Boarding

Well, the new message boards are up. There is one for On Rock and one for The Open Door. Just go to http://forums.caedmon.net and have fun. It looks pretty fancy shmancy, but is fairly easy to navigate. you can set your own profile and everything, but, it doesn't do dishes.

I am headed to Kingston today to take a theology course. I guess that's a good thing. It's called "Thinking Like a Christian", which I find kind of weird. It's about time to learn I guess, I am a pastor. Not that I want to learn to "think" like a Christian. However, I would like to get better at thinking like Jesus.....

I may blog from The big K, but if not, have a great weekend.

peace,

K

I Love It

I was at Jerry Mercer's surprise birthday party last night at Bourbon Street West. It was an amazing time, great blues and rock music. Jerry is 65 and was overwhelmed by the turnout.

I ran into a lady there who used to go to church. I asked her where she was going now. She said nowhere because she just found it too theoretical and not very "rubber meets the road". I told her about the open door and her eyes lit up. It was very cool. She said she thinks this might be a place she can bring her kids. We will see her soon I am sure.

I ran into another friend, who is a great harp player(harmonica, Blues remember..). He is not a "follower", he asked what I was up to these days. I told him about church and his eyes lit up. he said, "now that's a church I would go to." he asked for the details. I think we will see him soon.

I was so encouraged, that people out there are searching, they just haven't found something they relate to yet. For many of those, we may be it. I love our church and what we are trying to do. Be encouraged. I am.

peace,

K

Servanthood

What does it mean to be a good servant? Is it enough that I do stuff for God or does my heart matter? The Book encourages us to serve with all of our heart, soul, mind and strength. Basically, with all that we are. We are experts at finding very rational(sometimes) excuses as to why we can't or don't want to serve. The question is, who are we fooling? If it is ultimately God that we serve, then fooling people about what we do or don't do, doesn't really amount to much. To God, heart and attitude matter more than "what" you do. Do you have the heart of Christ as you walk this life and serve God?

As an author once put it "How is your serve?"

Peace,

K

Guilty by association

It is refreshing in a twisted sort of way when you see things that get attributed to Christians, happening in the "real" world. Syl was talking to a Teacher today from Kirstyn's school. The teacher informed her that Kiki was going to fail science(she has an 86 average in the course). Her primary reason was,... she doesn't like the way Kiki dresses. That is supposed to be why people don't come to church, they get judged on appearance and stuff.

Then I was told by the vice-principal that Kiki was a good kid, but she hangs out with "at risk" kids. Surprise! So do her parents(not referring to everyone..).

Kiki has never shied away from "at risk" people, she has grown up with them. She befriends them, she brings them home when they run away. She cares deeply for her friends.

So now she finds herself judged by her appearance and her friends.... and not by the church..... interesting. Kiki is also on the honor roll, but that goes unnoticed.

I can't wait til they see me at parent teacher meeting.....

I guess the church is going to have to work harder at finding unique ways of alienating people. ;)

Peace,

K

It's a Beautiful Day

I spent about an hour this morning worshiping and praying while listening to U2. I am now listening to Sigur Ros and getting my head on for Sunday. God is Good. It's that simple. God is good.

Sunday we try worship with paint. My daughter Kayla is excited about the concept. So am I.

Take time to listen today. Pray for someone.

Scott, Troy and Sonny are in the John Abbott battle of the bands tonight with their bands. It's at 7pm. in The Agora if you can make it(7pm). Pray for them. See you there.

Peace,

K

Let him who has two.....

As we seek to be a genuine community of Christ followers, we need to ask ourselves, what has God asked us to do? One of the things he asked us to do is to take care of each other. Let he who has two, give to him who has none.

There is no greater testimony than for people to see that we take care of each other. Jesus said this. As we grow, we need to be asking God, what it is that He wants us to do with our stuff, money, food, material goods, time, etc. Then we need to be obedient.

It is amazing how giving in the name of Jesus blesses everyone involved. The giver and the receiver. We should not rob ourselves or others of that blessing.

Let's "listen" for needs and then find ways to fulfill them.

Peace,

K

Boston in 05....

Last night my Bruins were defeated in Game 7. It was an excellent game, but, alas, we could not put the puck in the net. However we were very acquainted with the goal posts. So, my hockey season has come to an end, not to mention my 2nd place in the hockey pool.

We will be back to fight another day,... next year. To Joe and the boys, my hat is off to you. To Josh and Kayla, keep hope alive and your sweater clean.

ABC,

K

The Prodigal Who?..

The story of the "Prodigal Son" is, in my opinion, improperly named. The story, as I understand it is about the love of the Father.

We wander, sometimes very far from home. We do things that hurt us and those we love. We grieve God. However, His response is to wait patiently, hopeful for our return. When we come back, He looks on us with eyes of love, not condemnation. For we were lost, but now we are found. His response is to celebrate.

The road back is not easy, but the reception is always the same, open arms, and forgiveness. All that is left is for us to humbly accept His grace and mercy, and to forgive ourselves.

God is so Good. This is our example.

peace,

K

bodily functions...

It has been impressed upon me this week, through various situations that we need each other. In a world where there is great value in individualistic accomplishment, the bare truth is, we can't function alone. God knew what he was doing when he told us not to isolate ourselves, but to struggle together.

There is little joy in suffering, even less in suffering alone. There is little joy in accomplishing something without someone to share it with. It's like hitting a great golf shot that no one else saw. No fun at all.

Community can be tough sometimes. We don't always get along or enjoy each others company, but it sure beats going it alone. Think about the people God has placed in your life. Thank Him for them and celebrate those relationships. After all, we are part of the same body.

Peace,

K

PS. Boston 3 Canadiens 1, and back to Beantown......

A God Thing

Scott(this could (not) be his real name depending who wants to know) is an amazing dude. Over the past year or so, he has been a part of our community. He has been in and out, but he is always there, if you know what I mean.

He has been around more lately, which has been awesome. He has been searching and asking questions since I have known him. Last night he came over to our place and declared that he wanted to take the "next step" in his relationship with God, and that he wanted to do it at our house, but alone. This was incredible news, so while Sean & I watched a movie and Syl did the mom thing, Scott found a quiet place and did the God thing.

Later on, Scott joined us for the movie and before he left, we prayed with him.

All this to say, welcome to the family Scott, and God is..... It is so cool the way He starts talking with a guy like Scott and slowly draws him into a love relationship with Jesus. When did Scott's relationship with God start? Who knows, but he made a commitment last night to go deeper. That my friend is a 'God Thing". We are blessed to be a part of it.

Peace,

K

Boston in 6

Last night I got together with a bunch of guys and did a hockey pool. By the end of last night I picked up 10 points, and Boston smoked les Canadiens. Life is good.

Big discussion today, How does a redemptive community deal with sin and discipline?

Peace,

K

What to do with a toenail

Romans 12:4 Just as our bodies have many parts and each part has a special function, 5 so it is with Christ's body. We are all parts of his one body, and each of us has different work to do. And since we are all one body in Christ, we belong to each other, and each of us needs all the others
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, (Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.) 1996.

We often struggle with this whole body thing. Intellectually we seem to understand it, but in practice we struggle. It is easy for those of us who are more extrovert to feel like the quiet, behind the scenes type people aren't living up to their calling. After all, imagine the impact we could make if we were all out there "pastoring", "evangelizing"....

We forget that in order for those of us who are "out there", to do our thing, we need those "quiet", behind the scenes guys doing what they are gifted at. Their gifting is not less, it is different.

At The Open Door, most of what we do is carried out by behind the scenes people. The meals are coordinated by Syl. She never says anything, but take her out of the equation and we're in trouble. The same goes for Sean and Jared, who set up, tear down and do sound. It would be easy to say, "why aren't these guys "talking" to everyone". Don't they love people? Yes they do. The fact is they create the freedom for me and others to do what we do best,... "talk".

In order to function as a healthy body, we need all the parts, doing what they were created to do.

1 Corinthians 12:12 The human body has many parts, but the many parts make up only one body. So it is with the body of Christ. 13 Some of us are Jews, some are Gentiles, some are slaves, and some are free. But we have all been baptized into Christ's body by one Spirit, and we have all received the same Spirit.
14 Yes, the body has many different parts, not just one part. 15 If the foot says, "I am not a part of the body because I am not a hand," that does not make it any less a part of the body. 16 And if the ear says, "I am not part of the body because I am only an ear and not an eye," would that make it any less a part of the body? 17 Suppose the whole body were an eye, then how would you hear? Or if your whole body were just one big ear, how could you smell anything?
18 But God made our bodies with many parts, and he has put each part just where he wants it. 19 What a strange thing a body would be if it had only one part! 20 Yes, there are many parts, but only one body. 21 The eye can never say to the hand, "I don't need you." The head can't say to the feet, "I don't need you."
22 In fact, some of the parts that seem weakest and least important are really the most necessary.
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, (Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.) 1996.

I want to thank behind the scenes people everywhere. You are needed. I also want to apologize for mentioning Syl, Jared and Sean by name, because they are all going to hate me for it. :o) Oh, the opportunities for forgiveness I create...

Peace,

K

Good Times

Yesterday, I was reminded how much fun church can be. We had a great time at The Open Door. Paul joined us to scream on The Wonderful Cross. I am not sure what MWS would think of our improvements but the worship was amazing.
Dan S came in from FMC and gave us a short presentation on Sri Lanka. This was our first mention of "far away" missions, a good intro.

We had a discussion about forgiveness and how it is a crisis of the will. This walking with God thing can be hard at times. This is probably our biggest obstacle.

God is good.

peace,

Kim

Money talks

Besides being an eventful April Fools, yesterday Dan Sheffield from head office FMC was in town with J-money to help us put together a budget for The Open Door. It was fairly grueling because this stuff is not in my realm of gifting whatsoever. However it was also encouraging. In the evening we got together with our leadership team and fine tuned the budget. We actually have a budget that reflects our vision.

I am encouraged by the commitment and encouragement from FMC and Next. Thanks Dan and J-money, along with everyone else in the FMC office.

It has been a good week,

I got a new vehicle this week, a 94 Pathfinder(new to me). No more driving in L2.

I made myself a duct tape wallet.

As I Lay Dying rocked at L'X.

Out of Angst did the same last night at Clyde's. Good job Scotty.

I finished reading Acts, Paul was nuts, God was/is Good.

Now for the Weekend....

peace,

K

April Fools

Ahh, a day for true a**holes to shine. Luckily (for my kids), they didn't wake me up with something "silly". I am not a morning person. My son did see fit to put peanut butter on the taps and apparently butter on the door knobs. He got up at ridiculous o'clock to set his traps. My daughters were working last night at filling Josh's school bag with confetti.

But top marks go to Sean "Puffy" Coates who sent out a message to all that love him saying he had accepted a job in Boston and that he would be leaving this great city with the lousy hockey team for more $$$. he has been receiving farewells all morning, and love and tears, all for the sake of the "joke". Good job "Puffy". Those who love him, now hate him, and wish he would move,... for today anyway.

April 1st brings us to such a height,... so much for evolution. Next thing you know we will be peeing ourselves on a dare...

Peace,

K