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