What's Playing...

Here are a few tunes that I've been enjoying lately.

What are you listening to these days?

Easter Randomness...

Lacking any ability to provide you with depth or thoughtful provocation, here are my random musings from the Easter weekend thus far:

• With the sunshine comes more house showings...yet we still lack an offer.
• For a good Friday service, playing "Nothing But the Blood" to the tune of Dave Matthews Band's "Crash Into Me" should not be considered creative. Nor should it ever be done publicly. (And this is from a DMB fan.)
• My sunglasses have wandered away. I've searched everything twice. I will likely find them sometime after I purchase a new pair or after the sun disappears.
• What is the deal with Easter hats?
• Is it "paska" or "pascha"?
• Anyone want to watch "Close Encounters of a Third Kind"?
• I gain great joy from watching Man City implode as they chase United for the title. We are now 8 points clear with 6 games remaining. At one point we were 8 points behind them I believe.
• I must write 5+ pages tomorrow.

Convenience trumps theology...

I cannot remember the context of the conversation, but one little off-the-cuff remark during a class has been constantly replaying in my head.

"Today, convenience tends to trump theology."

It makes me start to wonder about what parts of my faith are driven more by what's convenient to me rather than my theology. Maybe it's due to under developed theology. Maybe it's my upbringing. Maybe Hollywood did it. Maybe it's a little bit of everything.

• We want a church service time that works best for us.
• We want an environment that makes us comfortable.
• We want small group on nights that work around our other events.
• We read our Bibles when we have extra time.
• We eat crackers and drink a thimble of grape juice for Communion.

Can you add to the list?

The obvious question I'm left with is whether it is even possible for many of us who have been become convenience addicts to become more theologically minded when it comes to faith and life?

I'm not convinced that following Jesus was meant to be convenient. (Even though I must admit that I would like it to be.)

But I have a strong suspicion that a convenient faith actually does serious damage to the ability to have faith. 

Maybe convenience has done more harm to the church than we thought it would?

Goodbye CD...

While driving the other day it dawned on me that I can hardly recall the last CD I actually purchased in its entirety. I know I received a couple live Dave Matthews Band CD's at Christmas, but I don't remember when I bought one on my own.

Does anyone, besides my brother-in-law, still buy CD's anymore?

What was the last full CD you bought?

I like TV...

I dislike commercials. They eat up too much time. When you consider the fact that a 30 minute time slot only contains 22 minutes of show time and a 60 minute time slot will contain only 42 minutes, it's obvious that be removing the commercials one could actually watch more TV and thus be more productive.

And by "more productive", I really should add the phrase "at watching more episodes of select TV shows."

As such I rarely watch live TV unless it is for sports or just having some background noise. For the most part TV viewing in our house comes in 3 forms:

• Internet - There are countless websites that will provide TV for free via downloads or online viewing. Some provide better quality than others, but for the most part if you know which rocks to look under, you can find most shows on the web.
• DVR - Record it and watch it later. I have even been known to record my favorite sports teams in action so that I can actually get a few more hours of sleep on a weekend. (Some will question whether I am a true fan, but I state I'm a better fan when I'm not grouchy because I've lost precious sleep.)
• Library - So much stuff for free! The major drawback to this system is that most shows have a waiting list that puts you under a time constraint for actually viewing the whole season. With some proper time management (otherwise known as procrastinating things that you should actually be getting done) you can overcome this complication.

I'll highlight just a few of the shows that have received my viewing attention as of late. I'll make the obvious disclaimer that not all of the shows on this list are, um, family friendly. Don't judge me too harshly.

• Justified - This is hands down my favorite show of the past couple of years. A US marshal returns to his hometown in Kentucky to battle the redneck criminals. (This is a gross simplification of a fairly elaborate and draw out storyline.) If I had to recommend one hour long show for you to watch, it would be this one.
• Community - Funniest. Show. On. TV. Witty, original and always good for some classic pop culture references.
• The Walking Dead - Zombie survival story. How can you go wrong?
• Miranda - A little British comedy of a woman awkwardly looking for love.
• The Killing - A remake of a Danish show, this dark crime drama based in Seattle is an attempt to uncover the complex back story of a recent murder. Season 2 starts next month.
• Whitechapel - A 3 episode British show about the hunt for a Jack the Ripper copycat killer. I just realized this was only season 1 of 3. Back to the library...
• How I Met Your Mother - This show has been a staple for us but I admit I'm growing restless with their inability to actually progress with the overall storyline. I think they are past due to introduce the actual "mother".

Youth Pastor Hypocrite...

One of the questions I'm in the process of asking myself is whether my next ministry position will be with students. I've been a professional youth pastor for almost 12 years and I have immensely enjoyed it. It has brought me great joy. It has challenged me. It has helped me develop as a leader. There never seems to be a dull moment. There is so much to love about what I have been able to do.

But I now find myself asking if it is time for a change.

Aside from a brief dream of working behind the camera in the film industry, I have not imagined doing anything aside from student ministry. A few years ago I was approached by a church who wanted to bring me on staff in a role focused on worship and arts. I was promptly made aware that I was not being released from student ministry. I didn't feel like I was "done".

I was the guy who said he was a lifer. I gave my buddies a hard time when they moved on from working with students and started taking on different church leadership roles. I cringed every time one more youth pastor jumped ships to the higher paying, more respectable roles of "anything but youth" pastor.

And now I feel like a hypocrite.

I have friends encouraging me to stick it out. They say that I have much to still offer the student ministry world.

I have other friends encouraging me to try a new role because of what they see in me. They think I'm capable of something different.

Now that I find myself in a perpetual state of limbo (oh the joys of being a student) I thought I would spend some time trying to figure out which direction I would go. I have yet to figure out the answer yet. In fact, it's very hard for me to contemplate life outside of student ministry. But at least I'm asking questions like this:

• Where will I grow the most?
• Am I doing what's easy and comfortable?
• What have I been hardwired for?
• What's the best fit for my family?

 Anything else you think I should be asking myself?

The Numbers...

Summing up life by the numbers:

35 days of unemployment

2,548 pages read.

12,210 words typed.

3 papers aced. (Pause to pat myself on the back because I have NEVER done that before!)

2 classes.

15 days away from home.

3 Provinces traveled.

2 for 9 on Roll up The Rim.

3 movies watched.

1 TV series completed.

First Day at a New School...

School was never difficult for me.

Actually, the social part of school was never too difficult for me. The grades took a little work, especially since I suffer from an almost fatal case of procrastination.

Either way I've been on campus for the first class in my MDiv studies for a grand total of 2 days and here are a few observations I have made.

1. Coming in halfway through a semester, even though it's a modular format) is a relational disadvantage. So many people already know each other. I feel like I'm trying to play catch up with learning names and who does what and has worked where and has how many kids.
2. Being away from family is not fun. I love my family and I love having them around. I would joke about how loud it could get around the house when the kids would have friends over while I was trying to study, but I'd give up my WiFi access for it right now.
3. Speaking of WiFi, I had to sell my soul for a week of access to use it here. And the house I'm staying at can't even get high speed, so they are still on dial up. And the Starbucks in Moose Jaw doesn't have it. What's up with that Saskatchewan?!?!
4. The library frightens me. Seriously, I'm always afraid I will walk through the doors and get looked at funny or get lost in the stacks.
5. College students are still college students. I'm sitting in the cafe right now and I've been privy to some very humorous interactions. And I am trying not to eavesdrop on a pretty important student council conversation right now.

Almost time to change the scenery and head for the silent basement suite.

What I Will Miss Most...

I've had a few people ask me what I will miss most about leaving Sevenoaks and taking a break from full time ministry. So now for your reading pleasure, here are a few things I will miss. It's not exhaustive, so please don't judge me.

People

I'm going to miss seeing my friends each week. I'll miss the staff. I'll miss the youth leaders. I'll miss the students. This list could go on for a long time. But I know relationships will look a little different now that I won't be seeing all these familiar faces each and every week.

Preaching

The fact that a group of people will let me talk at/to them for a determined amount of time about what I've been learning from God and scripture is a privilege I do not take lightly. I have enjoyed being able to develop my skills. I have enjoyed learning and growing. I have enjoyed hearing people talk about how they are learning and growing based on what they have heard. Not knowing when the next sermon is looming will be a strange feeling.

Music

I have had the opportunity to play/sing alongside some extremely talented individuals during my years here. We're talking about people that could, and probably should, be making money with their skills. I always feel like such an amateur when I get to be around them, but I love the time we've had together. I will miss the Thursday night practices. I will miss the early Sunday morning rehearsals. I will miss the pre-service Tim Horton's coffee. And I will miss the creative and musical freedom we have had. I know that not every church provides that.

My office

I have a massive office that I enjoyed spending time in. Sure it was a little messy, but I found it easy to work in my office and get things done. I'm going to miss having my own office space. And I will certainly miss the shelving. Right now the storage room is full of boxes.

Getting Paid to Do What I Love

This may sound so shallow, but it's true. Many times over the years I've stopped and thought to myself, "Somebody is paying me to do this?!?!" I've probably taken this for granted too. Shifting to life as a student for a while is probably going to highlight this fact.

One Week...

One week from now I enter the world of unemployed student. I have yet to pack any boxes in my office. My desk is still a disaster. My computer desktop is still cluttered. The only hint that something is slightly askew is the pile of empty boxes.

I still remember getting that email in January stating:

I am pleased to inform you of your ACCEPTANCE into the Masters of Divinity: Youth and Family Ministry Program, congratulations!

I honestly did a little dance of joy in the living room. 

I tried to do this once before. It was after my first ministry experience. But I kind of got sidetracked by one phone call that came completely out of the blue. I ended up completing one class before I started my time here on staff.

So, now I'll try again. And since that email on January 20th life has been a blur.

I vaguely remember college being full of late nights, time with friends, soccer, and completing most of my assignments in the early morning hours before the due date.

I suspect that this will be different.

Trying to get everything in one area of life wrapped up while simultaneously trying to get everything in another area of life started is a bizarre experience. I had once hoped that I could maybe take a little time after my last day to catch my breath, but as they say "Life is what happens when you're making other plans"...or something like that.

With that said, I am as convinced now as I was in October that this is the right thing to do.

And now I will get back to the list of 1001 things that need to be completed in a week.

A long walk...

The left coast obviously doesn't get much snow. And every time the fluffy white stuff falls from the heavens I find some minor entertainment in watching how the entire Lower Mainland deals with it. Here are my observations from our most recent wintery adventure.

Cool Truck Guy

Yes, I can see your truck. Everyone can see your truck. I'm fairly certain it can be seen from space with the naked eye. It is big and impressive looking and all of the rest of us half-lifes bow in awe. We are well aware that your tires, which are larger than our cars, will not be held back by any road conditions. But last I checked honking your horn at me will not cause the vehicle currently stopped in front of me to magically float up into the heavens and clear a path for you.

Minivan Mom

Yes, it is definitely a good idea for you to not brush the snow of your windows. Yes, you will make it up that hill that everyone else is failing to advance on. Yes, you have the inner conviction that is stronger than the other 3 vehicles that are presently turning around. Yes, if you apply more pressure to your gas pedal when attempting  to climb that hill you will make it. What? You didn't make it? Oops. My bad.

Snow Chains

I can't remember ever seeing a snow chain in all my Prairie days. And I know full well that we don't have to contend with all the hills, so I will concede that fact. But here it seems like the magic solution to moving a vehicle is to just put the chains on. Stuck on a hill? Put chains on. Driving across town? Put the chains on. Only 1 inch of snow? Put the chains on. I kid you not, two years ago I saw someone driving around town on snow-free roads with chains on! That being said, if I get stuck at the bottom of the mountain, I'll be wishing I I had chains.

Facebook

Is it really snowing?!?!

Kids

If you can convince your parents to keep you home from school, then you rule!

Parents

If you keep your kids home from school, then you also rule! But just admit it. It's not for their personal safety. You just want to play in the snow. How do I know? Because that's where I would rather be! And I'm looking forward to getting home and snow-suiting it up.

Watch this...

An old soccer teammate from my college days posted a link to this video on Facebook and it was too good not to share.

More Surfing Videos

The Irresistible Church (Review)...

Can I admit that I have developed some terrible reading habits? In reality I could probably say that I have just failed to develop proper reading habits, but either way the end result is that I get a book, read a chapter or two and then it spends an inordinate amount of time on the bookshelf until I remember it is there.

This is one book that broke the pattern, mostly due to it's alignment with a teaching series we were working on at church, but also due to the fact that once I started reading it grabbed my attention. In the end I ended up reading the book fairly quickly (by my standards) and our pastoral team used the book as one of our references for a teaching series last fall.

The Irresistible Church has a slightly misleading title as one begins to think this is a book about how you can make your church irresistible to people. I admit to thinking that this was going to be another book telling me how to "do church properly" and what our church could do to attract more people to it.

Instead this was a book focused on what character traits churches should foster so they can create a place where God would want to show up and do His thing each week. It is not just for the sake of making your church the next big draw in town and getting people into the pews, but rather for preparing your church to get out into the world and make a difference for Jesus. Wayne Cordeiro says it best with this statement:

"The point of an irresistible church is never to simply see its members attend church each week and then do nothing.  It's to attend, be equipped, and then go out and live purposeful lives for God. A church must be a place where disciples gather--and then scatter." (pg 22)

Cordeiro has a very straight forward style of writing in which he can clearly articulate with an apparent level of humility what he has learned over he 30 plus years in ministry. He never comes across condescending or arrogant and His personal stories of how he has come to discover that each trait is important shows a man who is letting God do a work in Him. I never once felt like I was being berated into some gimmicky quick fix. Instead I felt genuine words of compassion with some very straight forward action statements like "seek the presence of God".

This book speaks a great deal about what should ultimately be the heartbeat of the church. He paints a picture of a church that actually hungers for God's presence, a church that places a priority on people and relationships, a church that is committed to learning and a church that actually takes the time to come up with a plan. A healthy mix of heart and practicality.

I enjoyed this book and found it was an inspiring read that had me identifying with the picture he was painting and thinking to myself, "I'd love to be a part of a church like that!"

FYI, I had previously read Cordeiro's "Leading on Empty" and enjoyed it a great deal.  I think it's a book that every pastor should read!

***Book has been provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc. Available at your favourite bookseller from Bethany House, a division of Baker Publishing Group

Don't cry...

I held the front door to the church open as the older gentleman stepped out of the car and made his way into the building.

"Good afternoon. How are you?", I inquired as we shook hands.

The hand shake was a long one as he carefully chose his words.

I watched his eyes slowly fill with tears.

"Fine," he said. "But we are sad that you are leaving us. We appreciate you."

And with that he carried on his way as I went on mine.

.......................

I'm kind of gutted from that. It hurts to know my leaving causes tears.

Feeling loved...

I try to remind my students each week that they are loved.  It seems to be sinking in because they are returning the message.  This note was floating around yesterday in the mailboxes of the rest of the pastoral staff...

 

Student Ministry Christmas...

At Christmas we hit the brakes with our student ministry. We give everyone three solid weeks off. No midweek Bible studies, no big events, no New Year's lock-in, no small groups. Nothing.

Personally, I have never been a fan of cramming more events into the Christmas season for our students and their families. It is already busy enough. Christmas concerts, work parties, traveling, family shindigs, exams, longer work schedules, shopping trips...do I need to go on?

I also believe that the break is healthy for us, and here are the main reasons:

It allows our leaders to rest.

Our leadership team works their collective butts off week in and week out. They show up early, they stay late. They lead small groups. They go for coffee. And this is all in the midst of their own lives of classes, homework, jobs and relationships. One way I can say I'm thankful for them is to give them some time off.

It builds excitement for the new year.

Isn't there a saying that "absence makes the heart grow fonder?"

It's a lot like summer vacation when you were in school. You were always happy to have a break, but usually at some point you actually looked forward to getting back to school so you could be around all your friends again. Our break gives us all that more excitement when the New Year finally lands. Instead of being in a rut from routine, we are looking forward to being together again.

It gives me more time.

Believe it or not, I gain from this too. And I'm not ashamed to admit it. I get a few more office hours to get ahead on planning for the upcoming year. I have space to grab coffee and lunch with people. And I get a few extra nights at home with my family. It's not like I'm overworked with my hours. My church has been great about that. But it's still a nice change of pace to be able to be home for a Monday or Wednesday evening.

I always imagined that a decision like this would be met with concerns from parents and students.  But I have never received much in the way of push back the decision we have made, which leads me to believe that this might be healthy for everyone.

(I imagine I'll get an email about it this year now that I've written this...)

Cello...

Just watch.  And stick around for the part where Darth Vader plays the accordion.  Seriously.

Questions About Resignation...

Here are a few of the FAQ's that have been asked since my resignation was made public:

How long have you known?

This is not a decision made overnight and it's been in the works for some time.  But I can say that we committed to it on October 29th. My lead and exec pastors were informed after a staff meeting on November 1st. The rest of the pastoral team found out 2 days later. And then it was all a matter of timing about when the news went public on a bigger scale.

Why February 15th?
There's a few reasons for this. First, it will mark 6 years for me here at Sevenoaks.Second, who wants to be saying a bunch of goodbyes during the Christmas season? Nobody. It will give us lots of time once the Christmas season is over to say goodbye and to make sure we have everything in place for our students & leaders before we leave.

Will you reconsider or change your mind?

I'm amazed how many people wonder if we will change our mind. I'll take it as a compliment. But no, we're not looking at changing our mind on this one. Six figures might get us to consider it though. Just kidding! (Or am I?)

(I hope it's not too soon to joke a little about this...)

What will you do next?

I'm not 100% sure, which is a little frightening. I have a packet full of MDiv details to wade through this week.  Maybe that. Or maybe start looking for a new ministry position. I did hear of an opening in Hawaii...

Will you still be a youth pastor?

I don't know. This is one of the questions I have about my own ministry fit.  I've been working full time with students for almost 11 years. I have not just enjoyed it, I have loved it. I could probably do it again. But I'm not convinced that God isn't going to lead me to do something else. Why?  Youth ministry is safe for me. I know how to "do the job" and I have been led to believe that I can do a good job at it. But I also feel God may want me to take on something else so that He can continue to shape me and so that I can increase my ability to trust Him and rely on Him. This is something where I feel I need to at least ask some of the big questions before I jump straight into a new youth ministry position. That said, if God says to keep working with students, I will.

Are you moving?

Most likely.  We're just not sure when. Our house is up for sale, but believe it or not that is currently unrelated to our resignation. For now, even if the house sells, our plan is to remain in Abbotsford for the remainder of the school year as Erin and the kids need to finish out the school year. Where we end up after that is a complete unknown.

Will you still attend church here?

As of Feb 15 we will be taking some time off. I feel it is important, as much for me as for everyone else, to create some space. We don't expect to be strangers though. Our hope is to be able to visit in the future!  And the loving and affirming responses we are receiving from everyone lead us to believe this won't e a problem.


Will the church hire a replacement?
That will be a decision that is up to the board of elders. I would guess that they would probably try to hire someone at some point. But your guess is as good as mine as to when or how that will happen. 




If you have another question, fire away and I will try to answer it if I can.

Resignation...

I'll try not to be cliche with this.

It's been a crazy couple weeks...

I don't know how to put into words...

There are so many emotions...

(I think cliches may actually fit.)

I'll get to the point.  I have officially resigned as Pastor of Student Ministries at Sevenoaks.

The last few years have been particularly difficult and I find myself weary and worn out.  I also find myself having questions about my own ministry fit here.  I could probably write separate posts about each of those facts (and maybe I should), but let it suffice to say that it has become clear that this is a chapter of life and ministry that needs to come to a close.

We will be on staff until February 15 which will give us plenty of time to enjoy Christmas without having to say too many goodbyes.  It will also give us plenty of time in the New Year to get things in order for the student ministry  to transition as smoothly as possible after our departure.

This shouldn't be too difficult since our volunteer youth leaders are solid gold.  They are very good at what they do and I think they have everything they need in order to continue on long after I step away.

What's next?  At this stage we are still trying to figure that out.  I have a few ideas bouncing around in my head.  I'm asking some questions.  I'm looking for answers.  And I'm just trying to listen carefully.  I'll probably be a bit more proactive about this in the weeks to come as the news starts to settle down a bit.

I don't feel as though God has not released me from my calling to full time ministry.  I don't feel like He is asking me to start cutting lawns (at least not yet).  But I do feel like He might have something different for me.  I won't lie.  I'm a little nervous.  But I'm confident that this is the step that needs to be made.

Reviewing The Voice...

I've had a copy of The Voice sitting on my shelf for long enough that I had almost forgotten about it.  As a Pastor to students I am often on the lookout for Bible translations that will help engage students in the Word of God.  I'm not keen on the gimmicky nature of many of these "translations" that in reality do nothing more than just try to make the Bible look like it belongs on the shelf of the local 7-11.

The Voice at first glance doesn't seem quite as gimmicky.  They pride themselves on bringing together voices of scholars, artists, pastors and writers to provide a fresh translation. They attempt to set up the New Testament to read a little more like a drama script while adding boxes of subtext to further explain the content in a particular passage of Scripture.

 For the most part it reads as a hipper, less gimmicky translation for artists.  I didn't find much by way of content (it seems a little strange writing that about the Bible, but I'm actually talking about the extra-Biblical content here) that had me struggling with what they were doing.  I'm sure that some people would read it and love it and engage with it.  But I have yet to find myself in a position where I was suggesting that one of my students pick a copy up.

*Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze.com  book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive or negative review. The opinions I have expressed are my own and may not be all that good.  Take it for what it's worth...