a

In such a setting, are these people really strangers? No. They are our brothers and sisters in Christ, different parts of the same body. And how functional can a body really be if it is never connected to its other parts?

But what if we can’t find the right kind of church? Well, denominations certainly

own church! Perhaps the contrast between styles might let you appreciate aspects of your own church more. At the very least, attending a different church for a Sunday can be a great way to prompt a post-service discussion about faith, practice, and belief.

If you are travelling in a different country, church can also be a valuable cultural experience. I remember going on a trip to Europe with my family when I was 13. One Sunday, we attended a three-and-a-half hour Greek Orthodox service on the island of Santorini. One Sunday, we sat through a Roman Catholic mass at St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome. One Sunday, we went to Durham Cathedral in England. I remember being amazed at how each church was so reflective of the rest of the culture; and yet, at the same time, each was connected by the common foundation that Jesus died for

“... don’t let yourself take a vacation from church: make the effort, have the conversations, experience a different style, and take advantage of the fact that God’s church is universal.” exist for a reason. There is undoubtedly a difference between Lutherans, Pentecostals, Baptists, Roman Catholics, Eastern Orthodox, and non-denominational churches. But just because a church might be different, doesn’t mean you can’t attend for a Sunday.

Going to a church that is different from what you’re used to can be a valuable experience. You could experience a different style of worship or be exposed to a new angle of the gospel. There might even be elements of the service that you really enjoy and would love to see implemented in your

our sins.

So this summer, enjoy your vacations. Enjoy getting away from work, school, and home for a while. But don’t let yourself take a vacation from church: make the effort, have the conversations, experience a different style, and take advantage of the fact that God’s church is universal.

Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it (1 Corinthians 12:27).

Rachel VanderWoude Calgary, AB Daniel Tseng

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Remember that Summer Camp Is Not Normal Life Sorry, I wish it wasn’t true. But as amazing as the summer camp experience is, the real world has far less pranks and chanting, and a lot more hurt, temptations, and differing worldviews.

Daily life is often mundane and boring, and people can be downright annoying.

So, after camp is over, take time to think about what you learned and how it can be applied to real, day-to-day, messy life.

It’s OK to Have Seasons It happens to the best of us. You slowly feel the effects of the “spiritual high” wearing off and you’re desperate to go back to camp for another hit. Even a weekend retreat would do! But alas, our lives exist in seasons, and we are not meant to feel a constant “spiritual high.”

I’m reminded of the moment when Jesus is praying on the Mount of Olives before his crucifixion. He expresses an entirely human desire to stay on the mountain top and avoid the difficulty which awaits him (“My Father, if it is your will, may this cup be taken from me,” Matthew 26:39). And yet despite the pain He knows awaits him, He descends. In the same way, we can’t always stay in the mountain top seasons of our lives.

Don’t Wait for Next Year So, while summer camp definitely is not normal life and may be more of a season, don’t use these facts as excuses just to wait for next summer to get your fix.

Jesus desperately wants to be a part of your everyday life, so use the momentum from summer camp to propel you into a new vigour in your relationship with Him. Join the Christian group at your school (there are cool Christian people everywhere), and commit to reading your Bible (even without the dock and star-filled sky, it’s pretty awesome). Meet God in the day-to-day, and you’ll be even more prepared to encounter Him during the summer months next year.

JESUS DESPERATELY WANTS TO BE A PART OF YOUR EVERYDAY LIFE.

Katrina Martin Vancouver, BC Daniel Tseng

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Words by Josee Foster

ollowing Jesus? Oh, how glorious. We experience the highest of highs when we taste eternity on our lips, when we feel His glory pulsing through our veins.

But along with the beauty, you’ve probably noticed there’s a fair degree of pain. Like any good narrative, the story of humanity is full of aspects that are fun, and some that are not so fun.

worn and torn. It needs healing. But we play an active part in the healing process.

a bone a foot and a foot a leg and a leg a body?

Being aware of your emotions is important; you can journal, talk with God or a friend, and listen to music that puts sounds to feelings. These are good tools to deal with the feelings inside you every day.

We are not meant to run this race alone.

But every so often we are deeply hurt beyond the normal wear and tear.

Just like a serious injury needs healing time, so does the heart. Talking with a pastor, counsellor, or friend through inner

When you break a bone, you get a cast. You

When I found someone I trusted and let them into the painful places, they were able to say things I couldn’t think of myself. They spoke truth where I was believing lies.

Why Do We Hide Things?

The gospel isn’t only for salvation when we stop breathing. It’s not reserved for funerals and thoughts about the end of time as we know it. It’s also for today—for the hard stuff you felt this morning, for the anxious thoughts you have about that conversation you’re anticipating tomorrow, for the regret of yesterday’s decisions.

The good news means we can come out of hiding and find healing.

If we can come out, why do we hide things?

Why do we store pain—and what the heck do I do with it?

I love thinking about the body. Whenever I choose to study it, I learn something new about my spiritual anatomy, and yours. Talking about spiritual things as it relates to the human body often helps me to understand the very things that are impacting me in the Spirit realm.

need to rest, and you don’t just go to soccer practice the day after you’re off crutches.

You work to get stronger. You use supports like physio and massage therapists.

It looks the same with our injured hearts!

We can be hurt in ways that leave our spiritual anatomy crippled. We like to put on “casts” (form bad habits) to protect ourselves. We’re afraid to be hurt again. We isolate ourselves and develop destructive habits. These “casts” can include negative self-talk, panic, eating disorders, among others.

“Your heart gets worn and torn. It needs healing. But we play an active part in the healing process.”

Like this: Your body knows how to heal, right? There’s wear and tear as we live every day. After a long week, you feel exhausted. But you are restored in sleep. You fall in basketball and scrape your knee. But it scabs over, right?

Your inner life is the same! Your heart gets

But like the body heals itself in rest, Jesus’ love rushes in when we stop fighting. Instead of resisting these things, we can simply embrace them and let him in.

Christ is the head. But we are His body.

I don’t know about you, but thinking about talking to a body-less-head is a little creepy to me. I’d much rather talk to a whole person.

When we let another person in, there can be tremendous breakthrough.

One cell can’t run on a racetrack alone, can it? Don’t lots of cells form a bone and

healing and using resources they suggest is a tremendous launch pad for change.

Though it could take focusing on your insides for a while before you feel stronger, you don’t need to worry. You are healing!

Bit by bit, every day, broken bones heal.

Even when you can’t feel it. Same with your heart.

We won’t become immune to pain, but as we learn to let Jesus into our losses and we roll our loads onto him, we may limp sometimes, but we’ll never be paralyzed!

Spending time in Scripture during painful times will always be useful too. God will show you what you need to see.

I remember wanting to understand why people were hurting me. What is happening beneath the surface? He showed me that things I can’t see are controlling what I can see. He taught me how to respond to hurtful comments and unpleasant emotions. He showed me ways to let Him be God, and let me be still.

“For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms” (Ephesians 6:12).

Josee Foster Lethbridge, AB Elizabeth Lies

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Blurred Blurred Lines Lines On Being a Christian Artist

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Words by Layton MacCabe reativity is part of God’s character. As He has placed His image within each of us, He has given us a desire to follow Him by creating, acting in true imitation of our creator. Millennials and members of Generation X are privileged to live in a time of cultural appreciation for the arts and unparalleled distribution. However, like most good things, the devil has tried to warp the arts into his purposes as well, and this is often evidenced in what we consume.

Like me, I’m sure many of you are striving to achieve your creative dreams in this world. The beauty of the work of past artists, writers, speakers, and musicians who have gone before you has stoked your desire to share a piece of yourself with the world. You don’t want to let your life slip by without realizing the full potential of your God-given talents, and you know you can produce

impactful work with diligence and dedication to your craft. The future is bright!

However, you are about to come to (or have already come to) a crisis that every Christian creative will face at some point. It happens in many places, affects different people different ways, and to varying degrees of intensity: The balancing act between remaining true to your faith and moving toward success in your creative work.

I have struggled with this myself over the past few years. To give a specific example, I had an opportunity to work as a ghost producer for a legend in the field of music production, a Grammy winner and the man behind the biggest names in the pop music industry. Though I did have a good experience and it did kickstart my burgeoning music production career, I eventually had a fallout with my employer over my refusal to work with profane music.

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“You are about to come to (or have already come to) a crisis that every Christian creative will face at some point: The balancing act between remaining true to your faith and moving toward success in your creative work.”

particular problems and dilemmas, as every situation and work of art is unique (that’s the nature of creativity!), but I can provide you with some valuable guidelines and considerations to take into account when making decisions about what you—and more importantly God—are comfortable with.

1

Take a second to think about your audience.

Regardless of what you hear, your art’s value will be determined by others.

You do, as an artist, have an obligation to make something that a particular audience will appreciate. However, Christians have an additional audience we must please beyond the critics: God. Art is by nature an extension of our thoughts, and the Bible gives us specific instructions as to what we should think about. Philippians 4:8 tells us, “Whatever is true, whatever is honourable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.” Good art exemplifies this list of attributes, and if your work falls out with one or more of these then I suggest taking a closer look at what you create. And don’t forget about the rest of us humans in the meantime... it would be selfish of you not to share your incredible, God-given gifts in a way that we can enjoy too!

2

This is your moment to be a witness.

This was a hard time for me, as I couldn’t help feeling I had blown my one shot at making it big. However, God had other plans and led me into healthy creative situations with some awesome Christian musicians. I also know firsthand the sickening feeling of having to tell someone you can’t do a creative project because you disagree on a moral level with the content that would need to be created. It hurts.

Blurred lines are everywhere for Christians in the creative industries. At what point does a fashion photoshoot become less of a celebration of God’s gift of beauty and more of a sensual objectification of the human body? At what point does including profanity in the dialogue of a novel to provide a realistic record of what might have happened become something for mere shock value? Can a tattoo artist glorify the Lord in his or her work? I can’t answer your

My family has been involved with many creative disciplines, whether that be modelling and fashion, writing, music, or a different medium. Every step of the way, we’ve come across professionals who are corrupt and backstabbing, mostly in secular circles, but also in Christian ones too, sadly.

It’s a broken industry, and it needs the light of Jesus. This is your chance to be an example, so step out in faith. Don’t be afraid to say no to immorality, be encouraging rather than demeaning to colleagues and competitors, and share the truth you’ve found in Christ.

through Bible study and prayer. I encourage you to look to God for guidance, even when you’re inclined to step away from a situation in your creative life that you feel uncomfortable with. Sometimes, it’s God’s will for us to shake things up and make a difference in a situation rather than merely saying no to immorality.

4

Find a Christian mentor in your creative discipline.

Modern churches are one of the places in North America where the arts are flourishing the most. I’m personally very thankful for the guiding hand of experienced spiritual leaders and creative experts present in the larger churches in my home town. I’ve had access to professional musicians, writers, cinematographers, and sound technicians who are willing to share their craft with me because of their dedication to passing on useful and beautiful skills to the next generation of believers. A mentor who has experience dealing with the problems you face as a creative believer is an invaluable resource, both for their advice and their guidance in your development as an artist. I think you’ll find, as you discover ways to use your skills entirely for God’s glory in the church, that it is much more satisfying than any alternative the secular industry can supply.

In closing, rest in the knowledge that I and many other like-minded Christians are praying for the next generation of creative believers to rise up to take their place in the church, in the world, and in history. Join with other artists in worship, offering your own humble, beautiful, unique offering: the return, re-gifting, of the shard of God’s unfathomable creativity He’s given you to use in His kingdom.

3

Don’t move without looking to God first.

Prayer should be your first reaction to any crisis of morality. Especially in the instances of the blurred lines and moral relativity that occur so often in the creative industries—the only true way to get insight into your best course of action is

Layton MacCabe Moncton, NB Amaury Salas

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You Can’t Satisfy the Eternal with the Temporal S

Words by Abigail Morgan tanding 1,295 metres up on top of Sugarloaf Mountain, with wind in my face and my eyes fixed on the scene spread out before me, I heard my best friend say “tips down” as she skied by me down a double black diamond.

in an attempt to calm myself down a little.

I will never forget the encouragement she gave me that night as she proclaimed to me exactly what God wanted me to hear: God will take us out of situations to launch us into better ones.

When I go running, sit down to write, spend extra time with God, hang out with my girlfriends, sit and enjoy nature, spend time with family, and do little things for myself that make me happy, I feel like I’m breathing in fresh air.

In the moments before I glided down the hill after her, I took one last look at all the beauty around me, from the snow-packed trees to the vast hills and valleys, and for the first time in what seemed like forever, I was able to breathe in fresh air.

Reflecting on these events, I am now beginning to understand little by little what God is wanting for me in my life. I was putting myself on a journey to find joy, but I was looking in the wrong places. I told myself that when I got a degree, was married, and moved out, then I would be happy and find

Society has told us to go, go go, and never stop until your life is perfect, with eyes on only the future. If this is your mindset, I am sorry but you will never find true joy; you will always be waiting for something to happen and never be truly satisfied.

This recent trip to the mountains was intended to remove myself from my busy daily schedule and into something a little less stressful.

While school, work, and daily life can be tiring, my biggest challenge lately has been a battle with God. Sometimes, God does things in our lives that we have a hard time understanding.

Day in and day out, I felt God telling me to step back from a few things, one of them being my relationship with my significant other. I battled this request with God because in my eyes, I saw this individual as my future. I could not grasp why God wanted this for me, because I thought a break-up meant that there is something broken.

I decided to take the leap of faith and do what I thought God wanted me to.

As I drove to see my partner that night, I remember freezing up in the car with fear—fear of losing someone I care so much about, fear of having no one to love me, fear of making the wrong decision. Fear is often what gets in the way of our happiness, isn’t it?

I called one of my good friends and mentors

“God pulled me out of a situation in my life in order to teach me about seeking true joy and to reveal to me the blessings I already had.” the joy I’ve been waiting for.

But this is NOT the mindset of the Lord.

You see, because God has already placed the joy we need in our hearts. We don’t have to have a mindset of I will be happy when… but rather How will I be joyful today?

Step back, enjoy the view, and take time to listen to what God has to say to you. You will be amazed at the wonderful things our heavenly Father can do in your life. And remember, you can’t satisfy the eternal with the temporal.

I was not enjoying the blessings I had in my life because my mind was set on my future plans. God pulled me out of a situation in my life in order to teach me about seeking true joy and to reveal to me the blessings I already had.

I could go on about the simple blessings in my life that God has revealed to me, from friendships that I had once forgotten about, family time I never seemed to have, hobbies I once loved but have lost in the busyness of life, and time with God I never seemed to prioritize.

Abigail Morgan Grand Bay, NB Amaury Salas

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Words by Emily Cook

hat if the way into healing isn’t to run from our darkness, but to enter into it, trusting that God is waiting in the midst of it and will lead us back into the light?

How many times a day do we get asked how we are and we respond with “Okay!” or “Not bad,” or “Hanging in there!” And it’s not just with strangers, classmates or coworkers; this can be with people we trust and are close to. Choosing to express that we might not be “okay” is totally foreign to many of us.

Admitting You Aren’t Doing Well

On the surface, our culture says we should be happy, content, and feel we have the ability to attain anything we strive for.

But underneath the surface, we may just be the most discontented, anxious, and fearful generation ever. The words anxiety, shame, and depression are ones we’ve heard and know a little about, but the idea that those things affect us “The amazing thing is that God could just doesn’t correlate. isn’t afraid of our mess, our We’re all about for brokenness, or our darkness.” numbing; some of us that may be through alcohol or drugs, food, busyness, or binge-watching Netflix, but we all have something we turn to for numbing unwelcome emotions like sadness, anxiety, pain, or anger.

Though this may seem like a good idea for a while, it inevitably catches up with us every time. See, the problem is that we can’t

numb negative emotions without numbing the positive ones too.

What we sometimes fail to remember is that we are inherently spiritual beings. This means that everything we do and think and feel is related in some way to our desire to be imitators of God and be in relationship with Him. This also means that the best way to understand our own emotions, pain and heartache, is by walking into it–with Him. “Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting” (Psalm 139:3-24).

The amazing thing is that God isn’t afraid of our mess, our brokenness, or our darkness.

In fact, He actually sent his son to die for us so that He could love us in that state of brokenness and bring us back to Himself.

How incredible is that!

The only thing that can give us the courage to walk into the darkness that is inside of us–not to numb, or run away, but to truly, deeply, feel–is by trusting that God is waiting for us there, and won’t leave us in that place. THAT is where we experience true life. Living in the light of God’s promises gives us the courage to feel pain deeply, and the freedom to experience joy fully.

“You hem me in behind and before, and you lay your hand upon me” (Psalm 139:5).

Emily Cook Ottawa, ON Rex Pickar

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The Winter Is Past M

Words by Anne Fleetwood

y doorbell rang. It was him, holding a single white rose. “Anne, this is how I see you—spotless, pure and beautiful—despite your past.”

minute He’s leaping, bounding over the mountains in reckless pursuit of us and then bam! He hits a wall.

What’s this? Christ, excitedly scaling a multitude of obstacles to get into our deepest heart spaces, intent on engulfing us with his love, yet we prevent deeper intimacy.

He’s left outside the fence wondering how to break in.

What reason do we have to keep Him at bay? Things like shame, past hurts, unattended disappointment, fear, unaddressed anger, self-condemnation, and unforgiveness all conspire to erect a wall that tells the world, and our God, that we don’t want them any closer. “Too risky,” we feel.

Despite that, He calls to us, “Look, the winter is past and the rains are over and

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For me, the risk of opening up old hurts to new seasons of growth was always fraught with vulnerability and shaky-legged-fear.

Yet it was through those moments that I experienced the depth of His love in such profound ways that I swear all the birds started singing.

Might you have a wall of heart-junk that prevents the fullness of His spring-like love from blossoming over you? Try these steps to begin the demolition process in your life: Ask God what needs to change.

Forgive those whose words or actions caused these barriers to solidify. Ask God’s forgiveness for what you’ve been holding onto, and forgive yourself for letting these walls remain for so long.

I heard Jesus’ voice that day—though He looked a lot like my boyfriend Sean.

The night before, I’d decided to risk coming clean about my past. Would Sean stick around once I’d unloaded a dump truck’s worth of hurts, failures, and heart-junk?

As I held that white rose and blinked back tears, I realized once again that Jesus, the Lover-of-My-Soul, sees me as spotless, pure, beautiful, and that my junk doesn’t faze him or cause distance between us. I also realized that Sean might just be a keeper.

“Ah, I hear my lover coming!

He is leaping over the mountains, bounding over the hills.

My lover is like a swift gazelle or a young stag.

Look, there he is behind the wall, looking through the window, peering into the room.

My lover said to me, ‘Rise up, my darling!

Come away with me, my fair one!

Look, the winter is past, and the rains are over and gone.

“It’s time to look beyond our past winter seasons to the springtime of our soul. It’s time

gone.” It’s time to look beyond our past winter seasons to the springtime of our soul. It’s time to rise up and allow Him in. Risk letting Him, and others, see the truth about the walls that remain in our lives.

to rise up and I didn’t know I needed it, yet this is exactly what God allow Him in.” had been asking of me over the last nine months. For though He loves me as I am, He loves me too much to leave me that way.

The flowers are springing up, the season of singing birds has come, and the cooing of turtledoves fills the air” - Song of Songs 2:8-12 NLT

In all great love stories, there are moments of uncertainty, risk, and pain. Our love story with Christ is no different. One

His relational love is an overwhelming, all-encompassing pursuit of us that knows no bounds or barriers too difficult to overcome. His love risks everything, heartbreak hanging in the balance, as He asks to be invited into deeper intimacy with us.

Choose to trust that He will cause the winter seasons of your soul to burst into new life.

Every year, in May, I stroll through my father’s garden marvelling at the delicate new growth that fought and overcame a Canadian winter just to exist. This year, I think I’ll take Sean. Together we’ll remember what God has done as we stop and smell the roses.

Anne Fleetwood Toronto, ON Jordan Whitt

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Life on the Road Tips from a Travelling Speaker

Words by Mike Gordon In 2017, I spoke over 260 times while being on the road for just under 300 days.

Whether it was speaking at a youth group of five people in a small town, or teaming up with Chris Tomlin with 20,000+ people in a large city, I have become familiar with the road life along the way.

I know this life – a life that has two sides, the side people see and the side people don’t see.

Over the years, I have had countless emails and conversation with people saying, “I want to do what you do.” That’s awesome, because we need more Christian speakers in Canada. However, in most of those conversations, I soon discovered that most people only see the one side of it.

Here are three things to know.

Lots of Couches People sometimes think I eat at nice restaurants every day and sleep in luxury hotels every night in the nicest cities in the world. The reality is, there’s lots of sleeping on couches and on floors, followed by scouting out how to get the calories of three meals a day without having to spend money on three meals a day. It’s not exactly V.I.P living.

Loneliness Here’s the one that surprises people the most. On the surface level, you’re around people all the time, yet there’s a loneliness that comes with this lifestyle, as you are away from your relationship, family and friends for weeks at a time. You’re with

everyone, yet you’re separate, as you sometimes come in, speak, pack up, and drive by yourself to the next town.

Tiring Speaking is amazing, but it’s draining.

A typical talk may create three or four adrenaline spikes, which science shows takes a toll on your body, as it takes days to recover. Well… when you speak every day for two months straight, you don’t have a lot of time to recover. Factor in not sleeping in your own bed, nor eating probably, and you end up with a deep tiredness that often comes along with the road life.

Here are three things that help.

Staying Humble You always have to stay humble, which is easier said than done. If you start losing sight of humility, then you’ll get a little bitter as your expectations aren’t met along the way. The reality is this: you are there to serve, not to be served. The road life is much more satisfying when you stay humble in every area along the way. This helps when you discover the event you drove two hours to speak at only has four people, or when you’re told your sleeping arrangements are on the floor.

Friendships If you can develop legitimate friendships with other pastors, leaders, or people in your stage of life along the way, it will lessen the feeling of loneliness. Be intentional with connecting with these leaders before or after these events, because when you’re

coming through their town down the road, they may be the best friend you have.

Passion Passion is the only reason anyone would be crazy enough to travel full-time as a speaker. You need a passion for Christ, and seeing people further their relationship with Him. This keeps you going, no matter how tired you get on the road. A passion to speak will get you out of bed any day of the week, as you wouldn’t want to do anything else with your life. Lastly, you need a passion for the people you have the privilege to minister to—every day you’re given an opportunity to see a life change forever. This is what makes you show up early to every event and stay there until the last people leave.

Passion is everything.

I have been blessed to be on the road full-time for the last seven years, speaking around the world as God has opened incredible doors to serve in this way.

Despite the challenges that come with living on the road, I wouldn’t have asked to do anything else. Now in 2018, I have already been across the world speaking, and wrapped up another major spring tour—I love every second of this dream. We need more speakers on the road to do likewise, sharing and speaking about Christ.

Mike Gordon Youth for Christ Canada mike-gordon.ca Mike Gordon Toronto, ON Tim Trad

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Words by John B MacDonald hat we understand about something can make all the difference.

A lumberjack returned to the store with his newfangled chainsaw. He complained it wasn’t performing as advertised. The store owner pulled the cord and the chainsaw roared to life. The surprised lumberjack asked, “What’s that noise?”

His new understanding of the chainsaw made all the difference.

What do you understand about prayer? Your answer will either limit or free you, impoverish or enrich you. Let’s look at a few limiting understandings of prayer before I propose one that frees and enriches.

Some Limiting Views There is some truth—perhaps lots of truth—in the following descriptions, but I suggest that each of them limits us.

An Understanding of Prayer That Will Make a Difference

“Talking to God” was a definition common in my early Christian years. Its weakness is that it views prayer as one-way communication: I speak, God listens.

A decription by Simone Weil (1943-1909) was popular among my theology professors: “Absolutely unmixed attention is prayer.” Although I agree prayer usually has an intentional focus, “unmixed attention” can describe lots of activities.

For instance, watch a person riveted to a computer game or texting on an iPhone, and you’ll have an illustration of “absolutely unmixed attention.” Prayer is more than “unmixed attention.”

James Montgomery (1854–1771) wrote the lyrics to a hymn about prayer. He wrote at least eight stanzas, the first being: Prayer is the soul’s sincere desire, uttered or unexpressed, the motion of a hidden fire that trembles in the breast.

Does the absence of such feelings mean you are not praying? What about other emotions such as disappointment and anger? Do they disqualify your prayer?

A thorough, orthodox definition is offered by the Westminster Shorter Catechism (1647).

Q. 98. What is prayer?

Prayer is an offering up of our desires unto God, for things agreeable to his will, in the name of Christ, with confession of our sins, and thankful acknowledgment of his mercies.

This is accompanied by numerous Bible verses, proofs for each component of the definition. There is a certain

cool clinical detachment in the Catechism’s presentation of the facts about prayer.

How do you understand prayer? And does your understanding make a difference?

A Shift in Understanding What is an understanding of prayer that makes a difference? For me, the most helpful description of prayer was penned by Clement of Alexandria (150-215): “Keeping company with God.” Understanding prayer in this way made a significant difference for me. I no longer saw prayer as a medium of communication, like a text message. Prayer became relational.

This fresh understanding shifted my focus from prayer as speaking to God over to prayer as relationship with God. This new understanding made all the difference.

Four Benefits Here are four benefits flowing from this relational understanding of prayer.

Praying becomes a conversation. We do not develop much of a relationship if we do all the talking. Conversation goes both ways. Keeping company with God encourages us in listening to God and speaking with God. It also allows for times of companionable silence. Praying that is relational incorporates conversation with God.

“Praying becomes a way of life. We do not develop an intimate relationship with people without spending significant amounts of quality time with them.”

Praying becomes a way of life. We do not develop an intimate relationship with people without

spending significant amounts of quality time with them. If prayer is “keeping company with God,” that means spending time with Him. This also helps us make sense of biblical texts such as “pray continually” (1 Thessalonians 5:17; Ephesians 6:18). Praying that is relational invites you to spend more time with God in all the activities of life.

Praying becomes more honest. Prayer as a medium can tend towards formality, as if you are speaking to a judge, or putting a request to an official. If prayer is “keeping company with God,” over time we become more transparent and honest. For instance, emotions of disappointment and anger are expressed—as if we were in the presence of our best friend. Consider the emotions expressed in Psalm 42-43 or Jonah 4.

Praying that is relational develops openness and honesty.

Praying becomes transformational. As we keep company with God, we become more aware of God’s heart, purposes, desires, intentions, ways, and will. It is no longer about me; it is about us—and more importantly Him! Our growing awareness of God’s heart becomes fertile ground for change in our own hearts, attitudes, biases, and self-centeredness, which will begin to impact all of life. Praying that is relational involves your transformation.

Does this fresh understanding of prayer make a difference for you?

Dr. MacDonald serves with Outreach Canada and can be contacted at jmacdonald@ outreach.ca. As a foretaste of the innovative disciple-making project Matthew’s Paradigm, you can download a free copy of “Listening Well to Matthew” by subscribing at www. johnbmacdonald.com.

John B MacDonald Vancouver, BC Michael Heuss

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How Do I Know?

Walking the Line of Doubt

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Words by Josiah Piett

any people claim to have their life transformed by Jesus Christ, myself included. But are there questions we should ask about that?

I am the type of person who is skeptical about anything that sounds too good to be true. I ask a lot of questions. You can ask my wife or my professors from when I was in university, and they will testify to this. The main question I find myself asking about life transformation is “How do we know that this truth Christians claim to set them free is not just positive mental attitude sprinkled with Jesus terms? Better yet, how do we know it isn’t just humanistic, philosophical concepts infused with Christian jargon?”

This article will focus on two ways of approaching, but not necessarily answering, these valid questions.

The first approach is the logical/reasoning approach. Using my story as an example, if you look at what changed my life, you see that it was Jesus entering into my story and redefining my identity and purpose because of what he did for me.

We must also ask if Jesus of Nazareth saw lives transformed through similar process— if Jesus did not see lives transformed by entering and redefining their stories, then followers of Jesus have a big problem.

The Jesus of yesterday has to align with the Jesus of today. If this is not the case, then individuals like myself have had a psychological transformation rooted in concepts, as opposed to a person.

I believe a way to know if these two “Jesuses” are the same person is by understanding the historical context of Jesus’ life. If Jesus of Nazareth redefined

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really going to matter after you die or not. If the identity not, that saddens me, because I know that and purpose of your life has been designed to be rooted in the people He someone—as opposed to something—that encountered, we is eternal not temporal. can deduce that these claims of In addition to the logical and spiritual Christians today approaches, let me add a personal one. I do align with what have found a difference between struggling Jesus of Nazareth with something and struggling through set out to accomplish something. Struggling with something originally. Therefore, means that whatever that something is has the logical answer more control over you than it needs to. could be found in I have chronic kidney failure and a whole list asking if these two of other urinary issues that, on paper, have impressions of Jesus no real, long-term solution. Therefore, from align. a medical standpoint, you could say I’ve Another approach been given a pretty hopeless situation. My you can take to mom recently did some research to see what answer these the most advanced treatment is for babies questions is the that are detected to have a similar medical “spiritual approach.” condition to me. In 2018, the recommended In my opinion, if solution for children who have similar what I believe and condition to me is for the mother to have an experience was abortion. rooted in concepts I get what being hopeless can feel like; I and not the lived most of my childhood struggling with person of Jesus of this reality. It wasn’t until I encountered Nazareth, then there Jesus that I learned I could struggle through wouldn’t be much hope in what I believe. this reality of my life and not just with it. To Psychological and philosophical concepts struggle through something is like driving are only meaningful while you are living, but once you die, they mean nothing to you. through a tunnel—it may be dark for a while but eventually there will be a light They may help you live a more fulfilling life, again. but once your life is over, they are not much help to you.

I don’t know what your struggle is, but I do know that when you find your hope in Jesus When my hope is anchored in Jesus, it goes of Nazareth, you are anchoring yourself in beyond me grounding myself in a concept eternal truth that allows you to go beyond and into me taking an eternal promise and just struggling with whatever it is, even truth that will be with me even beyond my earthly death.

The identity and purpose I have in Jesus is eternal, “When my hope is anchored in Jesus, it goes beyond me grounding not temporal; it myself in a concept and into me taking an eternal promise and truth may shift a bit in its outworking when I that will be with me even beyond my earthly death.” die, but it will remain with me as I live in heaven.

Many times people dismiss Jesus by saying, “Well, Josiah, that’s good for you that this helps with your struggles, but I just find my strength through other ways.” But no matter what your “other ways” are, they are still rooted in concepts or truth statements you are choosing to believe in. Whether influenced by science, another religion, your gut-feeling, karma, or whatever else, such beliefs do come from somewhere.

Therefore, the question I have for you is, what is your source for the concepts you believe about yourself and the world we live in?

Everyone reading this article—follower of Jesus or not—is either surviving or thriving right now because of core concepts they believe about themselves and the world they live in. The challenge I have for you is simple: Ask yourself if what you believe is

if it is chronic (health problems, anxiety, depression, anger, doubts, isolation, etc.).

This is because Jesus doesn’t just define what hope, freedom, peace, joy, love, and life are, He is the source of all of these things. Jesus designed you to live a life full of hope, freedom, peace, joy, love, and life through your circumstances, not just with them.

So, how do I know? It boils down to a choice—and I’ve made mine.

Josiah Piett wrote the book Beautifully Simple, which is in its final stages of being self-published. If you are interested in reading a chapter from the book, you can like the Beautifully Simple Facebook page and we will send you a chapter.

Josiah Piett Newmarket, ON Rafael Romero

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Revitalizing the Youth Group Ministry Model Words by James Clarence

Two years ago, I sat in a room with a group of youth pastors, talking about what God was doing in our ministries here in Calgary.

We were sharing about all the events we were planning and throwing energy into to serve our youth ministry students and families.

We were hyped for each other’s events, but the question arose, “Is this what our students actually need? Is this what our city actually needs?” All our dreams were to see thousands of people come to Christ and be discipled in His ways. However, we wondered if our fun, hyped-up and exciting events that made us feel good, looked great on Instagram, and pleased our pastor and board members were actually making progress?

Were they getting the Kingdom results that we as youth pastors have always dreamed of? The conclusion was, “No.” Simply entertaining Christians was not getting the job done. Obviously, we all had a problem with this reality, so we started talking about why this was happening.

We wondered why, at times, the Christian churches of Calgary were lacking when it came to having the gates of hell not prevail against us?

We figured out a few things.

The majority of us were engaged in a ministry model we had seen work in the ’90s and early 2000s, which was centred around putting on exciting events that attracted students, hoping it would give them something to do to and keep them out of trouble on the weekends.

In our efforts to do so, the majority of students that would visit these big fun events were mostly from other youth groups.

We would end up competing against the church down the road, and not actually put in effort to reach people far from God. Eighty percent of our energy and money was spent on mass events, contrary to the ministry model of Jesus where he spent about that same percentage of his time with 12 people.

Often, our students were falling off the face of the planet after they graduated high school because they thought church was boring, or they didn’t feel like they belonged. They had not experienced what

true community and discipleship was. They felt alone in their Christian walk when they went to college or started their career.

The results of our ministry methods weren’t exactly why we got into this. We wanted to change the world. But the problem was, we were trying to change it alone and not actually empowering our students to change their world—which is what Jesus did with His disciples. We let our youth sit on the bench watching the “cool youth pastor” do all the ministry. “Bring your friends to youth,” we would say, but we never actually got them in the game.

So what was our solution? Two things. We did not want the students to feel alone on their school campus, which they commonly shared was the case. In many youth ministries, the maximum amount of students a pastor has at any given school is around five. They are dispersed and commute all over the city for school in Calgary. So we said, “We have to find them a community of Jesus followers at their school to run with.”

We also knew we needed to get them in the game. North American Christianity is primarily composed of spectators. We desperately need everyone to participate.

The workload is massive because there are so many people far from God. When we empower the youth to be active, it allows teenagers to have vision, purpose, and value. They can actually make a difference, make an impact, shift culture, and reach people with the love of Jesus that they have experienced themselves.

How did we empower them, you ask? We gathered with over 30 different churches and 12 different denominations. We gave them an opportunity to split into their local schools and meet people who were like-minded. And then we said, “Be friends.

You’re on the same team. You’re probably going to spend eternity together, so you might as well love each other here on earth.”

Once they established friendships, we asked them to serve their schools together! Clean toilets, do stats at a basketball game, help set up at your school events. By doing this, they would help rebuild the reputation of Christians from being known as judgmental, hypocritical, and boring people, to the coolest, most serving, most kind human beings.

Once they had built a rapport, the Youth Alpha Series allowed them to open up a conversation about life, faith, sin, death, love, and hope. Little by little, the students could show the love of Christ through kindness and service, believing that the Holy Spirit,

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through them, would reach people who are far from God and bring them home to the best life they could have ever asked for. It’s a life full of purpose and meaning. It’s a life that makes this world a better place through the love and power of the Holy Spirit.

The reality is, life and faith are too hard to do alone. When God looks at a city, He doesn’t see thousands of different churches, denominations, or fellowships. He sees one church: His Body, His kids and His family.

God’s desire is that we would work together, because surely we can make more impact working together than trying to do it on our own.

Through the unity of the church in Calgary, the 403 Network has launched 37 student-led Youth Alpha programs in schools, seeing hundreds of students join in on the conversation about faith (www.403network. com). We’ve seen our once lukewarm Christian students come alive and actually reach out with love to their friends who don’t know God. Have we seen thousands of people experience salvation? No, not yet, but Rome wasn’t built in a day. We believe that over time, with continued unity, we will see our city changed, little by little, one by one. Through the church doing its job, the biggest youth group in the city will no longer be in the hands of the devil; he will not win on our watch.

When the world looks at the church in Calgary, no longer will they see us bickering and dividing over theology, methodology, or style. Our city will actually know us by our love for one another. We will answer the prayer of Jesus in John 17. We will be one as He and the Father are one, so the world will know that as the Father sent Jesus, Jesus has sent us to reach the lost with His love.

We want to bring as many people as we can with us to heaven for eternity, because that’s the only thing we can bring beyond death. So if you’re feeling alone, go knock on the churches’ door down the road, humble yourself, and say, “We need your help to make an impact.” If you are making an impact, knock on the church door down the road and ask them for their help to make an even greater impact.

If we are actually going to reach our city, we certainly don’t have enough churches to house our city, so let’s start with actually filling all our churches with new people coming to Christ, not just the one cool, hip church with a lot of Instagram followers.

Make the church down the road better, because there is a commanded blessing where there is unity. Don’t be alone. Do it together. The world needs the Church to be unified and rise to see the course of our world change back to “on earth as it is in heaven.”

James Clarence Calgary, AB Samantha Gades

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The Ultimate Summer You Never Planned

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“If I don’t get a chance to reorganize my space before school starts, then I will _____.”

“If I don’t get some mornings to catch up on sleep, then _________.”

Do your September-to-June self a favour, and map out some time for rest and regrouping.

Save Some Cash This one’s quick. Whether we like it or not, most fun costs money. Road trips, festivals, and Dairy Queen Blizzards (right?!) are expensive. We know students around the country are struggling with debt, and this may be a summer to put away the suitcases and kick it old-school.

Make Room for Surprises I used to feel this pressure to create perfect experiences (and lots of them), because I wanted that to be part of my narrative.

I wanted to be the girl who had a crazy, quirky, fast-paced life.

No one ever asked me to be that girl, of course… and it really wasn’t working for me.

At the lowest point of my Ultimate version of life, I was dutifully putting on my shoes and trudging out the door to the amazing thing I was too tired and over-scheduled to enjoy.

Sometimes, our perfect plan isn’t as perfect as we’d like to think. If our schedule is packed too tight, we may not be leaving space for unexpected experiences. Some of the best moments I’ve had have been unplanned; a friend who calls for coffee out of the blue or a long conversation in the parking lot after an event. When I finally eased off on the expectations I had for myself, I found that God delivered some of the best plans I had never made.

It turns out Jesus did not have a lot to say about vacation planning.

I

Words by Heather Mitton ’m sure you’ve seen them online:

“The Ultimate Guide to Summer” “Your Guide to the Perfect Vacation” “10 Musts Before September” I am a sucker for lists like that.

I love the idea of having a planned, itemized approach to my life—particularly the fun parts—so I can methodically cram in as much scheduled joy as possible.

I know. I’m a hoot.

The Ultimate Summer is about booking and arranging and bucket-listing everything that captures the essence of the holiday (Mud-sliding! Festivals! Bonfires! Catching up with so-and-so!) and fitting it into one tidy, summery package before August ends.

The problem with Ultimate Summers is that they can get to be a bit…much. And, since we live in Canada, there is a lot of pressure to fit a summer’s worth of fun into a very

small window of cooperative weather.

So here are a few reasons to shoot for a Pretty Good Summer this year: Prevent Burnout If you’ve ever worked at summer camp, you understand the preciousness of that one week off between camp ending and school/ work beginning. Which is why, when you fill it with all of the super fun things you haven’t had time to do, you can launch into September totally wiped.

Summer is a built-in change of pace; a break between jobs, or school, a chance to catch up on your downtime and rest. Try not to miss it!

If you need some help, practice your if-then statements.

“If I arrive home from a trip the night before I go back to work, then I am going to feel _____.”

But in Scripture we do see the word “delight” pop up several times, 77 to be exact (ESV). I am not going to try to sell you the idea that it’s ever used in reference to this particular discussion, but I think it still applies.

To delight in something is to experience its full, pure joy.

Delight says no to rush, and yes to appreciation.

Delight says no to noise and yes to quiet pleasure.

Delight says no to “more” and yes to “enough.”

Delight says do yourself a favour and take this Ultimate Summer off. Search for the plans that will bring you wholeness and joy, and leave the rest for someone else’s list.

Heather Mitton Lower Sackville, NS Joris Voeten

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