Crashing the breakwater

Just Read this book...

Authentic Power

by

John Avant

Good point

American missionary martyr Jim Elliot wrote in his journal: 'How sadly and how slowly I am learning that loud preaching and long preaching are not substitutes for inspired preaching.'

Today at the wharf

a week of interestingg events.

November is here and with it comes the beginning of Lobster Season on the last Monday of the month, so there is an sense of intense nervousness in the air while men prepare going to sea, especially with what could be a season of low lobster prices due to the Canadian dollar , any ways tonight we had our community lobster service for the men , or more like for the church people who came from our church and the Baptist church. It was my turn to speak and so I felt lead to speak on integrity .

But this isn't the only event of the week, our new church photo copier (xerox) came for the church, man is it ever cool what it can do, compared to the one we had here for 20 years.

While this event ( new copier arriving) almost topped my week For the number one thrilling event of the week . Ok, I have more happening in life than a xerox arriving , but if you had our old copier you would agree, it was good to get a new copier.

It had to give way to the fact that my daughters elementary school (less than a mile away) had a Bomb threat and had to be evacuated and since our church is the alternate spot for emergencies , I had to be ready for that what ever it would include. (thankfully we were not needed)
Thankfully there was no bomb - thanks to the R.C.M.P. bomb sniffing dogs who came secured the grounds.
Thankfully no one was hurt and it was an early dismissal for all the kids.
Who says rural ministry can't have its excitement !!

This week saw my sons first Goal, of the season and what is paving his way to the NHL.

Later

a week of interestingg events.

Reading this week !!

Becoming a better You
by Joel Osteen

A great Call

This week I took a phone call that I wish came more often, a man called and thanked me for planting seeds in him a few years back that eventually lead to him giving his life to Jesus Christ and being Baptised this Sunday in a Baptist church.
He was so excited to be saved !
What a refreshing change from people who never excite God or get excited by God.

Later

Reading This week

Spiritual Warfare ( For every Christian)

by Dean Sherman

Reading This week

God's Guidance A slow & Certain Light

by Elisabeth Elliot

Hagee reply

Thanks for the note on Hagee I didn't know the fact you mentioned about him, so I 'll now add the two books I have of his to my section of books titled " Doctrinally Dazed " along side with Joyce M. ,Robert S. and Frost.

Later

My turn to host

On Thursday I was left to be in charge of a monthly breakfast meeting of ministers .
This is a monthly event for Wesleyan Pastors in our area and that day there 14 of us .
I had a great inspiring devotional to read which would inspire all . But instead I felt lead to ask three questions and have everyone respond with answers around the table, the first was what they enjoyed of a Ministerial we all attended last month.
My Second question was Just for them to give a note of praise for something in their lives.
( Interestingly there was a lot of " that was my praise thing too) How come we pastors get all silent when its our turn to praise the Lord when were off the platform ?
Then I asked them what one peace of advice would they give a new pastor starting out in ministry. Telling them that what they were sharing was likely one of their core values in life.
Many shared advice about family time, Or being submissive ( from the older one in our midst) , time guarding and mine being sure that you are called. So from what was said most of the pastors are really family oriented before anything Else's in their ministry.

Issues came out as we shared indicating ( I think) that pastors don't get to really share what's on their heart like we should ( me included) .
So with everything said... we all went our different ways to minister in our own way to different church's of all sizes and types . I really enjoyed doing this, Because I think that we pastors don't get a lot of encouragement, and instead of criticizing each other we should build up each other.
A ministry family is truly a great blessing to have and protect.

That was Thursday and now its Friday, and Tomorrow starts my sons hockey season or as I like to think his path to the NHL.
But Tonight I am left with a puzzle to solve, when ordering a pizza tonight the lady knew my name, now I don't go there enough for anyone to know me , but she knew it ! So I asked how she knew me and interesting we went to high school together 20+ years ago ! And I can not remember her at all, apparently she said I haven't changed my looks so she knew me.

Later

Reading This week...

This week I am reading through a book titled Spiritual Warfare by Ray Stedman.

Later

Radio Sunday

This is our sunday to be recorded and broadcast tonight on the radio , as a part of the local radio sation programing that goes out to three counties.

So if you want to hear it. Its on at 6:00 pm atalntic time available on www.cjls.com

Later

today at the beach I took these pics

Thumbs Up Glen Beck

I didn't know that last night John Hagee was the guest for Glenn Beck on his TV show.
It was Good to see he had what I thought an intelligent conversation with an intelligent pastor.
So I liked that Rev. Hagee didn't make all other pastors look dumb or foolish, I thought.
And he visibly had his bible with him and spoke the truth on how to be saved.
I always have been a fan of Rev. Hagee because when I watched him preach he used his bible .
And to me that is of significant importance in preaching !
Later

old friends

What a great lunch I had today with an old friend from Bethany Bible College Keith Moore and his wife, he has in the last year battled cancer and is waiting to hear from future test as to the success of his treatments, And He is so positive over it.

Later

Came across this quote today as I prepare for Sunday

"Preach to yourselves the sermons which you study before you preach them to others." -Richard Baxter

These signs are just up the road from Me.

Reading This week

I am reading through a book I picked up last week on a sale table in the Baptist book room.
"prayer is invading the Impossible" by jack Hayford.

Later

life beyond church

Today has been a special day for my son. He had some his friends, 2 Jr. A hockey players(their team site is on my links) and his dear old Dad over to play street hockey. What great fun street hockey is.

He had spent most of his summer home alone (bored), so he was excited to have some friends over to play the greatest sport man can play... HOCKEY.

But after his friends left his day wasn't over... as I went to pay for my gas the girl at the counter asked me to guess her age , so I guessed 22 ! My son is thinking she is trying to pick up his dad LOL ! So when I guessed she told me she was only 19 BECAUSE the guy before us had asked her on a date and he was 50 something, she was in shock. It was funny to hear my son say how he thought she was flirting with me.

From that experience we went home to watch a deer graze in our back field and while I was watching them, one deer and charged another deer, I had seen this on hunting shows but not in real life.

I love days like this because they remind me that life does exist outside the church. As a pastor I can get so fixed on everything going on in the church, that I stop enjoying life. I don't know about you but I need the enjoyment of life to keep me normal.

And now its time to plan for the week !

Later

Cape Breton Pictures

Trip around Liverpool pictures

a Rainy Tuesday Night.

Its been a few days since my last post, and I 've been busy.
Not long ago I agreed to do a wedding for a couple in my church back in their home town which is an hour and half away.
No problem they put us up for the night in motel, but she didn't tell me till I was committed that it was at 5:00 pm. ( Note to all: check out times before saying yes) so along with my wife and another church couple were in Liverpool for 24 hrs. So to avoid becoming go-fur's all day Saturday , Tim ( the guy from my church) and I took off to explore the cost of n.s. and it was cool, kinda like a wild hogs movie. He didn't go with the Tat's idea. This was a day of investing in him and seeing places I've never seen! (pictures to come) so with the wedding over and the reception over my wife and I decided to take off and catch a third period of Hockey.

So with a late night Saturday and last minute things done for Sunday, it was Sunday and my topic was grace. It was one of those mornings I wish the rapture had come for me, because the people looked so blank, they all must off had late nights as well.

With Sunday there was a potluck Sunday school meeting and I learned Sunday school will be delayed a few weeks. Due to the chaos of removing carpets and painting rooms in the church basement. Here is one delay I wish could be avoided oh well. Then off to Sanford Wesleyan church to hear a missionary promote his next trip. This was a joint church event sadly, I was the only one from my church to go, gotta work on having a bigger heart for missions in church.
the day was concluded with a lady cancelling taking over night special singers our church was having Monday. So their sleeping arrangements became the responsibility of the parsonage.
The singers came all the way from Newfoundland and sang to a big crowd of 21 for a couple of hours, then it was home feed them and see them out the door sometime in the morning.
And they were great to have around, my dog even liked them.
So they left and I went fishing with a south easterly wind and I had a great day.
The fish were biting. And I was in my zone.

And my son tonight took another step towards his dream of playing in the Nhl some day with Rep try outs.

As I think of these last few days, one thing makes me Laugh in doing a follow up on another wedding I called the "bride to be" to set up an appointment, but some man answered the phone to which I describe who I was and reason for my call and asked if _____________ was in.
To which He paused and said she was in " in the bathtub" to much info for me.
anyways she must be clean by now because she has yet to call.

Later

re-difining the word rural.

Yesterday while on the way to our church campfire, we stopped for a coffee , usually no problem ! But I was in the back country really way back , so when we went into the store I asked the clerk if their coffee was fresh and the lady said she could either nuke me some or make instant coffee for me, That was their fresh coffee.
I had no choice but to decline on her offer of fresh coffee.
I looked to make sure there were no Wesleyan church's around so I wouldn't get a call there.
After a week of being spoiled on star_ ucks coffee made by my brother I just couldn't go for it.
Oh well this is life.

At least in my rural church we have only one store that serves brewed coffee , Fresh. And TIM'S is 15 mins away.

This reminded me again that today our vocabularies can vary so much and yet sound so identical that I need to ever more as pastor be sure to get across the message of Christ in a way that all hear it with the same understanding.

Later

Summers over :(

There has become a tradition in our church that on the Monday of Labor day weekend we have a church campfire / winner roast/ marshmallow roast/
its our mark that summers over , fall is in the air and kids go back to school.

I am always amazed at the crowds we get for this simple form of fellowship.

But this year I added a new twist to the menu, I asked for desserts to be brought , and there were lots and lots and people ate lots forgetting the best thing about the night roasting marshmallows. A true delight !

So with a hint of fall in the air and the kids returning to school Thursday and my wife unemployed we are ready for fall.

Later

8:30 the phone rang

One of the greatest inventions of late years is the caller display on my phone , for those without they never get how you know them , so when my phone rang I knew the caller and by the voice I knew the person. I've had a lot of request but this one stands out as the young girl wanted to borrow a projector from our church ( which we have but for slides) but she had a disc and the church they were using for their wedding had 'a projector' on the ceiling but it was to hard to get down she said. Well I said that what they had was a power point projector and what she wanted to do was almost impossible .
Why does this make my blog today. Well this girl has been brought up in a home where t.v.'s, radio's, AND computers, are EVIL SO SHE HAD NO TECH. IDEA of what she wanted to do.
Recently I saw here with a expensive digital camera so I said do you have a computer for it to upload the pic's and of course she doesn't because there Evil .

While they don't allow such things in their own home , they have no problem in visiting someone else to watch a bill gaither video ( puke me out) or the news.

Is this 'holiness' or legalism you decide and tell me how to convince them that t.v.'s ,radio's ,computers are not evil.
While they don't have this stuff I guess I'll enjoy mine all the more.
But its a matter of do you have the stuff or does it have you ?

Later

Back from Cape Breton

My 6 days of vacation are now History.
And what a great time it was ( Soon I'll Post Pic's )
It was a heritage tour guided by both of my parents to their former homes, schools , work areas ( Coal Mining pit ) and grave yards to see the many names of the most important people of our lives in the past.
My brother and I noted in the grave yards some really cool tomb stone sayings for future uses.
If you can go to cape Breton Canada go.

But now were home and welcomed with the sad news my wife's job which she was to create had been cancelled , so she's now jobless.
And in the days ahead she has to see if there is any hope in here starting a school for handicapped adults, or look else where.
For the past 3 years she has taught and managed a school for handicapped adults only to have it cancelled this summer. and with her big heart she still cares enough for her students that now she is willing to see something happen for them so they don't fall any further through the cracks of society and become forgotten.
I am blessed to have for a partner in life. And the kids to have her for a mom.

Later

Vacation !!!

This week I am heading to Cape Breton N.S. for a family vacation with my parents and brother .( and his wife and daughter ) plus my clan.

Arriving at this end!

Starting at this end..................







So off to Cape Breton !!

Many Christians estimate difficulty in the light of their own resources, and
thus they attempt very little and they always fail. All giants have been
weak men who did great things for God because they reckoned on His power and
presence to be with them.

James Hudson Taylor

Later

A good night

Tonight was our summer board meeting , which went well.

Thought there was a second I held my breath and prayed through , God answered !

Tonight I was able to stir up some excitement ! As I gave the people a vision and a plan to follow through on it and they were excited , because I have included them which is good.



Tonight is just a continuation of the some really good days, my son started hockey school today which is a step towards his Hockey Career.



Yesterday following church and service which has convinced me there are mechanical demons.



We went out for dinner having fresh clams :) and while we were eating a helicopter landed next to the restaurant on the grass and the people came into eat. This was cool to watch i only wish I had my camera.



And Saturday we had a church picnic on a lake which went awesomely - and there were on the lake further down fire works going off for at least 45 min.



So from Saturday till tonight God has really blessed Me .



Later

Todays trip to Barrington , N.S.

Over the head again

Its now Monday Night !
And I have thought and thought again about Sundays message on Exodus 20:16 - the point I was driving home this week was we hold each others reputation in our hands .
How I say my car works will determine possibly if you buy one to.
So I wanted to drive the point home that when we give wrong or unverified information we tarnish the reputation of others or even the Church....
So I gave an illustration about a lady who said that one Wesleyan church in our area was worldly because they had a snow man in front of it with a pipe and she went on to tell every one how wordly the church was .
The illustration was given so I preached on...but sometimes some types of people don't move on with you, and they meet you at the door :( as I was meeted by a guy who agreed with the lady that having a snowman with a pipe was worldly and they were a wrodly church. So I then mentioned Mr. Wesley smoked a pipe, he might have before he was sanctified holy I was told but not afterwards,
To edge the guy on I said he probably smoked it while he road his horse and wrote his sermons.
( by then I would have loved to have smoked a pipe myself lol)
The fact is legalism kills, and once again I was reminded that people never change as much as you think and how some can spot the tinest splinter and not see the forest in their own life.
I support our doctrine 100 % but It must be mixed with grace and focus more on the majors and forget the minors.
And I didn't tell him that while I preached with the Free Will Baptist it was told to me that they have down south ash trays before you go in to church so you can but out, will they not be in heaven ?
Must we go to war over a pipe and lose a whole community ? I hope Not.
Oh well this Sunday is now on the horizon.

Sunday we also took off tenting, a couple in our Church have let us set up camp on their lot in front of lake fanning.
What a great time to get away and drink perked coffee old style and eat marsh mellows toasted over a open fire.
And let the kids swim and do some shore fishing.
I am not taking an office vacation - were just gonna lay low , and enjoy where were at while were here.

Later

Thinking about Ministry

Here I am again on a Saturday night, listening to sermons and preparing for Sunday and thinking more about ministry again.
When I was at the Gathering and at Beulah I had a sense that ministry needs to more than statistics ( which are important ) and ministry has to be more than praising men .
I know what Romans 13:7 says

• Pay to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed.(ESV)

I am thankful for was accomplished on my district by many men and their church's but I know that the spotlight eventually goes off and there are many lonely hours, and uphill battles.

But there must be more to being a pastor, that statistics and leadership axioms do not fill .

And maybe this week I have found it !

I picked up a book titled In The Name of Jesus by Henry J.M Nouwen ( REFLECTIONS ON CHRISTIAN LEADERSHIP )

The man who wrote the book was a Priest who taught at Norte Dame, Yale and Harvard, who left the world of academics to minister in L'arche amongst the mentally handicapped.

As he takes you through the book he uses as a model the temptations of Jesus in the wilderness with that of modern ministers and how Jesus responded needs to be our model of response to the modern temptations of ministry.

It is a quick read but Good.

He writes about his inner struggle like me and others " asking: is what we are doing ministry?"

And the lessons he learned from the mentally handicapped fill in the lines as to what ministry is.

and I liked the question he asked himself which I will leave with you.

" Did becoming older bring me closer to Jesus"

" Has becoming older brought you closer To Jesus ?"

later

A NIght Out with my daughter

It's Friday Night and the boredom bugs have bitten my kids, and for my son he was invited to go to the Yarmouth County Ex. so my wife thought it would be good for me to take my daughter, it just wouldn't be right for her big brother to be there and he at home. S o the options were given go shopping , Go Fishing !!!!! or the Ex. and much to my horror she picked the Ex !

1. I don't like going to these things because I don't do rides,
2. I think its a rip off,
3. I would rather spend the money on a book
4. or spend money on new tackle

So with $8.00 bucks to get in and a all you can ride ticket for $ 24.00 we were in and she was off for all the rides. As I watched , Her ride I took in the crowd and realized that although there is nothing wrong with the rides the atmosphere wasn' t much to my liking, And as I watched all sorts of people from the guy who looked scary in his goth, to the country couple, the grand parents, young teens, the guy with rubber boots on, and all the tattoos , the bingo people, the Carny's, the drunks , the country singers, the ox haul people, and on and on. I woundered where Jesus would Fit into this place. Would he be noticed , or would they just keep on living for themselves, If Jesus took to the platform and started preaching would people stop and listen.
By my being there was I any kind of witness, For my daughter It meant the world, for my son he was glad I had money to give him.

After so many rides My daughter had to throw up :( so I took her to a grassy area , and while she did her thing I watched as Two R.C.M.P. cars and officers arrested a young man and took something from him they bagged ?????

Always the preacher I pointed out to my daughter there really is a difference in life with Jesus, she watched as well , and saw what to her had only been on t.v. really does happen in life, every day.

Now the night is over and hopefully my daughter has gotten her fill for a few years, but for me it was a reminder that as Christians we really are aliens on this earth , and the harvest field is really ripe for all the ones we saw tonight need Jesus.

Later

Sunday Night...

Well the day is over !
With two trips to town behind me for the day.
With a quick walk in the fog taken care off.
And Sunday service over its time to put the wheels back in motion for the week ahead.
I noted last night about my hesitation on toady's sermon thou shalt not steal, God Came through and gave me what I needed.
He started with the Aug. edition of readers digest front cover (Canadian edition) How Honest Are we? what great intro to the sermon. And while I looked frantically for some other message on the platform I could substitute with , this was what I was to preach.
Its cool how God made it work - following the service one lady confessed she needed to return a tub of margarine she had gotten through a mix up with out paying.
We had a retired pentecostal pastor with us today who honestly said it was a good service.
so God took care of worries !

As I sit here at my church desk I know two things that will dominate the week - first to attend a funeral for a young man killed in a car accident, My connection with him is that his step mother hails from this church and secondly two years ago he was my fishing partner in a bass tournament.

from the Chronicle Herald...it read

ACROSS NOVA SCOTIA 5:49 AM Man dies, two hurt in Valley crash
AVONPORT — A young Hantsport man died Saturday morning when his vehicle crossed the centre line of Highway 101 and collided with a westbound vehicle, Annapolis RCMP say.
The collision took place shortly before 7:30 a.m. between exits 8 and 9.

The second is to trust God , for a new job for my wife ,because her Job of teaching mentally challenged adults in a private school, last week closed its doors.

It's Sad but also its an opportunity to see God at work.

Well its off to see what else the history channel has on Hitler to watch, exciting I Know.

Later <><

Saturday Night

Here on the cost of Nova Scotia its been very muggy and warm (hot)
And fog has moved into tonight to cool us down a bit.

I sit here in my office doing last minute things like printing out church envelopes, putting up posters and reviewing my sermon.

My sermon is a part of a series on the 10 commandments and tomorrows is thou shalt not steal.
Easy topic, but I go to the pulpit with heavy hesitation, because my song leader for tomorrow in recent years has dealt with this very issue, the severity of it was that this person was relocated within their organization of work for the continuing of their career.
So I take this sermon knowing he's been there and while I never have tended to ca tor my sermons to the whims of people , I am going forward knowing that tomorrow more than usual I will need God's power of anointing.
Again I have really battled to do this sermon and follow through with the series but I'm committed.
And the more I think of it after my speeding ticket of many years ago, they didn't take down all the highway signs saying the speed so I wouldn't be offended, the signs stayed and I changed.
So God's commands stand and we must change.

An other thing I like doing Saturday night is listening to great preachers. Tonight's pick Is Lee Roberson. (WHY) At Beulah I read a book by him and he was very impressive to me.

Saturday night is also a good night to clear the desk, put stuff in my in basket, re stack books and clear off my main desk.

Collect together all the articles I have printed off in the week and file them.

And if possible get some fishing in. ( not tonight)

I said to my wife earlier tonight that this has been a good week of ministry and I feel that things were done this week.
Not as much fishing as I would like :( next week is coming .

Later

still more pictures from le village

more pictures from le village

Day trip to Le Village Acadien