Speaking of Faith (Jan/Feb 2019)

SEVEN

MEN / GOD / LIFE JAN/ FEB 2019 / ISSUE 64 NEWSSTAND PRICE CDN $4.95

RAISING CHRIST FOLLOWERS

GUIDEPOSTS FOR INTRODUCING YOUR CHILDREN TO GOD

FOLLOW THE EVIDENCE

THE PROBLEM OF GOD

Speaking of Faith

OVERCOMING HURDLES TO SHARE THE GOOD NEWS

FEATURE

THE PROBLEM OF THE EXISTENCE OF GOD

BY MARK CLARK

THERE ARE SEVERAL REASONS WHY WE CAN KNOW WITH A HIGH LEVEL OF CONFIDENCE THAT GOD EXISTS.

4 SEVEN JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2019

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e have moral instincts, and the best explanation is that these exist because the One who designed us is righteous. We can look at the universe and the world around us and see that it is littered with evidence of design. The evidence itself is what forces us to rethink our presuppositions about the world. Our desire in life is to follow evidence, not run from it. So where is the evidence leading us when it comes to the nature of humankind and the universe itself? It’s leading us to the conclusion that there is a noncontingent, uncaused reality that created all things.

Mind had to exist before matter, which is the opposite of what atheism teaches (matter led to mind and consciousness, it says) but on point with exactly what Jesus taught us about God: “God is spirit,” he said (John 4:24). This is part of the reason no one has to prove that someone “created God,” as is the challenge on the playground (“Then who created God?!”).

We have no evidence that God ever began to exist. The best we can prove is that the universe began to exist.

If you don’t want to believe the evidence, the onus is on you for proving God’s nonexistence, which is not as easy as it seems. When we reject the existence of God, we create more problems than we solve — moral and philosophical problems, yes, but even scientific ones.

A short time ago, I was studying in a Catholic monastery. I spent the morning in my room and then left for lunch. When I left my room, the window was closed and locked; when I came back, it was open. I had all the evidence in the world that someone had opened my window while I was out. But imagine you were with me, and you said, “I don’t believe your theory that someone opened the window. I don’t know why, I just don’t.” Is that enough?

Where is your evidence and what is your argument? “I just don’t believe your evidence” is not an acceptable answer.

To believe something, one must present counterevidence.

So what are our options if we don’t want to believe in God in the face of evidence to the contrary?

The first option is the “Lucky Us”

hypothesis. It says, “Yes, admittedly, the chances were extremely low that our universe would ever come into existence, but lucky us, here we are! Just celebrate it!”

Proponents of this theory suggest ideas similar to a poker analogy. Imagine that you are dealt a poker hand that turns out to be a royal flush. Although it is highly unlikely and improbable statistically that you would be dealt that hand, you received it, so you celebrate. Lucky you!

The problem with this analogy is that it does not compare apples to apples, because the statistics are not even close to comparable.

For the analogy to work and the situations to be comparable, you would have to be dealt that perfect royal flush every hand forever. But if that were to

“I just don’t believe your evidence” is not an acceptable answer. To believe something, one must present counterevidence. happen, nobody would chalk it up to chance circumstance to be celebrated. It would take three hands before someone else at the table would accuse you of cheating. Because everyone knows that chance isn’t a rational explanation at all.

And that’s what we are all after, aren’t we?

The most rational explanation.

A second option, extremely popular among skeptics, is what is called the “multiverse” theory: while it is highly improbable that our one universe would ever come into existence given the number of variables, the odds change if there are an infinite number of universes.

Dawkins says that the anthropic principle can be answered “by the suggestion . . . t hat there are many universes, co-existing like bubbles of foam, in a ‘multiverse.’” In other words, what if instead of not just one set of 122

JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2019 SEVEN 5

An infinite number of universes or a twentybillion-year cycle. These belong to the realm of pure conjecture.

dials, there are an infinite number of sets? The chances therefore increase that one of those sets would actually line up to give birth to our universe: “Our time and space did indeed begin in our big bang, but this was just the latest in a long series of big bangs… If bang-expansion-contraction-crunch cycles have been going on forever like a cosmic accordion, we have a serial, rather than a parallel, version of the multiverse… of all the universes in the series, only a minority has their “dials” turned to biogenic conditions. And, of course, the present universe has to be one of that minority because we are in it.”

This is a creative solution to the question of the origin of the universe, but unconvincing for three reasons. First, the multiverse and big crunch theories do not hold up under philosophical scrutiny.

In his lecture, “Darwin, Mind and Meaning,” Alvin Plantinga points out the bankruptcy of the multiverse logic saying that rejecting the anthropic principle based on the theory of a multiverse is tantamount to rejecting “the evidence for the earth’s being round by pointing out that there are possible worlds in which we have all the evidence we do have for the earth’s being round, but in fact, the earth is flat. Whatever the worth of this argument from design, [multiverse] really fails to address it.”

Second, modern science is pretty certain that there will never be a “big crunch” because of what it is learning about the universe. Ironically, Dawkins recognizes this very point: “As it turns out, this serial version of the multiverse must now be judged less likely than it once was, because recent evidence is starting to steer us away from the big crunch model. It now looks as though our own universe is

6 SEVEN JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2019

destined to expand forever.”

Third, and most importantly, there is not one shred of evidence for either of these explanations — an infinite number of universes or a twenty-billion-year cycle. These belong to the realm of pure conjecture.

These are faith positions with no evidence at all. And thus, ironically, in the end, atheism asks us to believe in an infinite number of metaphysical realities, for which we have no evidence, while Christianity asks us to believe in one (God), for which we do actually have evidence.

These are just a few of the reasons why more and more people, including myself, find it more rational to believe in the existence of God than not to.

/ MARK CLARK is a skeptic who became a Christian and then a pastor, all while exploring answers to the most difficult questions raised against Christianity. Mark grew up in an atheistic home, and after his father's death, began a skeptical search for truth through exploring science, philosophy, and history, asking the big questions of life, and eventually finding answers in Christianity.

His book, The Problem of God responds to the top ten questions people raise against God, and Christianity, including, the Problem of God’s Existence.

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JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2019 SEVEN 7

PK PODIUM

CALLED TO TESTIFY

FEATURES

SPREADING FAITH IS A TEAM EFFORT

03 Following the Evidence

BY KIRK GILES

14 Raising Christ Followers 17 Re-imagining Church

W

hen I was a child, my life was disrupted by the grace of God. Somehow, in my little mind, I knew I had sinned — my sin deserves death — God so loved me He sent Jesus to die in my place – and Jesus died and rose again, so I can have eternal life. I remember walking downstairs to see my mom sitting in the kitchen and asked her how I could know for sure that I have eternal life. In our kitchen, my mom prayed with me and led me to Jesus.

Looking back, I recognize how there were so many people involved in bringing me to this place of faith and growing my faith beyond that moment. There was a pastor who consistently taught the Good News of Jesus. My Sunday School teacher who loved me. My parents and other friends who consistently spoke of Jesus. Together, they disrupted my life with the grace of God. When Christian men are asked if they share their faith with others, the most common answer is “rarely.”

When we probe a little deeper we find out the reason is quite often because we fear the reaction or response of the other person, or we fear not having the right words to say.

Do you see the common element here? Fear. We should never be controlled by our fears, we should be compelled by our love.

The results do not rest on your shoulders, but the effort does. In 1 Corinthians 3:6-8, Paul talks about how he planted seeds, Apollos watered those seeds, but God gave the increase.

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23 Do You Know What You Believe?

Paul and Apollos each had a role to play in people coming to know Jesus, but it was God who brought the harvest.

I have heard men say, “Share the Gospel, and if necessary, use words.”

That’s a nice idea to encourage faithful living in our actions and not just our words. However, it has also become an excuse to never talk about Jesus. Jesus said, “Go into all the world and preach the Gospel” (Mark 16:15). This is not a command given to the elite Christians, it’s a calling to every Christian to speak and testify to the message of Jesus.

Every time a man who attends one of our conferences decides to begin a journey in following Jesus, I am reminded of this truth. Many other men will have walked with these men long before they ever attended one of our events. Spreading faith is a team effort, and God gets the glory.

In the past few months, I have seen so many men respond in faith to Jesus.

As our conferences and other events continue across the country in the coming months, my question to you is — who are you investing in with the message of Jesus? Who can you bring with you to a conference?

Let’s work together to disrupt other men’s lives with the grace of God.

COLUMNS 08 // PK Podium 28 // Sports Scene 30 // Out of My Depth 31 // Lives Worth Leading 32 // No Man as an Island

DEPARTMENTS 10 // The Pulse 33 // Music Reviews 34 // Power Play

EDITORIAL Questions and comments regarding editorial can be sent to ssukkau@promisekeepers.ca, or mailed to Promise Keepers Canada at the address provided.

DESIGN DEVON WAGENAAR Devon J Andrew Design Inc. djadesign.ca PROMISE KEEPERS CANADA 210-3027 Harvester Road Burlington, ON L7N 3G7

/ KIRK GILES is the president of Promise Keepers Canada. However, his most important roles as a man are husband to Shannon and father to Carter, Joshua, Sydney and Samuel.

(905) 331-1830 info@promisekeepers.ca

THE FAITHLIFE FINANCIAL DIFFERENCE

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THE PULSE

BITS / BLIPS / BEATS / BLURBS THE LATEST NEWS FROM PROMISE KEEPERS CANADA

BITS / BLIPS / BEATS / BLURBS

BLUEPRINT: A FRAMEWORK FOR THE DISCIPLESHIP OF MEN

10 SEVEN JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2019

LEADERSHIP TIPS / MINISTRY TO MEN can be incredibly rewarding and very challenging. To help leaders we have created a series of short videos, full of practical insights on your ministry to men. This month we look at: How do we keep ourselves motivated, year after year? >> Visit www.promisekeepers.ca/resources/blueprint/leader-tips to watch the video.

YEAR-ROUND COACHING AND SUPPORT / WANTING HELP GROWING your ministry to men? Sign up for coaching to: • Identify your men’s ministry leadership team.

• Develop a unique, creative plan for your church.

• Consult and coach your team in its implementation of your plan.

• Evaluate and review your plan.

• Report observations, opportunities, and concerns to your church leadership.

You don’t have to do it alone! >> Visit www.promisekeepers.ca/resources/blueprint

THIS IS ME TV MEANING OVER MONEY / WHAT IS A successful life? At the start of his career Jared found he had a natural talent for making money — lots of it. It was the success he thought he wanted. That was until Jesus showed him a better path, one with meaning.

Jared A. Brock is the author of A Year of Living Prayerfully, Bearded Gospel Men, and The Road to Dawn. He lives in a forest trailer with his wife, Michelle. Together they have traveled to over 30 countries and have spoken in more than 100 cities around North America. Jared has been on CBS, CBC and his work has appeared in Huffington Post, Writer’s Digest, Esquire, Relevant Magazine, Smithsonian.com, and Today.com. Jared is the director of movies Over 18, Red Light Green Light, and Josiah, and has a particular fondness for beards, burritos, and kombucha.

Watch this episode and journey with Jared as he explores what it means to live a life of influence.

I LIVE ART / “I LOVE THE emotion of being able to relate to each of my pieces and each piece is ultimately a part of me. I want my art to express and reflect who I really am. In most of my work I use mixed media and experiment with different elements along with color but being Brazilian does play a major part in each stroke given, understanding, living, loving and learning from art. It expresses who I am. It’s my soul.

My ultimate goal is to inspire, to have individuals want to feel superior about themselves and contribute to having them follow their dreams . . . I don’t do art I live art.” — Tiago Magro Tiago is a mixed media artist born in Brazil with a work that exudes 80’s and 90’s influence whilst captivating a modern palette and refreshing energy. His love for Jesus flows through his artistic expression.

Watch this episode of This Is Me TV and walk with Tiago as he explores expressing his faith through the visual arts. >> This and more amazing episodes at: www.thisismetv.com

JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2019 SEVEN 11

PODCASTS THE BEST OF THE YEAR

BRADY BOYD ON HOW TO INVITE THE HOLY SPIRIT INTO OUR EVERYDAY LIVES

/ WITH TWO PODCASTS a month there are plenty of interesting moments to look back on. In this podcast we play some of the greatest podcast moments of the year.

ADAM WEBER ON HOW TO TALK WITH GOD

/ PRAYER SEEMS LIKE it should be so simple. Yet, when it comes to actually praying, so often it feels awkward and complicated. The truth is, prayer is simple. It's like talking. Talking with a good friend. Down-to-earth pastor Adam Weber offers an accessible, hopeful approach to one of life's greatest mysteries: talking with God. Adam Weber lives in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.

He likes typewriters, drives a Rambler, cheers for the Cincinnati Bengals, has 4 chickens, and a dog named Daisy. He's the Founder and Lead Pastor of Embrace, a 10-year-old church that has grown to 6 campuses in two states. He and his beautiful wife, Becky, have four kids: Hudson, Wilson, Grayson and Anderson. Fun fact: He once made worldwide news when a turkey vulture fell out of the sky and onto his back porch during an ice storm. Google it.

/ IF THE HOLY Spirit is God, why do so many of us choose to live without Him? Welcoming the person, power, and presence of the Holy Spirit into our lives is one of the most important decisions we can make.

Brady Boyd is a favourite PK Canada speaker and the Senior Pastor of the multicongregational New Life Church in Colorado Springs, Colorado. He has written several books including Addicted to Busy, Fear No Evil and Sons & Daughters.

FROM RENT-A-DAD TO THE CHANGING SEASONS

/ THIS PODCAST WE range from a story about a “Rent-a-dad” to The Seasons of Fatherhood to stories of disruptive grace in a changing world. 2018 has been a truly interesting year!

>> Find these and other podcasts at: www.promisekeepers.ca/podcast

12 SEVEN JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2019

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JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2019 SEVEN 13

FEATURE

RAISING

Christ Follo

BY LARRY FOWLER

14 SEVEN JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2019

FOUR GUIDEPOSTS IN INTRODUCING YOUR CHILD TO GOD

N

o maps. No GPS. Few street signs. Those are three important reasons why I don't drive in developing countries; I'd get lost. Raising our kids to follow Christ is a lot like trying to navigate in an under-developed country — there is no parenting map, no spiritual GPS. We head in the direction that seems best, trying to find our way by trial and error.

But we don't need to feel lost. As we journey through each stage of our children's development, we can point them toward spiritual markers that will help them find true faith — becoming vibrant followers of Christ.

Spiritual marker for early childhood: respect

For parents of young children, the journey of raising Christ followers starts with the task of instilling respect for God and His authority. The psalmist tells us, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom” (Psalm 111:10).

While most of us enjoy teaching toddlers fun Bible stories, we can't stop there. Early childhood materials may solely emphasize how “Jesus is your friend.” Warm fuzzy feelings build affection for Jesus, but they don't build the foundation for spiritual wisdom. Awe, wonder and respectful fear of God lay that groundwork.

So how do you instill this respect? Teach your young children these truths: • God is strong. He can do anything.

• God always keeps His promises.

• God gives us rules that we must obey.

• Even if Mommy or Daddy can't see what you are doing, God sees it.

• God disciplines us because He loves us.

owers

Spiritual marker for early elementary years: wisdom

Wisdom is the ability to apply God's Word to life situations. So to grow in wisdom, your children must first learn God's Word.

From ages 5 to 8, add biblical teaching to your daily routine. At this age, your children probably love to learn. Make sure you emphasize the following four areas:

WHO IS GOD? Is He an angry ogre ready to club you when you disobey? Is He a passive observer who is tolerant of everything?

Is God what you make Him to be? Or is He the righteous, powerful and loving Creator found in the Bible?

Use Bible stories to teach about God. Take the story of David and Goliath for example. What can we learn about God from it? Many children's materials conclude, “You can do anything if God is on your side.” But that is backward. The story's application ought to be, “Make sure you are on God's side.”

WHAT IS TRUTH? Your kids will be bombarded throughout life by truth claims from the media, teachers and friends. If you are not successful in teaching them that truth and wisdom come from the Bible, they will struggle greatly with faith challenges later.

This means you must regularly include statements like the following in your conversation: “We can always trust what God says”; “God's Word is always right”; “Obey the Bible, and you'll never be sorry.”

WHO IS MAN? Our humanistic culture treats man as basically good. That's why children often struggle with accepting the Bible's claim that man is sinful. If they've not experienced abuse, abandonment, addictions or other deep hurts (as I hope they haven't), they probably see the people around them as good. Your children will not appreciate the need for a savior until they see themselves and others as sinners.

WHO IS JESUS? Growing up in a society that professes to value tolerance will challenge your children's faith. They may be called “intolerant” and “hateful” for claiming that Jesus is the only way to God. When your children sit in a classroom of Hindus, Buddhists, Muslims and atheists, will their faith in Jesus stick? To withstand this pressure, your children need a secure knowledge of who Jesus is and why He is the only Way.

JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2019 SEVEN 15

Spiritual marker for late elementary: grace

The primary goal for 9- to 11-year-olds is to receive God's grace. The majority of people who trust Christ as Savior do so before they are teens.

Said another way, if your children do not come to faith in Christ by the time they are teens, the likelihood begins to quickly decrease that they will do so.

That means you must do two things: First, make certain that your children fully understand the Gospel. Second, ask God to help you discern the authenticity of their decision. Countless kids "respond" to the Gospel outwardly because of pressure from a Sunday school teacher or parent, while in their hearts they remain reluctant to submit to Christ.

To understand your children's faith, ask questions: “Can you explain why Jesus died on the Cross?” “What does someone have to do to go to heaven?” “Why do you think you are a Christian?” Responses such as “I prayed a prayer” or "The teacher told me I was a Christian" may indicate they are trusting in the wrong thing.

Beyond accepting God's grace, your children also need to learn how to give grace to others.

“That's not fair” may be the most common complaint of middle elementary kids. Siblings war over the size of a piece of pie, who sits in what seat in the van and who has to do the most chores.

This age group is especially concerned with getting their fair share.

But grace — forgetting what's fair and giving others more than they deserve — is the best way to be like Jesus.

Teaching your kids grace is a tall order. Their selfish nature will battle it. Friends will take advantage of it. So if they are going to learn how to give grace, they will need to see it consistently modeled by you.

Spiritual marker for middle school: trust

Young adolescents are beginning to wonder what their lives will hold. These years are a prime time for discussing the importance of trusting God with their future.

Here's one way to begin that conversation: Discuss Proverbs 3:56 with your children. Talk through it carefully: “What does it mean to 'trust in the Lord'? How about 'with all your heart'? Why is God's understanding so much better than yours? What does it mean, 'He will make your paths straight'?”

Buy a plaque with this passage on it and hang it in their room.

Have them memorize it. Underline it in their Bibles. Make it a strong focus in your conversations.

When I was 13, I told God I wanted Him to have complete control of my life. I strongly believe that decision kept me out of all sorts of trouble during my teen years. In the same way, God can use your middle schoolers' commitment to Him to guide your children through the coming years.

Spiritual marker for high school: perspective

Older teens may begin wrestling with tough questions for the first time: “Why is there evil in the world?” “Why is my teacher so unfair?” “Why did God let my best friend die in a car accident?” The lack of adequate answers can send their faith tumbling.

First, provide the perspective that God is sovereign in all things.

Your teens need to hear your stories about the times when God worked difficult things out for good. They need to see you trust in God. Always stay open to your teens' questions, even if they are hard to hear. If you don't have an answer, admit it — then find the answer together.

As your children grow, take note of their life stage and adjust your spiritual training accordingly. My prayer is that each of your children will grow up to be, as author George Barna puts it, “an irrepressible follower of Jesus Christ who accepts the Bible as truth, lives by its principles, seeks ways to impact the world and continually deepens his or her relationship with God.”

/ LARRY FOWLER is the former executive director of global training for Awana Clubs international and an author.

16 SEVEN JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2019

ReFEATURE

imagining Church:

BITE-SIZED MISSIONAL COMMUNITIES ARE CHANGING THE IDENTITY AND PRIORITIES OF LOCAL CHURCHES

BY FRANK STIRK

JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2019 SEVEN 17

I

f you were to check out the weekly activities at Church of the City in Guelph, Ontario, you would see a big emphasis on its 14 “missional communities.” That’s basically where members of the congregation meet in smaller groups outside of Sunday. But it’s really just the tip of the iceberg, so the speak, of what these gatherings are all about.

“Missional communities,” says missional living pastor Spencer Adams, “are not just a slot of time during the week. What we’re trying to accomplish together is how to follow Jesus in everyday life — trying to figure out how to be Christian when we’re going to the grocery store, when we’re at work, and when we’re having fun on the weekend.

What does it mean for the gospel to affect all of that just as much as it affects a Sunday morning?”

“They are not small groups by another name,” says Cam Roxburgh, the team leader of Southside Community Church in Surrey, British Columbia, which has ten missional communities. “They are people who recognize that it’s in community we follow Jesus, not just individually. They’re joining God on mission in the place to which he’s sent them.

They recognize that God’s at work in the neighbourhood and not just in them.”

Missional communities or MCs first began appearing in Anglican churches in England in the mid-1990s. The concept soon spread to Europe — resulting in more than 720 churches being planted between 2006 and 2009 — and the United States.

American missiologist Reggie McNeal is a fervent advocate of missional communities. He believes they have the potential to transform Christianity in ways not seen since the Reformation 500 years ago. “I think — I hope — there is a coming pandemic within the Church that will manifest itself as missional communities: smaller groups of people that will form spiritually-centered communities around public projects, life passions, even workplaces, the things that really connect us,” he said in a 2010 interview.

While more and more Canadian churches seem interested in going this route, Roxburgh cautions there is still “way too much” misunderstanding to overcome before MCs can really take off. “We’re still hearing the missional-communities conversation as a strategy for how do we grow our church rather than as participating in what God’s doing,” he says. “And until we get past that, I don’t think I’d call it a movement.” (Roxburgh is also the national director of Forge Canada, a network of leaders and churches dedicated to transforming neighbourhoods with the gospel.)

At Church of the City, no two MCs, each comprising 10 to 20 people, are exactly alike. “That’s intentional,” says Adams. “There are certain parameters that each is asked

18 SEVEN JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2019

to live within. But then they’re absolutely encouraged to explore their own unique identity within that.”

All of them host a weekly potluck where members will share what’s going on in their lives and pray for one another.

At a separate time in the week, they will meet in small study groups called DNAs, short for Discover, Nurture, Act. A third common thread seeks to deepen their Trinitarian identity as missionaries — how to live together as a family (Father), how to grow together as disciples of Jesus (Son), and the spiritual empowerment to take the gospel to their neighbours (Holy Spirit). Then each MC creates a covenant that includes specific ways they will engage with their community over the next year, such as organizing a block party for their street, sponsoring refugees, or partnering with others to come alongside the homeless.

Unlike the familiar church model where only a few people exercise top-down leadership, the missional community model requires many more leaders as well as constantly having others who can someday become leaders themselves.

“The vision, of course, is that as missional communities go out, they ought to be growing as people come to faith,” Adams says. “If that’s the case, then multiplication will always be on the horizon for a missional community — and there’s going to be more leaders needed. You always have it on your mind: Who are we training up as our apprentices?”

But no matter how a church implements the missional community model, Roxburgh sees it as being in some ways an upending of past church practices — and perhaps even the end of Sunday worship as the central defining feature of church life.

“It’s always going to be important to gather,” he says, “but rather than gathering as a big group from all over the place being the primary identity of the church, I think its primary identity will be a group of people that learn to live on mission in their neighbourhood who then happen to gather together — so it becomes a response to their being

Paul went out with a team. Wonderful things can happen when we go out together and people see a community of believers and the love that we have for each other.”

SHOW INTENTIONAL HOSPITALITY

sent into the neighbourhoods rather than the old model when I planted, which was ‘let’s attract a crowd and then send them.’”

In other words, churches considering whether to go on this journey of faith need to understand that they likely will be taken far outside their comfort zones. Here are some of those challenges:

BEWARE THAT THIS IS RADICAL AND ALL-CONSUMING “This is about reorienting your entire life to join God on mission. We’re asking Christians to die to themselves and live a new kind of life. I think that’s what God’s up to and what he’s trying to help the Church recapture,” Roxburgh says.

“I think that message still needs to get through to people,” Vancouver-based urban missionary Dennis Wilkinson adds. “It’s very difficult because people think in terms of timeslots: ‘What day of the week is missional?’

No! It’s a lifestyle that shows itself in community-building endeavours in your neighbourhood with your Christian friends to try to have this sort of layered approach of the good news in people’s lives.”

SUBMIT TO LIVING IN COMMUNITY “Certainly, there’s a place for individual Bible-reading and prayer and solitude and all of those things,” says Adams.

“But so much of what Jesus did was done in a community of twelve guys. Even within that, you see the especially intimate relationship he had with Peter, James, and John.

We kind of view that as what happens in a DNA, a space where you can be maybe on a deeper level authentic and vulnerable with a small group of men or women who know you quite well, know some of the challenges in your life, and can speak the gospel into those things with you.

“Being in community also includes mission. So much of the sending, so much of the missionary work that we see happen in the New Testament wasn’t done by individuals.

“I would be exaggerating to say that every week we’re doing it, but lots of Sundays we make sure we’re home, we’re trying to invite friends and neighbours over for a meal,” says Roxburgh. “And then we tell stories of where we’ve seen God at work. You don’t phrase it like that with nonChristians, but it opens up space to be able to have more spiritual conversations.”

And over the course of the week, he adds, “we’re encouraging each other to find a way to have a meal, have coffee, have a conversation with neighbours. We’re quite intentional.”

BE PREPARED TO FACE REJECTION For almost eight years, Wilkinson had labored to build a community of Jesus followers in the West End, a selfcontained, radically secular neighbourhood in Vancouver’s downtown core. But due to what he calls “a web of activism” coupled with the loss of their home in the community, that ministry is now effectively over.

“We put so much effort into so many different ventures, and criticism was all that operated,” he says. “My wife and I both genuinely believed that if we were present and available and helpful, that even if people never believed the gospel, they would like us, they would respect us — and they haven’t. A lot have, but key people haven’t. They’ve never been able to get beyond the fact that we are Christians.

How do you deal with that? I don’t know.”

CELEBRATE EFFORT AND NOT JUST SUCCESSES When Church of the City gathers on Sundays, people are invited to share stories of what their MC had done missionally in the past week. But recently Adams and his fellow pastors realized that they had been, in his words, “perhaps selling our church family short” by limiting the storytelling to only the breakthroughs that had occurred in their neighbourhoods.

“I essentially apologized,” he says. “I said I know that for every story of success, there are three, four, five stories where you tried something and it didn’t go the way you’d hoped. We’ve begun making that part of our rhythm, that we celebrate not just success, but we celebrate effort.”

/ FRANK STIRK lives in North Vancouver. He is the author of the forthcoming book, Streams in the Negev: Stories of How God is Starting to Redeem Vancouver (Urban Loft).

JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2019 SEVEN 19

WHAT DO YOU WANT TO TRADE YOUR LIFE FOR?

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20 SEVEN JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2019

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22 SEVEN JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2019

FEATURE

Do You Know What You Believe?

QUESTIONING WHERE CHRISTIAN VALUES STOP AND CULTURAL DESIRES BEGIN

BY ROB HORSLEY

JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2019 SEVEN 23

H WHETHER WE REALIZE IT OR NOT, OUR VIEWS OF THEOLOGY ARE BEING AFFECTED BY THE CULTURE AROUND US.

24 SEVEN JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2019

ave you ever met a person who claimed to be a fan of hockey but couldn’t be bothered to learn the rules? One of those people who yells “Shoot!” every time someone on their team crosses the opposition’s blue line? Someone who hasn’t quite wrapped his or her mind around the finer points of legal hand-passing or hybrid icing?

“What’s that weird rectangle thing behind the goalie net?” they might ask.

And with a heavy sigh, we say: “That’s the trapezoid.

The goalie can’t touch the puck behind the net except inside the trapezoid.”

“Why not?” they ask.

And before you know it, you’ve just entered a conversation far larger than the rules of hockey. Pretty soon you hear yourself talking about the legacy of legendary net-minder and prolific passer Martin Brodeur, recalling what hockey was like before the 2004-05 NHL lockout (next question: “What’s a lockout?”), what it’s like now, whether or not it was fair to expert puck-handing goaltenders, and whether or not there’s more or less skill in the game as a result of these rule changes.

And pretty soon you’ve missed half the game just trying to explain what hockey is. It can be annoying! At some level, there’s an expectation that if you claim to be a hockey fan, you should at the very least know the rules.

But what about being a Christian? If you’re reading this, you’ve probably confessed to being a follower of Jesus at some point or another. But, just like the clueless hockey fan, how much do you know about the fan club that you claim to be a part of? Just what do Christians believe, anyway?

“Jesus,” we might say, half-jokingly as part of some super funny self-aware bit of ironic humour, for giving the ‘classic Sunday School answer.’ Hilarious.

“The Trinity,” we might add if we’re feeling a little bolder, but probably still hoping that nobody asks us to explain it in too much detail.

“Well, John 3:16 says…” we might say with a cringe, hoping that somehow we’ve managed to find the one person in the discovered world who hasn’t heard the most famous Bible passage of all time.

A recent study from Ligonier Ministries finds that a majority of 3,000 American adults surveyed believe at least one of three key heresies, as reported by Christianity Today.

Two-thirds of those surveyed disagree that the smallest sin is worthy of eternal damnation.

More than half believe that worshipping alone or with one’s family is a sufficient replacement for regular church attendance. Less than one third of those surveyed expressed disagreement of any kind.

And finally, nearly 60 per cent of respondents believe that the Holy Spirit is not a personal being, but rather a force, according to the study.

First off, although the survey deals with American respondents, let’s assume that we as Canadians are not all that much different, painful as that might be.

The aforementioned examples are but a few of the popular heresies that have seemingly been adopted by large segments of the Christian population. We could go on and on with others, but the point is that this is troubling — or at least it should be. But for whatever reason, we seem remarkably okay with giving our fellow believers a free pass on not knowing the finer points about their beliefs, worldviews, ideologies, etc. Why is this? I mean, if it were something important like hockey, we’d never suffer such foolishness. But who can be bothered to learn all that doctrine stuff? That’ll make your head hurt, we tell ourselves.

Obviously, we are not all called to be theologians, and it’s probably better that we aren’t, to be honest. A group composed entirely of experts is sure to pose its own set of problems in the same way a group of laypersons would,

theology are being affected by the culture around us, some of which might align with Christian belief, but some which most certainly does not. In an article for Christian Courier, Wayne Jackson writes, “the trends of secular society to a significant degree have seeped into the religious fabric of culture,” a phenomenon he refers to as “societal osmosis,” wherein the environmental influences of culture “silently and slowly move from one realm to another.”

It should be noted that voices such as Jackson’s, while deeply reverent of tradition and rightly cautious towards the blending of Christian and cultural values, can and often do lead to a rejection of anything modern, such as casual dress in church and singing accompanied by instruments.

This, to some, might seem a step too far the other direction, which is why we should remember that the idea of right belief and practice is still an ongoing conversation.

So why does this even matter? Who’s to say whether it’s even important that we remain steadfast on core doctrine and abstain from believing that which has typically been labeled heresy? Couldn’t we just update the rules to reflect what the things we now believe, and just call that Christian faith?

Just what do Christians believe, anyway? though those challenges would manifest in assuredly different ways. A faith of cold intellectual orthodoxy is perhaps no less unhealthy than a faith of misplaced feelgood heresies, as painful as that might be for some of us to admit.

This of course is not to say that theologians are incapable of deep spiritual vibrancy in their faith lives — it’s not like being a person of sound theology by definition means being a hardliner moralist or embody the classic stereotype of the ‘Bible-thumper.’ Similarly, being a person of grace and understanding doesn’t mean we need to let cultural values replace Christian values, as the survey suggests might already be at work.

“Ligonier cites relativism for such a ‘casual outlook,’” writes Jeremy Weber for Christianity Today, adding that in the survey, 60 per cent of Americans “agree that ‘religious belief is a matter of personal opinion [and] not about objective truth,’” with slightly fewer than one-third of Evangelicals saying the same thing.

This means that whether we realize it or not, our views of

“Isn’t it time the Church joined the 21st Century?” we might ask indignantly.

Let’s go back to our hockey example for a minute, acknowledging that yes, rules like the two-line pass, tag-up offside can and do change all the time. But I would argue that in this analogy, rule changes like these are more akin to individual churches or denominations deciding to accept things like women in leadership or serve wine at communion instead of grape juice. Some of the practices may have changed, but the fundamental essence is still the same.

But when you start deciding that hockey is a game not played on ice but rather a field, or that hockey is not played with a puck and stick, but rather a ball and basket, we’ve fundamentally created something fundamentally different.

What we have here is no longer hockey.

Similarly, when we decide that God accepts the faith of all religions as faith towards Him, or that Jesus was created

by God the Father and is subservient to Him, or that being rooted in a Christian community is merely an optional component of Christian faith, what we have is no longer

JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2019 SEVEN 25

WE’RE ALL PRONE TO BEING MISGUIDED OR MISTAKEN WHEN IT COMES TO NOT KNOWING WHAT WE SHOULD KNOW ABOUT OUR OWN BELIEFS OR PRACTICES.

true Christianity. Something essential has been added, removed, or changed within the D.N.A. of our faith.

Of course, we’re all prone to being misguided or mistaken when it comes to not knowing what we should know about our own beliefs or practices. After all, hockey still needs referees inasmuch as Christianity needs clergy and theologians, both for purposes of correction. That we might err is not the problem — our greatest fault is being willfully disobedient or indifferent to our mistakes, to the extent that we refuse to take any corrective action.

Stanley Porter, an author and president of McMaster Divinity College in Hamilton, Ontario, says that it’s important that leaders be taught to express proper theological teaching, and that institutions like seminaries, perhaps now more than ever, are needed to inform orthodoxy among those professing to be Christians.

“People are viewing theological education differently,” he says in a 2012 article for ChristianWeek, adding that churches have a tendency towards shaping leaders in a way reflective of their ethos as an individual church, rather than the Church universal.

“Sometimes churches think they can educate people better [than seminary]—I don’t think they’re right,” he said.

Porter’s colleague, Old Testament professor August Konkel agrees. After serving in church ministry for 12 years, Konkel was led to further his theological education for purposes of better serving in ministry. He would go on to become the president of Providence University College and translate the Book of Job for the New Living Translation.

Konkel cites the Apostle Paul as an example of the focus of clear thinking and orthodoxy, rather than conforming to cultural sentiments and values or allowing those to

26 SEVEN JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2019

permeate Christian faith. He also rejects the idea that it’s more important that believers take up the hands-and-feet work of the Church rather than be informed on the specifics of what the Church actually believes.

“You won’t be much of hands and you won’t be much of feet if they’re not governed by a mind that knows how to direct them,” he said.

I’ll admit that for myself, I’ve been prone to considering myself more of a ‘doer’ and less of a thinker, and certainly not one who knows the ins-and-outs of systematic theology. But at a core level, we can’t simply be people who act without thinking, or people who act for no other reason that to adhere to some sense of feeling good about ourselves as people. Service goes deeper than that. Faith goes deeper than that.

We cannot divorce ourselves from the work that has already been accomplished by those who’ve come before us. We must realize that people have been wrestling with Jesus’ call for centuries. And while culture to some extent has always played a role in the interpretation of mission, we must question where Christian values stop and cultural desires begin, and recognize that though sometimes similar, the two may be at odds with one another and force us to choose between what feels good, and what is good.

As servants of Christ, we’re called to understand the difference.

/ ROB HORSLEY is the former managing editor of SEVEN, and currently serves in a lay-leadership position at his church in Saskatoon, where he lives with his wife, daughter, and twin sons.

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SPORTS SCENE

THE DOCTOR IS IN THE MIKE EMRICK STORY

BY CARTER BROOKS

M

ike ‘Doc’ Emrick is a wonderfully gifted individual. Originally from La Fontaine, Indiana, the avid baseball and hockey fan grew up to become one of the most recognizable voices in all of hockey. It has been a life of commitment, dedication, education, and faith that has helped propel the six-time Emmy Award winner to the game’s highest level.

28 SEVEN JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2019

AFTER FULFILLING THE requirements of 600, and we were in church every for a bachelor’s degree in speech Sunday, going through baptism and (Manchester University 1968) and a the equivalent of Roman Catholicmaster’s degree in radio/television style Catechism. We were raised (Miami University 1969), Emrick through osmosis. Everyone has taught speech and broadcasting to make the choice to continue in Pittsburgh at Geneva College attending church at some point, but before attaining his Ph.D. in through osmosis, we were raised in communications (Bowling Green a Christian home, and for that, I am State University 1976). very grateful.”

The now 72-year-old Now, after 40 years began calling play-by-play of marriage, calling 20 EVERYONE for the IHL and AHL, before Stanley Cup finals, and HAS TO MAKE officially beginning with being the voice of the the NHL in the early 1980s. ever-popular EA Sports THE CHOICE After making a name for NHL video game series, TO CONTINUE himself in Philadelphia the highly acclaimed ATTENDING and later New Jersey, ‘Doc’ television broadcaster still Emrick found his new makes time for church.

CHURCH AT home at NBC Sports in “I try to attend SOME POINT, 2011 — where he remains services, but you wind BUT THROUGH to this day. up not getting to them as “My wife Joyce and often as you would like,” OSMOSIS, I didn’t have children, Emrick ref lected. “You WE WERE however, we do have a wind up having regular RAISED IN A lot of canine and equine churches in other cities. children,” Emrick said.

There is one in Chicago CHRISTIAN “We have horses and dogs, that I go to whenever I’m HOME, AND but due to the complexity in town, even if it’s in the FOR THAT, of my work and travel middle of the week, I’ll go schedule, we chose not in and sit down. It sounds I AM VERY to have children. It used odd, but it’s a place of GRATEFUL. to be a frantic 36 weeks great peace for me. It’s of the year, but I just do Forth Presbyterian, right one game a week now, and in the on Michigan Avenue, across from playoffs, I still cover all four series. all of the major hotels and the John We prayerfully considered the Hancock Center. It’s just a wonderful decision, but ultimately chose to place to go; I know several of the take in rescues and other creatures, people there and it just makes it as opposed to trying to raise children seem like a home church, even on the f ly.” though it’s about 350 miles away Raised alongside his older brother from where I live.”

Dan, in a Christian home by the Emrick says that living as a daughter of a Methodist pastor, it “vagabond” leaves ample time for meant that on Sundays the Emricks self-ref lection and positive selfwould attend church. Attending growth while on the road — an ability morning worship was certainly a he picked up some 55 years ago. powerful experience for Emrick, but “When I was a teenager, my mom as he says, the real lessons came at got me a periodical called The Upper the family home.

Room,” he said. “It was a hand-sized “You can’t choose your parents, devotional published every two but God picked some really good months, and it was very easy to ones for me,” he said. “It was a town travel with. So it became a part of

my morning routine, whether that happened to be in high school or college, and still to this day I get it.”

“I also keep some simple reminders, wise sayings and brief prayers with me in my threering binder, which I ref lect on occasionally before games. One of my favourites is a few lines from Presbyterian minister Fred Rogers, who is better known to some as Mr. Rogers. He says: “Some days, doing "the best we can" may still fall short of what we would like to be able to do. But life isn't perfect on any front, and doing what we can with what we have is the most we should expect of ourselves or anyone else.”

Emrick — a cancer survivor (beat prostate cancer in 1991) — may know better than anyone that every gifted day is precious. That statement becomes even more apparent when those days are spent doing the thing that one loves the most.

“Most of us who have been cured of cancer this long have days, and occasionally weeks, that go by where we never think about it, just because it’s been so long,” Emrick ref lected.

“But you run the risk of taking it for granted unless you’re reminded of it every so often. I am still in awe of being able to walk across the street tonight to Capital One Arena, sit up in a booth, and be able to share the excitement of a hockey game with other people.

All the while watching and talking to some of the finest people in the world, who also happen to be great athletes. Boy, you couldn’t have a better way of making a living than that.”

/ CARTER BROOKS is a news writer and sports columnist situated in Winnipeg, Manitoba. On top of reading and writing, coaching hockey is his favourite pastime. Carter can be reached at carterbrooks1994@gmail.com.

Photos courtesy of NBC Sports and Mike Emrick

JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2019 SEVEN 29

OUT OF MY DEPTH

WITNESS IN TRAINING

SHARING THE GOSPEL — IN 3 MINUTES OR LESS

BY PAUL CARTER

I

recently asked a room full of Christian leaders to share the Gospel as they would to a 10-year-old child 3 minutes before they fell asleep.

Then I asked them to share the Gospel as they would to a complete stranger on the subway who was getting off at the next stop.

The results were a little disappointing to everyone involved.

Most of us prefer to warm up to such things. Most of us would rather share the Gospel gradually, in snips and bits, over an extended period, within a safe and stable relational context.

In general, I think that is a reasonable way to go, but there are also times when we need to be able to at least introduce the Gospel in a limited amount of time.

The two scenarios mentioned above are both real and representative of several situations I’ve encountered in the past.

I’ve had children ask me Gospel questions after bedtime prayers and I have watched the alertness drain out of them like sands through an hourglass as I attempted to say true things about God, about us and about how God has saved us through the person and work of Jesus Christ. I was sitting on the train once reading my Bible when a Hindu fellow in the seat next to me asked me what Christians believed about God. I had two, maybe three stops before I would say goodbye forever to this man so I wanted to say as much as I could in the time that I

30 SEVEN JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2019

had — but I quickly discovered that I authority of God’s Word and to function was not adequately prepared. as conduits for all the blessings of heaven.

Since those two failures (along with That’s how it was supposed to be, but several others!) I’ve found great benefit unfortunately, the Bible tells the story of in memorizing a very short statement how our first parents, Adam and Eve, fell that captures the essence of the into sin by choosing to rebel against God’s Christian Gospel: Word in order to become autonomous ruling The Gospel is the Good creatures. Basically, they wanted News of what God has done in THERE ARE to be gods unto themselves, Christ to secure our salvation. deciding good and evil. From TIMES WHEN That statement has 17 that point on, humanity has WE NEED TO words in it and takes about 6 been on a downward spiral seconds to say. If I’m asked, BE ABLE TO moving further and further by a person on the subway away from God and our original AT LEAST or by a patron in line behind design and glory.

INTRODUCE me at Tim Hortons, what a It takes 2.5 minutes to say Christian believes or what THE GOSPEL that at normal talking speed, Christianity is all about I which leaves 30 seconds IN A LIMITED will start with that line and to answer a question or to AMOUNT OF then build up from there suggest a website or a book based on the amount of TIME. that could provide further time that I have. information.

To the person getting off the subway To be clear, I don’t imagine that at the next stop (3 minutes) I would add too many people will be saved by some version of the following: a 180-second presentation of the The word Gospel means “good news”. Gospel — but it could lead to an It’s pretty important to understand that. exchange of email addresses; it could The Bible is not a book that tells us what we lead to a friend request on Facebook; it have to do to earn salvation; it is a book that could lead to a website or a book or a tells us what God did to earn our salvation. Small Group. Your 180 seconds could What he did was send Jesus. Jesus did for be the seed that is used by God to us what we could never do for ourselves and begin a Gospel journey. he paid for what we had done in his body on the cross. God created human beings and intended for them to be ruling creatures. / PAUL CARTER To listen to Paul’s Into We were supposed to be under God but The Word devotional podcast visit the over everything else. We were supposed to TGC Canada website; you can also find rule over creation under the guidance and it on iTunes.

LIVES WORTH LEADING

NOW IS THE TIME

WITNESSING GOD’S GRACE FOR ALL SINNERS

BY COLIN MCCARTNEY

O

ften, in my ministry, I have the incredible opportunity to participate in people getting baptized. In most cases, the person being baptized has experienced some really rough times since I serve in inner-city neighbourhoods.

What I love about these baptisms is that each person going under the water has experienced God’s eternal love for them. They are testimonies of God’s immense love for all people at all times and in all circumstances. Each baptism reminds me that at this very second God is at work on every single individual on this planet — drawing them towards his salvation in Christ Jesus. Incredible isn’t it?

I know gang bangers, drug dealers, pimps and more who have come to accept the love of God in Christ Jesus and each one of them will tell you that even in their darkest sins God was working on them because God “wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.” (See 1 Timothy 2:4). So, God is busy at work in all people’s souls.

The Apostle Paul said this; “I tell you, now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation.” – 2 Corinthians 6:1,2 Did you catch that? Paul says; “now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation.”

This is true for every person you meet and see. The time is “now” for them to be saved because God’s favor is “now” in their lives.

THE TIME IS Let me illustrate how this “NOW” FOR to let this man, witch looks. I know a Pastor who and all, to be the church THEM TO had new neighbours move photographer.

BE SAVED in next door to them. This One day, months later, BECAUSE Pastor went over with her the witch invited the husband to welcome these Pastor out for a coffee to GOD’S FAVOR newcomers with a steaming chat about something. It IS “NOW” IN hot plate of homemade was here, over a cup of THEIR LIVES. cookies. In return, the java, that he told her that neighbours invited this he asked Jesus into his life.

Pastor and her husband over for He had changed his prayer room to dinner that night. While touring the Satan into a prayer room to Jesus! How house they were introduced to what did he become a Christian? He was the host called their prayer room. moved by the testimony of someone Inside this room were candles, strange in the church in whom he got to know statues and pictures and an eerie by taking his picture for the testimony ambiance of evil. The host declared section of the church newsletter! that he was a witch and it was here “Now is the time of God’s favor, now is that he prayed to Satan. This began the day of salvation.” an incredible friendship of a Christian This witch was never out of God’s couple and a pagan couple, a Pastor favor, never out of God’s salvation. and a witch, living as neighbours in a God was always working on him and nice suburban neighbourhood. in time this witch, in whom most One Sunday at church the Pastor Christians would say is out of God’s got up to make an announcement grace, came to know of his sin and about the need for a photographer accept Jesus as his Lord and Saviour. for their church newsletter. To her What a wonderful God we serve! surprise, sitting at the back of the sanctuary was the witch! It shocked the Pastor to see him at her church. / COLIN MCCARTNEY is an ordained What shocked her more was that at minister, speaker, and a bestselling the end of the service he volunteered author. He is also the founder of to be the church photographer. The UrbanPromise Toronto and now leads Pastor was at her wit’s end. Does Connect Ministries in Toronto where he, she allow a witch to be the church his wife Judith, and their two children photographer? If yes, does she tell the reside. For information in booking Colin rest of the pastors that their church as a speaker, please visit photographer is a witch? She decided www.connectministries.org.

JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2019 SEVEN 31

NO MAN IS AN ISLAND

HERE FOR THE JOURNEY

SHARING THE GOSPEL LIKE JESUS DID

BY NEIL JOSEPHSON

W

henever I talk about faith with someone else, I always try to remember that I am joining a conversation that is already in progress. In almost every case, the person I am speaking with has had some connection with a Christ follower…for better or worse!

C.S. Lewis once said that people who are not yet following Jesus have one of two problems: they either don’t know a Christian… or they do! That’s a great — and sadly accurate — comment isn’t it? But beyond the human conversation, when we talk faith with another person we need to remember that we are entering a conversation that God’s Holy Spirit has already begun.

So how do we enter that conversation and talk faith? Just the way we would enter a human conversation already in progress: • We wouldn’t barge in and just start talking. First, we would listen and perhaps ask questions, showing respect for the other person and earning the right to speak.

• We would try to understand what is already being thought and said and build from there.

• We would seek to contribute to the conversation not take it over.

There is a great example of how to talk about faith in the life of Jesus as told

by Luke. In chapter 24 beginning at verse 13, we read that two people were walking the seven miles from Jerusalem to a village called Emmaus and “while

32 SEVEN JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2019

they were conversing and discussing, Jesus before we have the right answers or even himself approached and began travelling know who Jesus truly is. with them.” He joined a conversation There is a beautiful and important already in progress, and according to finish to this story of talking faith. this text, at first, he just journeyed with Jesus accepts the invitation to stick them and listened. around and shares some In verse 17 Jesus entered basic life experiences with IT WAS ONLY the conversation but not them. He entered the same THEN, AFTER with the answers Jesus home they did. He ate with asked a question: “What are them. He prayed. He served LISTENING you talking about?”. First, he them. And no doubt the AND ASKING listened. Then He engaged conversation continued as QUESTIONS, them. Then He drew them it does when we share a out a bit with a simple meal and do life with others.

THAT JESUS question. There is a great After this, Luke says (v. 31) BEGAN TO moment when one of the “their eyes were opened and PROVIDE SOME two, Cleopas, asked Jesus they recognized Jesus”. After “are you unaware of what entering the conversation ANSWERS has happened here in these simply as a fellow traveller, FROM THE days?” I wonder if Jesus after listening and asking SCRIPTURES. had to suppress a smile questions, after sharing at that one. Who knows? what he knew and then But he did press on and asked another finally doing some life together, after all question: “What things?” in effect saying, that the two travellers saw Jesus for who “Please, tell me more about what you he really was and is — the living Christ! are thinking and feeling”. This unlocked So, speaking of faith, we would love to the floodgates and the two travellers hear your stories of talking faith — send poured out their thoughts, experiences, us a note at info@promisekeepers.ca and disappointments (vss19-24). It was only then, after listening and asking questions, that Jesus began to provide / NEIL JOSEPHSON is the National Director some answers from the scriptures with FamilyLife Canada.Neil, together with (v.27). He must have done it in a very his wife Sharol, lead FamilyLife Canada. engaging way too because when they Neil loves to learn, teach and write about got to Emmaus they urged him to stay anything related to marriage, family and with them longer. And note that this was Christian discipleship. Married since 1982, all before they even had identified him! Neil and Sharol have two great sons, two Apparently, Jesus is willing to engage awesome daugther-in-laws and three of the with us, with our thoughts and questions sweetest grandchildren ever.

MUSIC REVIEWS

/ INDIE-ALTERNATIVE WORSHIP band Rivers & Robots have perfected ethereal worship. On the 12 tracks of their latest album, Discovery, the group has crafted an experience that’s immediately dreamy, propelled along by catchy guitar plucking and lead Jonathan Ogden’s wistful singing. The mood is distinctly pulled from the quirky pop that emerged in the 80’s; it’s laid back with just a touch of quirkiness.

While it may be tempting to put on Rivers & Robots in the background for a rainy Saturday afternoon, digging into the lyrics you’ll find thoughtful, searching praise for the One who “turns broken things into beauty.”

And on the title track, “‘Cause when you speak I feel my heart burn within/Teach my soul to be always listening.”

Standout tracks ‘Burn for You’ and ‘Brighter Than the Sun’ are bolstered by featured artists, the latter is accompanied by Lucy Grimble who brings a refreshing female voice that pairs perfectly with Ogden.

However, if I did level some criticism, the subdued soundscape sometimes falls victim to a sameness that makes it hard to pull out a favourite from the homogenous album.

Overall though, for anyone missing some nostalgic pop from the late 80’s and 90’s, Rivers & Robots scratches that unique itch.

/ WHAT MAKES FOR KING & COUNTRY so compelling is not only their energy and masterful craft, their haunting voices, or their unique brand of pop fused with classical instrumentation, or even their straightforward but poignant lyricism.

It’s their conviction; you know brother duo Joel and Luke really believe what they’re singing.

The Smallbones use mythic imagery and epic language to call people, and especially BURN THE SHIPS men, to a deeper calling as Christians and FOR KING & COUNTRY to take up the cause of the powerless while (Curb Word Entertainment) standing up for truth and justice.

Their latest album Burn The Ships is a powerhouse that hardly lets up in its 11 tracks.

From the haunting string intro the Smallbones dive into album standout “joy.” that’s joy, period. It’s as infectious and punchy as the title suggests. A full choir is used to great effect for the single word “joy” in the chorus.

The title track especially brings together all of the duo’s strengths, from the emotive crooning, a swelling call to action, and an epic narrative. While the back half of the album slows down, there isn’t a single song that falls flat thanks to the exquisite voices of the brothers.

In the end, Burn The Ships was made to melt hearts turned to stone.

DISCOVERY RIVERS & ROBOTS (Running Club Records)

THE THINGS WE’VE BEEN AFRAID TO SAY TENTH AVENUE NORTH (ReMade Records)

/ TENTH AVENUE NORTH returns with their ninth studio offering, The Things We’ve Been Afraid to Say EP. While the sound that many fell in love with has changed dramatically, long fans will find plenty to love here. ‘Counterfeits’ especially hearkens back to the soaring anthems like ‘Control (Somehow You Want Me)’ and ‘I Have This Hope’ from 2016’s Followers.

Elsewhere Tenth Avenue North seems to have adopted the familiar trend of looking to the 80’s for the evolution of CCM, even though the lively spark that was the band’s signature sound is dulled by the veneer. Lead Mike Donehey also seems to have lost a little of it’s

uniqueness in the production.

However, what shines through are the band’s pointed lyrics that tackle everything from what it means to be in a committed marriage, ‘Covenant’ to the fleeting thrill of pornography, ‘Counterfeits’.

Album highlight, ‘I’m Listening’ sees Donehey delving head on into the rape culture prevalent on so many North American colleges, not to offer solutions or cast blame, but rather simply put an emphasis on our willingness to have victims’ stories be heard.

“Shame to the silent and made a prison/ Could you learn to speak again/If we were only listening?”

/ STEVEN SUKKAU works in radio on the prairies of Southern Manitoba.

JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2019 SEVEN 33

POWER PLAY

TOYS / TOOLS / TECHNOLOGY FROM HERE TO THERE AND FUN ALONG THE WAY

BY SANDY MCMURRAY

CUT IN HALF

// amazon.ca Imagine you have a tool that can slice through 4 inches of steel plate. You could cut almost anything clean in half. What would you do with it?

One man decided to cut open a bunch of stuff and see what's inside. His curiousity led to a YouTube channel called Cut In Half, and ultimately to this curious book.

Cut In Half explores the inner workings of everyday objects from tools and auto parts to golf balls and electronics.

Cut in Half is written by Mike Warren with photographs by Jonothan Woodward.

The hardcover goes for about $35. If you want to cut the price in half, wait six months then check your local used bookstore.

34 SEVEN JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2019

SCRABBLE IN SPACE

// spacescrabble.com Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield says there's one big problem with playing Scrabble in space: the tiles won't stay put in zero gravity.

"Our Scrabble board had velcro on the back, as did each alphabet piece. The beauty of a spaceship is that if you lose a piece, you only have to wait until it turns up in the filter."

Scrabble Space Edition introduces a new option for letter-loving astronauts.

It uses a metallic board imbued with meteorite dust to hold each magnetic tile firmly in place. The board is dark as the night with starlight silver letters on each tile. Only 10 of these special sets were produced to celebrate the 70th anniversary of Scrabble, but they will probably make more. Once the word gets out, demand will be out of this world.

MARVIS MINT TOOTHPASTE

// marvis.com Are you tired of mild mint toothpaste? Then buckle up your taste buds and try a tube of Marvis, the Italian toothpaste with a strong mint kick.

Marvis Classic Strong is like brushing your teeth with a handful of Altoid mints, but that's just level one. Marvis has seven minty flavours including Ginger, Jasmin, Cinnamon, and Amarelli Licorice. That's right: you can finally brush your teeth with the taste of strong mint and black licorice together.

If that's not enough of a flavour adventure, Marvis also has three limited editions you might enjoy: Royal (mint with nutmeg and tangerine), Rambas (mint with peaches and tropical fruit), and Karakum (peppermint, orange juice, and cardamom). Who knew that toothpaste and orange juice could be buddies? Not me.

Each tube of Marvis toothpaste sells for about $10.

TEMPER TEMPERER

// hammacher.com Have you ever shouted at your kid's hockey coach during a game?

Do you talk about politics at family dinners? Has anyone ever told you to "put a sock in it"? If people describe you as "outspoken" or "no filter" or "obnoxious" you might need one of these.

The Temper Temperer is a personal muffler for guys who speak (or shout) when they should be quiet. It fits over your mouth to provide relief to the people around you. One size fits all mouths.

The Temper Temperer sells for about $35.

COVER CLAMP

// coverclamp.com Do you wake up cold in the middle of the night, wondering where the covers went?

Maybe you toss and turn, or you share a bed with a blanket hog. Either way, there's a simple solution.

The Cover Clamp attaches to your bed and holds the sheets and blankets securely so they won't move. The grip pad goes between the mattress and box spring, where your weight will hold it in place. If you prefer, you can wrap it around the bed frame to ensure the clamp won't move at all.

The business end of the clamp has a two-inch opening, so it can hold multiple sheets and blankets in its iron grip. Position the clamp slightly below chest level on the side of the bed that often loses the covers then clamp down on the covers you want to defend.

The side release buckle provides a quick way to get in and out of bed. No need to remove the whole device each time. Just tuck yourself in then click the clamp into place for a great warm night's sleep.

The Cover Clamp sells for about $25 and comes with a money back guarantee.

You only need one (unless you and your partner are BOTH blanket hogs).

LEICA SOFORT CAMERA

// us.leica-camera.com

Digital cameras and mobile phones have changed the way we take pictures. Photos are snapped frequently throughout the day, with little thought of ever printing them out. Older generations have folders full of photos and boxes full of slides. Young people have instant sharing and forgetting, and often have no physical record of their photos.

Instant cameras bridge the gap. They're ready to snap at a moment's notice, and designed for printing and sharing the memories they capture.

The SOFORT from Leica is the first instant camera from this legendary camera maker. The frames of the Leica SOFORT images are surrounded by an offwhite frame that evokes Polaroid instant prints. This is a real camera, with real film, that offers instant gratification for photographers who want to share their work immediately, in physical form.

Leica SOFORT sells for about $350. Leica film is available in colour or black and white for about $15 for a pack of ten photos.

36 SEVEN JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2019

DAD JOKES

// amazon.ca Q: What do you call someone who tells Dad jokes but has no children?

A: Faux Pa! Dad jokes are bad jokes. So bad, they're good. A proper Dad joke should cause eye rolling or groaning or both. Your audience may complain but they will repeat the joke the first chance they get.

This book from Barbour Publishing claims to be the world's greatest collection of Dad jokes. There are more than 500 jokes in here, arranged by topic, so you can find the perfect Dad joke for any occasion.

If you're serious about making your family laugh (or groan), don't settle for jokes from the Internet. Dad jokes printed on paper are guaranteed to be tearable.

DREAMLIGHTS

// genuinefred.com Dreamlights are glowing reminders of summer, when fireflies and campfire sparks light up the night sky. During the cold winter months, hang Dreamlights in your window to remind you of happy memories and warmer weather to come. After all, summer is less than six months away.

Dreamlights are solar powered. Leave in the light by day to charge up. You can set your Dreamlights to switch on automatically when it gets dark, or turn it on/off by shaking.

Dreamlights sell for about $35 each.

Dreamlights are glowing reminders of summer, when fireflies and campfire sparks light up the night sky.

/ SANDY MCMURRAY writes about games, toys, and gadgets at funspot.ca.

NEXT ISSUE

for the Oppressed From addiction, to human trafficking and abortion, there are many important conversations taking place in our homes and in the public sphere. Together as a society and as Christian men, we need are struggling to understand these important issues and our role in bringing God’s hope and wholeness to a broken world.

38 SEVEN JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2019

All of life is ministry “I think every believer is called to be in fulltime ministry whatever their life situation.”

Caleb Courtney [MTS] is a husband, father of four, high school teacher, worship leader and just completed the Master of Theological Studies program. He knew he could only afford a one-year leave to complete his masters, so he began planning a few years ago. Caleb has seen God open every door along the way. A percentage of Caleb’s salary was saved to fund a leave from his teaching job, and he received scholarships and awards. He also took advantage of flexible course modes such as online, evening and one-week intensives. This made it possible for him to still put his family time first.

Caleb is now returning to work and plans to take on more of a teaching role at his church.

“People have this idea of full-time ministry as being full-time in a church,” he says.

“I think every believer is called to be in fulltime ministry whatever their life situation.”

Tyndale offers flexible full-time and part-time study options to meet your needs.

Learn more. Visit Tyndale.ca or call 1.877.TYNDALE.

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