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MEN / GOD / LIFE MAR/ A PR 2019 / ISSUE 65 NEWSSTAND PRICE CDN $4.95
MARGINAL AT BEST, DANGEROUS AT WORST THE FALL OF THE CHURCH’S PLACE IN CANADIAN SOCIETY
AN ANTIDOTE TO APATHY
“JESUS, HOW WOULD YOU LIKE TO SPEND ME TODAY?”
Social
SPEAKING UP FOR THE POOR AND OPPRESSED
FEATURE
MARGINAL AT
DANGEROUS It’s 1966.
You’re standing in front of Canada’s Parliament building on a cold New Year’s Eve. You, and all the “important people” are there, ready to witness the lighting of the Centennial Flame celebrating Canada’s 100th birthday. What do you expect to hear? An opening prayer is read: “Grant thy blessing upon the joyous celebrations of our centennial year … that with the flame of freedom in our souls and light of knowledge in our eyes, we may magnify thy Name among men, one country serving Thee.” Snap back to 2019. Can you imagine such a prayer would be said at a such a high-profile public event today? Probably not. That was then. This is now. Though the prayer uttered wasn’t explicitly Christian — Jesus Christ isn’t mentioned — it was clearly a prayer that most Canadians of the day would have assumed to be addressed to the Christian God. That was because most Canadians then self-identified as Christian.
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THE FALL OF THE CHURCH’S PLACE IN CANADIAN SOCIETY BY DAVID GURETZKI
BEST,
AT WORST
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THAT THIS WAS IS THEN. NOW. I don’t think Grant was claiming that Canada was a “Christian country”, if that meant it was explicitly founded and run according to Christian principles. But if Grant is right, Canada, until the late 60's, still assumed the Christian church more or less represented its moral and spiritual interests. But a number of events in the late 60's and early 70's brought rapid changes in the country’s national identity. At least three events should be noted.
THE QUIET REVOLUTION
According to a 2013 Pew study, in 1971 the Canadian population was 47% Catholic, 41% Protestant, 4% other religions, and 4% unaffiliated. That same study noted that in 2011, the fastest growing segment was the religiously unaffiliated (sometimes called these days the “Nones”) which had grown 600% to 24% of the population, while both Catholic and Protestants saw continuous drops. What accounts for the radical shifts away from Christian affiliation in Canada in the last 50 years? How did the church move from a central position to where it is today marginal at best and dangerous at worst? Getting a grasp on what’s happened could certainly help us to understand how we should respond today.
FROM CENTRE TO MARGINS TO ALIEN TERRITORY The story of the Church’s place in Canadian society over the last five decades is complex but let me suggest a very broad outline.
The changes were manifest first in Quebec, when during the late 50's through to the late 60's, the so-called “Quiet Revolution” took place. During this time the Quebec government sought to bring public policy decisions out from under the heavy influence of the Catholic Church. This move effectively brought the Church’s authority into question to the point where Quebec experienced sharp drops in attendance in the Catholic Church: from 90% (!) in the late 50's to 65% by the early 70's. Today, some church officials estimate that only 2-4% of Montrealer’s attend Mass.
MULTICULTURALISM During the late 60's the Canadian government first began pursuing the official federal program of multiculturalism. Then Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau launched the program designed to promote respect for the cultural diversity of Canada’s population, and to grant ethnic groups rights to preserve their own cultures within Canadian society. Multiculturalism also opened up immigration to countries outside the traditional European (and largely Christian) countries, including applicants from Asia where Christianity was not as well established.
PHASE 1: “CHRISTIAN CANADA”
RECOGNIZING INDIGENOUS PEOPLES
In 1967 the Canadian historian George Webster Grant remarked that “Canada grew under the tutelage of its church and the church exerted its influence in pulpit, school and press, serving as the keepers of the moral and spiritual foundations of nationhood and the conscience of the state.”
In the early 70's, Canada rightly became aware of how it had unjustly handled its relationship to Indigenous peoples. As Minister of Indian Affairs, Jean Chretien proposed abolishing the Indian Act and dismantling of the established legal relationship between Aboriginal peoples and the state of Canada in favour of equality. It also opened
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the door to acknowledge the injustices experienced by Indigenous people who had suffered in the residential school system. All of these factors were part of the underlying shifts in Canadian perspectives on the Christian church. Changes in the relationship to the once powerful Catholic Church in Quebec, the introduction of other religious perspectives from immigrants from non-European (read: “non-Christian”) countries, and the pains associated with Indigenous affairs all implicated the church at some level and introduced reasons for suspicion about its goodness in Canada.
PHASE 2: THE CHURCH AT THE MARGINS In the 70's to 90’s, Canada’s relationship to the church transformed even further. Although many major intellectual and cultural movements during this period undoubtedly contributed to everyday Canadian views of the church and Christianity, two factors are important to mention here.
THE ELECTRONIC MEDIA EXPLOSION As a child of the late 60’s, I remember the first time a TV (black and white) appeared in our house. Those my age may also remember the break-neck development of media technology in those decades, including cable television, the first personal computers, video recorders, cellphones, and of course, the internet. All these electronic media exposed Canadians to broader perspectives of the world. Previously, discovering what others outside our immediate local communities thought or experienced would have been possible, but difficult and slow. With the explosion of electronic media, the world, its religious, political, and moral perspectives included, became broadly available. Suddenly Christian perspectives weren’t the only ones to be heard.
PLURALISM AND POSTMODERNITY The new multiculturalism and greater openness in immigration policy were important moves in Canadian public policy, but they also meant that Canada was having to learn the difficult lessons of pluralism — that there are multiple perspectives on any given idea, and that the Christian perspective shouldn’t therefore automatically be given place of prominence. An influential book commissioned for use in Quebec, The Postmodern Condition (1979) by Francis Lyotard, defined the term “postmodernity” as a cultural “incredulity towards metanarratives.” In short, Lyotard theorized that society was moving increasingly toward a place where multiple perspectives from multiple cultures and religions would result in an inability to believe that one overarching story — a
metanarrative, Lyotard called it — could sufficiently serve an entire population in its attempt to understand all history and reality. Everyone’s interpretation of the world is incomplete and therefore, no one’s interpretation can be expected to stand in for everyone. Of course, societal incredulity extended to the Church and its “metanarrative”: that God was the Creator of heaven and earth, that humans are sinful, that Jesus is the way to salvation, and that all people everyone needed Jesus to take care of their brokenness. The broad sentiments and tenets of postmodernity — including the relegation of Christianity to one narrative amongst others — were quickly swept up in the university curriculum where future generations of leaders were being formed. During the 90s and early 2000s, the church’s leadership sought to situate itself within this new “postmodern situation” — a situation which undercut the church’s claims to divine revelation and to the universality of its message. Consequently, the church in Canada had lost its pre-eminent position at the centre of society and took its place at the margins of society.
PHASE 3: THE DANGEROUS CHURCH Canada’s relationship with the church continued to change during the watershed moment in the mid 2000’s with the legalization of same-sex marriage. This was a tumultuous time when many (though certainly not all — and this didn’t help) voices in the Canadian church sought to resist the radical shift. But as we know, the Judeo-Christian (and indeed, the perspective of most of the world’s religions) gave way to the new “enlightened” views that marriage needed to be modernized and brought into the twenty-first century. Add to this the mind-boggling pace of discussion on matters of gender, sexuality, life issues (e.g., Medically assisted suicide), ecology, etc. and it quickly became apparent that many of the church’s historic views on these issues were out of step with current cultural and political mindsets. To be fair, the church hasn’t been banished from our country, and we undoubtedly still enjoy some of the greatest religious freedoms in the world. However, Christians are starting to experience the feeling of what it is like to be not only old fashioned and out of date, but sometimes, what it is like to be a target of suspicion. Indeed, some today are even speculating publicly about the dangers of the church (and religion broadly) in a modern secular society.
HOW SHOULD THE CHURCH THEN LIVE? The evangelical theologian Francis Schaeffer once wrote a book entitled, How Should we Then Live? That’s a great
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question we should be asking today. How then should we live and respond in Canada today as followers of Jesus in view of these changes? Much could be said here, but let me suggest two very basic, but I believe, vitally important considerations that will help us think our way forward. First, the measure of the Christian Church’s is not its influence, but its faithfulness to God and his Gospel. Throughout Christian history, the church around the world has sometimes had greater and lesser cultural, national and political influence. Sometimes this influence has been good—such as the leading role the church played in the abolishment of the African slave trade. Other times, well, we know the church hasn’t always “played nice.” Now let me say this: Having cultural influence isn’t inherently bad. Indeed, as the Gospel of Jesus is embraced, we should expect major cultural changes and the betterment of society for all. We should always hope, pray and work toward a better and more peaceful world for all. However, we need continually to recall that the church is the community of Jesus followers, called upon to give witness in word and action to the coming Kingdom of God and enabled by the Holy Spirit. The divine genius of the Church is that its work continues, regardless of the extent to which a society is, or isn’t, functioning according to God’s good creational and kingdom purposes. Consequently, we, the church, shouldn’t despair when we see such changes as I’ve outlined above taking place. God’s mission, and the church’s task, hasn’t nor will change, no matter the tectonic cultural shifts taking place. We worship God, we care for his creation, we go and make disciples, we baptize, we teach, and we care for one another and for our needy neighbours.
committed to living out love for God and love for neighbour right where they are found. The book of Acts tells stories of how the Gospel spread mightily and quickly by the Spirit of Jesus — and how sometimes the church rested and sometimes the church suffered in the midst. It also mentions how the Gospel sometimes upset cultural and religious apple-carts, and how sometimes it had to face the political powers. But through it all, the Church worked quietly and steadily on in whatever locale followers of Jesus sprang up in the power of the Spirit. I am all for seeking cultural, educational, legal, and political influence for the sake of the Gospel. But as noted above, it is not power or influence per se that we seek. Rather, it is transformed people, who have the assurance of the forgiveness of sin, who have the power to break chains of addictions and the spiritual knowledge to nourish healthy relationships and families. It is these whom will eventually be launched into positions of influence. But let us learn well that individuals of Gospel influence will fail to launch unless they are first fueled by the Gospel by fellow Gospel servants. Such servants are found in local congregations and small groups and men’s breakfasts and construction sites and committees and boards and health clinics and soccer teams and … well, you get the idea. We are not held responsible to turn a massive societal train around; but we can be involved in building future engineers and track-layers committed to Jesus’ ways. So, don’t be discouraged if you see the Christian church being pushed to the margins, or even being identified as public enemies. This is not a new thing in the church’s history. Instead, keep serving, keep praying, keep loving your spouse, keep worshipping God, keep mentoring, and by all means, keep your heart and mind pure while focusing on the one thing that matters — that Jesus is Lord of our nation, even when many are increasingly far from him.
Second, the Christian Church needs to commit afresh to faithful service where it serves best — locally and interpersonally. Sociologists constantly debate whether major cultural and indeed spiritual change takes place best from bottom up, or from top down. I believe that Scripture testifies broadly to the fact that the Spirit turns the world and cultures upside down when local congregations of Jesus followers are
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/ DR. DAVID GURETZKI is Executive Vice President & Resident Theologian of The Evangelical Fellowship of Canada. He formerly spent 24 years as a theology professor at Briercrest College & Seminary in Saskatchewan. He is currently working on a book on political theology.
Help us to be there for them in the future. You care for the next generation of men as much as we do. You are praying for your children and grandchildren. We are too! People who donate funds to Promise Keepers Canada are sowing seeds into men’s lives to help them become followers of Jesus and to become better husbands and fathers. Promise Keepers Canada recommends the service of Abundance Canada to offer you complimentary assistance in strategic gift planning through your will. Abundance Canada is an expert in charitable gift planning and are available to you for a no cost, confidential consult, based on a Biblical understanding of generosity.
Please contact Mark Faasse, Director of Development and Marketing, Promise Keepers Canada for more information regarding this unique service. Email mfaasse@promisekeepers.ca or call 1.888.901.9700 ext. 330 MARCH / APRIL 2019 SEVEN 7
PK PODIUM
THE POWER OF YOUR PRESENCE
FEATURES
YOUR LIFE IS MORE THAN A FINANCIAL CONTRIBUTION
02 Marginal At Best, Dangerous At Worst 14 An Antidote To Apathy
BY KIRK GILES
18 Still #MeToo?
A
ll around you there are incredible needs. In your community there are children growing up without a dad, in desperate need of a man to be a father figure. We live in an aging society where an increasing number of women will become widows — women who could use the help and encouragement of godly men. Human sex trafficking is victimizing people across Canada, and we need men to speak up for justice and liberation. And this is merely a sample of the brokenness around us. I will be the first to admit that the needs of the world can feel so overwhelming, it is easy to become numb to it all. Our lives are already so busy and complicated — how are we supposed to know what to do, and who has the time to do anything? Sometimes making a donation feels like all we can do. God calls His people to do so much more. In Isaiah 1:17 we are commanded — “Learn to do what is good. Pursue justice. Correct the oppressor. Defend the rights of the fatherless. Plead the widow’s cause.” This is one of many verses in Scripture that call us to pay close attention in meeting the needs of others. Why should we do this? Because as image bearers of God, we are reflecting to others what He is like. In Psalm 68:5,6 we read: “God in his holy
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23 Strategic Compassion dwelling is a father of the fatherless and a champion of widows. God provides homes for those who are deserted. He leads out the prisoners to prosperity …” While the needs can be overwhelming to us, they are not overwhelming to God. We don’t need to feel the pressure to meet all the needs — we simply need to identify the role God wants us to play. One of the great joys in being part of the Body of Christ is that He will meet these needs through all of us as we fulfill our part in the Body. Your life is more than a financial contribution. When you consider what the Bible teaches us about meeting the needs of the world, please know that your presence is talked about more often than your bank account (although both are important). When God met us in our deepest need, He did not just give us money to get out of our pain. He sent His Son to dwell amongst us. Let’s be men who follow His lead and give the hurting and broken our presence.
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
/ 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.
PROMISE KEEPERS CANADA 210-3027 Harvester Road Burlington, ON L7N 3G7 (905) 331-1830 info@promisekeepers.ca
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BITS / BLIPS / BEATS / BLURBS THE LATEST NEWS FROM PROMISE KEEPERS CANADA
BITS / BLIPS / BEATS / BLURBS
NEW! VIDEO WORKSHOPS
10 SEVEN MARCH / APRIL 2019
/ PROMISE KEEPERS CANADA is launching two new video workshops. Up to now, our workshops have only been available in a live format with one of our facilitators. To give churches more options, we recorded two of them, so churches can show them without having to bring in a PK Canada staff member. This gives greater flexibility on when they do the workshop and lowers costs. The two workshops are:
GOD’S VISION FOR MEN / WHAT DOES IT mean to be a man? At no other point in history has the question of gender raised such a multitude of responses — ranging from the unsure to combative. There is chaos in the culture and confusion in the Christian community. As men, we are left struggling to understand basic questions of our identity. It doesn’t need to be this way. The Bible gives us a clear vision for what it means to be a man: created as God’s image bearers, adopted as His sons, and called to live holy lives. Join us as we explore the biblical vision for what it means to be a man. With practical teaching and guided by scripture, this workshop will help provide you with clarity and confidence.
UNDERSTANDING YOUR IDENTITY / EACH OF US longs to truly understand who we are and our place in the world. As Christians we know a man’s true identity is found only in relationship with Christ. Even with this knowledge, men wrestle with the question of how to live as godly men. We are surrounded by a culture full of mixed messages and false ideals that can lead to confusion and frustration. The Identity workshop helps men to see who they are in Christ and deals with the issues that can crush a man’s identity. Properly grasping your identity in Christ is the basis for living with real confidence and affects all areas of your life. Attending the Promise Keepers Canada Identity Workshop will give men teaching to help them move from an unhealthy view of their identity to a healthy view with a strong practical and biblical foundation. >> Visit www.promisekeepers.ca/workshops to bring these workshops to your church.
THIS IS ME TV FAITH AND HOPE WITH 1K PHEW
/ “THE STORY I’M telling is how I overcame my obstacles,” 1K Phew says. “You can’t force anybody to follow your way, but you can let your light shine and watch them come to you.” The past he speaks of is one that rings true for the many who grew up in similar circumstances. But even though Phew had it better than some of his peers, having grown up with two praying parents who encouraged him in his gifting, he still found himself going down a destructive path as a teen. It wasn’t until he and his friends almost got shot one day that Phew decided to truly surrender his life to God and His plan. “That was a turning point for me. From then on, I was different.”
YOU'RE NEVER FAR ENOUGH
/ AS A YOUNG child, rapper WHATUPRG woke to the sounds of immigration officials taking his father into custody. Over the years that followed, he would struggle with the absence of his father and how to make sense of his faith. In this episode we interview WHATUPRG and hear his story of God’s faithfulness. >> This and more amazing episodes at: www.thisismetv.com
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PODCASTS A JUMP START FOR 2019 WITH LENNETT ANDERSON
HOW MEN SHOULD RESPOND TO MARITAL STRUGGLES
/ WE GO WAY back to 2007 in Winnipeg, with a powerful, energetic message from Lennett. Named by MacLean’s Magazine as “one of five Canadian Pastors who are breathing new life into their communities,” he has been identified as a source of inspiration and encouragement to many. Since returning to his home church in 1999, Pastor Anderson’s leadership has led to the formation of a blended community of worshippers who meet to exemplify unity within the Body of Christ. Dr. Anderson is a sought-after speaker with a dynamic presentation and message. He is also a retired commissioned Officer in the Canadian Forces where he served as Unit Chaplain for HMCS SCOTIAN.
/ WE SIT DOWN with Wayne Reed from Focus on the Family. Wayne has been a pastor and a counsellor for over 25 years. Originally from South Africa, he developed a passion for seeing marriages thrive while pastoring there. Wayne and his family came to Canada, so he could pursue a degree in counselling, which he obtained from Briercrest Seminary. He served Centre Street Church in Calgary, AB, for five years as their marriage and care pastor, where he helped establish a marriage ministry network as a cooperative effort between several of the largest churches in the city. Wayne and his wife recently celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary.
MARK LAING ON HOW TO DEAL WITH STRESS
THE SACRED SEARCH WITH GARY THOMAS
/ A LOT OF us are dealing with large amounts of stress, especially this time of year. But do we really know what we mean when we say we’re “stressed out”? Stress is actually a God-given bodily response, but left unmanaged, it can have all sorts of negative consequences. So how do we manage our stress in a healthy way, and how do we help others do the same? Mark Laing, a Registered Psychotherapist from Bayridge Counselling Centre helps answer some of these questions.
/ WHAT IF IT’S not about who you marry, but why? Gary reminds singles that if they don’t know why to marry, they won’t know who to marry. In this interview, Gary Thomas challenges listeners to think beyond finding a “soul mate” and to look for a “sole mate” — someone who will walk with them on their spiritual journey. Turning conventional dating wisdom upside-down, Thomas asks: What if there’s no such thing as “the one” — there’s something even better in God’s plan? What if being “in love” isn’t a good enough reason to get married? What if God designed marriage to make us holy rather than happy?
>> Find these and other podcasts at: www.promisekeepers.ca/podcast 12 SEVEN MARCH / APRIL 2019
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FEATURE
AN ANTIDOTE TO APATHY BY BRAD HUEBERT
14 SEVEN MARCH / APRIL 2019
“JESUS, HOW WOULD YOU LIKE TO SPEND ME TODAY?”
T
hese days everyone and their dog wants you and me to give to their cause, show up to their event, share their post, like their page, support their fundraiser, buy their cookie dough, or sponsor their latest sub-Saharan mission adventure. Am I right? I’m going to go on a bit of a rant here. I hope you join me because I just don’t care. I don’t care about the giving guilt trips. I don’t care about why charity “C” is the humanitarian choice, how many World Vision kids should be taking up real estate on my fridge, or what ‘good Christians’ ought to do about human trafficking. And I don’t care if people think I should. You know why? I don’t live for them, I don’t belong to them, and I don’t answer to them. I answer to just one Person — Jesus Christ. My Lord and Savior lived an epic life for me, kept himself pure for me, bled rivers of blood for me, died to forgive me, and defeated death to share his victory with me. Everything about his story was a love-song rock-anthem meant to energize my life with his perfect example. His heartbeat centers me. His melody moves me. His chorus brings me to my feet to join the triumphal procession. I refuse to live on autopilot, to trade Christ’s passion for obligation. I rage against the subtle forces tempting me to hide behind walls made of selfish excuses. I reject apathy like it’s the devil himself. I won’t allow the cynicism of the world to smother the love fire churning in my heart. Jesus loves his bride, his church — so we give ten percent of our income to that. And yes, we have a World Vision kid living on our fridge. But I’m also going to keep giving ‘till it hurts, weep with those who weep, break for the broken, and stand up for the abused. I’ve just decided the world can’t tell me how, where, or when to do it. Only Jesus can. And he does. A few months ago I found myself working on an Angus burger combo at McDonald's. Between bites, I noticed a weathered guy in his early sixties sitting a few feet away. We made eye contact. I smiled. “Where are your buddies?” he asked, mistaking me for someone else. “Maybe you’re my buddy,” I replied, smiling again. He smiled back this time. I asked if he lived nearby, and he hesitated, eventually confessing he’d been sleeping behind a local store recently. “Have you had lunch?” I asked. “Uh, no. I don’t like McDonald's burgers.” He was drinking the coffee. “What do you like?” “A&W. I like those buddy burgers.” “Well then let’s go,” I announced. “Let me buy you lunch.” I scarfed down the rest of my meal and off we went jaywalking across a major street and getting honked at because he moved pretty slowly, like he was in pain. He said his name was John. “You know what John, you’re why I’m here today. God loves you so much,” I told him. John smiled again, wider this time. Despite his
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protesting, I bought him a full combo. We sat down at a booth together. “You’re in pain, aren’t you?” I asked across the table. He nodded. “I got hit by a car six months ago.” “Where does it hurt?” “Everywhere. All over.” “Well, where does it hurt today?” I asked, feeling the love of Jesus for him. He pointed to his shoulder and forearm, which I’d noticed had a very limited range of motion. I asked if I could pray for him and I did, reaching out in Jesus’ name. He checked it. To his surprise, it was moving a little better. After praying a second time his range of motion was noticeably better and the shoulder pain was mostly gone. After shaking John’s hand and blessing him, I reminded him how much he mattered to God. And then I went on my way, thanking God for giving me eyes to see. “This is my prayer,” said Paul, and it inspires me: “That your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ — to the glory and praise of God.” (Colossians 1:911). Did you hear that? Our love is supposed to become more strategic, focused, and effective over time. We’re supposed to learn how to bear more fruit, to love better, not just more. God gets more glory when we do what’s best, not just what’s expected. That’s why I want to be a Macedonian. Macedonians were off-thehook Jesus lovers who understood the heart of generosity. Paul was bragging about them in his letter to the Corinthian church when he said, “They exceeded our expectations: They gave themselves first of all to the Lord, and then by the will of God also to us… since you excel in everything — in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in the love we have kindled in you, see that you also excel in this grace of giving.” (Corinthians 8:5,7) Yeah, I can do all things through him who gives me strength — but I’m not called to do all things. I’m called to excel at giving by giving myself to Jesus so he can decide how to spend me. That includes my time, my energy, my focus, my bank account. If Jesus wants to pour me out like a drink offering, so be it. If he wants to march me into battle, bring it on. If he wants me loving in obscurity, or sharing lunch with a homeless guy, I accept. That also means turning down a lot of sales pitches. I’ll leave you with this prayer: “Jesus, how would you like to spend me today?”
If he wants to march me into battle, bring it on.
/ BRAD HUEBERT is the happily married father of three children who won’t stop growing up. He lives in Calgary, Alberta where he planted Manifest Church to embody his passion to help everyone everywhere discover true life in Christ.
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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. MARCH / APRIL 2019 SEVEN 17
FEATURE
STILL
18 SEVEN MARCH / APRIL 2019
little over a year ago, the #MeToo movement began to spread across the internet and news media, telling the stories of men sexually assaulting and harassing women. People I love have been victims of sexual assault, and because of this, the stories being told really hit home for me. A year later, the need for men to respond in a Christ honouring way is just as important. However, I think that most men still struggle with what to do in these conversations, and I really believe we are not always responding in a way that reflects the heart of Jesus. Here are four ways every Christian man should respond to the stories of #MeToo.
1. DON’T IGNORE IT The common reaction amongst most men is to believe that #MeToo doesn’t really apply to the average man. The people who are being accused of sexual assault are men with power and authority over women, and the average man is simply not in that kind of position. When we shrug our shoulders, we are exercising the attitude that #MeToo is a limited problem that is caused by a small number of men. When we ignore it, then we are ignoring the reality that all around us there are women (and men) who have encountered sexual assaults. Statistics Canada says there are more than 500,000 incidents of sexual assault against women every single year. Approximately 39% of women have experienced at least one incident of sexual assault since the age of 16. When we ignore #MeToo, then we ignore those around us who are wounded.
2. EXAMINE YOUR OWN HEART Jesus once said that “out of the heart comes … sexual immorality” (Matthew 15:19). The sexual assault of women is an outward expression of what is really in a man’s heart. Most Christian men would claim they have never sexually assaulted a woman, and that is likely true. However, most men would acknowledge they have lusted after women. This is also an expression of what is in our hearts. Whether we are guilty of sexual assault or lust, the real issue according to Jesus, is our heart. It is in our hearts where we discover how we really view women. Do the actions of your life show a man who views women as a fellow image bearer of God who is worthy of respect, or does your heart say that you view women as people who exist merely to satisfy your sexual desires?
3. HOLD THE GUILTY ACCOUNTABLE I know there are many who are openly asking if every single accusation of sexual assault is true, or if there is a deeper agenda against certain men. The real answer is that none of us knows the facts of every single story. Yes, false accusations have been made against men. These men need our support. We also know is there is enough evidence to suggest we have a problem in the world of men. As men, we need to hold the guilty accountable. Men should be calling each other to a higher standard in our honouring of women as image bearers of God. When you are out for lunch with co-workers who make sexual comments about a woman — you need to be man enough to speak out and say that those comments are not OK. When you learn about a man breaking the law, you need to report it to the authority that God says He has established to protect people and to provide justice in the land. Our actions speak loudly. There are people who are vulnerable and are counting on you and I to help protect them by holding the guilty accountable.
4. POINT EVERYONE TO JESUS The good news is that Jesus came to rescue sinners and to heal the broken-hearted. Yes, the guilty need to be held accountable. The guilty also need to know there is a place for forgiveness and restoration of relationship. Grace does not mean you are free from all consequences for your actions. Grace does mean that you can still have redemption in your life. One of the sad parts of #MeToo is that people are forever writing off the guilty. As Christians, we can tell a different story — a story of forgiveness, the gift of a new life, and a change in our hearts and attitudes. Those who have been hurt, abused, or assaulted also need to know that Jesus is there for them. He wants to heal the places in their heart and mind that have been deeply wounded by the actions of men. Men, if we want to be like Jesus, then we need to step up. Silence is not an option. These women are somebody’s daughter, sister, mother. Most importantly, they are image bearers of God. Let’s use this moment in history to write a new story of hope for our daughters, granddaughters, and for women everywhere.
/ This is a modified version of an article originally posted on Kirk’s blog. To read more blog posts visit: kirkgiles.com
MARCH / APRIL 2019 SEVEN 19
Walking Through
The Pain WATCH THE EPISODE
THISISMETV.COM
20 SEVEN MARCH / APRIL 2019
MARCH / APRIL 2019 SEVEN 21
“WE HAVE SEEN THAT ALL WE NEED TO DO IS SHOW UP AND PARTICIPATE FOR GOD TO USE US TO CARRY OUT HIS PLAN.” Jason Braam, Director of HR & Safety at Robertson Bright Inc.
Equip your team for spiritual success.
promisekeepers.ca/business
22 SEVEN MARCH / APRIL 2019
Strategic Compassion FEATURE
BY FRANK STIRK
WHERE THE GOSPEL AND ENDING POVERTY MEET MARCH / APRIL 2019 SEVEN 23
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I
n 1983, Barry Slauenwhite left the pastorate to join Compassion Canada, a global ministry that comes alongside churches overseas seeking to lift children out of poverty. Ten years later, he became its President and CEO — a position he has held for the past 25 years. That will end when he retires this coming October. The path Slauenwhite’s ministry would take was set early on. It happened during an encounter on the field with Compassion Mexico’s national director, who challenged him to see the poor as God sees them. “She put her finger right up to my face,” he recalls, “and she said, ‘Don’t you ever give up on the vision God’s planted
much more investment, particularly in building human capital, to help promote the inclusive growth it will take to reach the remaining poor. For their sake, we cannot fail.” Yet from Slauenwhite’s perspective — as he explains in his new book, Strategic Compassion — all the resources that are being poured into the fight against poverty target only its symptoms. They do not and cannot address its root cause, which is the curse of human sinfulness. “If we feed people who are hungry, that’s commendable. We cannot turn our back on those that are hungry,” he says. “If we only bring healthcare to those that are sick or education to those that are illiterate or unlearned, if we do all of those things, which are all good and admirable,
When we only see the poor as lacking possessions, then the way we try to help the poor is very ineffective. in your heart.’ Then she went on to instruct me about when we only see the poor as lacking possessions, then the way we try to help the poor is very ineffective, because we’re missing the real root cause of poverty — which is a broken and fractured relationship with their Creator.” In response, Slauenwhite promised that Jesus Christ, the only One who can restore humanity’s relationship with God, would be Compassion’s cornerstone. “It was as if I was lifted out of my body in the presence of God. I remember saying to her as if face-to-face to God, ‘You can count on that. I will never ever let Christ down.’ And so, for 35 years, that’s been my agenda—to ensure that Christ is front and centre of everything we do to help the poor.” There is no denying that humanitarian relief organizations have made significant progress since 1990 toward their common goal of all but ending extreme poverty in the world by 2030. But in recent years, that progress has slowed considerably due to the war in Syria and a population surge in sub-Saharan Africa. “Over the last 25 years, more than a billion people have lifted themselves out of extreme poverty, and the global poverty rate is now lower than it has ever been in recorded history. This is one of the greatest human achievements of our time,” Jim Yong Kim, President of the World Bank Group, told The Guardian newspaper in September. “But if we are going to end poverty by 2030, we need
but we do not introduce the equation of Jesus, then we are not addressing the heart-issue, the cause. And that’s what ends poverty.” When people hear and choose to believe the good news that Jesus brings, they receive a gift that foreign aid alone can never give them. And that’s hope. “Hope,” says Slauenwhite, “is a motivating, powerful gift. You will see these people, with the same meagre resources, making different choices and changing their environments. I firmly believe this. I have never seen a community develop. But I have seen people develop and change their communities.” Or as he writes in his book, “I am also convinced beyond a doubt that the gospel is the key to releasing children, and their families, from the chains of poverty.” Slauenwhite is not alone in making this connection. More than eight in ten of the poorest of the world’s poor, who subsist on less than a hundred dollars per person per year, live in the so-called 10/40 Window, an area of North Africa, the Middle East and Asia roughly between 10 degrees north and 40 degrees north latitude. This area is also where the majority of the people in the world live who have yet to hear the gospel. As Joshua Project, a ministry to unreached people groups, has noted, “There is a remarkable overlap between the poorest countries of the world and those that are least evangelized.”
MARCH / APRIL 2019 SEVEN 25
“I have never seen a community develop. But I have seen people develop and change their communities.” In other words, proclaiming the gospel and demonstrating it — putting it in practice through acts of compassion — are essentially two sides of the same coin. “The Bible says that we are to go into the world and we are to preach the gospel. That’s the proclamation. But the Bible also says that preaching is more than just talking. If we don’t demonstrate the gospel, our preaching is in vain,” Slauenwhite says. “Jesus’ view of people, like ours ought to be, was holistic. He saw them as spiritual, as physical, as social, and as economical. He addressed all of those needs. Why then did he feed people? It’s because they were hungry, and he loved them. But Jesus never came to earth to start a feeding program. The most important piece of that equation is the gospel. But the gospel must never stand alone.” For believers, he says, that holistic view extends to seeking to be in a right relationship not just with God but with all people. “I have a responsibility to have a relationship with my fellow man that is right. And my fellow man includes the guy at work, the guy down the street. It includes the poor in Africa, the poor in Haiti, or wherever,” says Slauenwhite. “What we have done as Christians is focus so much on that vertical rightness with God that we can be really out of place with the horizontal, the way we treat people around us. In working with the poor, I want to make sure as best I can that the people around this world that I can influence are also being helped.”
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That also means Christians in Canada who want to financially support men and women like Slauenwhite, who minister to the poor in other countries, need to show some real discernment. “Let’s have a plan. Let’s do some research,” he says. “I want to challenge every man, if you’re a Christ-follower, you are obligated to be careful to fund Kingdom activity. Don’t waste the resources you’re going to invest in the poor in humanitarian efforts. Let the non-Christians do that. There’s lots of money out there. We need to be strategic and we need to fund ministry and activity that is Kingdom-impacting.”
To hear the full interview, visit the Promise Keeper’s Canada Podcast here: www.promisekeepers.ca/podcast/ To learn more about Compassion Canada and Strategic Compassion, go to www.compassion.ca.
/ 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).
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Monitoring Check on the sites your kids are visiting. Look at the whole network or specific devices. Do it from anywhere with Internet access using any browser.
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Connectivity Keeping your kids safe is as simple as connecting to a Wi-Fi network. Using any wireless device—from computers to tablets to game consoles—you can protect your kids (and their friends) simply by connecting them to your KidsWifi network.
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SPORTS SCENE
WHO YOU’RE PLAYING FOR
THE CODY PARKEY STORY BY CARTER BROOKS
P
icture this. It’s the NFL Wild Card weekend. Your team — the 12-4 Chicago Bears — are hosting the defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles (9-7) for a chance to move on to the Divisional Round of the NFL Postseason.
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IT’S BEEN A back-and-forth game, in which you have helped mightily to contribute to your team’s score. After watching 2018 Super Bowl Most Valuable Player Nick Foles and the Eagles put together a go-ahead touchdown-scoring drive in the game’s final minute, your boys bounce back, moving the ball up field, setting the stage for an epic finish. Thanks to some crafty offence, your team has worked its way into field goal range, and you are called upon with 10 seconds left in the game. Now down 1615, and if your kick is good, you move on in the NFL Playoffs, if you miss, the season ends at that very moment. Talk about pressure! For many athletes — both amateur and professional — one’s worth is determined by the success found in those high-pressure, all-or-nothing moments. Most often it’s the glory and the achievements that are remembered. Unfortunately for then 26-year-old Chicago Bears’ kicker Cody Parkey, who did in fact find himself in that exact situation, the football did not travel through the uprights. Actually, it did. But seconds before Parkey’s first attempt from 43 yards out, Philadelphia Head Coach Doug Pederson called a timeout — a tactic commonly used to ‘ice’ a kicker just moments prior to the snap. Sure enough, the undrafted free agent signing’s first attempt sailed perfectly through the uprights, straight down the middle. The same could not be said after the two teams gathered themselves at the line of scrimmage following the Eagles’ timeout. After what looked like a nearperfect launch, the football pulled left and made direct contact with the left upright, before bouncing off the crossbar and back towards Parkey. The play was immediately dubbed the ‘double doink’ by NBC’s Cris Collingsworth, and marked down as missed field goal. The 61,500 Bears fans gathered at Soldier Field ruthlessly sent their dumbfounded kicker off the field to
a deafening chorus of boos. Parkey’s whatever reason, it hit the crossbar and name was the hottest trending item the upright, and I still couldn’t do it. I in North America for the better part of feel terrible.” two days following his miss. Amongst Interestingly enough, January’s many other online attacks, the Bears’ wild card game wasn’t even the first 6-foot, 195-pound kicker was also the time that the fourth-year player has subject of countless death threats. had to speak with reporters about the What many football fans missed accuracy of his kick. On November 11th immediately following Parkey’s kick, against the Detroit Lions, Parkey had was the fact that even though the ball two field goal attempts and two extradid not make it through the point conversions strike goalposts, and his team the uprights, resulting in I’VE GOT TO had been eliminated from zero points scored for the JUST TRUST playoff contention, the Bears — something he once IN WHAT I’M professed Christian athlete again addressed with the still lifted his hands, media. DOING AND pointed his fingers to the “This is my job, and it’s TRUST THAT heavens and looked up to what I’m supposed to do, MY LORD AND the sky, acknowledging/ but I’m missing out there,” praising the Lord for the SAVIOUR JESUS Parkey said in November. kick, regardless of the “I’ve got to just trust in what CHRIST MAKES outcome. I’m doing and trust that NO MISTAKES. After receiving consoling my Lord and Saviour Jesus hugs and taps on the helmet Christ makes no mistakes. from both teammates and opponents, For whatever reason, that was the day I Parkey made his way over to centrefield was supposed to have.” to participate in the prayer circle with One day after Parkey recorded nine team representatives from both the of the Bears’ 15 points scored in their Bears and Eagles. one-point loss to Philadelphia, the NFL Just 15 minutes after returning to announced that it had changed the the locker room, Parkey met with the ruling on Parkey’s ‘miss’ to a blocked hordes of media engulfing his stall, field goal, as video footage emerged, speaking with dignity on the game’s clearly showing Eagles’ defensive tackle final play and his teammates. Treyvon Hester getting a hand on the “There’s really no answer to it, he pigskin before it fully launched over the reflected. “I thought I hit a good ball, crowded line of scrimmage. and unfortunately I just didn’t make it; As demonstrated by Cody Parkey, I one hundred percent take that loss on in the grand scheme of life, it really me, but it is what it is. I mean the sun’s doesn’t matter if you win the game, going to shine tomorrow, and life’s or even how you play. What matters is going to go on. Every single one of my remembering who and what you are teammates said they’ve got my back playing for, how you live your life, and and that they love me, and to not let how you handle those situations of this affect me. But of course it’s going to comfortability and adversity. sting for a while.” “It’s one of the worst feelings in the world to let your team down,” / CARTER BROOKS is a news writer and Parkey continued. “I feel terrible, but sports columnist situated in Winnipeg, I’m going to continue to put things in Manitoba. On top of reading and writing, perspective. Continue to just put my coaching hockey is his favourite best foot forward and sleep at night pastime. Carter can be reached at knowing I did everything in my power carterbrooks1994@gmail.com. this week to go make that kick, and for Photos by Nam Huh and Jeff Haynes
MARCH / APRIL 2019 SEVEN 29
OUT OF MY DEPTH
RADICAL & SIMPLE JUSTICE
SCREAMING ABOUT INJUSTICE IS NOT THE SAME AS DOING JUSTLY BY PHIL WAGLER
M
y wife and I have been commiserating with others perplexed by the emerging adults we are parenting. Some of our kids have friends identifying all over the sexualityspectrum. They are social-media-ed out the wazoo. They are cultured by education and entertainment to see the seemingly hopeless plight of polar bears and tree frogs, refugees and indigenousness peoples, among other global maladies. All this angst is no aid to mental health. I also observe that the sympathy for all past and present injustices doesn’t always take seriously the shattered spiritual condition of the planet to the same degree. This is no cantankerous rant about the next gen. Their vision of this beautiful world and all that ails must be heard by their elders. I am deeply challenged by my younger friends and their experience of the world they are inheriting. In fact, some of what we hear echoes the blistering biblical prophets. Isaiah swings a proverbial 2x4 at the Israelites who are living fatly deceived. “Behold,” screams the prophet, “in the day of your fast you seek your own pleasure, and oppress all your workers…you fast only to quarrel and to fight…” (Isaiah 58:3-4). Israel’s evil is evidenced in pleasure-seeking and prosperity at the expense of others; in broken relationships and selfish tug-of-wars. This is precisely what many — both Christian and not-Christian — are
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pointing out. The Church — and we level ground before the throne of the men of Christ — must hear what the Lamb who was slain for all (Galatians Spirit is saying. Good News must be 3:28; Ephesians 2:14-21; Revelation 7:9actualized, not just verbalized. 10). God is the radical! He is leading a This is precisely where the zeal can rebellion against injustice and only as bog down. The proliferation of media we walk His way will we purposefully means the world’s problems get pushed respond to today’s injustices. to us with dings and vibrations. This Which leads to the simple: Jesus’ can overwhelm, leading to paralysis of way reduces the overwhelming to action. Liking a post does the smallest common OPINION AND not equal transformation. denominator. Love your Re-tweeting does not wives (Ephesians 5:25). EMOTION mean you are usurping the Open your life to the widow COME EASY, establishment — you may and orphan and show no BUT IN THE only be establishing your partiality between rich and own rigidness. Screaming poor in your community FACE OF THE about injustice is not (James 1:27; 2:1-7). Honour STAGGERING the same as doing justly. others above yourself, bless INJUSTICES OF those who persecute you, Living offended does not heal offense. Opinion and and serve your enemy THE WORLD, emotion come easy, but the (Romans 12:9-21). Feed the ACTION IS staggering injustices of the hungry, clothe the naked, REQUIRED. world require action. visit the prisoner as though This is where life lived you were serving Jesus with a faithful and covenant-keeping himself (Matthew 25:31-46). This is so God is radically simple. simple, everyone and any community God loves this world so much that can do it — and that’s what makes it so he not only spoke but acted to save. challenging. After all, this means it’s In Christ, God does justly and justifies about my heart and hands. It means the broken and rebellious by enduring it’s about more than re-posting and the greatest injustice — Jesus Christ, more about really living the just God with us, suffers by our hand for Kingdom of Jesus in the small but our freedom. In Christ, God reveals never insignificant geography God a Kingdom in contrast to the world’s has rooted me. political and corporate empires. His Kingdom will never end. His way turns swords into plowshares (Micah 4:3-5). His Spirit produces a new / PHIL WAGLER lives in Surrey, BC community (Acts 2:42-47). His action where he parents, disicples and seeks results in every tribe and gender on to be an ambassador of King Jesus.
LIVES WORTH LEADING
JUSTICE IN THE LAND
TO BE CHRIST-LIKE IS TO SERVE THE POOR AND OPPRESSED BY COLIN MCCARTNEY
D
oes lack
your Gospel witness power? It could be
because it’s missing a critical element — social justice. As someone once said, “People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care”. If we just tell people God loves them but don’t live out God’s love for people, then our Gospel becomes a weak, wordy message that lacks punch. Jesus packed a punch. In Luke 4: 16 - 19 we read that Jesus returned to his hometown as a guest Rabbi in his Synagogue. While there, He was handed the Scripture in which He read from Isaiah 61 and claimed He is the fulfilment of this Scripture. This is what he read: “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” It’s interesting to note that the above Scripture describes Jesus’ mission as words and actions that proclaimed favour for a unique population group — the poor. This is important, as many of the people who heard Jesus speak were poor. You see, the blind in Jesus day were poor. All throughout the Gospels you read about the blind begging for money. When Jesus says He is sent to proclaim freedom for prisoners, He is pointing to the poor who were in debtors’ prison for being unable to pay taxes. Israel was an agrarian culture, and the way people survived was through having
land to grow and sell crops, cattle, injustice — every 50 years all land must etc. In Jesus' day, both the corrupted be given back to its rightful owners, religion with its Temple tax and the and all debts were to be forgiven. What conquering Romans with their tax a great law for the poor! It’s restorative forced many Israelites to sell their land justice, and this is what Jesus says His to rich aristocrats in order to have the mission is all about — justice in the land. money to pay these high taxes. The rich I was preaching on this recently landowners would hire the previous at a First Nations church. When I told owners to work their land at low pay. them about the Jubilee year and how Eventually, these workers could no the owners of the land were to get it longer afford the yearly taxes, and back, they rejoiced and danced in the they would be forced to sell aisles! It was very moving IF JESUS IS their children off as slaves to to see how people, who have work the land. In time, when experienced the injustice of ALL ABOUT the taxes swallowed up the their land being stolen away THE POOR AND from them, moved to tears money they made for selling OPPRESSED, their children, they would be knowing that God is for thrown into debtors’ prison them, because God is a God THEN for not paying taxes. So, the of justice. And, so too, must SHOULDN’T prisoners in this passage we be people of justice. WE? are the poor. The oppressed Jesus identifies Himself that were to be set free are as the fulfilment of this all those who suffer under this horrible Isaiah passage. It is what Jesus is all unjust system. Yet, Jesus is saying that about. And I am convicted by this He has come to proclaim God’s favour truth. If Jesus is all about the poor and for them all — the poor and oppressed. oppressed, then shouldn’t we? If we The Bible teaches us that there was are to be “Christ — like” and if we are to a day called the “year of the Lord’s follow Jesus, then shouldn’t we also be favour” known as the “year of Jubilee”. all about the poor and oppressed? We read about this in Leviticus 25 that every 50th year was to be a “year of Jubilee” (the “year of the Lord’s / COLIN MCCARTNEY is an ordained favour”) in which those who lost their minister, speaker, and a bestselling land were to get it back, and those in author. He is also the founder of debtors’ prison were to have their UrbanPromise Toronto and now leads debts forgiven. God made this law Connect Ministries in Toronto where he, because He knew that unjust systems his wife Judith, and their two children would take place in the promised land reside. For information in booking Colin due to the state of sinful man, so He as a speaker, please visit devised a plan that would counter www.connectministries.org.
MARCH / APRIL 2019 SEVEN 31
NO MAN IS AN ISLAND
DRESS FOR THE WEATHER
PREPARING CHILDREN FOR A BROKEN WORLD BY NEIL JOSEPHSON
I
grew up on the Canadian prairies. That means I was bitten by a million mosquitoes, learned how to skate before I was in kindergarten, and watched in silent awe as the northern lights danced in the sky. It also means I learned how to dress for the weather. Unless you wanted to stay inside for months at a time, you just put on the right clothes for the weather and launched out. There is wisdom here for all of us who are trying to raise children (or grandchildren) in this beautiful, stormy, wonderful, frightening world. Dress them for the weather. In the face of an ever-growing list of complex moral and social issues, the temptation is to keep the kids indoors and never let them out, so to speak. But we can’t shield our children from everything forever, nor can we give them enough specific instruction to address every choice and situation they will ever face. We can, however, dress our children for the weather — in fact we must. That’s what Jesus did on the last night He spent with His disciples before His crucifixion. He prepared them to live well even without Him. Here are four crucial messages we must impart in order to prepare our children to follow Jesus in complicated times:
BE REALISTIC ABOUT THE WORLD BUT NOT FEARFUL. The night He was betrayed, on the eve of His crucifixion, Jesus said to His disciples. “In this world you will have troubles of all kinds, but take heart (or fear not), for I have overcome the world”
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(John 16:33). When our children are old enough to know that there are things broken in our world, we must help them understand that all of us are capable of doing things that hurt others and break God’s heart but that God still loves us, God is still in control, God is with us in every circumstance, and that we can trust Him. Let’s teach it. Even more, let’s model real faith rather than fear. Fear is contagious, but so is faith.
PRAY FOR YOUR CHILDREN LIKE JESUS DID. When He prayed for his disciples, Jesus asked His Father not to isolate them from the world but to keep them safe (John 17:15). I must confess that I have often prayed like this for my children — “don’t let any hard thing come to them, no disappointment, no rejection, no failure, no difficult choices” — but I wonder if that is just praying for them to be soft and comfortable rather than strong and courageous. In our prayers and in our actions, let us not try to shield our loved ones from the work of God in their lives, even if it means difficulty for a season. Let’s pray instead that God will use them to bring honour to Him and bless the world.
TEACH THEM TO UNDERSTAND AND APPLY GOD’S WORD. Jesus prayed for His disciples, asking God to, “Set them apart in the truth; your word is truth.” (John 17:17). There are some scriptural truths we must teach early and consistently to our children if we are to dress them for the weather. Genesis 1:1. This world and everything
in it exists by the design and will of God, including humans who bear His image. This conviction shapes our thinking and will shape our child’s thinking at the root level on questions of racism, sexism, wealth and poverty, crime and punishment, gender and sexuality, how we steward the planet, how we treat the pre-born, the elderly and the disabled. It changes everything. John 3:16. God sent His son Jesus to reconcile every person to God and to create one Body of believers. Children who grow up believing that God’s grace and love is for them and for every person who puts their faith in Jesus, will live in hope and will rise above the frictions and factions in the Church and in our world. When I lived on the prairies, many times I returned home from sledding or skating or delivering newspapers, and I was chilled, my skin was tingling, my fingers and toes were numb. I was not immune to the weather, but I survived and even thrived because I was dressed for it. Let’s do all we can to help our children (and grandchildren) thrive. Let’s dress them for the weather.
/ NEIL JOSEPHSON is the National Director with FamilyLife Canada.Neil, together with his wife Sharol, lead FamilyLife Canada. Neil loves to learn, teach and write about anything related to marriage, family and Christian discipleship. Married since 1978, Neil and Sharol have two great sons, two awesome daugther-in-laws and four of the sweetest grandchildren ever.
MUSIC REVIEWS
I KNOW A GHOST CROWDER (Capitol Christian Music)
ONLY JESUS CASTING CROWNS (Provident Label Group)
NATIVE TONGUE SWITCHFOOT (Fantasy Records)
/ I LOVE DAVID CROWDER'S way of erasing "Christianese" by framing old truths in surprising ways. It’s no different on his latest, I Know a Ghost. On ‘Ghost’ he speaks of the Holy Spirit, “His ghost is inside me/A holy fire burning wildly/ Burning through the things/That need to be erased/To liberate my soul.” Likewise, his music is inventive, mixing the twang of a bayou jam session on the back porch with the heights of sweeping orchestral arrangements and the bleeding edge of synth loops and swagger of rap and R&B. The craftsmanship and dexterity never ceases to amaze from track to track. One minute you're listening to a heavily distorted
R&B track, the next you'll hear a chanting choir, the next something else. I haven’t even committed a paragraph yet to his poignant folk side. The album simply defies genres and easy categorization. Overall, I Know a Ghost carries a theme of God's crushing victory over sin and death, and the call to live like liberated slaves won back from the grave. As he sings, "We're not afraid/A promise of God can never be torn away/Walking on hands of angels, crushing snakes." Crowder is refreshing as an artist and a prophet, preaching with an undeniable passion and power. Essential listening.
/ CCM MAINSTAYS CASTING CROWNS, led by singer Mark Hall since the band's founding in 1999, has released their 12th album, Only Jesus. Standout track 'Nobody' has a great Sunday morning choir vibe with Hall even passing a verse or two to Matthew West. There's some simple, yet powerful lyrics here, "Moses had stage fright/And David brought a rock to a sword fight/You picked twelve outsiders nobody would've chosen/And You changed the world." It's easy to assume a CCM band that's been hitting the top of the charts for 40 years would be going through the motions or falling back on
old rhythms. Instead, the title track hits with a familiar but heavy gut-punch. "I don't want to leave a legacy/I don't care if they remember me/Only Jesus." It's a lesson only a band that's achieved every dream and sales milestone could learn, that romanticizing the act of chasing our dreams is worthless unless people are encountered with Jesus rather than your work. Overall, Casting Crowns must not be written off as having nothing new to say, if anything their experience and time in the spotlight has made them wiser and honed an even more elegant production.
/ THE PERENNIAL SURFER/ROCKERS led by the auteur poet, Jon Foreman, have always been able to tap into the current cultural zeitgeist and their latest album is no different. Native Tongue speaks to the swelling frustration over the division dominating our culture and desperately seeks connection through universal human needs, as Foreman sings on the title track, "Love is our native tongue." Aged and wiser, the album feels more pensive overall. There is a real suffering here that the group allows themselves to feel; the brooding gloom that dominates the news, but letting that experience morph into the timid question, “Do we matter?"
On 'All I Need' Foreman sings, "So love sing to me gentle/That I'm more than just accidental." Suffering is again felt head on 'Joy Invincible’, a classic Switchfoot pop ballad; palatable and deeply poetic so as to make it standout from the secular pack, reminiscent of their early breakout hits. "Everything fell to pieces/When my eyes met yours/In that hospital gown." "If only life didn't need us to be this brave," he sings. Things crescendo thematically with 'Prodigal Soul,' "How far do I have to go to realize/What I know already/ I am Yours and Yours alone/ Forgive me for my wandering on my own."
/ STEVEN SUKKAU works in radio on the prairies of Southern Manitoba.
MARCH / APRIL 2019 SEVEN 33
POWER PLAY
TOYS / TOOLS / TECHNOLOGY FROM HERE TO THERE AND FUN ALONG THE WAY BY SANDY MCMURRAY
BOSE FRAMES
// bose.com Bose Frames look like traditional sunglasses, but they do more than block the sun and make you look cool. When you turn them on, these glasses will connect to your phone and web-based audio, just like headphones. Frames take micro-acoustics and voice control to a new level. They can stream music and information, take and make calls, and access virtual assistants, while keeping your playlists, entertainment, and conversations private. Frames are scratch and shatter resistant, and weigh just 45 grams. They are shaped, fit, and feel like the world’s most popular brands of premium sunglasses. A tiny acoustic package is set into each arm to produce a premium audio experience that only you can hear. A microphone and multi-function button are embedded on the right temple for power and pairing, Siri and Google Assistant, calls and commands, or to pause and skip songs. Bose Frames use a lithium battery with an average playback time of about 3.5 hours. A set of Frames sells for about $250.
34 SEVEN MARCH / APRIL 2019
AMISH POPCORN LIBRARY
// williams-sonoma.com Hot buttered popcorn is not just for the movies. It's a delicious simple snack that's perfect on cold winter nights. If you're used to microwave popcorn you owe it to yourself to try the slow cook method, on a hot stove or a fire, in a pot or a hand-cranked popcorn maker. As for kernels - Williams Sonoma sells the Amish Popcorn Library — a deluxe set of 12 different varieties of popping corn. Each one is all natural, GMO-free, and guaranteed to pop into fluffy, tender-crisp kernels with rich, satisfying flavor. The Amish Popcorn Library sells for about $40. Pair with the hand-cranked popcorn maker from sgw.ca for delicious home-popped snacks.
CARVE — A SIMPLE GUIDE TO WHITTLING
// amazon.ca
Winter in Canada can feel like a long, dark hibernation. Sure, there are great things about winter, like skating and skiing, curling and hot chocolate. But the nights are long, and it's easy to go stir crazy if you don't have something to do. This time of year is great for reading, board games, and indoor hobbies. Carve by Melanie Abrantes is an introduction to whittling. The book introduces you to tools and techniques needed to for basic wood working. It turns out you don't have to be a grizzled prospector to enjoy making useful things out of wood. This thoughtful hobby has helped generations of whittlers to slow down, relax, and connect with the outdoors. Carve presents a dozen small projects to get you started with whittling. You will learn to choose the right wood and the right knife for the job, and the safety tips you need to be a responsible whittler. Winter nights are here. Use this time to slow down, learn a new skill, and make something beautiful and useful.
EXTREMELY STICKY
// post-it.com/extreme Post-It notes are handy in the office, where they stick to paper, plastic and glass. Unfortunately, they don't work on every surface. Construction sites, for example, usually have penciled notes on wood boards, steel, or concrete blocks. Post-It Extreme Notes are made of stronger stuff. They're designed for communication in tough conditions, both indoors and outdoors. Made with dura-hold paper and the strongest adhesive ever used on a Post-It, Extreme notes are made for surfaces like concrete, tile, brick, and raw or painted wood. Through rain, wind, and extreme temperatures, your notes will stay stuck and stand out. The familiar 3" x 3" pads are available in orange, green, yellow, and mint in packs of 12, 24, or 48.
LIGHT THERAPY VISOR
// hammacher.com
What's the best way to get more sunlight in winter? Sure, you could buy a sunlamp for every room, but who can afford that? Obviously, it makes more sense to get a portable lamp you can wear. On your head. The Light Therapy Visor from Hammacher is the perfect solution. It goes with you, wherever you go. The visor emits safe rays of therapeutic light, precisely aimed to land on the lower retina. It's like looking at a blue sky, without the harmful effects of ultra violet or infrared light. The rechargeable battery provides more than 3 hours of light therapy on a single charge. The light therapy visor will set you back about $200.
VECTOR HOME ROBOT
// anki.com Vector is a friendly toy robot with a lot of personality. His expressive electronic face blinks, frowns, and looks surprised, depending on the situation. Vector scoots around like a little tractor, navigating around obstacles using a built-in camera, four microphones, and sophisticated artificial intelligence. He has touch sensors and an accelerometer so he knows when he’s being touched and moved. You can pet him and he’ll relax, but try not to shake him. Anki, the company behind Vector, describes Vector as a robot sidekick — "curious, independent, and powered by some preposterous tech and AI." He can tell you the weather, answer questions, and talk back to you. If there's a loud noise, he’s just as startled as you are. When his batteries are low, he drives back to his charging station and goes to sleep. Science fiction is filled with evil robots that threaten human existence. Vector is a fun, friendly robot you will want to invite into your home. If you've ever considered getting a so-called smart speaker like Alexa or Google Home, check out Vector instead. He's cute, he's funny, and he will probably be on your side when the robot revolution comes. Vector sells for about $250.
36 SEVEN MARCH / APRIL 2019
TICKET TO RIDE
// daysofwonder.com Tired of Monopoly? There are lots of other options in the next generation of family board games. One great example is Ticket to Ride, a competitive building game with a railroad theme. Players take turns collecting coloured cards and playing them to claim train routes between cities. Each completed route counts for points, and the player that builds the most routes wins. The basic game is easy to learn and repeated play is rewarding as you learn the strategies required to become an expert. The high quality game pieces, board, and cards are beautifully designed and colourful. Ticket to Ride is fun for players of all ages. An average game takes 30-60 minutes. The only problem is having that Beatles song stuck in your head. Ticket to Ride sells for about $50.
ROTOWIPE
// pranko.com Finally, here's a gag gift that combines the sophistication of bathroom humour with the functionality of an empty box. Roto Wipe is the perfect gift for anyone who is easily offended or who loves dumb jokes. It's not a real product, thank goodness, but the box really exists, and you can really buy it. Pranko, the company behind the Roto Wipe, just sells boxes. Each one is designed to look like a different terrible gift. The idea is to put your real gift inside the fake box, then watch as the victim tries not to express their feelings about getting a butt wiping machine for their birthday or anniversary. Each Pranko box has great text descriptions and photos designed to make you believe the fake product is real. You can get these real fake gift boxes from pranko.com for about $7 plus shipping.
/ SANDY MCMURRAY writes about games, toys, and gadgets at funspot.ca.
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community a better place. Next issue we honour and take inspiration from their stories of ordinary people becoming unlikely heroes. 38 SEVEN MARCH / APRIL 2019
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