My New Family Doctor

Finding a new Doctor is a vital part of any move. It is so hard to find one on your own and for us anyway, it was largely determined on the word of mouth of friends who have lived here for a few years. So, yesterday we found ourselves a new Doctor.
He is a terrific guy, we hit it off almost immediately and he was very thorough and very encouraging to both Cheryl and I in regards to our continued battle with the bulge. We both instantly felt comfortable with him and he was gracious but firm with both of us regarding what we could do to continue our downward progression towards a good weight.
After taking my blood pressure he declared that it was so low that I needed to go off of one half of my medications! That was such great news. So now I am only on what is affectionately called a "water-pill"; as in, take it and you find out just how much water you can get rid of in a day! But, there are two things about this little pill that I like very much. First it is really really inexpensive, but the doctor in Canada gave me enough to last me about a year and a half so expense wont really matter for now, but secondly, if I control my salt intake and continue to lose weight there is a very strong possibility that I can go completely off of my medications all together. All very exciting news to me!
Anyway, please continue to pray for us her as the whole transition and new place and many different stressors have caused both Cheryl and I to move up and down the scale over the past couple of months. We need your prayers regarding this simple yet difficult thing.
God is Good All The Time.

the value of good leadership

The longer I serve in the church the more I am convinced that absolutely everything with in the church rises or falls with the leadership. The leadership guru John Maxwell has said this in as many ways as it can be said and in as many situations as it can be said. Without the God given gift of leadership nothing would ever get accomplished in any fellowship anywhere!
Today, I was able to get into the heart of this little fellowship called ICC. They have a group that meets monthly to approve financial reports and give some general direction to the affairs of church called the Executive Committee. Today, they met and I really enjoyed being with them. They seemed very eager to bite into a bit more responsibility than they have had in the past. More of a say in what is going on and the ability to influence those in the church towards using their gifts and how to we should conduct our Sunday morning services. Everyone participated, lots of great ideas came tumbling out and we had an hour and half dialogue that literally zipped by. It was just enough to wet their appetite and leave them hungering for a bit more.
I enjoy leaders. They are often belittled and they frequently are kept back from launching out in faith to offer their incredibly valuable insights. Unleashing them to their full potential has its challenges. Often I find they need some mentoring in how to use the influence they have in a gracious way. But mostly they are eager to use what God has placed inside of them.
Lord give us more gracious Godly leaders in our churches. AMEN!
God is Good All The Time

Tiz the Season...

Tonight I was reminded that this Sunday is the first Sunday of Lent. It is to be a 40-day time of reflections, prayers, fasting and sacrifices as we journey with Christ towards the Cross. I found an interesting website that includes some excellent writings and takes a thematic approach to this season of preparation for the most holy of celebrations on the church calendar, that being of course Easter Weekend. Good Friday, Resurrection Sunday and Easter Monday. For me the timing of this event could not have come at a more pivotal point. We are smack dab in the middle of beginning a new work here in Auckland and if there was ever a time to remind myself just how weak and frail and sinful and dependant I am upon the work of Christ for me it is now. There are so many things that need to be worked through, restarted, renewed, rejuvenated, reinvented and even a bit of rubbish that needs taken out. At times I don’t know which way to go or even which way not to go.
Two of my girls and I had an interesting talk this evening about how much of their faith (the girls) is really “knowing” God or is it more like knowing “about” God. They figure that they need to strike out and find their own way and make this great faith their own journey. I was blessed by their keen insight and I will now be praying that this transition from riding on the shirt tale of my faith to making their own way will be successful and full of joy.
Anyway, it is getting late and we are having a few men over for breakfast tomorrow morning so I will bid you all a good day. Here is that link I mentioned regarding the Lenten writings. http://mustardseedjourney.files.wordpress.com/2007/02/a-journey-into-wholeness-lenten-series.pdf

God is Good All the Time

Working at Half Moon Bay

I enjoy working from time to time in a cafe. I love the buzz of the activity in the shop, the low mixed voices of folks sitting around the tables chatting up the latest and greatest information. Sometimes it helps me to think of them when I put together a sermon series, it helps me to be sure that I address their needs in the message should they ever decide to walk into the doors of our church. Finding those places is not always easy. It cant be too busy or be frequented by folks who know me and would want to sit and chat. It also just has to have the right feel to it.

Well, this morning I decided to venture out and went down to half moon bay marina. Cheryl and I had stopped for coffee there a few nights back when the girls where attending a youth group. We liked it and I made a mental note to go back something during the day and try and do some work there. I must admit that this morning flew by and I got a lot done. My mission was to finish up my current series "His-Story In My Life" and start scheduling the next 6 months of sermons. Before I knew it, it was 12:30 and time to head home for some lunch.

I think I will be going back. Oh ya, here is the view from my coffee table. Totally awesome eh! I also found this view from the air on the internet. It has the Volcano we climbed up a couple weekends ago, Mt. Rangitoto
















A couple of other interesting things that happened today. There was and earthquake here last night. Cheryl said she was reading on Paige's bed around 9:00 PM and felt the bed shaking. Also, the girls had their first of three drivers education experiences this afternoon. They did well and the lady that took them around was very friendly and they really enjoyed her.
God Is Good All The Time.

Afraid to go out naked!

With all the preparation, prayer, planning and personal propagating that I am doing these days in regard to our churches mission/vision of gathering the nations I sometimes get discouraged. The other day I was out with some fellow believers and we went to a local coffee shop. While there I engaged the two workers in a conversation about church and faith, which ended in an invitation to come out to church Sunday and check it out. One of the friends with us just couldn’t believe that I had done that and with emphasis on the fact that I obviously really enjoyed it. That night I was recalling the incident to mind and just how often I had heard those words from other believers. Now I know that certain personalities are more able and I am also aware of a gifting that the Lord has given to me, however, each of us in our own uniqueness can present the gospel. I loved the old saying, "Share the gospel everywhere you go and if you have to use words." In other words, live it out, and then when the opportunity presents itself give a reason for the hope that you have. Anyway, the other day I came across this story that made me laugh but it also carried a pungent point that I did appreciate.

The father of Origen, a third century theologian, was arrested for being a Christian. Origen, then only 17, was aflame with the desire to follow his Dad and share in glorious martyrdom. His mother pleaded with him not to go, but the headstrong boy did not want to listen to reason. His quick thinking mother did what she could -- she hid his clothes. Though Origen stormed and protested, she wouldn't reveal where they were hidden. He couldn't leave the house, and so he was unable to volunteer for martyrdom.

Isn't it interesting? Origen was brave enough to be martyred, but not brave enough to go outside naked. Stepping outside without clothing would have sped up his arrest and imprisonment, but it was a step he was unwilling to take.
In a sense, I suspect that talking with a friend about our faith is, for many of us, the equivalent of going outside naked. It makes us uncomfortable. We feel exposed. We declare that we will give our lives for Christ if he should ask it, but to risk a bit of embarrassment for him seems to be beyond our level of discipleship. How sad. The disciples were willing to forsake everything including the esteem of their friends.

I hope you had a good laugh and then paused to think about the application of this story. Is it true in your life?
God is Good All the Time!

Those Crazy Immigrant Drivers!

Look out New Zealand one more crazy immigrant has passed their drivers test and now is legally and officially able to navigate the "other" side of the road. Yup it’s true, I went in to the drivers place today, did some serious praying, took the test in hand, and 7 minutes later emerged having passed with a 100% on my exam. The lady in charge took a double take on the clock on the wall when she saw me emerge so quickly.
It has been a lot of fun learning to drive on the other side of the road. I had built it up in my mind as a much more difficult thing than it really is. Although, some habits are really hard to break!!! I found that out the hard way as I got a speeding ticket on this side of the road just as easily as the North American side!!! I got caught going 64 in a 50 zone by a photo radar camera just a few days after we got here! A real nice welcome to New Zealand letter came the house the other day with an $85.00 bill attached to it! I remembered seeing a flash out of the corner of my eye and when I went by that same spot the next day I noticed where the flash had come from.
Anyway, the hardest part of driving here is in parking lots where I have to back out of stalls. I still have a tendency to back out North American style and then drive away forgetting for those first few split seconds that I am not on the proper side of the road. I look forward to the day when parking lots will no longer pose a threat to my driving record and of course my life and all the lives inside my vehicle and the other guys too!
Why am I telling all of you this? Well, I would have to say that while it is difficult it certainly is not impossible to teach an old dog a new thing or two!
Ha-ha:)
God is Good All the Time

A Fathers Heart

I have never had to experience changing communities during those turbulent teen years. I was one of those rare birds that graduated with most of the same group of friends I started out with in grade one. I suppose I took it all for granted and as fun as graduation was I would have to say it was very quickly forgotten. I seem to remember thinking that graduation was only the end of something that was a lot like a cocoon and the beginning of something that was really big and really scary... that is real life!
As a dad of three beautiful young ladies who have now had to move to a far away place and start making friends from scratch I too echoed the concerns of their mother. (See Cheryl's blog "A Mothers Heart")
However, as concerned as I was for them about the coming changes I was growing even more concerned for them had we stayed where we were. As Cheryl mentioned they were definitely blessed/spoiled and it was becoming more and more apparent to me that in their blessings they were starting to feel entitled to those blessings. One of our daughters even bemoaned the fact that her life was to easy; it didn’t really have any difficulties in it. Another of our daughters had looming fears that something would happen to upset her perfect little world. In the past I have for the most part welcomed change mostly for it "shake me to wake me up" affect. As far as my kids were concerned I was more and more eager to see change come for same "shake and wake" reasons. Of course our move was much bigger than all of this but these things were factored into our desire to move.
So now we have to watch them struggle, we get to feel their down times with them and we get to show a strong hand of support and encouragement when they feel lost and lonely. We get to encourage them to trust the Lord and seek his face often when they feel like doing just the opposite. My prayer is that the lessons they are learning right now are lessons they will need to enable them in the future to become fruitful and productive in God's Kingdom.
In my view the battle for their hearts and minds has moved (for now) from the shadows to right out into the open.
For me personally, I would have to say that while I prayed often for my kids in the past my prayers have increased many fold for them as they embark with us on this new journey. At times I feel helpless even speechless (yes I did say speechless) not knowing how to comfort them but more importantly I know whom I have believed in and I am persuaded that He is able to keep that which I have committed to Him until He comes again.
GO GIRLS GO!
God is Good All the Time.

Relaxing, Routines and Ruts

Just been thinking last couple of days that my inner clock is really out of whack. I believe that is mostly due to a total lack of routine in my life! I've noticed that everything is disturbed at this juncture of my life. Sleeping, eating, exercising and praying are just all over the map in my life right now. Therefore I have concluded that what is missing is a definite lack of routine. We all need relaxation time and I believe its roots come from the teachings of scripture regarding Sabbath taking. Down time, quiet time, away time, vacation time, play time, waste of time and holiday (holy-day) time are just a few of the descriptions that come to mind when we consider relaxation. However, the one down side to this down time is that it can only happen for a specified occasion before life begins to feel like it is moving towards the chaotic! Things forgotten, work ignored, roles confused, way to much TV, and the list just goes on and on...
But then I started to think about routine. We are most definitely creatures of habit and therefore we thrive when we establish a good routine. Things get done, roles work well, and priorities and values guide the course of action we take in a day. Instead of asking the "what" questions of relaxation we start from the “why” questions of purposeful routine. However, there is one thing about routine that needs to be guarded against and that is when the routine becomes a rut. A rut according to some is simply a grave with the ends knocked out! We can become so used to the routine that it effectively removes the impromptu of the Holy Spirit right out of the ballpark! We become so comfortable in our routine that we actively resist change, and change is the only thing we can really routinely count on.
So what was my conclusion to all this you ask. The answer is Jesus. He was a master of a life lived with purpose. He established his routines based on his connection with his heavenly father. He also established his time away based on his need to reconnect with his heavenly father. And as far as ruts go, you could say that there were no ruts. He managed his life so well that it was in perfect harmony with Sabbath as well as work (and I believe play as well although scripture does not mention it). Some people call that balance but I think it is deeper than that. I think it was wise redemption. “Live wisely then, redeeming the time for the days are evil”
Just some thoughts...
God is Good all The Time

Felt Good to be Back in the Saddle!

It seems as though I am in a once a week mood these days when it comes to blogging. Sorry there are few pictures yet since my computer hard drive crashed I lost them all. Boohoo:(.

Last week we enjoyed more of the new country that we get to live and minister in. We enjoyed a couple of days in a city 2 hours drive from here named Rotorua. Very beautiful and very touristy and of course that means mucho denarii’s! It helped that one of the families in the church has access to an apartment style room that took a lot of the edge off financially. We had a really good time. We did a couple of crazy fun things. One called the Lug(sp?) and the other called Zorbing. Here are a couple of photos that we took from these different events.




This week I also took a one-day retreat with John and Carolyn to pray, to seek the Lord and to simply chat and get to know one another. It was a really good time and we made plans to repeat the process for the next little while as we continue to get to know and understand each other.

And probably the biggest event for me personally was getting back behind the pulpit again. It has been a good long 7 months with a few speaking engagements here and there but this was the real deal. After 10 months of planning, praying, doubting, second guessing, finding faith to meet the demands of this process it all became the real deal once I stood to proclaim what the Lord had put on my heart. I have started with a series called "His-Story in my life." and it has been a total delight to reminisce since I was a kid the different times that God and I have had some pretty special moments, some serious moments, some fun filled joyful moments and some times where we just couldn’t seem to get along. My prayer is that the folks here will get a pretty good idea of who I am, what makes me tick, what I love and hate, what I struggle with and what I have gained victory over, and secondly I will be encouraging them to share "His-story" in their lives with each other as well along the way. I preached for 30 minutes and only got to age 8 so I figure I should be at this for a few weeks anyway... there are some things you just cant rush.














All of this good stuff was followed a wonderful afternoon at the beach with friends and then a suprise bbq when a family on the beach (who happened to notice their son Matt hanging out with us) invited us over to their amazing home just off the beach. We all had a great time. Any way, thanks for reading, thanks for praying and also thanks for giving to keep us alive and kicking over here.
God is Good All the Time!

Builder Bob and his Blistering Blundering Befuddling things of Beauty!

Well another week of building furniture and reading unbelievably difficult instructions has come and gone. The worst one was MacKenzie’s special bed. It had one picture with letters going up to v and lines and dotes and arrows accompanied by one paragraph that read something like [attach both "J's" to top of post B with screw D for right side and screw E for left side and two regular screws for foot of bed post A]. Both Kenz and I were almost ready to throw the thing out a couple of times. But the best part is that I can with confidence say we are pretty much set up as comfortably as we can be in our new home. It has left us with a bit more spare time and we have not wasted a second as you can tell from reading Cheryl’s blog. This is one of the most spectacular places to live just for its natural beauty.

This week we had a very informal get together with John and Carolyn Gummer for our first of many planning meetings regarding ICC's new future. John and Carolyn are quite tired from the past 10+ years of ministry with this congregation. It was nice to find out what they were up to and begin the process of relieving some of the burden they have carried for far too long from off their shoulders. We are going to be getting together weekly and this Wednesday we will be going to a private retreat area to pray and do some more planning together. God has graciously blessed us with this wonderful couple to work with and we get along terrific. As I see it our gift mix will work out very wonderfully and I believe the work that God has called us to will flourish under our co-operative ministry.

There is one thing that stands out so clearly to all of us about this church. It is a rare thing I think to see multi-nations coming together to worship one Lord, experience on body, and share in one baptism. Today was honor India day and during the sermon the Indian pastor spoke of his friends within the fellowship. One Chinese and the other Pakistani. In the real world these nations do not get along in fact they are warring most of the time. But in our fellowship they get along as one. It is the very thing that drew me here so strongly. The nations coming together under one roof, united and strong, praising the one God who created us all. It is soooooo cool and I can’t wait to develop this more deeply and work it for the advancement of Gods multi-national kingdom.

The fun and games will slow a bit now as we enter this week. The girls will be registering for school and I will begin preaching on Feb. 4th. Cheryl is planning a "painting the house program" and our landlord is going to be removing the old carpets and putting down either new carpets or even laminate. So that could prove to be a bit unsettling as we have to move all the things we just built and put in place. Oh well ROUND 2 here we come....

Anyway, thanks for taking the time to read this. We all appreciate your prayers and your financial support.

God is Good All the Time

Elvis has left the building!

We're gone, we flew the coup, we hit the road, we dug in the spurs, said all our so longs and farewells, we did it... we left our dear old Canada for a brand new adventure in New Zealand.
7 days could not possibly go by faster or busier! We have been Kiwi's now for a week and every single day has been packed to the brim. We have spent over to $20,000.00 in that time furnishing this new home and picking up a sweet deal on a 1999 Nissan Presage. Jet lag was the worst I have ever had probably because I was not flying along and had to drag, carry and push copious amounts of luggage through 5 different airports. The church has graciously given me my first two weeks off just to get over jet lag and allow us time to set up the house and do a little exploring. John and I will meet this week to start the process of our transitions. He will be transitioning to a more associate role and I will be transitioning into what looks like a more senior role. However, titles don’t mean much so it will more than likely look more like co-leadership than anything else. I look forward to our discussions and what will be coming out of them.
We have had several folks dropping buy right from the first day to wish us well. Matt Mordaunt (mission creek alliance) was able to come and help us haul our bags from the airport. Jason and Chelsey Gray and Kelly and Jen Johnston (& Mattao) have come by. Along with a few who have become internet friends Mike and Jules who work with young life as well as the martin family who had moved here several years ago from South Africa.
Timing and the Lords Grace were abundantly obvious in the prices we were able to get on everything we bought. I don’t think we paid full price for anything as most of the stores are trying hard to get rid of their Christmas stuff through some serious summer sales. We almost have everything except a few smaller items,also a bed for Danae, a lawn mower and a BBQ. Once we get the BBQ we will launch a few get togethers with neighbors and church friends and even salesmen who we have met along the way here.
The kids are doing great. This is such an adventure for them. They are starting to get a bit restless today as their are no friends yet so being bored is often in their vocabulary. Please pray for them, as finding the right friends will be at the heart of how well they do here.
Cheryl is off having coffee with a couple of ladies right now. How I thank God for her. She is such a trooper and she has been such a great person to shop with. She really knows how to move things along and sniff out those great deals.
This is getting kind of long for a blog so I will hang up the keypad for now. Bless you all for your prayers and financial support.
God is Good All the Time.

send me your links

My hard drive crashed so I lost almost all my info. (A good reminder to all of you that it could happen at any moment so be sure you have all the important stuff backed up!) Anyway, fortunatly for me i only lost a few of my latest sermons that were important. Anyway, could you all send me your blog addresses. I need to put them all into this computer.
Happy New Year everybody!
one week until departure!!!!
God is good all the time.

here is mine chris

http://www.myheritage.com

Weekend of Celebrations

Saturday evening will always be held as a great memory for me. Cheryl and I attended the PFRS Officers Banquet. During the evening Fire Chief Grant Topham and Assistant Chief Paul Cloutier presented me with my retirement gift. A pencil sketched picture of our old parade truck, a 1950-something Dodge and our new 2004 American Lefrance Engine 22 parked in front of our hall, Station 21. It is beautifully framed and will be a nice addition to whatever office I may end up having in the future. When they presented it to me the whole room stood their feet and clapped, it was humbling to say the least. Here are a few pictures of my time here with PFRS.

Sunday Morning was also a celebration. Westside Alliance Church held their 25th Anniversary. They honoured us with an offering at the end of the service and also had me pray a prayer of blessing upon the church. It was fun to reconnect with a great bunch of folks who were with me in my first 6 years of ministry. It was a grace-filled place to "get my wings" and for that I will always feel a debt of gratitude. There were some pictures taken at this event as well that I tried to include here but for whatever reason they are not cooperating!
Oh well, it was a very fun weekend.

So Long Little Buddy

Well, the first of our little fuzzy creatures has found a good home. Sonny went to a family full of young kids who are crazy about him. In fact I heard reports yesterday that he had already made his way into one of the kid’s classrooms as a show and tell item. He really liked that when we took him there for the girls when they were that age. He enjoys all the attention and that just makes me feel good. He is happy and adjusting just fine to his new surroundings. Sonny’s leaving was not that hard on us as a family, only Paige was sad as the other two girls both have their cats that they spend all their attention on. I suppose that will be a much sadder day for them when it arrives. We plan on handing them over to their new owners on November 30th. That’s the cats not the girls!
I woke up this morning thinking of our 3 awesome girls and how they will handle that day and prayed for them. They have had such great attitudes about this move and all the sacrifices they are willing to make to see it happen. Not too many teenagers are so willing to have as good an attitude as these 3 beautiful girls. I thank God on a regular basis for them; they are a great source of joy in my life. And I thank God for such a great woman of faith they have to follow as an example in their mother. WOW this is getting kinda sappy!
On another note, we were able to find a buyer for our van. And just as everything else about this move it has fallen into place in a beautiful fashion. The folks who want it are willing to let us keep it until we leave and are willing to take it whenever we are ready to hand it over. Isn’t God just amazing! He even cares about silly material stuff like this! We know that the van will be a great blessing to this young family.
Today is day #1 of our moving schedule. I have a friend coming over with his truck and we will be moving most of our bedroom stuff, a hutch and our TV stand over to Bruce and Niki's basement suite. We are also moving Paiges dresser and Mackenzies desk to a family here in Peachland. Then tonight we have our Annual Peachland Fire and Rescue Officers Christmas Banquet. Apparently they are going to be giving me some sort of plaque for my years of service here in Peachland. That should be interesting and fun.
Well, I guess I had better get moving---literally!
God is good all the time.

Champions

Near Half Moon Bay in August in the dead of winter


As my cousin Stu so elequently put it in his most recent email, "Hopefully living in Half Moon Bay will remind Kevin to pull up his pants!" Both Cheryl and I got a great laugh out of it but then I started wondering just how much of my moon he has seen; was there emotional truama; nightmares; shortness of breath; cold sweats????? I think you should consider getting some professional help cuz!

Any way, this past Sunday I was able to preach again for the first time in over a month. I sooooooooooooo enjoyed it. The invitation came from some friends of ours from Westside Alliance days who moved out to Armstrong several years ago. Their pastor has resigned recently and so they have asked me to preach a few Sundays which of course I am happy to oblige them. Speaking of Westside Alliance, they are celebrating their 25th Anniversary this coming Sunday and have asked me to come and participate in the festivities. We've also been informed of their desire to do something really nice for us in support of our new upcoming ministry in New Zealand. We are blessed and humbled that they would consider doing this for us on such a special day for them. What a great support team we have!
So this weekend went smoothly, not to many hick-ups as we spent most of it buried in boxes, drawers, and bedrooms. Cheryl is the mastermind behind the time lines and what to pack on which weekend and where to put it. She is such a great organizer and the feeling of accomplishment that comes over the family when we have been able to conquer a part of the packing war on schedule is really good. One thing we would ask you to pray for is the selling of both our van and truck. We would like to see this done as soon as possible.
Emotionally, we had a bit of a roller coaster week including a few tears, some short fuses with each other and of coarse some awesome prayer times and answers to those prayers. There are moments when we are overwhelmed with the massiveness of this whole ordeal. We question God, we question our motives, we pile up some worry over all the "what-ifs" of the future, we battle our fears, and we sometimes battle each other. The tests that come from following after God in transition really do show us what we are made of. Both the good and the not so good! But through all this we get some encouraging emails that we can laugh at and we read of those who have been praying for us. At that moment we are suddenly aware we are in a spiritual war. We know our Commander and Chief has assigned us to a new place and we know that our champions of prayer are behind us and their prayers have sustained us; and empowered us; and keep us going. So thanks for your prayers they mean so much to us, more than words can say.
Well, that's all for now... until next time... play nice in the sandbox out there will ya! (to quote one of our local DJ's)
God is Good all the Time!

Death & Dying

This morning during the breakfast hour we had a strange and unusual conversation going on. It was about our life insurance and the certainty of our deaths, all of our deaths really. The facial expressions of our kids as they listened in were priceless to say the least. Every once in a while there was an extended sigh or awe followed by a mumbled confidence builder that we weren’t planning on dying any time soon – right?
Lets face it, death is just one of those subjects that doesn’t get a lot of air time unless your hanging around funeral homes, cancer wards or watching the history channel. The reality of course that we all must face our own deaths, therefore, being prepared is really wise, helpful even hopeful.
This week one of my best friends in Peachland suffered a heart attack. (See blog below) His story was fascinating to say the least. While taking a nice Sunday afternoon hike with his wife he began to feel the symptoms. Eventually his wife who is a nurse began to suspect the worst and had him lie down while she hustled down to our neighbourhood to call 911. While lying there, trying to control his breath to find a rhythm that reduced the pressure in his chest, he was suddenly aware that this may be the place where he was to pass away. He said that he told the Lord he was ready and that if this was going to be the last thing he saw on earth it was sure beautiful. He was at peace and he was ready to meet his Lord and friend Jesus. Death held no fear over him. Like the bible says, Death is the destiny of everyone; the wise man takes it to heart and prepares for it. My friend is prepared!
How about you? When was the last time you had a good chin wag over the subject of your own death? Are you ready to meet your creator? I certainly hope so. It is possible to be like my friend, ready at a moments notice to go on into eternity with Jesus. It begins with trusting him to give you new life in exchange for your sin ridden old life. It is one of those things that just should not be procrastinated over!
God is Good All the Time!

Pray for my Friend

Cheryl and I were out in Kelowna and Danae had stayed home. Our cell phone rang and it was Danae wondering about all the commotion happening right outside our front door. She reported that there were a couple of ambulances and the PFRS fire truck parked outside with emergency lights flashing. We told her everything would be fine and that I would be home in very short while. And that was about all there was to this story until the next day. In the morning I was trying to get my computer up and running and I was on the phone with my computer expert friend Jamie. At the end of our conversation he mentioned that it was too bad about what happened to one of the fellows in our Friday morning men's group. I told him I didn't know what he was talking about and that's when he spilled the news that our good friend and brother in Christ had suffered a heart attack while hiking up in the woods above our house on Sunday afternoon.
I couldn't get into Kelowna on Monday but yesterday I was able to go in and see him. He doing OK and under observation. He seemed in good spirits and is recovering. Though it was a mild heart attack it was a heart attack none the less and in that sense there is nothing mild about it! Any way if those of you who read my blogs wouldn't mind, I would love it if you could send up a prayer for his complete recovery from all this scary stuff.
Thanks and bless you all
God is Good All the Time!

Band Of Brothers

Yesterday I was able to attend my regular Friday morning 9-11 event. It is a group of about 6-8 men who meet together each week to enjoy a great homemade breakfast, cup or two of coffee, discuss the topics of the day, and eventually we enter into a time around God's Word and prayer. I started this group about 7 or 8 years ago and some of the members have come and gone but for the most part there is a solid core of terrific fellows. Doing life together, sharing the good times and the hard times, seeking the council of respected brothers, finding support when times are really tough, and being able to return the favour when times are tough for others. It is easily one of the most rewarding and beneficial events of my life here in Peachland. I will defiantly miss this group when it is time to set sail for NZ.
A band of brothers is what every man needs. Good brothers who are there for us, who are committed to our well-being, who have our best interests in mind even when it is a hard thing to say (or hear). "As Iron sharpens Iron so one man sharpens another"
Latter in the evening Cheryl and I took Paige and Danae to “The Santa Clause 3” movie. They invited their friends along and there was 8 of us in total. We had a very relaxing evening and it was fun to be together. Mackenzie went to a B.C. wide United Church Camp with a really close friend of hers out in Naramata. She will be back on Monday.
This morning Cheryl and I went for brunch with a couple of really great friends. It is something that we really enjoy doing together. Later this afternoon, P & D are having 15 friends over for a make-up party! I think I will go swimming or something just to get out of here. Then it is off to church in Vernon tonight.
I think I will drop by my old church tomorrow morning and say hello to everyone there.
Have a good one everybody!

God is Good All the Time!

YEE HA Cowboys for Jesus!

Winter happened yesterday! We got snow... 5 cm of the white stuff... which is pretty normal around this time of year I guess. I decided with a few promptings from my wife to go out into the wintery weather and drop in on a little local church gathering that meets on Thursday nights. Around the end of September our family friends, Blair and Brenda Bates felt led of the Lord to start a local cowboy church. It meets every second Thursday up the Peachland Riding Club in their club house. It all started back in late spring from a local fella who happened to be watching a cowboy church gathering on TV. He decided that Peachland needed one of those churches though he himself is not a "church-going" man much at all. He approached Blair because he knew he was an ordained minister and asked him if he would ever consider doing this sort of thing for the local cowboy community. After some prayer and careful planning they decided not to let this invitation slip by and started up a local chapter. They went online and found out there is quite the growing phenomenon that stretches from Texas to Alberta and BC and everywhere in between. The Lord led them to some very helpful folks who were already involved in the Cowboy Church movement and the rest as they say is history.
The service meets on Thursday evening’s because many of the weekends are taken up with rodeos. The format is simple, a few country sounding songs, a reading of some cowboy poetry, a simple salvation message and a few closing comments followed by some coffee, cookies and cake. I was blessed for having been there and Brenda, who happened to be the speaker last night, did a fantastic job of communicating the hope that comes from a relationship with Jesus Christ. If you want to check out this little church here is the link. http://www.bestlifesuccess.com/cowboyvalleychurch/
Enjoy, God is Good All the Time!