I will be preaching on this subject over the next few weeks, but I am trying to draw some lessons from the recession and what it might mean for us. Today, as a world wide global community, we are living in unparalleled wealth and power. At no time, in all of recorded history, have so many enjoyed as much as we do today. While there are definitely those who are lacking and suffering economically, socially, and physically, when compared to the rest of us, today as a whole we have more options, more opportunities, more blessings, more information, better health, longer lives, higher standards of living, and an overall improved lifestyle than ever before.

If it is true that we are better off in the world today, the recession, I believe, is a wake up call telling us we are also the most wasteful both of nature and humanity. I'm generalizing now, but it seems to me that more and more we are making life extremely difficult for the unwealthy and the unpowerful: children, old people, women, the poor around the world. In the west, especially, we are failing in our marriages and families. We are not upholding our commitments and we are not fulfilling our responsibilities. For example, (I can't speak for the rest of the world) but here in North America the number of single-parent families is only increasing and whether it is a mother or father who is heading up the household, the weight of that job is enormous. As we examine scholastic tests from other industrialized countries, it would seem that more and more our children are falling behind in their learning. As we eliminate any sense of personal responsibility from our cultural ethos, we continue to seemingly spin out of control in our schools, homes, public meeting places, places of employment and in our communal rhetoric. Our children are ill trained, ill equipped and ill prepared to face the reality of our modern society. Further, we are trying to replace parenthood with day care, home life with the village, and nurturing and care of one another with the government. Our highways, shopping malls, nursing homes, day-care centers and streets are full while our homes and families are empty. We won't admit it, referring to pornography and sexual promiscuity merely as lifestyle choices, but we are suffering many kinds of damage from over indulged libidos and a lack of self-control. We are addicted to drugs, the Internet, TV, and gasoline. Violence, even in the comparative safety of the west, is rampant. And behind it all is a greedy, self-indulgent, unscrupulous, me first mindset that has allowed us to settle for factories that produce shoddy and overpriced products, companies that pollute air, water and land, governments that fail to take accountability for their decisions and actions, and a culture that throws its hands up in the air and says, "It doesn't matter to me as long as it doesn't affect my freedom and as long as you don't change my lifestyle!"

Unfortunately, and this is where I get personal, Christian organizations have not been the difference makers that we're supposed to be. For 500 years, ever since Columbus landed in the Bahamas, the Christian has walked alongside the conqueror and the industrialist and, as Wendell Berry writes, thought our goals were one and the same. We have blindly assumed that our cause was just because of our apparent successes and victories. Christian organizations continue this blind assumption through alignment with a right wing politic that espouses the value of life, yet fails to recognize God's goodness, beauty and majesty as revealed in His creation. While we would never blatantly admit this, we practice a religion that says, "God helps those who helps themselves." Therefore, in far too many churches today, we have an independent mindset rather than a God dependent worldview.

Is it any wonder then, that universally we are suffering through a recession? Irrespective of what one might think of as being the major contributing factor to this recession, we must start by admitting we are merely living with the consequences of failed humanistic philosophies that reject God's Word, and deny biblical injunction. Could it be that God, through this time of culling, is calling us back to a place of humbling and crying out before Him? Is it possible that God is reminding us of how impotent we really are, apart from Him, to deal with and solve the issues we are confronting? I believe God is calling His people to a denial of self, a refocusing on Him and a return to biblical injunctions as the norm and means of our lives. I believe He is calling us to a radical life of dependence upon Him, to living as examples of His grace, to being servants who love one another and others, who honor one another and serve others, and who pray faithfully for His will to be done.

This recession is hard, people are being impacted and lives and families are being challenged, but if it will bring us to humble ourselves before God, then it will have served a good and mighty purpose.

The Necessity of the Cross

As we move through Holy Week and look towards Good Friday and Easter, it is an appropriate time to stop and reflect on Jesus, His death and the necessity of the cross. In theological circles, today, the debate is being waged regarding the necessity of Jesus' death on the cross. Among more liberal theologians Jesus' death is seen as nothing more than a good moral example. In extreme views, His death on the cross is viewed as "Divine child abuse!" Increasingly we are hearing we don't need the cross. Instead we should concentrate on teaching about how God is a God of love! To this I respond, the cross is the greatest example of forgiveness and love we have. Allow me to use an illustration from Timothy Keller in his book, "The Reason for God" to help show why I make such a statement.

Suppose you are walking along the rivers edge with a friend and this friend turns to you and says, "I love you!" and then as a demonstration of his love, he throws himself into the river! To what end? That is not an example of love. Rather it is probably more indicative of your friends mental state! Suppose, though, that as you are walking along the river, you slip and fall in. Unable to swim you are in danger of drowning. Your friend, in an act of love and sacrifice, dives into the water and pushes you to shore. Unfortunately, spent from the exertion, he is swept away by the current and himself drowns. That is not just an example of love, it is a heroic sacrifice that saved you from your own immanent peril. You would look upon this sacrifice and say, "Oh, how he loved me!" If there is no peril to save us from - if we're not lost and apart from the sacrifice of Jesus, doomed to death - then the model of Jesus on the cross is not moving, life-changing, or sacrificial at all... it's crazy! Unless Jesus died as our substitute, He can't die as a moving example of sacrificial love.

Jesus did die as our substitute. Rather than inflict pain on someone else, God, on the cross, absorbed the pain, violence, and evil of the world into Himself. The God of the Bible is not like some primitive deity who demands our blood so that their wrath is appeased. Rather, God became human and offers His own blood in order to honor moral justice and merciful love so that evil can be destroyed without destroying us!

The necessity of the cross!

2009 and the Victory of the Lord

The New Year is upon us and I'm sure, as seems to be the case at this time of year, we have reflected upon the past year and are thinking of the year ahead of us. Let me take this opportunity to bless you and to wish you God's goodness and fullness of joy in the year ahead.

It has probably not escaped your notice that tensions in the Middle East have heated up and there is renewed conflict between Israel and Hamas. As I sit writing this latest edition to my blog, Israel has just dramatically and decisively escalated its war against the forces of Hamas. Israeli tanks, ground forces and gun ships have cut through and, according to reports from Fox News, divided the Gaza strip into 3 different areas in an attempt to keep the Palestinian forces from joining together, rearming themselves and repelling the Israeli attack. The stated objective of Israel is to destroy the Hamas terror infrastructure along with their mortar and missile sites. While I certainly have my opinions regarding this latest round of fighting, there are others far more versed in the complexities and nuances on both sides of the issue and I would direct your attention to them. An excellent website for in depth analysis on this subject is Joel Rosenberg's Weblog. I highly recommend it.

Allow me, though, to direct your attention to a proactive and healthy response to world events and the year that lies ahead. My desire is to leave with you the strong and glorious belief and conviction, that God is victorious and that His purposes will not fail and you and I play a part in the victory that He will win. I am more convinced today than I have ever been that the prayers of the saints are key to God's overall victory and the accomplishment of Jesus Christ's mission here on earth. Allow me to remind all of us that Jesus Christ is coming and He will not be stopped, nor will His plans be thwarted. "Behold, He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him, and all tribes of the earth will wail on account of Him." Revelation 1:7. The victory of God is the coming of His Son, our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. That is our hope in these days of evil. That is our glory and joy in these times of trial. We are, as Paul reveals, "...waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Saviour, Jesus Christ." Titus 2:13.

What I want you to see and understand is the connection that exists between God's victory and our prayers. Not that you might need convincing, but I want you to recognize that there is a direct correlation and need for God's people here on earth to be bathing these days, events and times in prayer. I cannot say it any clearer than this, your prayers are God's means of accomplishing the victory of Jesus Christ over this world.

What is transpiring today in Israel and Gaza is not new. You know that. It's older than the hills. Strife, tension, conflict and war have been part of this region and the lives of its people for centuries. In Isaiah 37 we read that Jerusalem finds itself under threat of attack and defeat. Her enemies, the Assyrians, not at all unlike her enemies of today, we're bent on destruction. As a matter of fact, vs. 11 says the kings of Assyria were "devoting" all lands to destruction. Vs. 14, though, records Hezekiah's response to the threat against Israel, he went up to the house of the Lord and prayed. Hezekiah prayed for the rescue of Israel and God delivered. Vs. 36 records that an angel of the Lord went out and struck down a hundred and eighty-five thousand in the camp of the Assyrians. The great battles facing us today are fought not with swords, but the gospel of Jesus Christ. It is fought for in the souls of men and women. It is fought under the anointing and power of the Holy Spirit. It is fought and won through deeds of love, acts of mercy, lives of compassion, humility of spirit and knees bent in prayer. God's purposes will not be hindered, nor will they be derailed. He will accomplish what He has set forth and He will be victorious. Hezekiah shows us that victory comes when we humble ourselves and pray.
In 2009, may we devote ourselves to praying for God's victory to come. May His will be done on earth as it is in heaven. May we pray for boldness, courage and tenacity to love people, share Jesus and lives changed.

Culture War Clash

It's Christmas time. That festive time of year when people all the world over celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ! Or wait... is it really "Kwanzaa," the African-American celebration of heritage and culture? Or... is it "Hanukkah," and the Jewish Festival of Lights? Or, maybe it's a celebration of the "Winter Solstice," and the longest night of the year? Or, could it be this is a bad rerun of Seinfeld and we're all now celebrating "Festivus". Or, just possibly, it's none of the above and it's just a time for family, friends and loved ones to gather together and celebrate!

Down through the years the message of Christmas has been slowly, but surely, phased out and eliminated. I'm not going to get into how the Christmas celebration came about and all the history behind it, but its slide from its prominent place in the fabric of our life has created a clash of cultures that is waged each year at this time. We are to the place, now, where even the name Christmas is frowned upon. In some circles this battle is the centre of discussion and the cause of great angst and much hand wringing. I don't blame one bit people who are bemoaning the disintegration of society, the destruction of the family, the eroding of values, the elimination of morals and the decline of culture, and tradition. I abhor what I see going on around us. This once great society of ours has slipped into a moral cesspool of relativism and it seems as though we are going to drown in the muck of our own making. Taken in the larger context of what we see going on around us, it is easy for Christians to claim the de-emphasis of Christmas as just another example of political correctness and social progression strangling the last vestiges of tradition and values left in our society. So we're left asking, "What are we to do?" How should well meaning people who see the diminishing of Christmas and its place in our culture and society as just another example of pluralism respond? Or, what should those of us who see this as part of a larger decline in morals and values in our culture be doing?

Well first, I don't think we should be surprised. It you have even an inkling of a biblical worldview, then you know that this is what will take place. I'm not asking you to like it! I'm not even asking you to accept it! I am saying, don't respond as though it is a surprise, or as though it shouldn't be happening. Why God has ordained this to be, that's a discussion for another day, but the fact that humanity is rejecting the message of Christ and anything even remotely associated with it, such as Christmas, should be a surprise to no one who claims the name of Jesus as Lord and Saviour.

Second, I want to encourage you to not let this get you down. Of course we want Christmas to hold a special place in the life of people and in our culture. I understand completely the frustration you experience over the disuse of the word "Christmas" to describe what we're celebrating. "Holiday Tree" instead of "Christmas Tree." Wishing you a "Happy Holiday" instead of a "Merry Christmas!" Retailers taking advantage of this special time of year to profit off of the birth of Jesus! What is all of this rot? Don't allow the Secular Progressives to get the better of you, or to rob you of your joy.

As a matter of fact, if there's anything those of us who celebrate the true reason for the season should be doing, it's just that... CELEBRATE! I'm not suggesting that we merely "put on a happy face," but that we make it our aim, our goal this Christmas to pursue joy, full and lasting joy in our Lord and Saviour, Jesus, the Christ! I think it's the lyrics of an old Bonnie Rait song that say it best, "Let's give them something to talk about!" Let's show the world that Christians have more to celebrate, more reason for joy, more satisfaction and more contentment because of the birth of Jesus than all the other festivals and celebrations put together!

If we're really wanting to change the way people think, act and behave, then let's amp up the celebration and join the angelic host singing, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom He is pleased!" That'll get them talking!

Bail Out of the Bail Out!

Well, it's time to weigh in on the economic bail out down in the states. I'm not going to pretend that I even begin to understand everything that is taking place, but the one thing that stands out to me is we're in an economic spin cycle the likes of which Maytag would be proud of. Down in the U.S. there are companies that are circling the proverbial drain and the U.S. govt. is proposing to throw more money into the downward spiraling economy in order to keep jobs afloat, save said companies and keep the economy from going under. We're spinning round and round and round and no one has any idea how to plug the drain and stop the whirlpool. All the while the common people are getting more nauseated than a 10 year old forever twirling in circles on the Mad Hatters Tea Party ride at Disneyland.

I've listened to both sides of the economic bailout debate and there are people far better versed in discussing this than I am. It seems to me, though, that the last thing you want to do is charge the same people who caused this mess with fixing it. I just read a blog by Mark Baker on the peoplesweeklybrief@hotmail.com. In his blog Baker notes that Robert Rubin has been working as an economic advisor to President Elect Obama. Maybe Rubin's name is familiar to you, but in case not, allow me to fill you in. Back in the Clinton White House of the 90's Rubin was Secretary of the Treasury. It was under his oversight that the deregulation of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac was put in place which has led to this mess. Yesterday I was in a meeting where Brad Willems, a Sr. Financial Planner for Assante, reminded us that it was the Clinton White House which came up with the brilliant idea that home ownership was the way to raise the standard of living for the lower classes. In other words, the U.S. govt. could raise the standard of living for the poor, or lower middle class, to middle or higher middle class if people could be helped to purchase a home. Hey, I admit, it's a noble idea, but it may just be that there's a reason people can't afford a home and maybe, while a wonderful ideal, home ownership isn't for everyone. Historically the obstacle to home ownership for many in the lower class had been poor credit, inability to make monthly mortgage payments, not enough money for a down payment, lack of jobs, or poor paying jobs, etc... The solution to this dilemma flowing down from the Clinton White House, lower the lending standards for poor, middle class, or minority buyers, thus helping them get into the housing market. The way to do that, get Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, both govt. owned mortgage lenders, to adjust their lending practices and lower the qualifying standards for a loan. This, then, forced other private banks and institutional lenders to follow suit. That's basically the gist of what I read from Baker, and others, and heard from Brad. If I'm a little off, that's my fault, but you get the general idea.

Back to Paul Rubin, the architect in the Clinton Whilte House who oversaw the implementation of this policy. After his service as Treasury Secretary, he went to Citigroup where he became a director and senior advisor raking in some 100 million dollars while working for this organization. Um, in case you can't keep up with everything that is floating around in the bailout, this is the same Citigroup that just last week received a bucket full of cash from the govt. as part of the economic stimulus package. In what can only be described as incredible foresight on his part, Rubin left Citigroup this past August, just days before the drain stopper in the economic pool was pulled. Are you beginning to think that a lot of what is floating around in this cesspool is foul smelling? Me thinketh so! Are you also beginning to see a pattern here?

Now, President Elect Obama, with Rubin as an economic advisor, is appointing Rubin's proteges as part of his economic transition team and advisory group. The same group of people who helped navigate us into this mess are being tasked with the job of plugging the leak and stopping the cycle. There's a definition for insanity in there somewhere.

This blog isn't just about looking at and re-reporting current events. First and foremost, it is about responding from a biblical world view to the events and challenges facing us. So, allow me to offer a biblical perspective to the above. 1 Timothy 6:6-19 makes it very clear that what you do with money can destroy you (vs.9) or make you (vs. 19). Verse 10 is very well known to most Christians, "... the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil." I like the way John Piper paraphrases this passage in his book, Desiring God, "The root of evil is that we are the kind of people who settle for the love of money instead of the love of God!" It would seem to me that if the current economic crises shows us anything it is we spend a lot of time and energy worrying about money, striving for riches, hanging onto and protecting what we have, but in the end it isn't going to matter. In the blink of an eye it can all be gone, or in the blink of an eye we can be gone and, as Paul reminds Timothy, we can't take it with us! If I can paraphrase this passage for our economic times into one simple statement, it would be, "No matter whether the market is flush or whether it is circling the drain, God is always better than gold!" There is, according to Paul, great gain in godliness with contentment (vs. 8) So, what does it gain you and me to have it all and to risk loosing our souls? America today, and I would put Canada on the periphery of this category, is a save yourself society. The problem is it doesn't work. We're never going to truly be able to hold onto everything we have, our lives included. Instead, Paul is urging us to lay hold of eternity. No one, secular, believer, or otherwise, wants destruction, ruin, or worry. Everyone wants to lay hold of life. Therefore, test yourself. What attitudes do you have during these tough economic times? Is your confidence in your RRSPs, bank accounts, or stock portfolio? If so, then listening to the news reports will have you believing we're circling the economic drain and you'll be ready to throw yourself down the drain with everything else. Or, is your attitude that it's all God's anyway and I'm merely the conduit through which God is going to let money flow for his purposes? One attitude leads towards worry. The other leads towards contentment in the face of circling drains.

Gay Pride Parade

Where has the sanity gone? I'm sorry folks, but those of us in the evangelical community are losing it! Yes, that's those of us who call ourselves Christians. Apparently Abbotsford has approved a gay pride parade for our city. OK, I'm not in favor of homosexuality, I don't want a gay pride parade, but we're reacting as if all hope is lost. I'm reading the Letters to the Editor in The Abbotsford News and all we're doing is playing right into the hands of the homosexual community. They're accusing us of preaching hate, holding onto fear and being homophobic, all the while they're celebrating diversity, openness and acceptance! While that's the biggest bunch of rot I've ever heard, the truth is we are trying to make our case in the court of public opinion when we should be making our case through love in action!





Hear me loud and clear... Fellow brothers and sister in Christ, we're not going to win a public debate on whether or not there should be a gay pride parade in Abbotsford, or any other place! Let's get that through our heads.





So, what do we do? Folks, we live in a democracy, which by the way is not found in the Bible, and in such a system of government people are free to speak their opinions and hold gay pride parades. In previous posting I have defended the right of Pastor Stephen Boission to speak his mind when the Alberta Human Rights Commission wanted to take away his freedom to speak on the subject. I will never willingly give up the right to preach truth, to preach what the Bible teaches and to advocate for the Lordship of Jesus Christ. There comes a point, though, when it becomes apparent that the time for public discourse is over and the time for a new front on godlessness has arrived. That time is now!





Let's quit with the rhetoric and the lambasting of the homosexual community and begin by cleaning our own house! What's that you say? Yeah, you heard me right. The problem we have in the eyes of the world is that our words are not matching up with our witness. There are too many of us Christians who say one thing and do another. Step number 1 in this new front on godlessness, let's starting living like Jesus taught us to live. Let's begin with loving one another as He loved us. Let's continue with honoring one another and living in harmony with one another. Let's go above and beyond by living generously and joyfully. Let's give of ourselves, our time and our money. Here's a thought, let us pursue righteousness, holiness, purity and godliness in our own lives, in our own churches, homes, businesses and relationships. Husbands, love your wives as Christ loved the church. Wives, honor your husbands as unto the Lord. Fathers, don't infuriate your children. Children, honor your fathers and mothers. Let's quit running down those who we don't agree with and start living as Jesus called us to live. Let's run business that first and foremost honor Jesus Christ. Let's make every effort to care for those who are in need. Let's make it our priority to live peaceably with all. Don't appease the homosexual community, but rather out live them, out love them and out care them.





Step number 2, rather than running around like Chicken Little and acting as if the sky is falling, let's start figuring out how we might minister to the homosexual community! I know, some of you are thinking I'm off my rocker... hey, I've been put down by far worse people than you! (that's supposed to be an attempt at humour) First, the sky isn't falling! This is what happens in a democracy. We make room for opposing views. The one thing we must never surrender is our right to speak. The fact we must face, though, is no one wants to hear our views when it comes to homosexuality. So, now we have to approach things from a slightly different prospective. I'm throwing this one out there for your humble consideration, but what would happen if instead of protesting the gay pride parade we showed up and tried to minister to the gay community unconditionally, without an agenda and with the love of Jesus. See, I have a sneaking suspicion that they really don't care what we say, they're going to go ahead and do what they want without hesitation and with great glee at our discomfort. But what would happen if all of a sudden we didn't act the way they think we're going to act, if we didn't respond to their hatred and bigotry the way they respond to us? What if instead of bashing them we tried to love them with the love of Jesus? I'm not sure how that looks, but here's a thought... I have a friend who loves Jesus, he's a godly man, and a Chiropractor who goes oversees and treats people who might not get Chiropractic help. What if people like him were available to help the marchers at the gay pride parade. Here's another thought... every year we celebrate Love Abbotsford! What would you think about having people available to hand out free cokes and water? Or, to give out free hot dogs and chips? I don't know, but that would be different. It's certainly better than the gay activists who interrupted church services in Michigan and it would definitely be different than what the homosexual community would expect from us Christians.





Yeah, there is a culture war that is taking place in our country. Guess what! We're losing it. So, let's go back and take our cues from Jesus. Let's make sure our own house is in order and then let's feed those who hate us, let's give them something to drink and let's love them with the love of Jesus!

In Defense of The Right to Speak

Are you aware of the recent story out of Alberta regarding the Alberta Human Rights Commission (AHRC), judge Lori Andreachuk and their ruling that Pastor Stephen Boission had somehow made politically incorrect remarks in speaking out against the practice of advocating for homosexuality in Alberta schools? The AHRC found that Pastor Boission in submitting a letter to the editor of the Red Deep Advocate made despairing remarks against homosexuals and those who advocate for them in public schools.

I've read several different postings and blogs on the subject, and it seems to me many of the writers are missing the point. While I believe homosexuality is a sin, the issue isn't whether you agree with Pastor Boissoin, but whether he has the right to write and say what he believes without being hauled before some Kangaroo court where he was fined, prohibited from ever publicly speaking, writing or advocating on this issue again, and told to write a letter of apology to Dr. Darren Lund of the University of Calgary who was the complainant to the AHRC.

I happen to agree with Pastor Boissoin, but if you don't I would still defend your right to say so. Although, let's be honest, no one is going to haul you before some tribunal for speaking out against what Pastor Boissoin and I believe. The issue here isn't homosexuality, but rather, as this case so clearly illustrates, the truth that unless you are in lockstep with the politically correct thought police, then there is no room for a dissenting view.

Now, some will call me homophobic, and that's alright. I don't hate or fear homosexuals. I love God and I believe with my whole heart that God's word, the Bible, is true, relevant and worthy of proclaiming. The truth is, I'm not afraid of homosexuals in the real sense. I seriously doubt that homosexuals are going to storm my office, are going hunt me down or are going to stand outside my town home and protest. I'm not afraid that homosexuals are going to "convert" me or any of that kind of rot. I am afraid, though, of losing my right to state my opinion. I am afraid of a state that will "tolerate" censorship. I am afraid of being told what my opinion is, or at least should be. As author and humorist Mark Steyn writes, "'Homophobia' was always absurd: people who are antipathetic to gays are not afraid of them... The invention of a phony-baloney "phobia" was a way of casting opposition to the gay political agenda as a kind of mental illness: don't worry, you're not really against same-sex marriage; with a bit of treatment and some medication, you'll soon be feeling okay." He's quite correct and I'm feeling just fine thank you very much.

No, this debate isn't about homosexuals being victimized by some letter to the editor that some conservative Christian wrote. It's far more insidious than that. It's about whether we live in a society that still protects the rights of its people to think independent to the government, and to hold views and opinions that are not politically correct. Ironically, the homosexual lobby will try and get you to believe that as Christians we're out of touch, we're on the fringes of society and that we're nothing but a small loony bunch of people that nobody should pay attention to. If that's true, they sure do spend a lot of time, money and effort combating such a small insignificant group. That's fine! They have the right to believe what they believe, just don't take away my right to think and say what I believe.