Definition of Church
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Posted:Jan 5, 2006 2:59 pm
Last Updated:Apr 14, 2010 5:46 pm 2901 Views
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Perhaps someone can tell me what the real definition of Church is. I have a friend who tells me that unless I go to his church I will not be saved. I am sure that is true of many places. Then I have another friend who claims that I cannot belong to one church if I attend another. My own definition of Church is what is left over after the building has burnt down" So it really is not about a building but about being with people who truly believe in the Trinity; in the Lord Jesus and the power of the Holy Spirit- in God our Father. I do not consider myself better than any other. Nor am I wanting to beat my breast in denouncing anyone.
I guess I have met a lot of people who also do not belong to any formal church. For me I like to be part of a group and enjoy participating. But I hate people judging others and I just cannot stand people thinking they have God in their own neat little box.
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Bible Schools
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Posted:Jan 4, 2006 8:47 pm
Last Updated:Apr 14, 2010 5:45 pm 2693 Views
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Tonight a good friend of mine dropped over for tea- and I had just made a batch of peanut butter cookies- so we feasted on tea and cookies! He brought with him a young black fellow about the age of 20 who had spent a year a few years ago at the nearby bible school. He is from St Lucia and trying to get experience in the construction field.
Hmmm bible schools. Where on earth did they come from? Especially in the Catholic world. They're not too prominent but by golly the stuff that is going on in those places just boggles my mind. I now worship in a number of Christian churches as I truly believe that they all have something to offer. However I must say that the local bible school has for a long time now commanded my attention.
At the graduation last year I heard testimony after testimony of young men and women who had truly met the lord through some addiction or other-- most often through a drug addiction. One young lady in particular who had led a life of and drugs had been in Australia on a working kind of visit. The chartered bus she was travelling in was struck by a tractor trailer and she ended up in hospital for six months on her death bed with a broken back being the least of her worries. But there she met the Lord-- and he did a mighty work in her. And here she was several years later graduating from a bible school and then getting married! Wow... the wonders of the Lord!
So I realize that many churches today are "growing up"-- it doesn't matter what the denomination. They are all still learning from their past. I marvel though at the speed of lightening with which these bible schools I have come to know--- are bringing in the young people. Having been exposed to prayer meetings I do know a little bit about them. It truly is the work of the Holy Spirit who cuts across and through all the denominational lines of what was in previous times "divisive". The heart sees immediately the truth and the love that is present at these outpourings. The singing and the music and the speaking in tongues-- all praising God in unison. Wow! I can only say Halleluiah and look out anyone or any institution that would want to get in the way!
Amen??
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The insignificance of man before God...a chapter in my life story
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Posted:Jan 3, 2006 7:17 pm
Last Updated:Mar 25, 2006 1:44 pm 2899 Views
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Since the commencement of writing my blog I have come to the realization that words on this site should not be cheaply used-- that getting to the heart of the story is what it is all about. Our lives are really a drop in the ocean when viewed in the perspective of eternity and truth.
Following my divorce some 13 years ago, I lost my bearings as to where I was going and who I was as a person. The tragedy of this event caused me to stop believing in myself, in others and my God. Well not quite stop believing in God-- but at least doubting what God was up to with an event that I did not want nor believe in. But it was happening and there was not much I could do about it... except fight it. Rightly or wrongly I consumed a lot of money on lawyers and psychologists getting to know myself and trying to understand what was happening. In the process I began to feed a habit that I had earlier acquired and thought nothing of. No.. it was not alcohol nor was it drugs. And I have never smoked. It was a terrible disease called gambling. I got into it in a big way-- believing that it was possible to win big and have the money help with the divorce etc. For a while I began to believe in it. I won large sums of money-- and for a while kept on winning.
The addiction built up-- I won, I lost, I won again. But soon I began to lose. And at that point I then began to cash in some of my life savings. Eventually it all went. It did not happen overnight-- but it happened. It was my darkest hour. I was completely at a point where I could no longer help myself and even worse-- could find no one on my own who could help me. It was somewhat like having diarhea and having the doctor tell you to go away and control it youself and then come back and see me. It was completely out of my own control-- and no earthly being or organization was able to help me!
I began receiving treatment from AA and other so called anonymous groups. They did not work. Infact in many cases I found them not even to be anonymous. I tried regular psychologists-- they did not work. I went to gamblers' anonymous and the like. They worked for some-- but not for me. More and more I was reaching my very end. I tried various churches looking for help. There wasn't any one of them that really did provide any help-- some helped financially but that was not the help I was needing. Finally-- I met a man coming out of the Alliance Church one Sunday after service and for no apparent reason he invited me to have coffee with him. He simply told me that God had asked him to speak to me. We shared some prayer and eventually over another coffee and gradually I opened up to him.
Many months later he and I began working together. I did some writing for him at his business and the money was of much help-- but nothing compared to his help through prayer. I kept on gambling and he continued his friendship and support none the less. He even lent me money when I had none. About a year had now passed and I was still hitting the casinos and the vlts. But mysteriously as I began to respond to Craig's prayer and the prayer of his group as well as my own conscience and the work of the Mighty God within me--- I eventually took a big step back from it. It was not a miraculous all at once cure... but in time, it truly did become a miracle.
It is well over three years now since I gave up the addiction completely. I did not do it through anything but this one event. It was the continued prayer to Jesus and my continued belief and reliance on Him that I do believe helped me. So I know that the charismatic prayer groups that I had attended previously all helped get me to that particular church-- that paricular Craig who was working as God's servant. I know also that my fidelity to scripture even while I was in the storm --all helped me. I also know that I claim this great victory-- because I truly believe it is one of the worst addictions out there-- in the name of Jesus and no other. A mighty work indeed as I have come to realize. It is something I have been ashamed of for a long time. But it is part of my story that must be told in order to save others and give testimony to the ONE GOD who redeems all. It is also important to speak the truth no matter how much it hurts. And sometimes it truly does hurt.
Yes-- more and more I believe that God wants us to bear the truth. We are not here to digest or write the latest soap opera of our lives. We are here to stand naked before the Lord and speak the true words of the mighty prophets of old-- about our own lives and the world around us. And that I belief is what God is calling us to do.
Take a look at Psalm 39
My heart had been smouldering inside me
But it flared up at the thought of this
And the words burst out
Tell me Yahweh when my end will be
How many days are allowed me
Show me how frail I am
Look you have given me an inch or two of life
My life span is nothing to you
Each man that stands on earth is only a puff of wind
He does not know who will take it next
So tell my Lord what can I expect?
My hope is in you
Free me from all my sins
Do not make me the butt of idiots
I am dumb, I speak no more
Since you yourself have been at work
Lay your scourge aside
I am worn out with the blows you deal me
You punish man with the penalties of sin
Like a moth you eat away at all that gives him pleasure-
Man is indeed only a puff of wind.
Yahweh hear my prayer
Listen to my cry for help
DO not stay deaf to my crying
I am your guest and only for a time
A nomad like all my ancestors
Look away. let me draw breath
Before I go away and am no more!
Everything we acquire in life- all our material possessions are all headed to the local landfill. No one yet has placed his possessions on the hurst that carries him to the cemetery. What we own and what we are, are truly a puff of wind. We must never forget who gave us this life and what we are meant to do with it. When we fall off the wagon at times we are not invited to beat ourselves to a pulp with shame or guilt. There are enough out there that will want to do that for us. But rather-- we are called to give it to the Lord and leave it all there. Nomads-- that's all we are. The earthly things are meant to stay here. And we are meant to be with HIM-- the one who made us and calls us to speak his word and to be with Him at all times. The earth -and all its worldly treasures- well they belong to the Lord!
We are just a puff of wind!
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Holding on to Hope
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Posted:Jan 2, 2006 9:51 pm
Last Updated:Jan 15, 2008 10:37 am 2421 Views
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Sometimes I wonder
How long it will be
Before I find another partner
In this sea of loneliness
How long O Lord
Will you let me wait
Allow my soul to ponder
Who and How and Where and Why
You did not I think ordain us to some isolation
I know we need to search- I do
And shy I am not
So what is this long eternal- seemingly- time
I have to wait
In some short days I reach another milestone
And ponder why so long a wait
But yoke us I wish you would
To that right one for me
So onward I go in Hope
Until I reach that pearly gate
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Phil Berrigan- RIP
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Posted:Jan 1, 2006 9:40 pm
Last Updated:Mar 5, 2006 9:29 pm 2729 Views
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My heart is saddened this New Year's night as I learn of the passing of Philip Berrigan- founder of the Jonah house in Baltimore and long time peace activist.
Sadly, I had not known of his death in 2002 until tonight-- perhaps too preoccupied with other things besides war and peace.
I recall introducing Phil at a local convention on Social Justice back in the '80s when I chaired the social justice commission. Phil was a remarkable man of great courage and conviction- resolute to the end.
May God grant him the peace he so rightly deserves.
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The Lord is my Shepherd... story of Dan the Drug Dealer
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Posted:Dec 31, 2005 1:06 pm
Last Updated:Apr 14, 2010 5:35 pm 2766 Views
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I met Dan for the first time some 6 years ago. He had just come out of jail for having been convicted as the biggest drug dealer in Alberta's history. He was known as the collector in that he would knock on the door of the late paying drug buyer and if there was no money available he would put the person through the drywall with his bare hands. Dan was one tough mean guy! So why had I met him?
Well it was through a Christian mutual friend who brought us together at Albert's Restaurant in Edmonton. Dan showed me the newspaper's front page where the headlines told of his 14 years behind bars for drug dealing. Dan thanked Harold- my friend for his sausage as he plucked all three from his plate for a little extra for himself. Then he told his story-- as he would now give testimony so many times at Charismatic prayer breakfasts and the like.
Dan was now out on parole after only 4 years of incarceration. He had become a threat to security because of a thing called "prayer". So where did all this start after a life of criminal activity in the drug world and godlessness beyond your imagination. He had had all the toys, drugs and women that any man could want.
He had done a drug deal in South America and then seen the plane with his drug friends aboard blown out of the sky by the United States Coast guard. Unmoved he came back to Canada but only to be picked up by the RCMP and then whisked off to jail.
At the end of his rope-- Dan screamed out in the detention cell that he had had enough. He wanted to end his life here and now. Someone in the adjacent cell heard his plea and pushed into Dan's cell a book known as a bible- THE BOOK!
Randomly Dan opened the book -- and the words leapt out at him "The Lord is My Shepherd....psalm 23" He flung the book promptly to the ground and cursed God with his accustomed prafanities.
A short time later Dan picked the bible up again and randomly opened it. "Hmmmm same page, same psalm.. Yea though I walk through the valley of death you are there to comfort me....." thought Dan. Again he flung the book against the wall and swore profusely denouncing God in every expletive he knew.
After some reflection Dan decided to take up the book one more time. So he again opened it at random and for some strange reason it came to the same page and same chapter and same verse. Dan read it and read it again. Then- strangely, he got down on his knees and asked God for his forgiveness and promised him that from this day forward he was going to give his life to the Lord. For some strange reason he now wanted to turn his whole life around. Dan was in his late 40's.
Six months later at his trial his lawyer appealed to the judge and spoke of the miraculous turn around in Dan's life. He had started to read the bible and shown amazingly good behaviour and a truly repentant prisoner.
"I have no doubt that a great miracle has occurred in this man's life," said Judge Margaret Trussler, "however, I do not want to send a message to the drug dealing community that it is ok to wreck people's lives and then come to jail and have a miracle occur and then all is well. She handed Dan the longest sentence ever given at that time- 14 years! Dan thanked her and agreed that it was only fair for what he had done.
So Dan went to the maximum security jail and continued to lead his new Christian life. He told me that he had been in Bible School for four years when we met! He was dyslexic but miraculously he had taught himself to read the bible in jail. He recited it almost verbatim! He knew every piece of it. Dan's life changed so much that he began to pray with fellow prisoners and pray over them. Prisons are still notorious for their drug consumption and this was no different. But Dan's new life of prayer helped many others turn their lives around too. He noticed that more and more prisoners were coming to him for prayer and strangely the needle holes in their arms were being completely healed after the laying on of hands.
Dan's life turned around so much that eventually he was released from prison and placed on parole-- but he never went back to jail.
At the Mustard Seed Church in Edmonton he worked from his car counselling many of the drug addicts that he had once taken down the wrong path. There were bullet holes in the windshield of his car where drug dealers had attempted to kill him-- but somehow the Lord's angels had intervened and allowed Dan some time to atone for his sinfulness.
Four years ago Dan passed away. Almost without any warning a brain tumor was discovered and he died very suddenly in a local hospital.
I used to call Dan for prayer when I was going through a difficult divorce. He would always answer my call and always assure me of God's complete watch over me. Dan's faith stood tall--- and here was a man who for most of his life had ignored God; had denounced God; had cursed him continuously.
Indeed there was light at the end of the tunnel. I listened to Dan on more than one occasion tell that story of psalm 23 when he was in the remand center. Then I watched with amazement as he prayed over hundreds of prayer seekers at the Charismatic Prayer breakfasts-- and layed his hands upon them.
There is a Dan in each of us. We have only to listen to the word of God and trust in Him from that point on. Truly-- the Lord is our Shepherd!
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The End is Near..........The story of a shipwreck
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Posted:Dec 30, 2005 1:09 pm
Last Updated:Apr 14, 2010 5:31 pm 2540 Views
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Once upon a time a very wealthy man boarded his Caribbean yaught for a short cruise. Not long after leaving the safe confines of the island harbour he encountered a major storm. So violent was this natural calamity that it took him far beyond his place of destination. It demolished his boat and left him without anything but his underwear and his pierced pride. He was now alone on a deserted island.
Before he had a chance to look around and forage for food he slammed his fist into the sand and pound after pound, he cursed God for creating him; cursed him for taking away his family and all his worldly possessions; cursed him for causing the storm to have brought him to his end.
Later- tired and psychologically exhausted from the trauma of the event- he began searching for material with which to build a fire. By banging together a few rocks he caused a spark to ignite some dry cocoanut folliage which in turn allowed him to light a huge fire with wood he had gathered from the beach. Sometime later he found a way to catch fish, drink the juice from the cocoanuts and even make himself a nice hut. He had made himself a new home.
Then one day he decided to forage further into the island in search of other food beside fish. After walking for an hour he looked back at his campsite and saw a thick black cloud of smoke billowing into the air. "Ohhh no!" he yelled out.
He ran at full pace back to his new home only to find everything burnt to cinders.
ONce more he took his fist and pounded it into the sand, each time cursing this rotten God for the evil he continued to inflict on him. "I curse you, you evil wicked God!" " I hate you forever!" he cried out. "This was not a God who was dead- it was a God who was actively destroying him", he said to himself.
Moments later he looked into the horizon and saw an ocean cruiser heading at full speed in his direction. As the ship came close enough for the crew to hear him, he hollered out in the loudest voice " How did you know I was here?"
"We saw your smoke signal!" cried the captain.
Thirteen years ago I lost my marriage, and truly thought the end was near. Then through foolishness with lawyers and a helter skelter time just trying to find myself again-- I lost everything much like the man in my story. Thankfully I had not completely abandoned God-- but there were days when it was not my own faith, but the faith of so many others that carried me through the crisis.
The trouble with a crisis in our lives is that the pain and suffering is so great at the time that it is very difficult to see with the eyes of faith what is going on. We don't see what God is doing with this seemingly ugly scene. We don't have the patience as finite beings to measure against a God who measures with infinite proportions. If we do not fuel ourselves abundantly with faith in God beforehand, we quickly run out of gas for the long haul. It does at times feel as the psalmist says that "It often seems that the wicked thrive and grow like grass".
Today I rejoice in the Lord for every breath that I take; for every wonderful thing that he has given me. Some day my princess will come. Some day my new house will be built. Some day my life will be fully restored. Thank God for stories like Job that held me together during my crisis of faith and thank God for shipwrecks like me!
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Hollering at the skies
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Posted:Dec 29, 2005 10:21 pm
Last Updated:Dec 28, 2006 7:48 pm 3233 Views
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I recall when I was about 14 or 15 coming home on a trolley bus called a "street car" in downtown Toronto (Canada)and talking to a man who was self described as "a poet". As we chatted I told him I believed in God and went to church-- and not just on Sundays.
He bagan to lecture me about "Hollering at the skies"--- in vain he thought that we Christians cry out our pleas and praises to a so called God who does not listen. Hmmmm I thought. Thankfully my faith was strong-- but I have somehow always recalled that phrase that he used.
We Christians praise the Lord. We know HE LIVES. We believe he listens all the time. We place all our trust in HIM and HIM alone. We respect others who do not believe in Him but we believe that our cries are heard. He intervenes. He saves lives-- all lives. He loves like no other and HE gives like no other. We have only to call out--- not holler in vain. Nothing we say goes unheard by Our God who is up all night answering the phone-- never do we get put on hold; never an answering machine and thankfully we don't have to press #1 to speak to the Father; # 2 to speak to His or #3 to the Holy Spirit.
No -- thankfully we do not holler at the skies. The Lord hears the cry of the poor. Lord I pray that you give bread to the hungry and hunger for you to those that have bread.
Amen.. Good night Lord.. it's almost a NEW YEAR!
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The Earth is the Lord
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Posted:Dec 29, 2005 11:02 am
Last Updated:Mar 5, 2006 9:29 pm 2486 Views
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The world is quickly being divided among political and religious boundaries, ethnic and sexual preferences. While empires are not as popular as they once were-- today it is the global corporate bodies that are quickly seizing the large scale markets and aggressively sliding down the slippery slope, pursuing their own interests.
At one time gold and sugar cane were the most sought after commodities throughout the world. Slave traders sold their souls to inherit the earth's wealth from them. Today it is oil and gas- or perhaps stocks in the latest gadget.
And who made the earth? And who was it that caused the Red Sea to part? The manna that came down from heaven? And what caused the earth to shake at the crumbling of the prison walls that housed the mighty apostle Paul? In all times does God play a mighty role in every aspect of our lives-- not just creation.
We need to remember the life of Job-- who would not curse God even if it meant losing everything he ever owned. His faith was supreme in all the temptation that came his way. Yes the earth belongs to God. We are here but a short time not only to enjoy it but also to share it with others who are less fortunate than ourselves. We are built for friendship not solitude. We are built to give not just receive; distribute the Word not just receive it. We are His and He alone has all the rights to our beginning and the time of our ending. The more we acknowledge that our lives are nothing less than a full blessing the more we realize how beautiful and gifted we truly are.
Yes, the Earth truly is the Lord's.
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The Glory of God is a man/woman fully alive
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Posted:Dec 28, 2005 9:52 pm
Last Updated:Apr 14, 2010 5:22 pm 2623 Views
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Tonight I reflected on this great saying of St Ireneaus whose words ring so true of any time in our lives. How lucky we are alive; to be able to breath; to watch the sun rise and set; to develop whatever talents that God has blessed us with-- to blossom into that full person that God would want us to become. Indeed we are all made in God's image and how wonderful it is to realize our true vocation and our true calling as we Glorify our Creator by being so FULLY alive!
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