Risk Free or Free to Risk

I was wading through some old files the other day while in the process of reformatting my computers (with Matt James’ help) and stumbled across something I had written about a month before we moved downtown. I thought it was appropriate New Year’s fodder, so here it is… Happy 2006!

English is a funny language. Our contemporary language is full of oxymora like "working vacation", "virtual reality", "instant classic". How about "pretty ugly"? Strange, huh? That's why they are called oxy - "morons".
 
An oxymoron that is important to where we're at is "fail-safe". When something is fail-safe, it's guaranteed to work.
 
I think it is important to understand, believe, and accept that the journey we are on is not fail-safe. There are no guarantees of success. I can't promise that we are going to achieve our dream of starting a new church downtown. Failure is a very real possibility.
 
There. I said it. And it feels good.
 
There are a number of reasons that I think are vital for all of us to buy into this notion of potential failure.
 
1. We need to be realistic. Most of the businesses that fail are new businesses. Same with churches. Experience shows that lots of new church plants don't survive. There is real risk in start up, and we need to understand that.
 
2. We need a better theology. Much of our understanding of how God works in our lives is warped by 'fail-safe' thinking. We have been taught that whenever God is in something there is no chance for failure. If that were true, then the corollary would be that everything that fails is not of God. That is a dodgy assumption verging on the fallacious.

While it is true that God is victorious and through the cross Satan has been defeated, we are still in the midst of the battle (pardon the warfare analogy). We know who wins the war, but there still is a lot of serious fighting to be done. And as in any battle, there is serious risk of injury and even death. This death can be the death of a vision or a dream, or it can even be physical death, as in martyrdom. Just re-read the story of the fiery furnace in Daniel 3, especially verses 16 - 18, or check out all the good guys that died as listed in Hebrews 11:36-39. Even the great Apostle Paul wasn't able to accomplish everything God put on his heart - read 1 Thessalonians 2:18. (He got killed in the end, too!)
 
So don't give me the line that "If it's God's will, it will all work out." That is just fatalistic naivety and syrupy sentiment! Grow up. Biblical Christians don't think that way.
 
3. The risk of failure makes us better. Because I know we can fail, I need to be committed to pursuing our mission full-heartedly! I'm going to pray more desperately and work more fervently. There are no guarantees, so I'm responsible to give it my best shot. I know this is God's will, so I'm going to give my life to see it fulfilled. It's not going to be painless, but sacrificing for the cause of Christ brings great glory to God, shapes my character, provides the context for incredible miracles, and gives meaning to my life. Even if it hurts.
 
There is a myth that says the safest place to be is in the center of the will of God. I don't think the intent of that statement is necessarily wrong, but it is misleading because doing what God wants isn't always safe. The purposes of His Kingdom trumps our desire for comfort or success. As Erwin McManus says, the center of God's will is not a safe place, but the most dangerous place in the world. God fears nothing and no one. God moves with intentionality and power. To live outside of God's will puts us in danger, but to live in His will makes us dangerous!
 
We are on this journey, not because it is risk-free, but because through Christ we are free to risk! We are called to obedience, not “success”. I'm tired of being a Christian 'nice guy'. It's time to take some risks, move with God, and through Him be dangerous! Even if it costs us our lives.

'Tis more blessed to give, but getting ain't that bad either

Guess I should itemize what Santa (sorry Wanda) snuck down the chimney this year. Not that I’m hooked on the commercialization of the holidays or anything. I know it’s all about Jesus and deep spiritual stuff, but I’m just tired of telling everybody what was under the tree at our house. So if you wanna know, don’t ask; here’s the list.

I hit a home run with the main gifts I gave – primarily pictures of my family to everyone. Can’t go wrong when your kids are that cute. Aileen got a Sonicare 7650 Elite electric toothbrush and oowed and awed. Twasn’t terribly romantic, but when you give something they really like, I’ve found romance follows anyways. This gift was a calculated risk as technically it falls in the forbidden appliance / power tool category. Normally I would never buy anything you have to plug in (i.e. irons, skillets, grills, mixers, beaters, etc. Cordless stuff also falls in the catagory.). But I was fairly confident she’d go for it as her sisters have been oowing and awing about their own powered tooth scrubbers for years now and she really like the clean teeth feeling after going to visit the dental hygienist. Seeing as she still has her own teeth, I thought it would go over big. I was right. She even let me try it out. Kind of tickles.

Among the annual traditions like new jammies, both girls got luggage from us. Not that we’re trying to get rid of them, at least not for more than a few weeks, but a couple of good, sturdy bags will come in handy for their various excursions back to the old country (Alberta) and other happy wanderings like Quebec or the Yukon. Look out Grandma, here they come!

I did really good on the getting end to. Daleena and Maryn got Aileen and I Settlers of Catan, the German board game Dustin has been raving about for years and Paul and Wanda have gotten us addicted to. This is not a cheap game so I commented to Daleena about the extravagance of their gift. She said “Do the math, Dad. This gift is from both Maryn and I to both Mom and you. I think we got off cheap! Besides, we really wanted it.” Point taken. (In fact, point taken into consideration for next year…) I’m just glad I figured out that the box under the tree with my name on it looked suspiciously like Settlers before I went out and bought if for the girls as was my original plan.

What else did I get…oh yeah, among other things, the traditional new pack of underwear, and a really plush new house coat from my wife. I think that was a hint that she was serious when she said that she really hated the comfy-cozy one that I’ve had for years. Maybe it does smell after all… Also a renewed subscription to Reader’s Digest from my Dad (the 17th year I’ve got that…) and the Diana Krall Christmas Songs CD from Pam – very good. (That was a really cool gift as I had gone to Best Buy to get it and looked all over for it and then was told that if Diana Krall had put out a Christmas CD that they would definitely have it because it would be very popular. Ha! They were sold out and didn’t even know it! Goes to show that it doesn’t always help to ask…) And wine glass charms from Daleena. Hmmm. What is she saying?

Consequences of the new internet

Here’s something I picked up on http://www.theooze.com/blog/ I’m not much of an intellectual, but I thought this was very interesting.

The economic, social and cultural consequences of the new Internet
Grant McCracken blogs about three ways of understanding the Internet's impact on culture. This is just a short summary but you should read the whole thing.  It's that good.

1. Disintermediation :: "The Internet is an efficiency machine. It removes the friction that stands between buyers and sellers. Now Dell can sell directly, from factories to consumers. Now Amazon can disintermediate the bookstore and someday the publisher. We are on the verge of being able to tell how much of the marketplace was about the accidents, not the essentials, of supply and demand. Markets will verge on maximal efficiency. "


2. Long Tail :: "The Internet is a profusion machine. It allows small cultural producers to find small cultural consumers, and as a result, all hell is breaking lose. Chris Anderson's long tail model (and my own plenitude model) says that the tiny acts of innovation, rebellion and refusal that used to die in obscurity can now, some of them, find just enough fellow travellers to sustain themselves. As a result, the gravitational power of the center is being made to creak like the mast of an 18th century man of war in a perfect storm. It might hold...or maybe this is the moment to throw ourselves overboard. "


3. Reformation :: "The Internet is a reformation machine. It will create new fundamentals of and for our world. It change the units of analysis and the relationships between them. This reformation model says, in other words, that the coming changes will deeply cultural...and not merely social (model 2) and economic (model 1)." He concludes by offering a fourth. And, he notes that the first three are telescoping: If you believe 3, you also believe 2 and 1.

Trinity is Heavenly

One of Edmonton’s Christmas traditions is the world famous “Candy Cane Lane”, a residential street where the neighbors have gone nuts decorating their homes with lights galore for something like 40 years now. Christmas wasn’t complete without bundling everyone up and heading out to be dazzled by the light show.

We’ve lived in Vancouver now for six Christmases, and finally we have discovered Vancouver’s version of Candy Cane Lane. It’s Trinity Street, one block north of McGill near the Iron Worker’s Memorial Bridge, for about six blocks between Nanaimo and Wall. We loaded up the mini-van last night and went and checked it out. Many of the homes are lit, and some of them are quite spectacular. Some even have fake snow! Of course real snow is what’s really needed to make everything look right. I’m still not used to a snow-less Christmas. But even Edmonton is thinking it is California with the snow-less heat wave they’ve been having this December.

Anyway, Trinity Lane has got to be Vancouver’s best kept Christmas secret. Even the local yocals don’t seem to know about. But now that the word is out, if you’re tired of Carol Ships, St. Paul’s Hospital, or the tree display at the Four Seasons, check out Trinity Street ‘til Jan. 3.

A Christmas Haiku

Letter in Haiku
Maryn said Father should do
Soft like snow on nose

Haiku for Christmas?
But in Chinatown we live
Makes sense like hot ice

Christmas Haiku write
Aileen said “You’re kidding, right?
Too much time on hands.”

But busy man, I
Oak-Way Woodworks hectic place
Building furniture

Time limit tonight
Have to say it all in verse
Daughter will be proud

Where is place to start?
Update on family make
Start with two daughters

Daleena, Grade 8
Sir Winston Churchill High School
French Immersion class

Shopping every chance
Talking on phone with her friends
Teenager for real

Also loves to bake
Makes big bucks baby sitting
Drags Dad out running

Maryn, Grade 7
Does well in French Immersion
Also baby sits

Enjoys crafts and art
Has crazy sense of humor
Will talk your ear off

Play softball in spring
Provincial Tournament go
Fun, but team got thumped

Aileen working hard
Lots has changed at work now called
CRNBC

Downtown 18 months
Vancouver City Center
Condo life a blast

Check out Darcy’s blog
http://siggyurbanite.blogspot.com/
Does not fit Haiku

Living room church start
Gather with neighbors and friends
Heavenly times had

Letter comes to end
I hope you liked the haiku
Next year limericks!

Happy holidays!
Blessings from the Siggelkow’s
Merry Christmas all!

Poetic Interpretation by Daleena

Hey Everyone,

After that letter it’s hard to believe that my Dad is actually a busy man. Next year I promise to censor any ‘creative’ ideas Maryn might suggest or he endeavors himself.

If you didn’t quite understand my Dad’s attempt at poetry allow me to try and clear everything up.

My Mom is currently working as a registration officer at the College of Registered Nurses of B.C. (CRNBC) and is enjoying it, especially the office hours.

Dad isn’t really building furniture, but he is employed at Oak-Way Woodworks which specializes in making high-end office furniture (he works in the office).

Maryn is now in Grade 7 Late French Immersion and doing well. Last spring she played softball again and is now baby sitting…the business competition is growing fierce for me!

I (Daleena) am in Grade 8 and have started high school (also in French Immersion). When I’m not doing homework I love to go shopping with my friends and if you ever need a babysitter I can send you my card.

We’ve all adjusted to downtown life and public transit, come and visit us if you want a tour! We would love to have you (we’ll pick you up from the airport for free)!

We hope that this letter finds you and your family happy and healthy and that 2006 will be your best year yet! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Love,

The Siggelkow’s

Pie By Night

We have discovered Vancouver's best new pizzeria! Pie By Night is a brand new shop at 1147 Granville, between Davie and Helmcken. It's open 11 AM till late (like 2 AM!), and you can eat by the slice or order a whole pie.

You have to try the currie chicken - it's outstanding, as well as the beef. Oes is the propietor, and he's making a 21" diameter pie, so come hungry. Aileen works with his wife Shelly, so we do have a bit of an inside track. But take my word for it, the pizza is great. Honest!

The reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated

Hey Everyone. Just to let you know that I’m still alive and well. No posts because the past couple of weeks have been very busy. Christmas is coming, you know. Aileen’s parents, Robert and Alice arrived last weekend, and we have been enjoying the time with them. You add that to work, shopping, school Christmas concerts and everything else, and well…But why am I telling you all this? You’re so busy that you don’t even have time to read my blog.

So Merry Christmas!

Another Alarming Experience

Well, for the second night in a row we were screeched awake by the fire alarm.
The good news is that this time I beat the fire department to the lobby.
The bad new is that the fire department didn't show up.
The good news is that it was another false alarm again caused by a fault in the Mall’s sprinkler room.
The bad news is another sleep interrupted by an adrenalin rush.
Oh well, just another hazzard of condo living...

Comment Settings have been changed

Hey everyone, I had inadvertantly set the comments options to members only. I appologize for that! Thanks to my brother Dal for making me aware of this. I have just reset this so all of you non-blogger people can jump in on the fun. All you have to do is click on the blue "comment" link on the bottom of the post and a new window will open up that will show you any other comments that have been made and allow you to add your take. You will have to do the word recognition thing, but that just keeps a lot of spam (someof it very inappropriate) from getting pumped onto my site.

My appoligies , and happy posting...

Good book from Ann Rice

My buddy Paul has got a bead on what could be some good "Christian" fiction. Christmas reading, anyone? Here's the link.

A Very Alarming Experience

One of the unexpected community events we have experienced since moving downtown is the ringing of the fire alarm in the middle of the night. Actually, to say the fire alarm rings is a gross understatement. Our fire alarm SCREAMS. This is not average smoke detector or your high school bell. This is a genuine, scream-in-your-ear-at-the-top-of-your-lungs and wake-you-up-when-you-are-halfway-to-the-ceiling kind of shrieking, throbbing, jarring alarm. There are 2 alarm speakers in our house, and one more right outside our door and then about 500 more throughout the complex. When it goes off, all of Vancouver hears it.

It happened again early this morning. Suddenly this deafening shrieking explodes in my head and when I wake up I’m banging with my fist on the alarm clock and Aileen is yelling at me “NO! IT’S THE FIRE ALARM, NOT THE ALARM CLOCK!” (She has to yell to be heard, never mind that she has also been startled half way out of her mind!)

I come to my senses and in the adrenalin filled next 0.27 seconds realize that it is Saturday morning and that our alarm clock should not be going off, and that it is indeed the fire alarm pounding my ears (thank goodness we don’t have an alarm clock that loud. It would shorten your life expectancy by 47 years…). Then I remember that someone recently broke into our building’s Fireman’s Lock Box (and then used that key to break into our storage lockers…but that’s another story. People have also been skinny-dipping in our pool…but I digress) and I have the responsibility of going down to the lobby and letting the Fire Department in because they don’t have a key.

So I scramble into my clothes, grab my keys / phone on the way out the door, and sprint for the stairs. We only live on the 5th floor, but by the time I fly down 7 or so flights to the lobby, the firemen are already coming in the door with all their scary looking paraphernalia on. The concierge was still there even though his shift had been over hours ago, and he had let them in.

Over the next 10 minutes I make several observations:

1. The response time of the Vancouver Fire Department is amazing. They can get to my lobby faster than I can. This is reassuring. They also look very tough and brave in their yellow suites and fire axes.

2. As other residents begin to stumble into the lobby from the stairwell, they all look very disheveled, with hair all mussed up, frumpy sweatshirts on, and slippers. Everyone was obviously in bed. Then I realize I don’t even know what time it is. I ask someone to discover that it is 5:50 AM on Saturday morning. Argh! So much for sleeping in… Several people actually head down the street to grab a java at Starbuck’s, others go walk their dog.

3. By the number of people in the lobby, only about 10% of our building actually bothers to evacuate when they hear the bell. That’s because it’s always been a false alarm. If we ever have a real fire we will have to get on the intercom and tell everybody they really do need to get out of bed, grab their pet, and stumble down 20 flights of stairs. (The first time the alarm went off after we moved in we freaked at the noise, got dressed and headed for the stairs. Our neighbors looked at us and asked us where we were going…After that, everyone stays in bed and I go investigate and phone them if it is a real emergency. )

4. Our building is full of young adults. Looking around the lobby at the 50 or so people there, I felt rather old – and I’m not old! Most of the people were 20+ somethings. Maybe the older people just have more sense to plug their ears and stay in bed.

5. Living on the 5th floor is better than the 25th floor. When the alarms go off, the elevators automatically go to the main floor and are deactivated until the alarm is reset. If it is a false alarm and the Fire Department is not able to reset the system (like this morning), not only do you have to stumble down 30 flights of stairs to get out, but you have to climb up 30 flights of stairs to go back to bed! Talk about early morning exercise…

6. If you want to get into a community, you can’t beat living in the neighborhood. Fire alarms are a great time to get to know people and build community. It’s a shared experience you can all talk about, and you get a chance to connect with a few people you haven’t seen for a few days. It’s actually a great outreach event. Maybe next time I’ll bring cookies…

Was there ever any doubt about Aslan?

Wow! I haven’t anticipated a movie like this for a long time. I am really looking forward to Narnia. This is one flick that I will gladly spend the big movie-theater bucks to go see on the large screen on the first weekend instead of waiting a year for the DVD to be released like I usually do. Even the art work is enough to send shivers up and down my spine - Aslan, in all his fearsome majesty. I just hope they get it right...

I was never much into fantasy fiction when I was a kid (The Sugar Creek Gang ruled my world), but the one series I did fall in love with and have read numerous times, even as an adult, is The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis. (Hey Roger ~ great minds think alike! I guess I’m answering my own question on where to find great “Christian” literature…Now what about some stuff that been written in the last 30 years?) I remember when I got my boxed set. I was visiting my Aunt Betty and Uncle Art in Edmonton for a week one summer when I was about 9 years old. (I think she bought them for me, or was it spending money from Mom and Dad…) I had all seven books read in about 5 days.

As my buddy Roger pointed out in his comment, C.S. Lewis tales like Narnia are not typical Christian literature (thank God!). But for me they were - and remain - powerfully Christian. I guess I’m naïve, but I thought most people had that figured out. Remarkably, even Douglas Gresham, Lewis’s stepson, said recently that the Narnia books aren’t Christian novels, but rather adventure stories that draw on a variety of religious and folklore sources.

I don’t buy that. The allegory is far too rich and deep to be accidental. But because Lewis’ allegory is so powerful I suppose you could miss the point, especially if you really didn’t want to see it - kind of what Jesus said about why he spoke in parables.

Now we know for sure. The Sunday Times from jolly old England reports that a previously unpublished letter from dear ol’ Jack says that “The whole Narnian story is about Christ.” (Catch the article here) Come on! Was there really ever any doubt about Aslan?

I guess the one thing I'm bracing for is the typical response from the church and Christians, beating the religious drum about God and Hollywood. Can't we just let the movies (and the books) remain deliciously mysterious and speak for themselves?

For more controversy to chew on, check out the Washington Post. David Germain of the Associated Press is more positive.

Pentecostal Christmas Bears

 

A Little Christmas Tree Controversy

I had an interesting lesson in pluralism and political correctness the other night. I was attending our strata council meeting and the agenda item was scheduling a date to decorate the Christmas Tree that get set up in the lobby of our building every December. One of the new members to the council (and a newer resident of the building) exclaimed “A Christmas Tree? How is it decorated? It’s not covered with religious symbols, is it?

“Oh no, it is a holiday tree, not a Christmas tree. Besides, Christmas trees are not really Christian. They come from Northern European winter solstice celebrations.”

Someone else chipped in “One year we had a Menorah on the Concierge’s desk, what happened to that? And what’s the African celebration?” (It’s Kwanzaa – but at the time no one could remember. I think we were slightly embarrassed by that!)

The first council member went on “Well, I am not a Christian, and I think people of other faiths in this building could be offended. This is their home too, and we need to be respectful of that.”

I agree that we need to show respect. I'm not sure what faith perspective my friend has, but after we assured her that our décor would be festive but not overtly religious we set a date for decking the tree

I probably I shouldn’t have been surprised by a conversation like that, but I was. Perhaps it is because I take Christmas trees for granted and don’t consider them to be a “Christian” icon. To me they are just part of a Canadian Christmas, which is far more cultural than Christian. I don’t think all the malls and stores are decorated with a Christian motivation, and people don’t seem to be offended by all the lights and greenery. If they were, the stores sure wouldn’t do it – especially starting the day after Halloween!

But after thinking about it, maybe there was more to it than that. What’s the big deal with a tree in our lobby? Nothing, except that it might be seen by some as being Christian, and with our politically correct, inclusive mindsets, that should not be.

Here is the irony: being inclusive really means being exclusive. Everything is acceptable, except something Christian. That is the real world Canadian definition of ‘inclusive’. I have studied these kind of issues and talked about them, but to experience it kind of slaps you up the side of the head. Maybe I'm just being oversensative, and I sure don't want to join the "Christians as victims" club, but that's the way things seem to be.

I don’t think anyone would have a problem if we decorated for Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, or Ramadan. I know I wouldn’t. And no one says anything what about all the Chinese New Year festivities that go off with a big bang (literally) every year. To me, that is one of the neat things about living in Chinatown, even though all that drum banging can be very loud!

So tomorrow we decorate our ‘festive’ tree. We have invited anyone in the building who wants to come, especially children. Aileen and I are going to bring some apple cider and cookies, and make sure there is some Christmas music playing (but probably not carols!). Hopefully it will be a good opportunity to connect with people and build community. That, to me at least, is very Christmas, and very Christian. (But don’t tell anyone on council that I said so!)

Here is a link to an article on the meaning and origin of the Christmas tree. It is written from a Christian perspective, and I apologize in advance if you are offended…

Rideau Hall has a Christmas Tree!

RIDEAU HALL PUTS UP A “CHRISTMAS TREE”
Rideau Hall, the Governor General’s official residence, will have a Christmas tree this year after all, the Ottawa Citizen reported Tuesday.

Randy Mylyk, speaking for Governor General Michaelle Jean, said an employee had been “well-intentioned” but wrong to refer to the seasonal evergreen as a “holiday tree.”

“At Rideau Hall,” Rideau Hall spokeswoman Lucie Brosseau had told the CBC, “we will be putting up a holiday tree as we find it reflects the traditions of many cultures, and it is inclusive.”

But Mylyk says Rideau Hall has always called it a “Christmas tree” and Jean has no wish to abandon that tradition.

“In her life experience, it was always a Christmas tree,” he told the Citizen. “We spoke to Her Excellency and clearly, it was her intent that it was to be a Christmas tree.”

More Christmas Tree Flap

The Ottawa Citizen mentioned that last week Donnie Hatt, a Nova Scotia logger, donated a large 14-metre tree to the city of Boston to use as a Christmas tree. However, the city referred to the tree as a “holiday tree,” prompting the anger of Mr. Hatt. “[I]f he knew Boston had decided to call his spruce a “holiday tree” he would have put it through the wood chipper,” the Citizen reported.

A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words

Poor Paul.

Wow, What a Game!!!

Well, the Grey Cup Game again lived up to it's reputation as the greatest sport's championship game on the planet. The Edmonton Eskimos snuck out a 38-35 over time victory over the Montreal Alouettes to win Earl Grey's holy grail.

We watched the game with the a bunch of friends at the Dodson Pub and Hotel on Hastings Street, a couple of blocks from where we live. It was a great afternoon! The only thing that could have made it better was if the BC Lion's were the champions. But congratulations to the Eskies on a great game!

Lessons in Anthropological Correctness

My buddy Roger from Vanguard College sent me a quote which he discovered reading for a Cultural Anthropology course he is taking.

“…Westerners think in terms of full-time trained specialists who are paid for their work. They find it hard to think of self-supporting lay leaders in charge of the church, and doing the preaching and teaching. For the most part, Western formal ways of organizing the church [overseas] have failed because they do not fit the ways common folk organize their activities. Ironically, Western missionaries have often been more willing to contextualize the gospel than church polity.”

Interesting thought - though I'm not sure the church overseas has failed to be organized effectively. I guess taking ‘western’ ecclesiastical forms to un-western places is not the anthropologically correct thing to do. Who knew!?! Westerns just assume that the way we do things is the way things should be done regardless of the cultural context. Do we really do that? Is this an unfortunate colonialistic blind-spot, or are we just plain dumb? Or is this just politically correct babbling?

Another aspect to this discussion could revolve around the question of whether the ‘full-time trained specialist’ is appropriate or effective for the western church. From an anthropological perspective I guess our culture does look to the skilled professional in most areas of life, and it has been the preferred pattern of the western church throughout history.

But for the church, is this the right way, the best way, or the only way? Praxis can be a pitfall. Is it enough that our church structures are shaped and validated by our westernized ecclesiology and cultural tendencies, or is this another of our cultural blind-spots the church needs to recognize and make some adjustments to? When it comes to church leadership, isn’t an effective leader a legitimate leader, be they paid or not? Does our culture’s perception of the need for the full-time specialist dictate the church’s preferred form of organization?

What happens when the western context you are in is evolving and may eventually be better served by the ‘lay leader’? Do we really have to call this person a ‘lay leader’? What qualifies this individual as a ‘legitimate’ leader in the church - calling, gifting, and involvement, or a theological degree from some institution, formal credentials with a denomination, and a position and pay cheque from a church? What can we do to recognize that these people are an essential and strategic element for the development of the new faith communities the western church is desperate for (or should be desperate for) and do everything we can to foster and release this largely untapped leadership resource? Will we as the western church be willing to experiment with church polity?

Stay tuned. The next 50 years should tell the story…

My Most Unfavoritest Books

Warning: this is a rant…

Contemporary “Christian” fiction is so pathetic. I was flipping through the pre-Christmas sales rag of the local Christian bookstore, and I found these winners, which I present for your entertainment:

Second Chances
Marilyn is determined to guard her heart after her minister husband divorces her for another woman. But when she meets Joshua, she struggles to ignore the attraction she feels. Suddenly a stalker known as “Leopard” starts sending Josh threatening messages. $13.97

What She Left For Me
Jana discovers that her pastor husband has run off with his secretary—and the family bank account. Penniless and pregnant, Jana turns to her mother, who is haunted by her own guilt. Then an eccentric aunt complicates the situation! $13.97

These make The Da Vinci Code look like stellar literature. I can’t remember the last time I read a “Christian” novel. End-times hallucinations and ministry marriage messes drive me nuts. Beyond Frank Peretti, does anybody out there have any suggestions?

The Shaping of Things To Come

One of the best books I've read on the church is The Shaping of Things to Come, by Frost and Hirsh. Some of you have been asking about it, so here's some info if you're still interested.

This is a link to a PDF of the first chapter to whet your appetite.

You can catch a couple of reviews / summaries of it on the following links.

Leonard Hjalmarson
John Ed Robertson
Facing the Challenges

Amazon.ca is a good place to buy it so you can read it for yourself...

Birds Eye View of the Neighborhood

Here's a birds-eye view of the neighborhood. This is what the crows see when they fly over our house squawking thier beaks off. Aileen would like to shoot all of them.

Actually, the crow thing is an unusual Vancouver phenomena - they are actually commuting crows. They fly in from Burnaby in the morning and fly back at night. You can literally see flocks of hundreds of them heading home in the evening. I guess they can't afford to live downtown. But they do leave the odd chicken bone on our deck. At least we are assuming they are chicken bones...

By the way, Daleena says "Hi" to all of you out in cyber space.

The End of the World Post-poned

The end of the world is apparently on escatological hold. Check out the details here. Thanks to Timbo H. for the hot tip on rapture awareness. He's also got some interesting insights that challenge your assumptions on war and the proliferation there of. Check Tim's post, or read the original article from the BBC.

The Lights are ON and somebody's home!

When we moved into the neighborhood about 18 months ago the Taylor Building (link) was just a hole in the ground. Now it is a 26 story tower with about 212 living units. We have watched this building grow and stretch towards the sky and have been amazed at the tons and tons of concrete and rebar that go into a structure like this. Wow, what a complex peice of engineering.

Now at long last, someone has moved in! We have new neighbors just a stone's throw across the street from us. I've never counted the windows looking down on us, but there are a lot of them! We'll have to be more careful to close the blinds on our place...

So to all our new friends across the street, welcome! As you look out your windows at our community, may you fall in love with it like we have. And if you see us looking out ours, give us wave!

Canadian Myths

J.L. Granatstein in the Saturday, November 12, 2005 of the National Post had a great article addressing some of the attitudes that Canadians have toward our American cousins. There is a strong anti-American sentiment in Vancouver that at first surprised me (the prevailing attitude in red-neck rural Alberta is quite different), and now just annoys me. It’s not that I approve of everything the USA is and does (as if I approve of everything Canadian!), it's just that I just refuse to accept that 'the Americans', including thier government and institutions, are as bad as Canadians, especially Vancouverites make them out to be. I think Granastein’s article is important enough to quote a bunch of it here.

The myth Granatstein tackles is that Canada is a nation of peacekeepers and the U.S. is a nation of warmongers. 'Canadians keep the peace; Americans fight wars.’ That cliched statement, that Canadian myth, is now accepted as gospel truth from St John's to Vancouver. Canadians proudly cite Lester B. Pearson's Nobel Peace Prize, won for his role in stabilizing the Suez Crisis of 1956. They point to the grand peacekeeping monument in Ottawa and to the back of their $10 bill showing Canadian peacekeepers. We are the good guys in white hats or, at least, blue berets. Canadians, we like to think, are natural-born peacekeepers.

And the Yanks? The Americans are the superpower that fought in Vietnam and sprayed its jungles with Agent Orange. They waged war against the Nicaraguan and Cuban peoples, invaded Iraq twice, and continue to station troops all over the world to serve U.S. interests and ensure control over oil supplies. If we're the good guys, the Americans are the world's bullies. Too many Canadians accept this view of their neighbours.

Granatstein rightly points out that the harsh truth is that Canada has largely had a free ride while the United States has taken most of the risks, paid the lion's share of the bills and, for its pains, borne the brunt of the world's abuse. The Canadian Forces, its strength shrunken, much of its equipment obsolete, cannot even credibly defend this nation's air space, sea approaches and land mass. The only question is how much longer the United States will wait before it declares that its own national security makes it necessary for Washington to openly assume responsibility for Canadian defence. Can we still call ourselves a sovereign state if that occurs?

Canadians need to be more clear-headed about the world. We have national interests, not just values. We must defend them or see them overridden by others. The Americans have their own national interests, and have demonstrated they will do what is necessary to protect them.

Canada is part of Western civilization, and we share the values and beliefs of that civilization. So do Americans. We must get beyond the reflexive desire to criticize the superpower next door and to understand that if the United States is crippled, we too will suffer. We can pretend we keep the peace if it pleases us to do so, but we simply must recognize that without America's strength and will, our civilization will disappear. More realism, fewer myths, please.

Real Community

Thursday night we had knock on our door. The new neighbors who just moved into two doors down had come to invite us to a house warming party they were having that evening, and to apologize in advance for the noise. They promised to shut things down by midnight, but would we like to come over and see their place?

Wow! What a neat opportunity to experience and create community. This has never happened in any other neighborhood that we have lived in. There is just something about our roof-top row-house that lends itself to a unique and genuine neighborhood experience.

So down we went, and enjoyed an hour of festivities with David and Peter and about 30 of thier closest friends. Thier townhouse has been remodeled and looks like something out of a magazine spread. It was cool to see what a unit so similar to our can look like when a professional designer gets involved.

Its experiences like this that confirm we made a wise decision to live where we live. I'm a big fan of being on the ground of the community you are trying to minister in. It's all about being incarnationa. You don't get invited to a housewarming of people you don't know unless you live next door. You have to be in the neighborhood. Parachuting doesn't work.

We Will Remember

I need Thy presence every passing hour;
What but Thy grace can foil the Tempter's power?
Who like Thyself my guide and stay be?
Through cloud and sunshine, Oh, abide with me!

It was a very wet and cold day at Victory Square.

Perhaps a fitting reminder of what so many endured.

I always find these services a powerful experience.

It was great to share today with everyone from our livingroom gathering.

The hot chocolate after the service really hit the spot!

90% of the World's Pastors are Bi-vocational...really?

Last week at the Vancouver Urban Planning Group meeting I was at, Ian Green told us that 90% of the world’s pastors were bi-vocational. He related how their international church planting ministry Next Level International made an important policy decision about 5 of 6 years ago, and now all of their church planters are bi-vocational. They have found it to be hugely successful (for many of the reasons listed below). I didn’t get a chance to ask him if that was a model they pursue long term, or if that is just until the church can financially support the pastor, but he also mentioned that in his home church, which is large by European standards, most of the church staff are part time – by design, not default.

Can it be true that 90% of the world’s pastors are bi-vocational? From a North American perspective, that is shocking. Bi-vocational ministry and churches are often regarded as second class. Pastors want the salary and respect that comes from a full-time position. Churches want a pastor that is on call 24/7.

But, if you’ve been reading this blog, you know that bi-vocational ministry is something we are experimenting with. I am not opposed to vocational ministry, but to us, being bi-vocational is educational (we’re learning lots about life), keeps us in touch with the real world (and out of the church sub-culture bubble), self-finances our dream, and provides a template for rapid, cost effective church multiplication. Just as importantly, it forces us to develop a new way of being and doing church. Everyone in our church must be involved. It can’t be left to the “pastor” to do all the ministry, be it pastoral care or teaching. You can’t be a passenger. You have to be a participant. I have a hunch that the future North American church may be more bi-vocational than it is now.

Stuart Murray in his book Church Planting says that bi-vocational pastors are less likely to embrace the seclusion that inhibits many full-time church leaders. This exile from the real world can create:

1. An orientation toward maintenance rather than mission; (the focus becomes keeping the lights of the church building on in the name of touching a community rather than really touching a community.)


2. A practical if not ideological clericalism; (the pastor has the time, so the pastor does the work. Worst case scenario is when the Pastor is considered the highly trained, called and anointed professional who alone is capable of ‘real’ ministry. I hope that too many pastors don't buy into that, but a lot of church people seem to.)


3. Ecclesiocentric attitudes and interests; (all they think, talk, and read about is church, church, church. Conferences, seminars, personal study, courses, continuing education, hobbies, all revolve around one thing.)


4. Insensitivity to the context within which most church members live and work; (enough said – that’s why I refer to my real-world job as my “real-world job”.)


5. A tendency to multiply church activities and to use centripetal methods of evangelism; (Come to church, and come often! It gives the pastor something to do and justifies all the money we spend on building and salary. Classic ‘attractional’ methods and values.)


6. Teaching that does not engage with contemporary issues, especially issues of the work place. (I’ve talked to pastors recently who feel they can’t speak to marketplace issues with integrity because they don’t have experience in the real world.)

Stuart points out that bi-vocational leadership does not guarantee these kind of issues won’t happen. But maybe it will help.

Here’s the rub. I haven’t been a paid staff now for almost 2 years, but I have to admit that sometimes I really miss it. I miss the kind of work that I did (especially preaching and music), the more flexible life-style, and the satisfaction of doing a job I was trained in and am proficient at. I also miss getting paid to do something I truely love to do. And as much as I didn’t like being the answer man, being the answer man did bring a certain satisfaction.

Yesterday a good friend who is also a vocational pastor told me of a great congregation of about 100 that is looking for a new pastor. The salary would probably be about $50,000 a year in an area of the country with a lower cost of living than we currently enjoy. I almost hear the call…(where did I file my resume anyway?)

So I live in a very real tension. The adventure we are currently living, versus the comfort and security of what we have known. I’m trying not to whine, just wanting to be honest. Pray for me.

I am not an answer man

I’m into a new book, Making Sense of Church, by Spencer Burke. (It’s been around for a couple of years, but so many books, so little time.)

The first chapter hit something in me that I’ve been wrestling with off and on for a long time now. Since I’ve been “out” from “Pastor-ing”, I have been relieved not to be looked to as the answer man for everybody’s problems. I grew weary of the expectation some people had of fixing, controlling, and telling people where to go and how to get there. “Pastor, can you pray for me about…”, “Pastor, what should we do about…”, “Pastor, can you talk to __________ about…”. It’s not that I wasn’t concerned about these issues, it’s more that they were forcing me onto a pedestal that I didn’t want to be on. The expectations as the source of knowledge, vision, wisdom, and “anointing” were unrealistic, unbiblical, and unwanted. Today I still get tired just thinking about it.

Burke’s first chapter hits the same issue. In Tour Guide to Traveler – A Conversation About Leadership, he points out that we have defined spiritual leadership in terms of a hierarchical relationship: one person finds the way and tells someone else how to get there. The picture is that of an expert out in front with all the answers for everyone.

Cow poopies.

Instead, Burke offers another metaphor: the traveler. It is a picture of a person who is also on the journey, not one who has reached the destination. You are traveling with the others, not in front of them. You don’t always know where you are going, and you don’t have to. You get blisters and feel thirsty, so you need rest.

But you are going somewhere. There is something calling you onward and upward. And you want to go there. And you want to walk with others who feel the same tug. And the trek is an adventure, and the destination is awesome, and you want others to join with you.

Life is something to be lived, not a problem to be solved, especially by me. Just enjoy the journey.

For Lack of Point!

ARGH!!! I can't beleive the Canuck's and the Lion's both lost by a single point tonight! What's up with that???

After an 11 - 0 start, the Lions' have lost 5 of their last 6. And now they may not even take first place in the Western Division.

And don't bet on them in the playoffs either!

How can a team that was so good be so bad?

A Vancouver Morning

Vancouver Housing Market Still Strong

I got a mail-out from our Marty our realtor. He says:

"The market has continued to heat up over the last two months. There were 30% fewer listings in September 2005 than September 2004 but far more buyers. Accordingly, prices continued on the upward trend rising across the board by 1% in one month (as has been the case for most of the year). The Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver shows volume sales activity up by 13% compared to this time last year. In summary, the market is still hot, prices are continuing to rise, and inventory is still low. Mortgage rates, one of the main drivers of this market, are expected to creep upwards putting additional pressure of pre-approved buyers to buy within the next 60-90 days but will have a potential cooling effect in the long term. If the economy stays active we will continue to see a rise in the fixed rates. Many investors and upgrade home owners are taking advantage of the optimistic forecast. It continues to be a great time to get a better foot-hold in Vancouver's premium real estate market."

Why I Am Not Emergent

This is important. Read it.

Why I am Not Emergent

(Mom and Dad, just so you know, this is satire. He is not serious...)

Trumpism

Donald Trump: "That's why they have menu's in restarants. I like steak, some like spagetti." Mr. Trump commenting on sexual orientation during an episode of The Apprentice.

New Churches in Vancouver

Do we really believe in diversity in the body of Christ? There are some brand new church in town that high light how different things can be.

Urban Community Baptist Church went public in October. They seem to be a very traditional church plant that meets in the Rosedale on Robson at 11AM and 7PM on Sunday. It will be interesting to see how things go for them. I'm a little surprised at their suit and tie, twice on Sunday, King James only, hymn singing approach. But it's a good stretch for me. They will connect with people that are not like me. http://www.urbancommunity.ca/

Church on the Westside is in the Kitsilano area and is taking a contemporary approach. Meeting in a movie theater they are to plant a church that is Jesus modeling, missionally engaged, culturally redemptive, truth seeking, authentic in community and extravagant in worship. Their purpose is to be a church that will be active in the west side community through practical acts of service in the name of Jesus. They plant to be purposely invitational and involved in the marketplace, relevant to the culture through participation in the fine arts, and aware and helpful in key needs that become apparent as they minister. This is the kind of church that I expected to plant when we moved down town. They will connect with people kind of like me. http://www.churchonthewestside.com/new/index.php

Then there is this little condo church with no name that meets in a couple of living rooms. I guess you could call this the radical approach. We haven't mailed out 20,000 pamphlets with the Gospel of John and Epistle of Romans. We haven't had a big article in the Vancouver Courier or been on TV. (Okay, we made a splash in the Testimony!) But we have the same dream as our brothers, just a different approach. It's not a contest to see who wins. It's all about the Kingdom of God. http://vancouvercondochurch.blogspot.com/

God bless us all. God bless Vancouver.

Article in Pentecostal Testimony

Here's a link to my article in the Noveber issue of the Testimony.

http://www.paoc.org/testimony/article.cfm?ArticleID=181

Setting the Bar Low

I'm in the middle of a couple of days of meetings with a group of Pastors looking at urban ministry in Vancouver. What a great experience to be part of this. I learn so much just from listening to the dialogue around the table.

Tonight we had a presentation by Edwin Kong, the Director of the Chinese Christian Mission of Canada, helping us to understand the issues and realities of Chinese community in Vancouver. Fascinating discussion.

There was one particular comment that really lit me up. He was talking about the desperate need for leadership in the Chinese church, and not for more theologians with M. Div's or D. Min's, but for Pastors who know how to love people and relate to them at the level of their need. He called it UBC vs. BCIT. University training is great, but what is really needed is people who know how to do the hands on, practical stuff in a language that people understand the blue-collar pastor, as opposed to the white-collar theologian.

We have a similar issue right now with trades people in BC. The woodworking company I work for is desperately short of skilled woodworkers and cabinet makers. BCIT has a great program for that, but the push for years has been for students to go to University. BCIT and other technical school have been portrayed as second class. So now we have a frantic shortage of trades people we need to survive as a community. Ironically, the highly educated UBC people often have trouble getting a job in their area of expertise.

Back to the church. I believe for the church to go forward like it needs to for Canada to be really impacted, perhaps we need to rethink the way we do church leadership. The professionalized model of ministry and church that we have bought into needs to be re-examined. Do you really need 4-8 years of specialized training to be an effective pastor? From a pragmatic perspective, can we really ram enough people through that kind of training to have the numbers of leaders that we really need to do what needs to be done? And having spent all that money on education, can we pay them enough to justify all that effort and enable them to pay off their student loans before they are 93. Then what about suitably professional office and building to preach in? Finances become just one of the huge roadblocks to this kind of church.

What if there was another way to do it? What if church was simple enough that non-professionals could lead it, and do it with excellence? What if pastors were ordinary people who supported themselves with ordinary jobs and simply cared for 12 people in their living room? What if anyone who is growing in their walk with the Lord and is in the process of becoming who God wants them to be could lead a church? What if they were expected to lead a church? It would solve a lot of problems, like how to finance all the new churches we dream of, how to keep Christians and Pastors connected with the real world, and how to create a sustainable and rapidly expandable leadership force, how to release people to meaningful ministry in their neighborhood.

What I'm talking about is "setting the bar low"! That's a phrase Paul and I heard at a learning party in Seattle a few months back that got our imagination rolling. Set the bar of church low enough that anybody with a real relationship with Jesus can do it! Not low in holiness, character, or quality, but low on overhead and formal requirements. It would change the church. Maybe it would change the world - or at least our neighborhood.

Standing the Church On It's Ear

There is a new public art exhibit in Vancouver. Created by Dennis Oppenheim, it is titled "Device To Root Out Evil". I guess it is quite controversial. After an exhibit in Europe, New York City and then Stanford University didn't want it (!) becuase it may be contentious. But it is welcome in Vancouver. (What does that say about our city?)

I don't know what other people will think of it, but as a church insider, I love it. To me it is a wonderful - if not prophetic - picture of what is happening within the church, especially the institutional church, the one represented by a building. I don't mean to dis the church; I am passionate about the Bride of Christ. I love the Church. It's just that I think would be good for church as we know it to be shook up a bit and stood on it's ear! I know some church people may feel it is disrespectful or another slam against Christianity, but perhaps those are the people that need to ponder this work of art and hear if God is saying something...

I'm not sure what the unchurched world will think. Is it art? Is it any good? Is it worth the $500,000 someone supposedly paid for it? But I've made up my mind. I think it's awesome. And the group of people that I was talking with seem to like it too.

What do you think? Post a comment and let me know.

Pray for Urban Canada

I read something today that really moved me. This is fuel for our Holy Spirit ignited passion. Please pray for us...

"Canada is changing. The population is becoming more urban with every passing year…We are less rural, less agrarian, less Caucasian. We are becoming a land with a few large, cosmopolitan concentrations of citizens.

"The Canada 2001 census indicates that 80 percent of Canada’s populations lives in an urban area, mostly in metropolises of Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver, and the Edmonton-Calgary corridor... They are vibrant centers of business, education, and the arts. At the same time, they struggle with increasing poverty, homelessness and crime. Such contrasts bring large challenges to ministry in urban centers.

"How do we meet these challenges? How do we reach an increasingly urbanized population with the message of Jesus Christ? …We must plant churches and ministries that will meet the real needs of real people whoever they are.

"PRAY…

• For a new generation of pioneers, who in the power of the Holy Spirit, will be missionaries to Canada’s cities
• That God would inspire Canadians to innovative ministries that will engage the wide diversity of needs in urban areas
• That Canadians would have a renewed vision for the salvation of their nation

(from the 2005 Missions Information and Prayer Guide, PAOC)

The View - north

Some have asked about how close we live to the downtown eastside. Here's the view from our balcony to the north. The bus is on Hastings Street.

Vanguard Revisited - Vision, Values and CAKE!

We had another house full of students from Vanguard College here last night - what an awesome group of people! It was a totally different experience from the first group (not that the first group wasn't awesome - they were fantastic too!). The team was at the end of their challenging week in Vancouver and we were all a little on the tired side. Low key. Laid back. Hopefully not too dull. At least the cake Wanda brought made it worthwhile - WOW WAS IT GOOD!

Interesting discussion though - at least I thought so. We shared our story about why we are here, why cities are so important to God, about the incredible need for more churches in Vancouver, our dream of a community of faith in our neighborhood where people can find a safe place to take a fresh step on their spiritual journey and explore what it means to be a follower of Jesus, and our impression that the best way to accomplish this may be what we are beginning to call "the living room church".

I almost hate talking about our vision and values because we are so early in the process that we honestly don't know what we're doing or how we are going to do it yet. We are trying to be very intentional about not photocopying someone else's ministry model. (Wolfgang Simpson calls it importing other people's spiritual success-stories and instead he challenges us to search for the ways which God has ordained for us to put into practice in our time and place - what we feel He has revealed to us.) Sometimes the "creative tension" is agonizing!

But we do have some thoughts that are in the process of development. Our values are certainly not original, but I can honestly say that we haven't stolen them from anyone. They have come out of literal years of heart-searching, God-wrestling, and lifestyle-struggling. We own them, or are in the process of paying a big price to own them! I refuse to live the lie of "aspirational values", and if what I say next isn't in process in my life, please get in my face and let me know!

It's been interesting that as we have struggled to articulate the stirring in our hearts we have stumbled on others on the same journey. We' have been surprised and comforted that many, many others are echoing the same notions - mostly people associated with the 'emerging church'. We are not the only whacko out there!

So, with the caveat of understanding that we are in process and that we are being context specific to the North False Creek area of downtown Vancouver, here goes...

Holistic Christianity - It's about being the church, not going to church. Living church, not doing church. Christianity as life, not a series of meetings. Basically it's about stepping out of the "church culture" bubble and being a part of the real world. (Maybe that's not an issue for you, but for me it has been an intense, personal journey! It has become an experiment about living my calling from God in the community, rather than a church focused ministry position. What would this look like for you?)

Intentionally inclusive community - God is already at work in the world, and I want to join Him there. An individual's spiritual journey begins long before conversion to Christ and I yearn to get in on the conversation before they get up the nerve to "go to church". (Frankly, I don't see most of the people who live in my building ever "going to church". What are we really after - conversion to church, or conversion to Christ? But I digress...) If I can be their friend - not with an agenda of getting them to "go to church", but just truly be a friend... And if they hang around me and my faith family and BELONG to us and we to them , maybe eventually they will discover that they BELIEVE with us, and then they can continue to BECOME what God desires them to become... The spiritual trajectory / direction of someone's life is more important than our perception of their distance or closeness to Christ (especially if it is defined by their involvement in church). Do we really believe that someone can be "far" from God? Not if you believe that God is not far from them!

Participatory Leadership - Church were the body of Christ leads and ministers to each other. Simply put, the deemphasizing of professionalized ministry. Simpson talks about the 3 reformations of church history: a) the theological reformation (Luther's justification by faith), b) the spiritual reformation (the pietistic / holiness movement that birthed the Pentecostal movement that has encouraged us to know and experience God personally), c) the structural reformation. Actually, I don't think the third one has really hit yet, but the unprofessional-izing of the church has started. Hopefully the clergy / laity divide will be destroyed. This is not to say that there is no place for leadership in the church; it's just that in our culture context I believe this leadership needs to be more relational and participatory, rather than positional and hierarchical. (This has huge impact on the way we function as a church, but I'll save that for another time.)

Incarnational Ministry - We expect the primary calling of Christians to be expressed in the community, rather than inside the church. Someone has said that the quickest way to church the unchurched may be to unchurch the churched. Frost and Hirsch talk about the 'attractional' model of ministry that the western church has adopted, which ends up being an extractional model of ministry that actually pulls those involved in the church out of their community and any relational context they have with those not 'in' the church.

Community - Living life together. Relationship, relationship, relationship! Taking seriously the 'one-another's' in scripture. Living room church provides a great context for this because it's hard to get lost in the crowd when there are only 9 people there!

The grace of God and the power of the Holy Spirit - Without God we are nothing. It's his church and his call. We are dependent. Totally. To paraphrase an old song, if anything good happens out of this, if from Jesus.

Alberta Beef

Coming back from our family reunion in Alberta we had to stop and wait for the cowboys to heard the cattle down the road. This is what Albertan's call "going for a drive". (Cattle drive, that is.) Our girls were very impressed to see this. Maryn said "Awesome!" 

Vanguard Visits Vancouver

Tonight was a great night! The Canuck's won, the Lion's won, and we had a house full of students from Vanguard College in Edmonton doing field work on urban missions.

Vanguard is my alma matter - only it was called NBC way back then. Times have changed - never got to go to exotic places like Vancouver when I was in college!

One of the cool things was that the team was led by Roger Graham who was a kid in our church in Whitecourt. It was really great to see where life has taken him and see him leading the team. It definitely makes you feel like some of those wild Friday night youth group meetings were worth it!

The Vanguard team had spent the morning in the downtown east-side, and then we walked them through our neighborhood before sitting down with them over mac and cheese and trying to explain what missions looks like in the affluent side of the second most densely populated inner city in North America. I think the contrast between what they had seen in the morning and where we lived was a shock. It's only 2 blocks, but it is a world away. Some expressed real anger over the obvious wealth of Yaletown and the whole Urban Fare scene when there is such desperate need just around the corner.

But they were still able to understand our mission. One of the many comments really spoke to me was the observation that when they were in the east-side, they never looked at the people on mission there and wondered why they were not doing something in Yaletown! So it wouldn't be fair to ask why people on mission to Yaletown are not fully engaged with the downtown east-side. The need for mission in Yaletown is just as real, just not as obvious.

Then we got into the whole living room church thing. What a provocative discussion that led to! WOW! Students have a lot of energy! I haven't been in that kind of dynamic, hyper dialogue for a long time! Mostly Paul and I had to answer the questions by saying "I don't know." I mean, what do we really know about perpetuating living room churches in the condo-jungle at this point? Come back in 5 years and we may have some more refined answers, or at least some experience to speak from. Right now we're just mainly talking about initial impressions and aspirations. But whatever we said, it sure stirred up some interesting dialogue.

Lynn Canyon

Vancouver is a beautiful place - urbanity with wilderness at your doorstep. Here's a picture of the bottom Lynn Canyon in North Vancouver. There is a great swinging bridge at the top of the canyon that I think is much more fun than the Capilano Suspension Bridge - and Lynn Canyon is free, too!

The Graveyard of Church Planting

As much as we love downtown Vancouver, our motive for living here goes a bit beyond wanting the lifestyle promised by the all the new condo marketers. The dream we are chasing involves fostering a new community of faith that would incarnate the love of Jesus in our neighborhood. Some would simply call it planting a new church.

Hopefully that doesn't freak you out. If you live in our neighborhood and this worries you, I really want to try and allay your fears by promising not to try and jam a Bible down your throat the first chance I get. I won't even do it on the second chance. In fact, I have to admit that I probably have more of an aversion to that kind of thing than you do.

Actually, I don't think you have to worry too much about me and my friends messing up what is a pretty good neighborhood by turning loose a bunch of weird Jesus freaks on you and your friends. I read this week that there has only been one successful new church plan in downtown Vancouver in the past 50 years. One person said "The soil for church planting in Vancouver is cement." Another described it as "the graveyard of downtown church planting." So relax. The odds of us actually seeing our dream fulfilled would seem pretty small.

But having said that, I have to say we're not going away. For one thing, we kind of like the lifestyle promised by all the new condo marketers. And we are serious about this church thing. Maybe we're just dumb. Maybe we're just suckers for punishment, or have some sort of martyr's death wish.

Or maybe we're just passionate about Jesus and serious about doing what we think he's called us to do that all of the above don't matter much to us. Or maybe we're just stuck on the idea that our community would be better a better place with a vibrant Christian faith community woven into the fabric of the neighborhood that all the statistics and long history of failure are irrelevant. Or maybe we think church can and should be lived a way that might just click with your friends and mine as being as meaningful, important, and refreshing. Maybe we can express the reality of the life we say we've experienced in a way that you might even think is helpful to our city, even if it is not personally interesting. Or maybe we just believe that God is up to something and it's a kick to be along for the ride.

Or maybe we just need to get a life.

Our Language Betrays Us

One aspect of the experiment we are living is trying to experience Christianity as a 24/7 lifestyle and understand it beyond what for us was a preoccupation with Sunday and going to church. But trying to step beyond the sacred / secular dichotomy is proving to be a bigger challenge than I thought. Maybe it's got a lot to do with being employed by the church as a Pastor for all of my adult life, but I have a hunch that it is much broader issue.

During our gathering the other night we were singing a great song that has a line about serving God with our "life and ministry". At the end one of the young people in our group quipped "But I thought life was supposed to be ministry..." Hmmm. Out of the mouth of babes.

Call it a Freudian slip, but I think our language betrays where our head and heart are really at. The issue of 'going to church' versus 'being the church' is more than just semantics. It is an issue that I think Christians need to wrestle with. But be prepared to get bruised in the tustle! I know I have been...

Game ON!

Need I say more?

The Catch

Vancouver's a great place to live. But...

Average bungalow price hits $500,000
Cozy character comes with a price
Derrick Penner, Vancouver Sun, October 4, 2005

The average price for a Vancouver bungalow hit almost $500,000 in the third quarter of 2005, Royal LePage Real Estate said Monday. The price of the average Vancouver bungalow rose 8.8 per cent, year over year, to reach $499,667.

The average bungalow on the city's west side hit $775,000, topping even West Vancouver, which saw the average bungalow go up 6.9 per cent to $695,000. The average condominium price in Vancouver went up 14.1 per cent, year over year, to reach $254,333, the report said.

For people moving in "prices compare favourably . . . with oceanfront cities elsewhere."

Nationally, the average price of a standard bungalow is $265,405.

Snooty-tooty Vancouer

Here is a story from today's Vancouver Sun. If you don't live in Vancouver... sorry... (Our place is just off the picture to the left.)

Vancouver is the world's most 'liveable' place, according to a recent survey, while Toronto and Calgary were ranked No. 9 and 10 respectively on the list.

The Economist Intelligence Unit said its 'liveability ranking,' part of the Worldwide Cost of Living Survey, assesses living conditions in 127 cities around the world by looking at nearly 40 individual indicators grouped into five categories: stability, healthcare, culture and environment, education and infrastructure.

With a low crime rate, little threat from instability or terrorism and a highly developed infrastructure, the survey said that Canada has the most liveable destinations in the world.

With a rating of just 1 per cent, as a result of a small threat from petty crime, Vancouver is the highest ranked city. Montreal also scored high on the list, at No. 16

Downsizing

Daleena’s High School was doing a charity clothing drive this week so I dug into my closet and weeded out a bunch of stuff I haven’t worn in a long time. Discovered that the axiom "less is more" is very true: the less clothes you have in your closet, the more room you have!

We are heading to Edmonton, Alberta, for Thanksgiving next weekend, and we are going to fill up the van with a number of small but precious furniture items that we’ve decided we just don’t have room for in our townhouse. We’ve lived downtown for over a year, and we are still downsizing. (Thank God someone in the family has a big house and can store some stuff!)

We keep moving into smaller places and have had to be ruthless about what we keep. It seems like we’ve given away, sold, or junked more stuff than we’ve kept. An exaggeration to be sure, but we have found that it is incredibly freeing to get rid of stuff. Live light. If in doubt, throw it out! A mantra to live by.

A book I’m currently reading called Houses That Change the World has the same "less is more" theme. Simpson says most churches today are too big. In fact, he thinks that we are experiencing the cutting edge of a revolution that will radically transform the way future Christianity is practiced. Less buildings, less professionalism, less expenses, less crowds, more community, more mission, more life change, more impact. Hmmm. If this is real, sign me up…

Bookworm Review

**** 4 stars - profound!
*** 3 stars - worthwhile
** 2 stars - 'nuf said
* a book only the author could love...

Recent Reads:

*** The Dream Giver - Bruce Wilkinson;
- A good read. Thoughts on the 'wilderness' times of life very helpful

** Megashift - James Rutz;
- read Houses That Change The World instead

*** The Celtic Way of Evangelism - George C. Hunter III;
- challenging thoughs for living a missional lifestyle

Current Reads:

**** Houses That Change the World - Wolfgang Simpson;
- could be an extremely significant book!

*** Searching for God Knows What - Donald Miller;
- so far not as good as Blue Like Jazz

Urban Myths

When we decided to move downtown we were often met with a wide-eyed "Why-in-the-world-would-you-ever-do-that-especially-with-your-kids" kind of reaction. In talking with people, it seems that that their reaction was often based on some assumptions that after living down here for 14 months just aren’t true.

Some urban myths:

It’s noisy. Actually, it’s much quieter than our home in Richmond. Of course, we used to live underneath the approach for the international airport and could count the rivets on the aircraft as they took off, so it’s going to be quieter than that! Yeah, we hear the odd siren, and some of our neighbors have parties on weekends. But when you’re at the party, you don’t hear the noise!

It’s not safe. Well, you do see drug deals on the street if you head one block in the wrong direction, and yes, there was a murder in the park across the street. But over all, we feel very secure. You just have to be street smart. After all, it’s not like there is no crime in the suburbs.

The Traffic is terrible. Not true. Getting to and from the downtown can be a hassle, but once you are here, just park the car and walk, or bike, or roller blade, or skate board, or take transit. In Vancouver it’s the bridges into the city that are the bottleneck.

It’s expensive. Okay, so maybe that’s not a myth. But we’re not going broke living down here. God has provided for us big time!

It’s cold and impersonal. People keep telling me that the city is a lonely place to live – especially Vancouver! I read an article in Kitsilanoview that was all about how difficult it is to make new friends in this city and how lonely people are. Maybe that's the way it is in Kitsilano, but that’s not our experience. We actually have found more "community" downtown than we did in the ‘burbs. We know our neighbors, chat with them, and last night had a great meal at Bonnie and Jason’s who live just down the row from us. It was a great night!

I think one of the big differences in lifestyle down here, it that you end up having to spend more time with people. In the movie Crash, the automobile is a metaphor for a lifestyle that dissociates us from everyone and everything until we just want to crash into them so we can feel something. Downtown you park your car in communal parking garage, share an elevator, get your mail in the lobby, rub shoulders with your neighbors who live 3 feet from you, and take your garbage and recycling to the same bin as everyone in the building.

Community begins with me. It’s about being inclusive and inviting and getting out of my own little world and making the first step toward somebody. Maybe the high-density lifestyle just gives you more opportunity.

Dream City

I've fallen in love - with a city...

Vancouver BC is often ranked as the best place in the world to live. Small wonder. Ocean, mountains, rivers, lakes, skyline, this town has it all.

I think the skyline is especially magnificent. The only thing close on this continent in my mind is Manhattan, but then it doesn't have The Lion's for a backdrop. Oh well, too bad for them!

It's been said that Vancouver has a unique love affair with high-rise condo. Emporis.com, a website that ought to know something about high-rises says that per capita, no city in North America has as many residential high-rises as Vancouver. People want views of the water or mountains. And because of the mountains and water, there is no where to go but up. The population density is the highest on the continent following New York City and San Francisco. Elite company. Hard to believe, but true.

Most of Vancouver's tall buildings are apartment towers. We live in the shadow of several, and there are eight more currently being built within two blocks of us. Population explosion - straight up! That's 2,500 new condo's coming on the market in the next two years.

Actually, as much as I love buildings, it's the people that will live in the buildings that really fascinate me. There are a lot of hopes and dreams being fashioned from tonnes of cement and steel rebar right now. Lifestyle has been the marketer's pitch, and thousands have bought the line. People are looking at the concrete skeletons slowly crawling skyward and are dreaming of a new life that will soon begin.

I hope to God they find it...

Welcome to My Neighborhood

This begins a new adventure for me. I don't expect much from this blog, except an interesting way to help me put some prespective on life.

My life could, at times, use a bit more perspective. It has been a bit of an adventure the past couple of years. I've stepped into a whole new way of living, and I have to admit that at times it's been a little confusing, overwhelming, and more than a bit scary.

I used to pay the rent by being a Pastor at a church. Now I work at a woodworking shop. We used to live in the suburbs. Now we live downtown. Life used to seem pretty logical and linear. Now the word 'abstract' has a whole new meaning. I used to get cranked up about saving the world... Okay, I still get cranked up about saving the world.

So join us on our adventure and maybe I'll tell you why we packed up ourselves and 2 girls and squeezed into a townhouse on the roof of a shopping mall in downtown Vancouver. It really doesn't make much sense to me, but maybe it doesn't have to.