Lyrics to "1 Cor 13" - Those of you who heard the song in Winnipeg and want an audio file, It will be up shortly. Also, feel free to make up your own music and sing it in church, read it as poetry, pull out the Bible and make your own paraphrase...
It's actually kinda fun.

If I speak words of men and words of angels with my voice
Without Love, I am nothing but distorted background noise
If I speak of God with power, revealing mystery
If I have faith to send the mountains crashing to the sea
Without love I am nothing and its just empty prophesy
And if I give up my posessions, If I part with all I own
And I gladly give my life up for someone I don't know
Without love I am no where, no further down the road

Love doesn't give up easily, isn't filled with jealousy.
Never puts itself first, isn't angry when we're at out worst.
Doesn't keep score when we're wrong, and doesn't revel when we fall.
Does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth behind it all.

Always protects, always trusts, always hopes, keeps going 'til the end.

There will be an end to our speech in tongues and all our prophesy
When all knowledge passes over, and our limits are all reached
Love never dies, but our knowledge and our vision's incomplete.

Time will come and cancel spaces in our lives
When I was young I spoke and acted out of line
Now that I am older I have left those ways behind

And we can't yet see it clearly, we're just straining to hear your song
But it won't be long before we hear your words and we'll know where we've been wrong

See it then, see him completely as God knew us all along

But for now, three things will lead us the right way:
Trust steadily,
Hope unswervingly
Love extravagantly

Prayer Request / Godly Advice Request

About this time last year, I attended a service at Mill Woods Church in Edmonton, and the focus of the service was giving and helping out those who are in need. This coincides with the end of my first real exploration job.
And I got a terribly risky idea:
What would happen if, for the course of a year, or for 6 months, or even for one 6 week rotation in camp (where the company pays my room and board and gives me a company truck, a credit card for diesel, and will replace any work-related item in my wardrobe. All this in addition to paying my salary!), I didn't take home any of the money that I earned?
I wouldn't go hungry. I wouldn't be homeless. I'd still have my friends, my job, a roof over my head. All my basic needs will be met. And some missionary somewhere would have a mine site geologist's salary.
So what's the problem then?
Well, right now there's a mining boom in Western Australia, and in Northern Canada. 5 years from now, the company I work for will probably be bankrupt, the price of nickel, lead, copper, and just about everything else will plummet, and I'll be trying to feed a family.
So I'll do it. I'll give a portion of my wages to God, I just need to make another couple of bucks first. We'll say that the first year's salary is mine, then I'll be well provided for and I can start making God His money. Besides, I'm in Australia. I'm here to have fun. I'm here to make my fortune in the mines then go on vacation.
The first year's salary is mine?
Mine, eh? That's pretty selfish, all things considered. Should the first day's salary even be mine? How many times have we read about people who took the firstborn of their flock, or the best of their harvest, and kept it for themselves, giving God an offering but not a pleasing one? If I did everything I wanted to do with my money, then took what was left over and gave it to God, is that not similar to Cain's offering?
So maybe that idea that I had last year is a little over the top. Maybe I'm not called to do that. Of course I'll think twice about giving a year's wages away right off the top. It's a lunatic kind of idea. But what it did show me, over the course of a year debating the sense or complete lack of sense of the idea, is that I am selfish. I don't have my priorities straight.
I don't actually give any money to God's work. 9X out of 10 it doesn't even cross my mind.
(I am admitting this so that anyone reading can pray that I get an attitude adjustment, if they feel a need to)
This needs to change before its too late. 10% left in my will as a donation to the Church of England is not tithing. It's not how much, its when. It's the attitude behind it. It's a priority. It's a complete change of perspective and the realization that nothing that I have is even mine to begin with so why am I doing what I want and leaving God with the leftovers.

Godly Training: A Spiritual Workout

I am old and out of shape. Activities which I enjoyed and was pleasantly challenged by when I was young now leave me exhausted. This is true of both my physical and spiritual training. I have, over the course of the years, designed training programs in order to run faster, swim longer distances, lose weight, or be stronger on the rugby field.
The one thing that all of these physical training programs had in common was a goal-something that I was working towards. I can not expect results in physical training by simply deciding “I would like to start exercising.” There needs to be focus on a specific type of exercise – one that will be beneficial. Progress must also be measurable.
It must be the same with spiritual exercise.
I find that Lent is a good time of year to think about these things, mostly because I am terrible at it. Quite undisciplined and prone to temptation. My attempt at fasting is similar to my second-year university attempt at dieting.
I set out with the idea that I should lose ten pounds, and decided that I would accomplish this with the avoidance of dessert and a daily jogging session. This, of course, lasted a few days before work started and daily jogging became weekly jogging and “dessert” no longer applied to anything which contained a fruit or vegetable, regardless of the amount of pastry or ice cream it may have contained. It won’t hurt. I’ll just make up for it tomorrow with jogging and swimming, and maybe I’ll only eat vegetables.
So it is with the daily scripture memorizing session. I can wake up in the morning and recite “Romans 12:17-18. Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. If it is possible, um, as far as something, then live in peace I think…” But then I realize that memorizing scripture (or failing to memorize) kinda hurts my head. That and I don’t need to fast in order to pray. I can’t focus anyway. I needed that coffee. God will forgive me for being terrible at this. Maybe I’ll make up for it tomorrow.
So staying on track is a problem whenever I attempt to apply any kind of discipline.
Perhaps I simply need the correct motivation.
In order to motivate myself in my sport-related training, I have always desired an end result – something that will make me a better athlete and lead to a reward on the playing field.
God’s glory and presence in one’s life is definitely rewarding. More so than a goal in soccer or a six-minute mile. So how will I achieve my spiritual goals? I suppose I should start by setting a measurable, attainable, specific goal in an area where I see a need to improve.

My ultimate goal, at present, is to be able to memorize scripture with ease, understand it, and apply it to my daily life and, through words and written devotions and the occasional uplifting sentence in a conversation, be able to encourage and build up others.

But how should I begin?
How does one design a spiritual training program with the end result of being able to discern, memorize, understand, and utilize the word of God?

Tools at my disposal (My spiritual “Gymnasium”)
-Daily reading of scripture
-Daily attempts and practice at memorization
-Daily prayer
-Fasting
-Singing praise
-Quiet time

Perhaps the council of a “personal trainer” ie a pastor or priest, a friend from small group, or anyone I look up to who can help me to design such a program.
Because really, who is ever successful in going to the gym for the first time and correctly using the equipment in a sensible and useful manner?

Maybe a group of workout buddies can also help me to stay motivated.
Keeping a journal to monitor my progress could also help me.

1 Timothy 4:8
“For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.”

2 days ago I got hit between the eyes with this one:

“But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop” Luke 8:15

We all know where this statement comes from, we all know the rest of the story. The seeds that fall on the path, on the rocks, and among the thorns represent people that either heard and didn’t understand, heard and didn’t apply, or heard and didn’t prioritize, and the message was lost.

“Those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it…”
We would like to think this is a portrait of us. We have read the message, we have studied it since our youth. We are confident of our salvation. We are confident of our relationship with Jesus Christ. We pray every morning. We give up smoking for lent. We have memorized the entire book of Philippians.

The seed has found good soil to land on. It’s a soft landing, the view is nice. But if all we do is understand the message, take it home, put it in a box, and contemplate it daily, is the message not dead? Is the seed serving its purpose if all it does is get buried and stay that way?
I wrote an email to my aunt in Ontario. It was a glorious record of all the great plays I made in a hockey game the night before, combined with some notes on my geology career, a couple pictures of my cat, some jokes about the Toronto Maple Leafs, and a detailed description of the wildlife in the Yukon. Not having her address, of course, I sent this to my parents and asked that they forward it to the relatives. I’m sure my parents read it, and I’m sure that they enjoyed it. I also happen to know that they forgot to send it.
Now, this is a fairly trivial matter. I don’t think that it is a matter of life or death to know that I got a hat trick and saw a bear trying to get into my trailer. I don’t think that, had she received the email, my Aunt would have been running through the streets proclaiming that fact that she has a niece who collects rocks for a living, and I don’t think she would have printed off the picture of my cat and handed it out to all her friends, in order to show them that Lex is quite lovely to look at and should probably be in a cat food commercial. (Those of you who are familiar with my cat and my hockey skills are now laughing, of course). But the point still stands that the letter was designed to be forwarded.

“and by persevering produce a crop.”
Now we get to the tricky part. The seed is meant to be planted, not just enjoyed. It needs to reproduce. Not only does this message become an integral part of my life, I have to spread it and hope that it can land on another piece of fertile soil and continue to grow and spread. In case anyone is wondering, Christianity is hard work. It is a daily mission. It has a purpose. I need to persevere to produce a crop. I can’t simply sit down on a park bench and accidentally infect the guy next to me. I have to make a conscious effort to show love to this person, then I have to share the gospel in a tactful and effective way, and deal with the consequences, which could be that this guy on the park bench joins my small group then comes over to my house for dinner once a week and asks hard questions. Maybe he wants me to lend him a buck for coffee. Maybe he wants me to pray for his sister with cancer or his relationship with his boss. Maybe I have to get involved.
What happens if I don’t? What happens if I stay in my exclusive little God-Squad coffee club?

Let’s hope that the God-Squad coffee club skips Matthew 25:14-30.
At first glance, the lesson seems to be “Don’t make a mess of your finances. They aren’t yours. They’re God’s.” Similar applications include the misuse or lack of use of spiritual gifts or other tools or abilities which are, of course, created by God and intended for his use. What does this have to do with persevering and producing a crop? What does this have to do with spreading the message?

The guy with 5 talents is the gifted evangelist, the shepherd, the youth leader, the kind of person that draws others to himself. He has been given much by God, he is compassionate, kind, energetic, discerning, dedicated, and truly has a heart for others. Using the qualities that God has given him, he can take the message of salvation and the good news that he has received and gain 5 co-workers for the Lord and suitably equip them for further Christian service.
The girl with 2 talents is the thoughtful, caring type who is always behind the scenes. She is quieter than the guy with 5 talents, and maybe doesn’t know as many bible passages by heart. But she has a bit of extra time to volunteer at church in the nursery, and she is trustworthy and easy to talk to. She prays with her close friends and gains 2 people for the Lord.
I, however, am not a social person. I also don’t like to part with my money. I am arrogant, outspoken, and while I have “1 talent” ie the message that I know I must share, I am content to keep it to myself. I probably also have an extra couple dollars a month that I could give to a missionary, and I probably have at least one person in my life who I’m already close to that I could talk to, pray with, encourage…
But I choose not to. I figure that God is hard enough to please. What if I lead someone astray? What if I go out and meet people and they compromise my daily devotions. Better to hide in my room and read the bible and pray for my own salvation than to take the one talent out into the world and risk its disappearance.

Better to keep the seed in the palm of my hand than to put it in the dirt. That water might be bad for it, and it might get dirty.

We all know what happens to me in the end if this is what I choose to do.

Is it just me, or is that parable discouraging? Does anybody else read it and suddenly think “Am I doing enough with what God has given me, or will he return at an inopportune moment and take what little I have from me, because I have not been wise or effective with what little I was given?”

Created Feb 2, 2007
How much do we, as people, value our possessions?
How much do we really need?
At the start of my trip to Australia, I thought that I needed almost everything I owned. I valued these things and carried them with me. I agonized over their net worth and how I could keep them protected.
I was convinced that the belongings I carried, weighing almost as much as I did, would make my trip more enjoyable. I thought that myself and my laptop should never be parted. I thought that I needed clothes for all occasions, field gear for any potential job or adventure, and a reference book for any situation in which I would need to appear brilliant.
But all of these things can act like a weight around your neck and a burden to carry wherever you go. If I could not make it three blocks from the train station to the hostel, how can I travel the country alone, change my plans at will, stop where I please, and travel however I like?
So it is in our walk with God.
What are we carrying with us on our journey? How much is it worth to us? Will it stop us from easily following any calling? Is it coming between us and our journey?

Jesus’ instructions to his disciples were as follows:
“Take nothing for the journey – no staff, no bag, no bread, no money, no extra tunic. Wherever you enter, stay there until you leave that town.” Luke 9:3-4

It’s amazing how little we really need when God sends us on a journey. We should leave all of our baggage behind: our computers, our fancy clothes, our relationships, our career connections, and our worries. All we need to do is go, and trust that we will be provided for.

Composed January 20, 2007
So here I am, in Sydney, Australia. Miles from home, stepping out on my own, taking in the mindblowing scenery of the Blue Mountains, and the sandstone cliffs between the beaches. It’s a great place. But when I got to the Sydney operahouse and began to photograph it from every angle, I got to thinking “Wouldn’t it be great if I had a picture of myself in front of this thing?” and then I realized that if I wanted a picture with me in it, I needed someone else to take it for me. And then it hit me: You could be anywhere on earth, you could be somewhere awesome, you could be doing something great, you could have the experience of a lifetime, you could have anything that money could buy, but if you have no one to share it with, what’s the point?
It’s the same thing with the gospel. I have a great thing. I am completely alone in a foreign country, but I trust that God will provide for me, and I’m confident in my salvation. I have a relationship with Jesus Christ, and he’s a pretty cool guy. But I have no one to share that with. I can have a sense of inner peace, I can come up with a song or a devotion, I have great news. But if I have no one to share it with, what’s the point.
There is great emphasis in the Bible on Christian community, on helping the poor, on loving your neighbor, on sharing the gospel. No where is it stated “and one a week you shall attend a church service.” I have been to a number of churches in the past year, and I remember the first time I entered St. Paul’s in Dawson City. They made me stand up and introduce myself. I thought this was a terrible idea until last Sunday, when I went to church, hid in the back, then left without a word to anyone there. My own personal faith may be a great thing, but the church isn’t a building, it’s a community and I guess I should start being a part of it.

“No one lights a lamp and hides it in a jar or puts it under a bed. Instead, he puts it on a stand, so that those who come in can see the light” Luke 8:16

Sex, boys, rebellion.
All of these things are a natural cause for heated conversation.
Let's try a new one shall we.
Topic of the month: Lent.
Good? Bad? Not Christian? What is its purpose?
Aside from checking out the usual church websites that will describe it as a time of penitence, fasting, purification, growing closer to God, getting into the proper frame of mind to celebrate Easter, getting ready to join the church, etc... check this out.
www.realtruth.org
I don't like their opinion. I happen to like Lent. I have written a great deal of material as a result of fasting and praying and think that I should do it more often as a method of devotional. It's been a productive couple of weeks and I don't think God really cares why other people throughout history have fasted for 40 days. Then again, I also like hunting for chocolate eggs, decorating the Christmas tree, getting drunk on Canada day, having fights with roman candles on Halloween while dressed as a cat, or any other secular holiday. I think we can use just about any established tradition and look for a reason to gain spiritual instruction. Christmas involves giving gifts. Cool. I'll teach my kids the importance of charitable giving. Lent involves fasting and prayer, as well as contemplation of the resurrection of Christ. Nothing wrong with these things on their own, so why are people opposed to them happening 40 days before Easter?
I gave up sex, boys, and rebellion
(actually, I just gave up liquor and a couple other vices kinda disappeared as well. Who knew?)