Love Is Moving Issue 30 - NOV/DEC 2018

ISSUE 30

CANADA’S CHRISTIAN YOUTH MAGAZINE

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2018

FRIEND OF THE ENVIRONMENT? Josh Tiessen

IDOLATRY TAILSPIN Emily Cook

CLASSROOM, PIZZA & JESUS Alyson Smith

ETERNIA Artistic Inspiration Spiritual Revelation

$3.95 CDN

POST-CAMP WITHDRAWAL Mike Gordon

CONTENT 4

Defence

8 Redemption

18

Podcast

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12 Grow

15 Heart

WORDS FROM THE EDITOR What has been burning on your heart lately?

For issue 30 of Love Is Moving, I asked our writers to ponder the things that the Lord has been stirring deep in their spirits over the last few months. Christ wants us to abide with Him, intentionally turning our attention to the things that He is whispering with His still, small voice.

His truth and His words offer us a breath of air in a world where it feels like we’re gasping for hope and sputtering to speak words of life.

With the whirlwind news cycle and our media-fuelled meditation, it is so easy to let the values of mainstream culture seep into our spiritual consciousness—and before we know it, we’re doing everything but thinking thoughts that are pure, noble, praiseworthy. The words of the world cannot be the voice that fuels our inner life with Christ.

Tuning ourselves to the frequency of God’s voice to our specific lives and circumstances is what opens us up to the possibilities of the kingdom of God. As you read the articles in issue 30, ranging from Alyson’s testimony of hosting an Alpha program in her highschool, all the way to a personal reflection of finding redemption from anorexia, I encourage you to think about what Christ has been longing to tell you in this current season of your life. Abide in His presence and you’ll find wisdom and hope for whatever you’re going through.

Sincerely, Conor Sweetman Editor

Melanie Pongratz

Cover Heather Smith Photography

Contact info@loveismoving.ca including submissions and subscriptions 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

LOVEISMOVING.CA | 3

HOW TO NOT TAKE OFFENCE Words by Katie Pezzutto

“Yeesh. Did you see that saucy look she gave me?”

child of God. No matter what you are feeling or have experienced in the past, you must know that you have a good Father. This perfect Father not only created the entire universe, He also owns everything in it (Hebrews 2:10).

Need confidence when someone shoots you down? He’s got that. Need to know your value when someone speaks ill of you? He’s the only One who can truly explain to you just how precious you are. The Lord is in the business of giving you character-building provision so you can become more like Him. All you have to do is ask.

Create and enforce healthy boundaries.

If someone is excessively rude or constantly tearing you down, it’s a good idea to set up boundaries. The reason being: it’s not as easy to grasp onto your own identity as a child of God when you have people around you constantly telling you that you are the opposite. If you are in a situation where your identity is constantly being torn to shreds, know your worth and stand up against lies.

“I’m almost certain he wants to see my

“the way someone treats you doesn’t define who you are.” guts hanging from a barbed wire.”

“Miserable. She’s nothing but miserable. All. Of. The. Time!”

If you’re anything like me, you’ve spoken like this about someone. Here’s the truth: the moods of the masses shift like the sands of time, ever fluctuating and forever unpredictable.

If left unchecked, those emotions morph into words, which eventually take shape as unsavoury actions. I have soaked in anger, self-pity and justification. I have perpetrated my ideals at the expense of others. I have also been on the receiving end of rudeness. Out of all my experiences on the receiving end, there is one thing in common: it takes much less energy to not be offended. It can be tough to let someone’s evil-eye slide, I’m certainly not perfect at it, but becoming immune to offense is possible, and I want to share what I have learned with you.

Know and own your identity.

In order to be unoffendable, you need to understand your standing as a

Let’s be honest, you’ve made mistakes too.

None of us are perfectly good. Have you ever lied or thought something negative about someone else? Have you ever talked bad about people behind their back? Yes? Then unfortunately, you’re in the “imperfect” category. I’m right there with you. And the more I recognize my tendency to miss the mark, the more understanding I am of those around me.

Recognize that people are a reflection of their past.

I’m not justifying rudeness or saying there won’t be consequences for negative behaviour. Ultimately, God is the judge. What I am saying is that if people are rude, there is almost always a reason for it. People act as a result of their past experiences, parents’ beliefs and any wounds that have been inflicted upon them. They have been hurt. They have expectations. They believe untrue things about themselves.

Just like me. Just like you.

Don’t bite back.

When someone shoots you a glare or talks about you behind your back, it’s easy to respond with a reaction that is equally as offensive. But just because people walk around like they have branches up their behinds, doesn’t mean you have to retaliate. When we snap at someone we find rude, they feel justified with an equally angry response. Don’t give the situation an opportunity to escalate. You are worth more than that. They are too good for that.

Ultimately, the way someone treats you doesn’t define who you are. When you have a strong grasp on who you actually are, truth comes into focus and the opinions of people don’t matter.

Pay attention to the truth. Take note of your thoughts. Recognize when an untrue belief about yourself is lingering and needs to be vanquished. As they say, practice makes better. The more you exercise these simple principles of not taking offense the stronger you will become in your Christian walk.

RAWPIXEL

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CHRISTIANITY Friend or Foe of the Environment?

Words by Josh Tiessen

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nvironmentalism is all the rage.

From the United Nations climate change summit held in Paris, to kids’ movies like Wall•E, or banning drinking straws, we see a clear concern rising for the world around us. But is Christianity hindering the cause of environmentalists or does it provide a unique foundation for the care of nature and animals?

The Creator’s first role for humanity was to cultivate and steward His created world (Genesis 2:15).

Throughout the Torah, we read of multiple farming laws safeguarding the sustainability of the land, trees, and animals. A notable proverb states “The righteous care for the needs of their animals” (Proverbs 12:10). In Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, He asks the audience to look at the birds and consider the lilies of the field, for God lovingly watches over them (Matthew 6:26-30).

In contrast modern Christianity in the West has largely disregarded nature, influenced by the Enlightenment and an interpretation of Scripture that allows for dominating nature by removing any moral obligation to it.

However, according to Steven BoumaPrediger’s book For The Beauty of The Earth, a proper reading of “ruling over nature” in Genesis 1:28 does not mean exploiting nature but following Jesus’ example of servant-leadership.

When I was in my teens, I remember a friend who, after excessively using paper towels in the church bathroom, said to me, “Why care for the Earth if it’s all going to be burned up anyways?”

My friend raised a good point, which atheists have to answer as well if the Earth truly was a mere random accident. Some Christians believe the physical world is bad and that only what is “spiritual” is good. This fosters the same attitude as my friend’s: trash this world and escape to heaven.

The philosophy behind this is called spirit/matter dualism and is closer to Greek gnostic philosophy and Eastern

religions than it is to the Bible, in which God’s creation is repeatedly Bobolink called “good” and Jesus’ taking on human flesh is the ultimate affirmation that matter is good. But what about the Earth being burned up?

A closer look at Scripture reveals that the Earth will not be left behind, but actually restored to its original vitality before it was corrupted by human evil. (According to Randy Alcorn’s provocative book called Heaven, we should actually read Isaiah 60 as a commentary on Revelation 21-22.)

unique gifts and areas of influence. I encourage you to check out Christian organizations such as A Rocha, and Young Evangelicals for Climate Action. I’m excited about a new nature documentary called The Riot and The Dance, narrated by a Christian biologist.

The sometimes shrill rhetoric of environmentalists can sound like hellfire and brimstone preaching, scaring people into action. Yet, as Christians we must mourn the horrors of deforestation, oil spills, and rapid species extinction, as the Apostle Paul was clear that all of nature is “groaning” (Romans 8:19-22) as a result of humanity’s sin (Genesis 3:16-18).

To be a co-worker with the Creator is to be already involved in rectifying the harm sin has done to nature, but unlike many environmentalists who believe man will be the god-like saviour of the environment, Christians are assured that a broken world can only be ultimately restored by a holy God.

It’s not enough to just tweet about the environment, we have to act. It starts with small things like recycling, carpooling, buying second-hand, and installing LED lightbulbs, all of which can make a difference. When I was fifteen years old, I was mentored by a famous Canadian wildlife artist, Robert Bateman. He encouraged me to get involved with environmental causes in my area, so I reached out to Friends of the Eramosa Karst, a peaceful activist group that educated the community about the precarious state CHARLES DELUVIO of a conservation area in Hamilton. I wasn’t a biologist or activist, but as a budding artist, I was able to offer prints of my paintings depicting animals “The point is that environmental care is not inhabiting this just for experts, but is something that each land, which raised thousands one of us can get involved in using our own of dollars at unique gifts and areas of influence.” their annual fundraisers.

After years of petitioning the city for the land not to be given over to contractors eager to build more homes, the Eramosa Karst won, based on the fact that the endangered bobolink bird was found nesting on the land.

This natural biosphere with caves and sinkholes is being preserved. I am happy to be on their board, which continues to sustain the land by getting the community involved through tree-planting days, guided hikes and educational programs. The point is that environmental care is not just for experts, but is something that each one of us can get involved in using our own LOVEISMOVING.CA | 5

The Tailspin that Idolatry Can Cause Words by Emily Cook

T

hree years ago, if you had asked me what I thought of the title above, I would say that I knew it to be intellectually true, but I hadn’t given it much thought.

That was before my breaking point.

We were designed to love deeply, and to give glory to something greater than ourselves. But since the Fall (Genesis 3), nothing is as it should have been.

We sought love apart from God, and we chose counterfeit glories to worship in His place. These are what we also refer to as “idols.”

An idol is “an image or representation of a god used as an object of worship.”

Before my breaking point, I was naïve about idols. It was an abstract concept I didn’t feel I could relate to and would never really struggle with. Since then, I’ve learned that we’re all worshipping something, and if it’s not God, it quickly becomes something or someone else.

Our tendency as humans is to latch onto something to worship, whether we realize it or not—but we serve a jealous God, and He will have us worship none but Him. When my counterfeit god was removed from my life, it nearly broke me. I went into a tailspin of depression, anxiety, and insecurity. The pain in my heart was so real I felt I would never escape it.

During this time, it was as if God allowed a shadow to pass, to give me a taste of what life could be like without Him, so that I would know I never wanted to be in that place again. My cries to Him were desperate, heartfelt, and constant—but the miracle of God’s

grace was that I was desperate for Him and Him alone; nothing else would satisfy me.

“Our tendency as humans is to latch onto something to worship, whether we realize it or not—but we serve a jealous God, and He will have us worshipping none but Him.”

God was very near to me in that season, even if I didn’t know it at that point. No matter how much pain I felt, I had an unshakeable feeling that He was for me, that He was whispering to me to keep moving, keep seeking, keep softening my heart to His voice. He never left. He pursued me with a love so intense that at a certain point I had no choice but to recognize it.

For the first time in my life, I found myself relating to the prostitute in the book of Hosea. Hosea is told to make her his wife, even while knowing that she would not be faithful, thus mirroring the love God had for the unfaithful people of Israel. I was so struck by God’s response to Israel’s unfaithfulness: “Therefore, I will block her path with thorn bushes; I will wall her in so that she cannot find her way.

She will chase after her lovers but not catch them, she will look for them but not find them… no one will take her out of my hands” (Hosea 2:5-10).

We are so broken that it’s hard for us to know what’s best for us. So sometimes, like in this story, God can almost

forcibly bring us back to Him, cutting off access to our idols, so we can clearly see who we really need. It was such a comfort to me, to know that God’s love is fierce for his children— fierce for me.

He won’t let one slip through His hands (Matthew 18:12-14).

Over the next two years, God inspired me to write over 50 songs, almost all around the theme that He is present and I am His beloved. It was only at the end of the season that I could see how clearly he was speaking to me through my writing, and it brought me to my knees. He was inspiring me to cry out, and in His great love, He also responded to my cry.

Now I’m sharing that music with others. I am blown away by the way God is using words written during my season of pain to encourage other believers to know the nearness of God in their lives and to pursue Him with their whole hearts. He has taken what was pain to me and made it into something beautiful for His kingdom.

Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift! (2 Corinthians 9:15).

RAMEZ E NASSIF

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Everybody Always

by Bob Goff A Review Words by Sawyer Bullock

becomes purpose and purpose becomes identity. He writes, “Love isn’t something we fall into; it’s someone we become.”

W

hen I approached this book, I did so with an underlying taste of, shall we say, skepticism or cynicism.

“Love” has unfortunately become a cheapened word in Western culture, so when a book on the subject is celebrated highly across the board, I tend to set my expectations low and prepare for 200 pages of self-help platitudes sprinkled with some verses.

Safe to say, I was wrong.

Very wrong.

Everybody Always explores what it means to love people like Jesus does: without limits or regard for comfort; the type of lifestyle which is both the antithesis and antidote to contemporary selfabsorption and ecclesial stagnation.

Goff draws us in and shows us Jesus.

It’s beautiful, true and good—but far from comfortable. We see the painful gap between who we are and who we should be. Yet, in this moment of dissonance, we are not condemned but called to join in the celebration.

The book is structured thus: most chapters are 10 pages and revolve around a story from Bob’s life. These sermon-illustration-worthy stories contain three woven themes regarding the Christian life: knowing who we are, knowing what we must do, and then knowing how to do it.

Anecdotes range from the mundane to the fantastic: whether buying balloons to overcoming tragedy; loving airport staff or battling the practice of child

sacrifice in Uganda, the reader is shown the culture-conquering and Christexalting power of the gospel, for “when joy is a habit, love is a reflex.”

There is a danger in accusing this book of anti-intellectualism due to its emphasis on practicality, or perhaps that it focuses too much on good works and not enough on faith. If so, the criticisms would reveal confusion. Goff does take his share of jabs, but they appear to be speaking out against overthinking and the dangers of rationalizing our protection of comfort. Biblically, we are called to be good stewards of God’s gifts, but “there’s a difference between good judgement and living in judgement.”

There is a danger in service without love: “Loving people means caring without an agenda…people aren’t projects, people are people.”

Everybody Always is simple, but not It would be a shame if these stories only easy. It is highly recommended for all who wish to take another step forward in following the example “Goff draws us in and shows us Jesus. of Jesus and responding to It’s beautiful, true and good– but far the immense from comfortable.” grace that we have been shown. gave motivation which would be soon undercut by the challenges of putting this into practice. How am I supposed to be loving when I don’t know how I’m supposed to be living?

As Basil Mitchell puts it, “It is through his grace that in spite of our weakness and our limitations, we are able to love and be loved in that way.”

Several chapters focus on this very topic of acting and discerning God’s purpose for us. As Goff puts it, practice THOMAS NELSON

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Words by Cassandra Wolfe

A Diary of Anorexia & Redemption

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herefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death (Romans 8:1-2).

I was young when the law of sin and death began making itself known in my life.

As a little girl I loved Jesus and understood my life’s purpose of serving Him. However, I put a lot of weight on the false promise of order and structure.

I was a straight-A student, on every club and extra-curricular team imaginable (besides sports), I loved God, and I focused on being kind. Of course, the latter two are wonderful things intrinsically, but at this time, both focuses were muddled by a towering idol: that of law, order and control.

I was stressed from focusing my time and energy on obtaining perfection in all that I did. However, I believed that my physical appearance would never fit that perfection; I needed a comfort for the stress, another area where I wasn’t “perfect.” When I was twelve years old, I binged on food for the first time. I woke up in the middle of the night and felt compelled to eat an enormous amount of food. I ate multiple loaves of bread and handfuls of pasta, mayonnaise, cookies, chocolates. I ate until my insides ached and I was breathing heavily. I cried myself to sleep.

The next morning, I decided that no one would know about the binge. I ate normally all day, meals and snacks, but something in me had already decided that the binge was going to occur again.

These binge episodes happened a few times weekly over the course of the next few years, and I didn’t tell a single person.

A few months into the binges, I decided that I would learn how to diet. I became “perfect” at calorie counting. I knew the calorie, carb, fat, and protein counts in literally every food one could imagine. I began measuring my food, avoiding oil, sugar in coffee and “banning” certain foods. I began to regret the binges, but felt I couldn’t control them.As I began restricting food intake during the day, the binges only got worse.

I was binge-restricting for over a year before I finally told my mom. I asked

I knew that the illness was selfish, evil, and not doing anything good—but all I could hear were the screams that said I needed to be the thinnest. my mom if we could please see my doctor, and he began to talk to me about the importance of “knowing everything I put in my body.” I felt angry with him, because for the past year, I obsessed over every last thing I put in my body– excluding those things during a binge.

hair and scooped out the inside of bagels from my school lunches, which my sister had to supervise. I focused every ounce of my energy on eating the least amount possible.

And the practitioners, of course, saw that I was not gaining weight. They would dole out extra calories each week until I admitted, crying, that I had been hiding food.

My mom could see that my doctor didn’t understand, and so I began to go to a therapist. I did a lot of cognitive behavioural therapy with her, and it certainly helped my behaviours.

Midway through tenth grade, I went one month with zero binges, and I stopped seeing my therapist.

However, with the pause on therapy came the urge to binge again. And this time, the guilt and condemnation I felt afterward was unbearable—or so I thought at the time, at least. This time, I forced myself to throw up the food. I binge-purged only a handful of times over the next few months, before the day of the school semi-formal on April 18.

I woke up really late that day, and ran out the door without breakfast or packing a lunch. After school, I went straight to my friend’s house to get ready, and remember feeling like I really did not want to eat. But I ate two eggs and some strawberries and we went to semi and danced the night away. When I came home I ate a bell pepper.

That night, I realized how proud I felt of myself for eating so little for a whole day. You deserve to feel huger for all your gluttony, something within said. And so, for the next several months, I barely ate anything. My daily regimen became a bite of banana in the morning, half a protein bar or a handful of nuts midday, and a few forkfuls of spinach and, a couple times a week, a bite of chicken breast for “dinner.” I was diagnosed with anorexia nervosa on May 31, 2013. That day my doctor told me that if I continued in this illness, I would die. I believed that I would rather die than gain a pound. But when the doctor asked me, “What are you gaining

from anorexia?” I opened my mouth to reply, but soundless tears came instead.

I knew that the illness was selfish, evil, and not doing anything good—but all I could hear were the screams that said I needed to be the thinnest.

I was put on the waiting list for an outpatient eating disorders treatment centre, but my starvation levels only worsened in the months leading up to my admittance, which was in early August. Looking back, I was incredible blessed to receive help when I did.

From May-July, I lost 80 pounds, my period, tons of hair and damaged my soul. I was fainting constantly, and yet working out in the middle of the night.

I remember feeling my slow pulse each night in bed, each breath hurting my ribs. I couldn’t even register that I had gone so quickly from overweight to underweight. I was not happy or fully living.

The treatment centre implemented a system that got me eating again. My mom was told to take control of my meals, but I was incredibly stubborn.

I screamed and refused food at first, and finally agreed to eat—but only if I could watch her carefully measure out everything I ate. I counted all the calories, and my mom knew that my brain was still only focused on food. I hid food in my shoes, tucked it in my

This whole process lasted about a year, and then I was discharged.

Physically healthier, but with virtually no difference in weight. When control of food was turned back to me, I still obsessed over its measurement, constantly planning my meals. The spirit of law and need for control was still my master, and impacted my every move. In twelfth grade, I experienced some trauma that went hand-in-hand with a relapse.

I went back to see my old therapist, the one who had helped me with the binge-eating disorder.

I stabilized physically between twelfth grade and first year of university— enough, at least, to attend. I began school at Wilfrid Laurier University, still under the power of a spirit of law and control. But things began to change.

I was enrolled in the Christian Studies program, though a relationship with Jesus had not been the centre of my life for some time. I had never lost the knowledge and conviction that He was my purpose, His glory my delight and His power endless, but I had stopped communicating with Him and chosen not to listen to His voice. By enrolling in this program, I met and was suddenly surrounded by godly people in whom Christ evidently dwelled, and I began to recognize the Holy Spirit speaking to me as I had LOVEISMOVING.CA | 9

when I was a young girl. This began my understanding of His conviction over the way I was living in submission to a spirit not of Him—the idol that was the eating disorder; manipulation and control of food.

As well as meeting beautiful friends, I met a man whose heart and spirit I understood and felt more aligned with than I ever had with another person.

We began dating midway through my first year. Johnny was aware of the eating disorder and patiently expectant and prayerful of Jesus’ provision and guidance. As I began to grow in the Lord and receive the work He was doing in me, I became more and more convicted. My fear of Him resulted in simply more desire for His glory and revelations.I began to hate the idol of food, but I did not know how to stop controlling and focusing on what I ate.

I did not know how to “just eat.” Even though I knew that it was wrong, it seemed and felt impossible to stop.

Going into my second year of university, Johnny began attending a university in a new province. With our relationship now long-distance, my appetite decreased at first, and, with a spirit of control still operating, this gave leeway to more starvation.

I relapsed again, losing more weight and reaching a new low-weight. When Johnny came back for Christmas, it was more obvious to him, my family and friends that this disordered way of living needed to go. And I knew too, by the grace of my Lord and Saviour Jesus. I knew I needed help, ultimately His help, to live fully submitted to Him. Johnny and I decided that, for his next semester in Winnipeg, we would communicate only via letters–no texting and no phone calls. I also began to have sessions with some spiritual counsellors.

as I prayed, memories of my childhood submission to law and control, of my first unhealthy adoration of cookbooks—all the while convicting me of what needed to go.

I began to have vivid dreams of myself tearing up the rule books I had literally written out in the form of magazines.

Food rules that I had abided to a tee for the past five years. Eating without these rules felt so scary, but each day I began to hear more loudly the voice of my Lord saying, “Let them go and come to Me.” Finally, on January 29, 2017, I was making oatmeal in my kitchen, carefully measuring it out, having just turned down a lunch date with a friend, when I was overcome by the need to pray. I fell to my knees in worship, crying, “Lord, Lord, help me! Take this from me, take this from me, Lord I am so sorry.”

My phone had been on silent.When I stood I saw that I had missed two calls and a text from my dear friend and sister in Christ, Josee: Cassie, you are chained by association to anorexia.

Don’t let a Jezebel spirit keep you from pursuing the Lord.

The time is now. Give it up. Talk to Him, and call me if you need.

I knew with every ounce of me that this was the Holy Spirit. Physically and spiritually recognizing His leadership, I knew what needed to happen. I called Josee, told her about the magazines that I knew needed ripping, and Josee began to pray.

And as she prayed, I tore up the magazines, sobbing, and eventually breathing an immense sigh of relief. I

These months have been both the “I see the evil of the spirit of the law and most difficult and continue to ask the Lord to convict me of most incredibly months of my any remnants of it in my life.. and He has life. The spiritual given me a song of deliverance...” counselling was exhausting work, but I was determined to uproot the stubborn illness that I was submitted to so that the Lord might more fully reside in me so that I could serve Him without any bondage.

knew in that moment that I had just put the eating disorder at the altar.

I verbally, confidently repented of the eating disorder, rebuked it in my Saviour’s name, and asked for His forgiveness and protection.

And I knew that I was made new in Christ Jesus.

I was radically healed from what my doctor told me was one the most stubborn eating disorders he’d ever encountered. I no longer engage in eating disorder behaviours. I am alert and energetic, have focus in conversations, and know my purpose of living to serve and love the Lord and love others. I see the evil of the spirit of the law and continue to ask the Lord to convict me of any remnants of it in my life or in those around me. And He has given me a song of deliverance of His name—the provision of healing He has for all.

Reunited with Johnny and living back with my family, I am pursuing the Lord and enjoying food as a simple, necessary blessing. I am still passionate about cooking, but in no way obsessed.

I am free from law and control in Jesus Christ—and while I thought it was only food rules, I now see how Satan was using those dead and meaningless food rules to control and dictate my life.

Instead, the Spirit of Jesus is one of self-control, selflessness, and serving— abiding by these things brings the joy for which we were created.

I am blessed by amazingly supportive family, friends and boyfriend—all people God has used in the process of redeeming my life for His glory.

By God’s grace alone, I am now more equipped to bear others’ burdens myself. “Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ” (Galatians 6:2).

I eat what I am served, I eat when I am hungry or when I feel like it, and I never thought I’d understand how people can do that so simply. These food rules had became such a habit, but Jesus healed me from them in an instant—and also little by little. I will never stop singing His praises for this life that is about so much more than food and what goes into my body.

And today, I am smiling with tears in my eyes, thanking God for how good He is to me, knowing that I can give Him all of me—and I do so with delight.

Throughout the counselling, the Lord began to reveal memories TOA HEFTIBA, JENNIFER BURK, JASON LEUNG

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Ray’s Story Faith After a Heart Attack Words by Beka Ermel

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s a nurse, I’ve had the privilege of seeing God work in some of the worst circumstances. As a paediatric nurse, I am repeatedly asked the same question: Isn’t it sad?

How do you deal with seeing so many sick children? The answer is: Yes, it’s sad, but turning my attention to God has helped me see these experiences from a much different perspective. This new outlook has come through meeting families in the hospital—families who find faith in Christ through the sickness and death of a child; families who view their child’s disability as a blessing, and couldn’t imagine their lives any other way; families supporting other families in the hospital even amid their own tragedies. These families have needed to confront the inexplicable situations of life head on, and gained strength and maturity through them.

to the hospital and stayed in ICU for several months, unable to breathe on his own for many weeks. A friend told me that Ray was staying in the same hospital where I worked, in case I wanted to visit.

I was hoping to offer the family some kind of support, but soon realized they were fully equipped with one of the biggest support systems I’ve ever seen.

Family and friends overfilled the ICU waiting room while Ray’s mom set up camp in a corner where she slept on couches every night to be closer to Ray. Ray’s friends would come visit every night after school and it became their regular hangout spot where they’d play video games in the waiting room until visiting hours ended. There was a whole army of people supporting and praying for Ray, and I couldn’t believe how much love was being poured out as a result of this tragic event.

Ray’s story is one of those examples of a family who have been through much hardship and yet emerged with a strength, hope, and peace that only God can provide. Their experience illustrates that, yes, this world is filled with the unpredictable and ugly, but God never meant for us to walk through it alone.

I didn’t know Ray before his accident, but I’ve learned that Ray was a “God is good and he cares; typical teenage boy who could be found playing His intention is not to leave basketball on most days, this world in the broken or else spending time state it’s in, but to redeem it with family and friends. through His son Jesus” On March 25, 2017, his life dramatically changed after he suffered a sudden heart attack during one of his basketball games. He was rushed

Ray’s mother, Suzette, explains, “It’s made me so happy to call Ray my son.

He has brought some amazing, caring people into my life that has been my strength and support.” Suzette talks about how her relationship with God deepened because of what happened— but it was a process and continues to be a journey of growth and learning.

She reminisces on how, at first, she was angry and blamed God for what happened. She admits she lost her faith for a time, and had to dig deep to find it again. In working through her doubts, she began to see ways in which God was working through the pain.

God gave her a new perspective on life and taught her to appreciate and value life in a new way. She describes God having her “check” herself, and make changes she would’ve never made before the incident. Her hope in God has allowed her to be an incredible source of joy for other families going through similar experiences, and she has also put healthcare professionals in awe of her strength and profound positivity. Although Ray is still working towards being able to walk and talk again, Suzette finds comfort in knowing that God is walking with them through it all. Ray’s story is still not finished, nor is God’s redemption and reconciliation of the world.

I’m so grateful to meet people like Ray’s family and learn from their story. Even through my own wrestling, doubts, tears, and questioning, I have come to the conclusion that God is good and He cares; His intention is not to leave this world in the broken state it’s in, but to redeem it through His son Jesus. In His word, He explains that this suffering is but a moment in comparison to the joy we will experience being with Him one day; “For I consider the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us” (Romans 8:18).

A short article is not enough to expand on the ways in which God walks with us and overcomes the suffering we see every day, but I can testify that faith in Him is worth fighting for. It’s not an easy walk, but it’s worth every step when our eyes are fixed on a hope that brings us to true freedom.

ALEXANDRU ACEA

LOVEISMOVING.CA | 11

Words by William Jones

M

y mother has worked in horticulture for most of her life, designing gardens, planting gardens, maintaining gardens, etc. As kids, we spent countless hours in the summer months helping mom in this God-given task: watering plants, pulling weeds. I remember one of Mom’s clients calling us her “little garden gnomes” every time we were brought to help. As you can imagine, I developed quite a distaste for anything plant-related or garden oriented because of these years! All that aside, I learned a valuable lesson: gardening is humbling, and it requires patience.

This summer I decided to take up gardening again, mostly out of the desire to pick up a new hobby, and partially out of the hope to redeem a childhood sore spot. Where I live, there is a patch of dirt along the driveway that is currently not used for anything; in fact, it is a bit of an eyesore.

Naturally, I decided this would be the place where I would try grow some watermelon.

I planted the small plants in May, and began the journey: watering, weeding, repeat. May and June passed. The plant grew a few leaves and a small vine started to appear, but nothing more. I was quite discouraged. I went away for vacation towards the end of July, and when I came back, the vine had broken free and sprawled across the driveway.

By mid-August, a little watermelon had formed. I harvested the one and only watermelon that the plant produced on September 1 7.

I work at a small church in Oshawa, and have come to see church ministry in the same way I see gardening. Often you pour your soul into the work of growing something. You water, you weed, you slave over this little plant, and maybe a few leaves grow. It drives you to the point of despair, so you let the whole thing go, and suddenly, something in this little plant makes it grow and sprawl across the driveway.

I had to come to a realization that even when that plant was showing little signs of growth, it was developing the ability to grow quickly and produce fruit. Once the roots had grown deeper, once the leaves had developed and were able to take in light, this plant was ready to go for it!

is the gardener, and that “He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.”

Where the Watermelons Grow

When I consider what has been growing in my life, my mind doesn’t go directly to an image of a sprawling vine.

Although I consider myself as being in a season of growth, I would also say that I’m in a season of pruning. Pruning is no fun. It requires patience, it demands humility, and it forces oneself to acknowledge that they are not the gardener. If that isn’t hard enough, pruning requires us to live in a holy tension between the plant that is and the plant that is developing. We all face the temptation of taking the easy route; remaining the plant with many leaves that look wonderful, but that remains fruitless nonetheless. Allowing God to sever the branches in ourselves that are not contributing to the growth and health of the plant is uncomfortable, if not painful. It is humbling. It requires patience.

For me today, pruning is continually being humbled in a staff role at a small church that is working together to find our place and ministry in the city of Oshawa, and to follow Jesus faithfully and obediently in that. It also means learning to let God lead His church, which for me, involves getting out of His way. It means learning to trust that God knows what He’s doing, even when it feels like things are falling apart.

Whatever random patch of dirt you find yourself planted in today, perhaps it is worth asking yourself and asking God what needs to be pruned. As much as I’d like to think that the pruning season will end, there’s a part of me that knows it is a continual season, and so I trust the gardener who made me, who knows me, and who calls me beloved.

In John 15, we’re reminded that Jesus is the true vine and God, the Father, DMITRY BAYER

12 | LOVEISMOVING.CA

A Classroom, Pizza & a Whole Lot of Jesus Words by Alyson Smith

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lear as day, I remember walking my dog on the Monday following Thanksgiving weekend. I usually consider walking to be a time for my brain to unwind and breathe. But on this particular day, I remember being overwhelmed by multiple cluttered thoughts running through my head.

However, there was one word that I was able to grasp: Alpha.

I sent my youth pastor a simple message saying I wanted to start up Alpha in my local high school. For those who don’t know, Youth Alpha is an interactive video series of 13 episodes exploring the Christian faith through real-life stories and questions. Basically, you watch a video focused on a certain topic about Christianity, talk about what you just watched with a group of people, and eat.

After the idea was out, here is what happened over the next few months: My youth pastor was 100% supportive and willing to do anything to help out with starting up Alpha. He continued to check in with me to make sure everything was going smoothly with the planning and preparation.

I rounded up five other people who went to my school that were passionate about sharing Christ with others, and the six of us formed the Alpha at AC (Ascension Collegiate) Lead Team.

Going into Alpha, the six of us had goals we each wanted to accomplish; we also had no idea what to expect. Getting a group of teenagers together in a school classroom to talk about Jesus in 2018 is a lot easier said than done.

What if nobody shows up? What if people make fun of us? What if people start up a riot and complain about how we’re being too “forceful”? These were all questions we had that made us a

bit uneasy and nervous about starting up Alpha. Unfortunately, the reality is that the concept of Christianity is not easily accepted in today’s society, especially in high school. People can be mean. In fact, I asked everyone on the lead team what their biggest fear about doing Alpha in school was, and the first response for everybody was “that people would make fun of us or judge us.” But we didn’t let that discourage us because we knew that through the power of Christ, we had the strength to shake up the school. And we did. Here’s what one girl said: “Our school – and school in general – has been known for being a harsh environment. But over the course of this school year, Alpha was a completely different environment; it was a community.” A sense of community and belonging is what it’s all about.

On March 6, we hosted the first Youth Alpha session at Ascension. We put several posters up around the school promoting it, and one thing that we purposefully put emphasis on was the free food each week. Let’s be real, what better way to get a teenager’s attention than through food? Even better – free food? So, every Tuesday, people who came to Alpha got free pizza and drinks, then sat down in a classroom, and while enjoying their free pizza they had a video to watch. (Shout out to Pastor Isaiah who picked up and delivered the pizza every week, you da best!!) I got feedback from a few people, and they said they found the videos very respectful and easy to follow, and it didn’t feel like they were getting Bibles thrown at them. And that is kind of what they were expecting. We were literally hoping for at least 3-5 people to show up. That first session, we ended up getting 16 people. I was amazed and somewhat relieved that some people were actually interested.

There was so much diversity among the group of students when it came to what they believed in. From atheists to people who go to church every week, or people who just haven’t had the chance to be exposed to anything Christian-like, they all came. What amazed me the most was that they were choosing to come. Yes, we did have a handful of people who came the first week and never came back. But we had another handful of people who came back every week and started to become more engaged as time went on. I can proudly say that two of those regular attendees are now active members of our church youth group, and come every week. Maybe two people doesn’t seem like that big of a deal, but we went into this saying “if we only impact one person’s life, this whole thing will be worth it.” We more than doubled that goal, because I know that we impacted even more lives than just the ones who started coming to youth. People started to come back, and I soon began to think it wasn’t just for the pizza. They actually became interested in what was going on.

It wasn’t 100% smooth sailing all the time though. While I felt we were accomplishing so much, I also felt there was always something to worry about. One big weakness was the lack of conversation after the videos. I felt overwhelmed a lot of the time. Courage and confidence were things I lacked but desperately needed running a program like Alpha. It was a mental obstacle I had to get around, even though I struggled with it weekly. The cool thing about Alpha though is no one there expects you to have it all together. And I think people started to realize that as time went on, and they were less afraid to be themselves. I know that applies to me personally.

“A sense of community and belonging is what it’s all about.”

From there on out, we kept getting an average of around 15 people per week.

If I haven’t made it clear already, I think Alpha is just what a high school needs nowadays.

The impact it has may not be visible right after you finish the series, but maybe you’ll see the impact three years down the road. Who knows? There is always an opportunity to reach out to people, and for that reason, Alpha at AC is more than likely going to happen again. Who knew that pizza could help bring so many people to Christ?

EVELYN

LOVEISMOVING.CA | 13

The Canadian Student’s Guide to Urbana 18 Urbana is the largest student missions conference in the world, co-hosted by Inter-Varsity Christian Fellowship Canada, along with InterVarsity USA and Quebec’s Groupes Bibliques Universitaires et Collégiaux du Canada. More than 2,500 Canadian students are expected at this year’s conference held in St. Louis, Missouri. Here are some thoughts on why you might attend this life-changing event, and to help navigate Urbana, Canadian-style, once you arrive.

Why Go?

Urbana is a chance to share five days with a diverse group of 16,000 high school, university and college students who think carefully about their Christian faith and want to make the world a better place. Every three years when Urbana is held, busloads of Canadians make their way to the conference knowing they will return with new direction, new ideas and new purpose.

Canadian Student Leaders Track

This track is designed to help Canadian students take action when they return home. Led by Canadian InterVarsity staff, the track provides a community and a grid through which to process Scripture study, seminars, plenary sessions, and exhibit hall conversations. Space in this track is limited so if you are interested, email info@ivcf.ca asap!

No worries for high schoolers

Life-changing presentations – including Canadian speakers

Plenary speaker Danielle Strickland calls Toronto home these days, but her compassion for and commitment to social justice takes her all over the world. She is the author of five books including The Ultimate Exodus: Finding Freedom From What Enslaves You and The Zombie Gospel: The Walking Dead and What it means to be Human. She is host of the DJStrickland Podcast and co-founder of Infinitum, Amplify Peace and Brave Global (urbana.org/bio/ danielle-strickland).

Urbana offers hundreds of seminars to help students think through next steps in life and mission. Some of the Canadian seminar leaders include Faith Today editor Karen Stiller exploring faith and writing; InterVarsity president Nigel Pollock exploring how to share one’s faith through sports involvement; evangelist T.V. Thomas sharing his experience in sharing the gospel with displaced people around the world; InterVarsity evangelism director Ian Elliot providing tips on moving a conversation from superficial to spiritual matters.

InterVarsity high school city directors Ashley Chan and Ruth Detablan will help high school students navigate Urbana. Overall, the event is designed for ages 17 to 29.

Take the bus to Urbana!

InterVarsity organizes buses to St. Louis from Toronto, Ottawa, Kingston, Hamilton, Cambridge and Montreal.

Details: ivcf.ca/missions/ urbana.

Save money on registration

Save $100 and register before Nov. 15, 2018 at urbana.org.

Canadian lounge

The Urbana Exhibitors Hall is filled with mission agencies and their representatives who are eager to help students discern next steps in mission. The InterVarsity Canada booth is a place to sit and rest, put your feet up, be prayed for, and to have conversations about all you are experiencing at Urbana. Come find us next to the IVP Book store and prayer map.

Do you want to be a writer?

If you attend Urbana, watch out for seminar presenter Karen Stiller, a senior editor of Faith Today (LIM’s partner publication).

As well as editing Faith Today, Stiller has been involved in book projects, just earned her Master of Fine Arts in Creative Non-fiction, and enjoys mentoring younger writers (urbana.org/bio/karen-stiller).

Even if you can’t go

Watch for reports from Karen Stiller at Urbana posted on loveismoving.ca and on our social media over the Christmas holidays and in early January. urbana.org | facebook.com/UrbanaMissions | facebook.com/IntervarsityCanada | @UrbanaMissions 14 | LOVEISMOVING.CA

What Happens at the Spaghetti Supper Words by Sophie & Rachel Tita

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laire, a student now going into Grade 11, was invited by a friend to a spaghetti dinner at Thornhill Baptist Church in Calgary. “As soon as I walked in the door, I immediately felt welcomed into this community that was unlike any other I had ever experienced,” she says. “After that one evening, I was completely immersed into this loving and exciting church culture.”

Claire is not the only one who has been touched by the church’s monthly spaghetti dinners. Both the Thornhill Youth Group and surrounding community members experience this fellowship. The youth meet every Friday evening, with spaghetti suppers being the first event of every month.

Preparation starts at 5:00 and guests drop in between 6:00 and 7:30, paying $3 for an all-you-can-eat dinner. They are greeted at the front door and, once seated, are served by a member of the youth group.

The trust and reliance needed throughout the evening, as well as the interdependence of the roles that transfer food from pot to plate, means everyone must do their part to ensure success. It has consistently The various roles “After that one evening, been one of the fulfilled by youth most popular youth I was completely include cooking, nights and, as with plating food immersed into this most youth group for the servers, events, spaghetti loving and exciting bringing food out suppers would to the guests and church culture.” not be complete washing dishes. without collective After four years of singing, dancing spaghetti suppers, and laughter most youth are very familiar with the in the kitchen. It is easy to forget jobs. Working together allows the how important cheerful service is in group of students to bond, learn to participating in the kingdom of God. take responsibility, and understand Isaiah 58:10 (NLT) reads, “Feed the what it means to be the hands and feet hungry, and help those in trouble. of Jesus. It also makes them aware Then your light will shine out from the of the challenges that exist within darkness, and the darkness around you a community and how serving can will be as bright as noon.” address needs in a neighbourhood.

The lighthearted and team-oriented event is the perfect opportunity for students to invite friends from outside of the youth group, as was the case with Claire. A monthly meal is also a casual way for members of the surrounding community to get to know the church.

Some church attendees use the time to get to know guests and hear their stories. This brings together people who wouldn’t normally interact, as there isn’t usually a reason or a desire for community members to become involved with local churches. Youth leader Stacy says that many guests love to see students working together and willingly serving, especially because it is something they may not see very often from today’s younger generations.

Multiple guests have also begun attending the church on Sundays. As long as spaghetti suppers continue to be a way for people to experience God’s love, its purpose is being achieved.

Spaghetti Supper Video by Lyric Wong: https://loveismoving.ca/video/ JASON LEUNG

LOVEISMOVING.CA | 15

Sponsored Content

COMPASSION 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.

#SponsorSelfieDay Snapshots of a global movement of compassion!

On September 15, Compassion sponsors from around the globe shared their sponsorship stories on social media—here are some highlights!

As one person, it can sometimes be hard to believe your actions make a difference. But when you consider your actions as part of a larger movement, you start to see how each individual story works together to create a bigger and bigger impact.

Compassion sponsors got a glimpse into the global movement they are part of on September 15—this year’s #SponsorSelfieDay—as social media flooded with photos and stories showing the impact of Compassion child sponsorship.

We thought LIM readers would be inspired by some of the stories that were shared, too!

@emilyalexandramay “This is my sponsor child, Mabel, from Ghana!

Mabel is always in my prayers, but so are all the other kids around the world who are waiting for sponsors.

If I could, I would sponsor them all.

Since that’s not the case, I’ll start with Mabel and see where God takes us both from there.”

@sashpaatz “It’s been a year since I went to Peru to meet Naomi and her family. I haven’t been the same since! Don’t deprive yourself of the abundant blessings that come from supporting a precious child in need.

After all, we’re all in need.”

@therealalvinto “It gives me so much joy to sponsor and share God’s love with Nathaly. What an honour it is to be able to make a difference in someone’s life!”

@timothyandabigail “We were so blessed to have the opportunity to meet our Compassion child James in the Philippines this past February. It was a day filled with emotions. We can’t wait to visit him again someday. It has been an amazing journey so far, and we are looking forward to the many years to come!”

@reigny32 “What’s our reason?

Well... ‘do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.’ – Hebrews 13:16”

@jacobperrry “When I sponsored Kelvin, all I wanted was to bring him hope and change, but little did I know I was going to receive the same thing in return. He has truly changed my life and I am forever humbled and thankful for him.”

See more by searching #SponsorSelfieDay, and consider starting your own Compassion sponsorship journey at www.compassion.ca/sponsor-a-child.

Some captions have been adjusted for length or clarity.

Alyssa Esparaz Pickering, ON Jordan Bauer

16 | LOVEISMOVING.CA

The Pain of Post-Camp Withdrawal Words by Mike Gordon

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he reality of the fall months is that it can be a very difficult season for people who have spent their entire summers serving as a camp leader in a Christian environment.

Many camp leaders may identify with Namaan, the commander of Aram’s army in 2 Kings 5 who leaves home for Israel in search of healing for his leprosy. While away from home, he has an experience with God which brings him to the conclusion that the God of Israel is the God of the whole world; however, he is then faced with the challenge of knowing he has to return home. Namaan worries what will happen when “my master enters the temple of Rimmon [Aram’s god] to bow down and he is leaning on my arm and I have to bow down there also.” Here, Namaan recognizes that it’s going to become a lot more challenging to live for God upon returning to his community that doesn’t exactly live for the same God in the same way. Once home, he is going to be expected to go with the flow of the culture that he is surrounded by.

You may face similar challenges when you’re back home, which may cause you to feel that same withdrawal.

3 Ways to Combat Withdrawal Community Transitioning from a camp community to your school or work environment will feel challenging, as you may think that back home, you will never find that same connection you had during the summer. Despite how you might feel, there are many Christian communities outside of camp, such as churches, youth groups, home groups, and campus ministries—please do not buy into the mindset that you only get that at camp. From your camp experience, hopefully, we can truly understand how vital it is to be a part of a Christian community when you are back home.

I scratch my head sometimes when I hear people say they can “do church” on their own, or when they put little effort into finding a Christian community once they leave camp after seeing how

valuable that community has been for them! Camp reminds us of how important it is to have Christian friends and influences in our lives—it clearly helps strengthens our walk with Christ.

Believe it or not, there are Christian communities outside of camp, you just have to find them.

you no longer have a name tag and walkie-talkie.

Leadership

godly because you had the mindset that it was all for the glory of God! Why can’t you continue to do that in everything you do when you are back home? From school, studying, social life, work, relationships, sports, and everything else— isn’t it possible to keep the same mentality that everything we do is for Him?

One of the perks of working at a camp is having a fancy job title which confirms that you are a leader. However, once camp is over, you no longer have that title, and when you go back home, you may feel that you are no longer a leader and have little to offer.

Simply losing a title can allow us to lose a little bit of confidence in ourselves. Here’s the thing: you are not a leader because you had a title, you had a title because you are a leader. You didn’t have a title when you got hired, you had leadership qualities, which is why they hired you. As you return home, you may not have that same title anymore, but you still have those leadership qualities which are even more developed than they were before. You are a leader, even in the halls of your school or office, so don’t stop being a leader just because

Time Naturally, when we return home, we feel that we’ll become so busy that we will no longer have the same time we did at camp to focus on God. In reality, you were most likely extremely busy at camp and didn’t just do Bible study for 18 hours a day. From prepping, eating, cleaning, social life, games, conversations, and everything else in between, it wasn’t godly because you did it under the camp umbrella, it was

“Camp reminds us of how important it is to have Christian friends and influences in our lives—it clearly helps strengthens our walk with Christ.“

Naaman’s concern going back home is answered simply with “Go in peace”, or shalom which isn’t the peace that comes because life is easy, it’s the peace that comes with knowing that, despite what challenges may come, God is with you every step of the way. So go in peace, and know God is moving. He isn’t limited to just camp season and neither are we.

Mike Gordon | Youth for Christ Canada www.mike-gordon.ca DANE DEANER

LOVEISMOVING.CA | 17

The Messengers Podcast

ETERNIA

E

ternia, the Canadian rapper and MC, has recently created the podcast, The Messenger that can be found at loveismoving.ca/podcasts.

The Messenger features stories from hip-hop artists about their creative process and her own spiritual ambitions. We had a conversation about the “artistic flow,” the importance of community and the power of testimony.

What does it mean for an artist to be a conduit to let the “truth to flow through you”?

Well the beautiful thing about “The Messengers” audio piece is that it IS hard to define what it means, and the best way I thought I could was by getting artists to describe the phenomenon for themselves. Ya know? It’s one of those intangible phenomena you just can’t 18 | LOVEISMOVING.CA

quite put your finger on or recreate if you tried.

Truly a gift from God, really, I think! But some of the themes I think the artists Shad, Mr. Lif and Sadia touched on are just this feeling being sparked, being in a flow, and not overthinking or thinking at all. Just being and being in the position to create when it hits.

The interviews you conducted focus on the artist’s immersion in their craft, and how excellence pours out of it. What does it look like to be so immersed?

It looks like a nutty scientist trapped away in their lab, mixing concoctions and flipping through old texts and staring into a microscope for hours (laughs). It looks like an author in a wood cabin who doesn’t come out to see civilization while they write draft after draft. It looks like not hearing people when they speak to you because you’re so focused. It looks like eight hours feeling like eight minutes. It’s a state of being that is definitely... wholly immersive.

What is the role of craft development for young artists who seek to honour God with their work?

I personally think artists, and especially young Christian artists, can really overthink everything they do, to the point of paralysis. They want to honour God and know that the “power of life and death is in the tongue,” but because of that they can sometimes be frozen or stiff artistically instead

What kind of opportunities do you get to roll with other artists and rappers?

What has that shown you about being an artist and a witness?

After twenty plus years in the rap game, I guess a lot of my chosen family—my social circle—are artists and creators. It’s something I likely take for granted. They are my mentors, mentees, neighbours, friends, family and colleagues, so I guess I have a lot of opportunities to connect with fellow artists on a deep level. What they’ve shown me about being an artist is as varied as the people I know.

Everyone teaches me something and I admire everyone for unique reasons!

One thing I’ve learned from those artists with integrity in my circle is that inauthenticity can be sniffed out a mile away. The church can be really bad at this, which is why a lot of artistic types may feel uncomfortable in some churches... or maybe that’s just me? (Laughs.) I think if we approach music-making any way other than unadulterated vulnerability and authenticity, after a while it will feel like a prison with bars of our own design.

In terms of what they’ve shown me about being witness: I think testimony is our most powerful witness, and I believe it’s as simple as our own story of our personal experiences of what God has done in our lives. We get to choose how we convey that story, but I do think we should! I’m always mindful of my audience, and I believe the only thing I’m an expert in—and therefore can speak boldly about—is

my own personal experience with God. So that’s something I have no problem sharing. But I won’t try to evangelize in the traditional sense. We are each called uniquely, with our own giftings.

Sharing my story and giving other people a forum to share theirs, is mine.

How have you developed your skillset so that creating now comes easily and naturally to you?

I think I was in hip-hop bootcamp for most of my life, without knowing it!

(Laughs.)

So that means just being surrounded

“I think artists can and should make it a practice to hang out with God and seek Him”

of operating from a place of freedom and joy. I think we put way too much emphasis on the weight of our works, and not enough emphasis on trusting God is with us in failures and detours as well as successes. He does the heavy lifting, our greatest call is to abide in Him, for without Him we can do nothing. I think artists can and should make it a practice to hang out with God and seek Him, especially with others who are spiritually more mature, and then when it’s time to create to do so from a place of freedom. Trusting that God is in that too (once we’ve laid the foundation of connecting with Him), instead of the constant weight of worrying whatever we’re creating may not be “good” enough or whatever “fill-in-the-blank” enough. We take ourselves far too seriously. More Him, less us.

with people doing music since I was young. I also am and always have been an avid reader, writer and communicator.

Ideas inspire me...conversations with people...critical thinking...oftentimes my lyrics are me processing an experience or an idea. I’m not sure if I’m answering your question clearly, but I’ll say for a good portion of my life I was making music or working towards musical goals every day, actively, and around others who were doing the same. I mean since I was 15 years old, if not earlier. So for me personally, the training and development of skillsets occurred organically.

Is it possible to make good and true art without it being based in personal experience?

Good question. I want to say yes, although my art is highly based on personal experience. I think some people feel other people’s stories deeply, and can use that feeling of empathy or deep connection to others

to inspire their art. Some people don’t use personal experience at all in their art, they’re inspired by visceral things, or ideas, or what’s going on in the news or injustices in a faraway country. I guess God has the ability to use anything to spark us, and move us passionately, and to gift us with the ability to create good and true art from that spark.

How does artistic inspiration interact with spiritual revelation?

Hmm good question! I’m still trying to figure that out! (Laughs.) I can only say that I think the Creator created us to create, and often what inspires us to create—and subsequently the works of

art that are made end up being for His good pleasure and purpose. Not always but man...think about a beautiful painting. Was the artist a believer?

Were they listening to God? Perhaps not but it touches you just the same, reminding you of God’s beauty and purpose. God can use anyone, whether they know it or not! “He directs the mind of a King as easily as He directs the course of a stream.” We just need to get out of the way!

Credits

“The Messengers” (16:33) featuring recording artists in order of appearance: Shad, Sadia, Mr. Lif & Eternia Written, produced & edited by: Silk “Eternia” Kaya Recorded by: Mr. Lif at Terra Tone Audio Features excerpts of: “Epilogue: Long Jawn” - written by Shad, produced by Rel McCoy, featured on Shad’s album Flying Colours. “iLL” - written by Mr. Lif, produced by Synesthetic Nation Music, featured on Mr. Lif’s album Don’t Look Down. “Hope” - written by Sadia (f.k.a. Chuck), music by How to Dress Well. “For This Life” - written by Eternia & Phoenix Pagliacci, produced by A. Beck (f.k.a. Ant B), featured on Hand’Solo Records’ Bassments of Badmen Vol. 3 HEATHER SMITH PHOTOGRAPHY

LOVEISMOVING.CA | 19

What Do We Do When We Don’t Get What We Want?

Words by Nupur James

“

I

s prayer your steering wheel or your spare tire?” —Corrie Ten Boom.

I have reflected on this quote for quite some time, wondering if I honestly understand the meaning of letting God steer the wheel of my life. I acknowledge that it has been very hard for me to let God fully control my life, though I am comforted by the certainty that I am not the only one who feels the difficulty of the task. In the past, when I have taken situations into my hands, I usually mess them up pretty badly. I struggle to have patience.

Patience, according to a quick Google search, is “to accept or tolerate delay, trouble, or suffering without getting angry or upset.” It is a word that I had trouble understanding the meaning of until I really did. I would get so upset if things did not go my way. Finding a new community and building new relationships when I first moved from India to Canada required a lot of patience. Patience towards myself as I adjusted, and patience towards the new people I was meeting. Sometimes relationships were built instantly, but others took time and effort. I had to learn to trust God while waiting for a new country to feel like home.

I further learned this important lesson of patience and relying on God through being rejected in a relationship, and feeling unloved and unappreciated.

That relationship required me to lean on God more than ever. I cried my heart out to the Lord because I had no other way to deal with the situation.

I cried, “I have done everything in my capacity! Why do they still not love me, not accept me?” Slowly, I heard God say, “Be patient and love.”

Again I cried, “What does that mean? Have I not been patient or loving? What more do

13F | LOVEISMOVING.CA

helps me to be a good leader to God’s people.

Perhaps the final part in this double-edged lesson of patience and unconditional love is the cultivation of an attitude of gratefulness. It is an attitude that has allowed me to grow and become who I am today. I am I need to do?” Then slowly God showed grateful that I am alive, grateful that me that the people who reject us are I have wonderful family, friends, and often the people who have been hurt colleagues who love and encourage me. and broken badly. They have so much I have tried to be grateful in situations brokenness in their hearts that they even when I don’t see any point in withdraw when they feel loved. being grateful, situations that seem to This answer, though slowly and hold nothing good in them; I still try painfully learned, made me think about to be thankful for the experience. In the love that the Bible talks about—the the midst of the difficulty of this task, pure, unconditional form of love. I I fight to believe that as a Christian, was reminded that Jesus loves me Christ works all the things we do for with an unconditional our benefit and growth, love, a love without so that we become the expectation. Am I people God wants us “I have done honestly loving people to be. they way God has called everything in my When we don’t feel me to? It is easy to capacity! Why do they like loving people, we love the person who must love without still not love me, not loves me back. But God boundaries and taught me to rely on h\ accept me?” Slowly, expectations because Him and meditate on we are loved in this way I heard God say, “Be his unconditional love

by Christ. When we so that I can love others patient and love.” don’t feel like praying, in the same manner. I we must pray hard, must learn to love the because though it may people who reject me not change our situation, it will change in the same way I love the people who our heart.

In situations which make accept me. This lesson is constantly us feel ungrateful, we must be grateful reinforced while working in church because we know all the things have ministry. I am challenged to be patient worked to make us who we are.

Let God and to love unconditionally, as I work be the centre of it all and let patience, with people who have different views unconditional love and gratefulness than myself, and even different views steer our lives. than the larger Christian community.

This whole concept of loving without conditions and expectations is what RYAN GRAYBILL

Learning in Leadership Words by Shawn Naylor

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“

eadership is the act of serving in such a way that others will follow, says Tim Coles, the YFC National Director.

Ever since I was young, I was interested in leadership, but I was never “ready”

for leadership. Personally I don’t think that one is ever fully ready. I, like many of us, had romantic, untested, and false ideas about leadership. It wasn’t until I watched the film series The Lord of the Rings that I began to understand the role of a leader, how and why leaders are discovered or chosen.

One scene in particular really defined my thoughts about leadership. It is the first time that we meet Aragorn, at the sign of the Prancing Pony—he is a man on the fringe who knows how to live under the radar, but can recognize when something extraordinary comes into his presence. His life shifts from fulfilling his own desire and destiny to protecting and aiding another in their pursuit.

Leading Them to their Potential Now, I don’t want to write a whole piece on the leadership principles that can be found in the character of Aragorn, I just want to show how this scene

“I did not pursue leadership, I have just found myself in the middle of it.”

gave a me a glimpse into leadership that I had never thought of before: that one lays down their own desires and objectives (for a time) to aid another in order for the fruition of their lives to manifest. Oddly, this often brings us, the leader, unwittingly to the doorstep of our desires and destiny, whether we want to or not!

Over the next coming months, my goal is simple: help you become a better leader than you were yesterday. I know that this sounds soft, but it is anything but. In order to be better, you will be required to do some of the deepest introspection that you have ever done.

This will put you into the arena of your weakness, to wrestle it, subdue, and ultimately lead you through it. You will have to do things that nobody else is willing to do, and yet the discovery to be found will only materialize once it is done. So buckle up, because this road is not for everyone.

I believe that becoming a better leader will bring you closer to not just realizing your potential, but that you will actually begin to live it out. In doing so, we will unpack leadership, dive into the unknown off of the foundational principies.

My hope is that whatever leadership we engage in is fruitful and invested in things greater than ourselves.

Hopefully, I will get to respond to some of your questions, and we can learn and be challenged by each other along the way. Now let me be clear: I am not a guru on leadership, I did not pursue leadership, I have just found myself in the middle of it. My hope is that you will embrace the role you have with direction, meaning, and purpose.

Your leadership only goes as far as those who you deploy.

OLIVER COLE

LOVEISMOVING.CA | 12F

The Difference a Hospitable Church Can Make Words by Jason Normore

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rack your eyes open.

Scrounge to find the right clothes.

Run to catch the bus. Sound familiar?

I studied theology during my undergrad, and as part of the program, we were expected to be present at a church to sing, pray, listen, and learn something. I opted for the easy option: whatever church the school was sending a bus to.

I was creeping up on turning twenty at the time, and a new follower of Jesus.

My imagination warmed up easily to God but had a harder time warming up to organized mega-church. I attended mostly out of obligation, eventually discovering all that is wonderful about church—but I did not let that process happen easily.

One Sunday, the school group was heading up to the nose-bleeds. I was in a hoodie and baseball cap, lagging behind everybody to get there. I saw a middle-aged greeter shaking the hands of my friends as they passed to find a seat and I was ready for the “good morning” formality. We locked hands, I mumbled good morning and tried to keep walking. However, the man did not let go of my hand. Instead, I found myself hauled back until his mouth was close to my ear, so that he could whisper his disapproval to me, “Look, when you get up there, take that hat off.”

There was another time where I was followed into the bathroom by yet another middle-aged man who began to lecture me on the fact that the Bible says it is not right to wear hats when in God’s presence.

Not my favourite urinal talk.

Welcome to church.

me, it felt like they were being horrible hosts.

All that to say, in my early years of the faith, I became hyper aware of the difference between good and bad hospitality. Working at a restaurant and serving tables all throughout my degree helped to move this inspiration along.

Fast-forward to the present day; I am a 27-year-old church planter in St. John’s, Newfoundland, one of the oldest cities in North America—a city that is praised globally for its culture of hospitality.

Every time our church gathers we start with the same pattern: “Welcome to Local! We acknowledge that in this room there are some of us who are all-in on following Jesus, some of us are exploring the idea, some of us are atheists, some of us are Muslim, some of us are gay, some of us are straight.

We apologize for anyone who has been hurt by the church in the past: first nations people, LGBTQS+, people who have been dragged to church as a kid, etc. Our church is inclusive, meaning everyone is welcomed to the family!”

We feel like in order to be a church in general–especially in 2018–being a good host is essential. The idea of good hospitality is threaded throughout the entire Bible, from the Garden of Eden to the New Heaven and Earth, and perhaps climaxing with the supper that Jesus hosted for his 12 apprentices.

Following Jesus is a lot of things, but we believe hospitality is high on the list.

Once we see hosting as our invitation, it permeates every situation.

What does that look like?

Maybe that doesn’t sound so bad to some religious folk. Maybe it’s the practise of your community, maybe it’s the practise of church greeters everywhere. But to

God is the most lavish and gracious host, and He invites us to participate.

Once we see hosting as our invitation, it permeates every situation. What does that look like?

When you’re ordering coffee, be a good conversational host to the barista.

When you’re being served, be an even better host to your waitress or waiter.

When someone calls, host that call so

well. In all moments of life, I think we need to know how to host and how to be a good guest.

I believe that as you learn to host, you get a better sense of God’s boundless hospitality and open invitation to his table, learning what it means to be hosted by God. So as a church, how do we practise this?

Maybe not how you think. Atmosphere, lighting, cool signs, all that has its place—but we keep it simple.

We share food.

We give each other hugs before handshakes.

We compliment each other.

We listen to each other.

We share stories.

We practice dialogue before monologue.

We invite each other over.

We party and celebrate our city and its artists.

We look each other in the eyes.

We don’t welcome or banish people for what they believe or don’t believe, what they do or don’t do.

We believe one of our first callings is to host. To the drug dealers and sex offenders, to the religious and the outsiders, you are invited and welcomed.

JON TYSON

11F | LOVEISMOVING.CA

How Could A Pastor Have Depression?

listening. Psalm 42:5 came to mind, a verse which I had read earlier that morning: “Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me?” My depression made no sense. There was nothing I could complain about in my life, I enjoyed the privilege of comfort, care and community—and yet my spirit and my mind felt as though they had descended into the very pits of hell.

The verse continues, “Put your hope in God,” for I will yet praise him, my Saviour and my God. But my hope was nearly extinguished. Reacting negatively to the first set of medication, I found myself closed up in my apartment, feeling as though, in the words of Job,

Words by Ryan Farrell

I

meandered up and down the aisles of my local Talize, a thrift shop, unsure of what it was I sought. I had absentmindedly pulled into the parking lot. Did God think I needed to update my wardrobe? I asked him, Why did you bring me here?

And that’s when I saw it. To most, I am sure, it looked uninteresting: just another meaningless knick-knack.

To me, it was a beautiful expression of the human condition. It summarized the months of despair, discouragement and fear in which my soul had been swimming. Suddenly, the stars aligned and shalom, I have no rest, but only wholeness and peace, turmoil. Thankfully, my returned afresh to my life.

thousands of years ago, Jesus yelled out, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” I saw my loving Jesus, hanging on the cross, suffering mental anguish alongside of me. In a sermon Timothy Keller once said, “The Son’s relationship with the Father was beginning-less and infinitely greater than the most intimate and passionate human relationship. When Jesus was cut off from God, he went into the deepest pit and most powerful furnace, beyond all imagining. And he did it voluntarily, for us.”

I took the crucifix home and set in on my desk where I spend time in prayer daily. I have nicknamed it The Cross of the Depressed Jesus. Morning by morning, I look at this image of God’s suffering. I think about how my personal experience of “hell” is but a

“

There was no debating, I had to purchase it. God had placed it there just for me.

hope was rekindled by the gentle breath of God’s Spirit on the embers dimming in my heart.

My family physician cautiously sighed, folded his hands while leaning back in his swivel chair, turned to me and said, “It’s a fairly severe major depressive disorder, and likely a generalized anxiety disorder as well.” That’s not possible, was the thought which immediately surfaced in my mind, I’m a pastor. I cannot be depressed. I help people who are depressed, I am supposed to be the healthy one. I did not say any of this out loud, of course, I simply stared at the pale clinic walls with the same sullenness which had consumed my soul as of late.

”

“I recommend we start you immediately on a dosage of antidepressants. Now I need to make you aware that…” My doctor continued on, but I was not

“Sighing has become my daily food; my groans pour out like water... I have no peace, no quietness; I have no rest, but only turmoil.” Thankfully, my hope was rekindled by the gentle breath of God’s Spirit on the embers dimming in my heart. Through therapy, rest, care, prayer and magnificent grace, I found my soul warmed once again with the hope of Christ.

But still. Why, my soul, are you downcast?

Why, good God, have I suffered this mental anguish? I found my answer in and through the old wooden crucifix I bought at Talize. On this cross,

blip in comparison to Christ’s hell on the cross. And, even more importantly, a mere blip compared to the power of the relentless love of God. “Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise, my Saviour and my God” (Psalm 42:5).

NIK SHULIAHIN

LOVEISMOVING.CA | 10F

Book Excerpt

The Church Stil Has a Role to Play Today

Words by Barry Slauenwhite President and CEO, Compassion Canada

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In fact, the Church has been and remains the single largest institution in the world engaged in helping the most vulnerable people throughout the world. Today, churches around the world are instruments of change, doing what governments could never do.

in partnership with the local church.

Working with local churches is more than a strategy. We believe there really is no other choice. The Church is God’s one and only plan for redeeming the world. There is no “Plan B.”

Because of their global presence, churches have an effect that is unparalleled by any other organization.

The Church is the only organization with hundreds of millions of members and the capacity to mobilize hundreds of millions of volunteers who are transformed by the good news of Jesus. These volunteers, aligned by one Spirit and one shared hope, draw on immeasurable riches to achieve what cannot be done by individuals alone (Todd, 2011).

Get a copy of Strategic Compassion by Barry Slauenwhite at compassion.ca/ strategic-compassion/

hen Jesus walked among us, He had the option But presence is about more than of establishing His own numbers. Presence must also be government on earth, and He declined. strategic in location. Churches exist He could have started a business to do in exactly the right locations to serve social good, but He didn’t. Instead, He people in need. In the slums, in established the Church and promised the villages and in the city centres, that “the gates of Hades will not the Church is present everywhere. overcome it” (Matthew 16:18). The The Church is not simply there as Church, expressed in local disciplea physical building; its members making communities, is commissioned are integrated into the community,

by Jesus and empowered by the Holy being both salt and light to those Spirit to advance the kingdom of God around them (Matthew 5:13-16). The on earth. And that advance includes Church is woven into the fabric of the eradication of the evil of extreme local society as it has been since its poverty. No other organization was earliest days (Todd, 2011). founded by Christ or carries the promise of victory In Compassion’s calling against the forces to release children from of hell. poverty in Jesus’ name, “Churches exist in exactly we have determined The Church is the right locations to that this approach must more than an serve people in need. In be nonnegotiable: Our institution; it the slums, in the villages work is done exclusively is us. We are and in the city centres, a collection of the Church is present individuals who everywhere.” form the global Church. And we as the Church are commissioned to join people, wherever they live, in their journeys toward Christ, through our acts of love and kindness, and through the sharing of the good news. This is especially true with people in need. Jesus wants us to walk alongside those who are suffering, to care for their temporal needs while telling them the good news of His love for them.

Throughout history, the Church has been on the front lines of serving the most vulnerable people: the sick, the impoverished, the widow, the orphan.

9F | LOVEISMOVING.CA

COMPASSION CANADA, LOUIS MONCOUYOUX

Lavish Grace Words by Andrea Nwabuike

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ne of my favourite words in the English language is “lavish.”

The word can be defined as, “sumptuously rich, elaborate or luxurious; to bestow something in generous or extravagant quantities upon.” There are no better words to describe the grace of God.

the grace of God felt more like an impersonal fact to be memorized. They were studied but not lived; theoretical but not practical.

I knew God’s grace like I knew the earth is round. For me, the grace of God that was displayed through the gospel story was little more than head-knowledge, failing to interrupt my day-to-day walk. As I saw people around me falling deeper into the mysteries of grace and being transformed by the reality of it in their lives, I began to question whether the grace of God was really meant for me. I believed in God and accepted his gift of salvation in Jesus Christ, but I still felt stuck in sin. The words of

An all perfect and all-powerful God saw it fit to take on flesh and dwell among the wicked and broken. Not only did He dwell among them, but He loved them, even to the point of offering His body and blood as a sacrifice. By doing this, He swapped their death and shame for His life and righteousness.

This truth—that God has chosen to love us with no other qualification than His own goodness—is nothing less than lavish.

I knew a lot of songs about grace; I would boldly lift my hands in church upon the sweet utterance of this word, savouring its poetic rhythm in my mouth. I could quote scriptures about grace and give you a theologically sound explanation of its source and effect. But ultimately,

fervour for God feel like remnants of glory days left behind me? Why, despite trying so hard, can’t I be good?

There was my problem. Despite thinking I understood what grace was, my core belief was skewed. I believed grace was conditional upon my goodness. If I got to a place where I was no longer annoying to God, then I would unlock the secret vault to His grace and become a real-life changed, testimony giving, back-from-the-dead Christian! If I could just get to the next level of holiness on my own, God would see my efforts and swoop in with some grace to get me over the edge. Instead of seeing God as lavish in the giving of His grace, I saw Him as stingy, holding out on the good stuff until I showed I was worthy of it.

What I needed was perspective.

I needed to see the depth of my depravity to realize I could not bring myself back to life. I needed to see God’s grace from the perspective of my own sinfulness, so I could see the reality of God’s goodness. God brought me to a place where I could become aware of the foolishness of my own efforts so I could accept the completeness of his work.

“I knew God’s grace like I knew the earth is round.”

Paul to the Romans never felt more real to me as I struggled to do the things I knew I should do and stop doing the things I knew I shouldn’t (Romans 7:15-20). I wondered, if God’s grace is supposed to transform me, why am I still the same messed up person I’ve always been? If all I have to do is believe, why do I still feel stuck in my faith? Why do the days of passion and

I still wrestle with the concept of grace. But now instead of doing so with a spirit of unbelief, I am able to do so with a spirit of wonder. I wrestle with it from the position of one who knows she has received grace upon grace, not because of her own efforts but because of the good God who sees her and calls her His own.

ISAAC CABEZAS

LOVEISMOVING.CA | 8F

HOW I LEARNED TO STOP TRYING TO OBEY

By George Zhou

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am righteous in Christ.

This is a truth I do not hesitate to affirm. I stand in a lineage of Christians who believed the same, even to the point of death. But did I really know what that statement meant experientially? Did I interpret my life according to this affirmation? In recent weeks, the Lord has challenged me with these questions and graciously provided the correct answer from His Word. Let me explain.

My problem I’ve always had great difficulty grasping God’s grace. I knew that God made me righteous through His unearned love, but I always felt in my heart that, in some way, His love for me was contingent upon my performance.

It seemed like regardless of how much I thanked God for His grace, or praised Him for securing my salvation, my Christian experience was that of living to earn God’s acceptance.

I had this standard of what a Christian should be in my head and I pursued it. On the weeks where I was obedient and faithful, I would be happy. On the

weeks where I wasn’t, I was guilt-ridden, miserable, and disappointed. I was self-righteous and also self-condemning.

There was little experience of the kind of “rest from works” (Hebrews 4:10) the Bible talks of when God has made peace with a sinner.

The chapter that changed me However, in the past couple weeks, God met me in an astonishing way in Philippians chapter 3. At the start of the chapter, Paul describes the characteristics of a Christian and contrasts them with the characteristics of a false teacher. He says: “Watch out for the dogs, those evildoers, those mutilators of the flesh.

For it is we who are the circumcision, we who serve God by his Spirit, who boast in Christ Jesus, and who put no confidence in the flesh” (3:2-3).

Paul says a Christian is one who “puts no confidence in the flesh.” What does it mean to “put no confidence in the flesh”? He gives us that answer in the next sentence (3:4) when he states that it means trusting in our ancestry, accomplishments, or attitudes for our acceptance before God. He used to trust in these things, but not anymore.

Instead, Paul goes on to explain that he threw all that self-righteousness away so that he could gain Christ. He desired a righteousness that only comes from faith in Christ, not from his own doings. Through his own testimony, he teaches us that a Christian is one who is circumcised in the heart, serves God in the Spirit, boasts only in Christ for his righteousness, and puts no confidence in works.

hope, and peace.

Was it from my performance? Or was it from the snug assurance of my legal adoption as God’s child? When I am miserable from a bad week of shortcomings, do I find my hope in “trying harder” or resting in Christ’s victoriously completed work?

If I were honest with my heart, at that point, my comfort was in my ability to meet a fictitious standard that I set for myself (that inevitably was much lower than God’s—selfrighteous people do that). Though I affirmed justification by faith alone, my spiritual experience was very legalistic. However, God illuminated the beauty of what grace and peace before Him really meant in light of the gospel. Through this bright understanding, how I live my life has also changed.

My way ahead As I read on in Philippians chapter 3, I was doubly astounded by Paul’s response to receiving righteousness that was not by works, but by faith.

Paul’s response was to “strain toward what is ahead, [pressing] on toward the goal” (3:13-14). His attitude was not spiritual lethargy, but unrelenting pursuit of more Christ! I found in these verses a perfectly balanced religion: rock-solid confidence in the Saviour and a joyful responsibility to personal holiness. I stand on Christ in all my victories and all my failures. I have no confidence in works. Instead, I strain toward practical righteousness with ecstatic joy. I believe that is how God wants us to live. At last, I know what it is like to have rest of the soul.

Transformed by the renewing of my mind No verse ever hit me so hard on a fundamental level. It forced me to ask myself where I received my joy,

TOM COE

B

ecause of Grácia is a stellar movie by a Christian Canadian filmmaker named Tom Simes. The movie follows the intersecting paths of a group of high school seniors as they face life-altering decisions and navigate faith, friendship, and love.

As Richard Smith, a writer for The Christian Film Review, says: “This is an exceptional pro-life teen

drama that isn’t afraid to tackle difficult daily issues that teenagers face today.

It is inspiring, entertaining, humorous and a not-to-be-missed film.”

The movie carries a 12+ Dove Seal as it engages in a frank discussion about sex and abortion. It is a well-produced film that speaks of God-given strength for difficult choices, and of forgiveness offered in wake of brokenness.

After a theatrical release in cinemas across the USA, the movie event that teens, young adults, parents, pastors and teachers are raving about is now available to churches, schools, and ministry organizations in Canada.

The Evangelical Fellowship of Canada, publisher of Love Is Moving, is encouraging churches and other groups to host screenings of the new film Because of Grácia to spark biblical conversions about dating, navigating relationships, and speaking up for your faith.

Because of Grácia is a “must-see film” for youth groups, churches and schools, says Joel Gordon, creative director for the EFC and co-founder of Love Is Moving. He commends its strong production value, compelling story, and thought-provoking companion study guide.

The film has already won numerous film festival awards. The EFC is now inviting

Canadian churches and ministry affiliates to host ticketed screening events of the film. “Hosting a movie screening is simple,” explains Gordon.

“Beyond ticket sales, there is no extra cost to the host, and a DVD and promotional material are sent directly

The film aims to fuel a movement among young people towards healthy dating relationships, support for those who face unplanned pregnancies, and freedom to voice one’s faith.

The actors who star in the movie — Moriah (Peters) Smallbone, Chris Massoglia and Ben Davies — understand the pressures, struggles, and tough choices of being a teenager

and their lived experiences shine through in their performances.

If your church chooses to join the tour schedule, the EFC will list your screening on a community calendar and help create awareness for all screening events across Canada.

The film aims to fuel a movement among young people towards healthy dating relationships, support for those who face unplanned pregnancies, and freedom to voice one’s faith.

Use the QR code scanner in the Love Is Moving app (now on the Apple Store and Google Play) to watch a video dedicated to you from the lead actor,

to the screening organizers.”

Chris Massoglia.

Hosting a screening creates an opportunity to unearth biblical perspectives and to spark conversations with youth, young adults, parents, and church leaders about timely issues facing teens in Canada today.

About the film: www.becauseofgracia. com/about.html About hosting a screening or to preview the movie: gordonj@TheEFC.ca

MJM MEDIA

5F | LOVEISMOVING.CA

A Free Coffee Shop’s Call to the Church Words by Josh Smith

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od called me to plant a church… wait, what?

That was a scary thought for me; I’m not a pastor, I’m not qualified for this. You’ve got the wrong guy, God! This call has led me on a journey over the last two years—one that has led me to understand that God called me to do this precisely because I am me, not in spite of it. This is also why the church we are planting doesn’t look like your standard church plant.

We opened The Coffee House in the centre of our small community of Cookstown back in June.

This is the place God moved my family and me to almost three years ago.

He knew exactly what He was doing long before we did. As I began to explore the idea of planting a church, it was clear that Cookstown was the place, and this is why we were here.

It’s a place where we can simply be present in our neighbourhood.

It was also clear that God wanted this church to look different. Presence in a community is so important, and I knew that God didn’t want us to just rent a space and pop-up for a Sunday service and disappear during the week.

This can be a great way of gathering together Christians in a community, but people who don’t follow Jesus aren’t going to come just because there is a new church in town. In some cases, the way we are doing church in Canada needs to change so that we can reach our neighbours with the Good News of Jesus. We cannot expect them to come to us, we need to go to them.

Through the leading of the Spirit, we decided to open The Coffee House. It’s a place where we are able to connect God’s love with daily life.

It’s a place where we can engage with our community as part of the community. It’s a place where we can simply be present in our neighbourhood.

We also decided to run it a little differently. We give everything away for free! We do accept cash donations that help cover the cost of the food and coffee, but it is completely optional.

We have found that this invites people to ask questions. So, instead of us having to try and force Jesus into a conversation, people openly invite us to talk about Him—it has been quite

amazing. We are then able to connect the gospel of Jesus with what we are doing and why. We are able to offer our presene and blessing straight to our community. It just doesn’t make sense to people that we would give things away so freely, yet this is exactly what God does for us.

While I believe we need to change the way we do church, I still believe that gathering as a community regularly is important. We will use The Coffee House as our gathering place on Sundays starting in October. The church will meet in The Coffee House, allowing us to change the way people think about church. It will help us to make the point that church was never meant to be a building or a place. The Coffee House is a place, the Church is the people.

NATHAN DUMLAOV

LOVEISMOVING.CA | 4F

The Practice Here I Am of Being Fully Present.

When Jesus showed up on the scene, especially through the narrative of John, we are treated to a master class in being here. He shows up where

be known as I AM. Not ‘I was’, or ‘I will be’ but ‘I am.’

But of course, this declaration of God’s name comes after the declaration from Moses.

While working one day, Moses was taken aback by a truly amazing sight—a burning bush that isn’t destroyed by the flames. He moves closer to it and hears a voice that simply says his name, “Moses, Moses.”

His response is astounding, “Here I am.”

Words by Alex Street

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our mind is burning out, your body is exhausted, and your soul is but a wisp of what it could be.

Our culture is desperate for one simple practice: being here.

the people are, he meets their practical and spiritual needs, and he engages in conversations. He continually embraced the reality of the moment, but more than that he had the audacity to say, “Before Abraham was, I am.” Aside from sounding like really bad English grammar, this is a powerful statement about the presence of God and what

To which the voice replies, telling him to take off his shoes because this is holy ground. I like to think that the act of taking off his shoes says something about choosing to stay a while. But the three words, “Here I Am” are vitally important as we interact with God and others. To show up and say those three words before you have any idea of what is to come, before you know if this will be enjoyable, entertaining, or excruciating. To say this is to claim you are living by a different rhythm, my friend.

To say, “here I am” says that you are living by the rhythm of something bigger than you. To show up and say Our family loves road trips. We have ‘here I am’ is to reclaim that space three kids (six, nine and 12) that have as a place where the I AM is, was, the uncanny ability of never being and always will be. You get to bored. This makes road trips a lot recognize the presence of God easier, seeing as we don’t have to and recognize your own presence “You get to recognize the presence of God entertain them all the time. We in this space. It starts with three still love coming up with games, and recognize your own presence in this simple words. stopping at unique sites and space.

All it takes is three simple words.” listening to books, but more than So, yes I want to be on vacation, anything we simply love being on and yes I want to know what’s vacation together. Recently, we going on in the world according were all at the park having a fantastic to Twitter, and yes I want to see what we are being invited into. Jesus made time on a beautiful spring day when I my friends are posting today, but I am other “I am…” statements you may be turned to my wife and said, “I would learning that amidst all that noise, it is familiar with, inviting us to recognize love to be on vacation right now.” so important to be here with the people in all our human experiences— in front of me.

Vacation. Why? We are here, together, darkness, hunger, thirst, loneliness, now. Just like we would be if we were In all the movement around us, with and even death—that God is saying, “I on holiday. all the information coming at us, with am here, are you?” all the demands for our attention See, like you, I have difficulty living ‘I am’ is an important phrase for us. elsewhere and otherwise, the best step in this moment. Even when we’re ‘I am’ is a proclamation of identity, might just be to take off your shoes, having a good time, we wonder if it yes, but it is also a statement about stay a while, and say “here I am.” could be better somewhere else. Robert presence. ‘I am’ means here. ‘I am’ Farrar Capon says, “We spend a long means now. Of all the names God could time wishing we were elsewhere and have chosen in Exodus 3, God chose to otherwise.”

WES HICKS

3F | LOVEISMOVING.CA

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13F Want?

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Depression

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ISSUE 30

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2018

CANADA’S CHRISTIAN YOUTH MAGAZINE

FLIPSIDE FOR LEADERS

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