Hope

Today I was looking at the gorgeous view in my backyard and thinking of the hope that is within me.

Over the past few years I've done a little bit of studying about what's happening in the churches in Canada. Reginal Bibby is the main socialist that I've studied. One of the things he's said is "The prevailing school of thought says that while Canadians have growing spiritual needs, churches are becoming emptier and emptier. " These types of comments have led me to ask; are the churches dead? and the thought that comes to my mind when I ask this question is; are the trees dead?

So, you see the picture from my backyard this morning? Are the trees(churches) dead? or is it that we're not all made to be evergreens? or is it that it's just for a season they appear dead? What are your thoughts?

Can Christians have fun????

You're darn right they can have fun! Did you know that Jesus first miracle was to increase the wine supply at a wedding! Of course to think that one needs wine to be happy is a mistake too. I think the best way to be happy is to be who God made you to be. For me this means soaking in a hot tub, reading a book, a sunset canoe ride, snow or water tubing, walking and sharing about things that count with a friend, and discovering new sites in God's wonderful creating. What is it for you? Don't worry about what others think you're suppose to be...be you; after all God knows the real you.

So this month, besides tubing, and X-country skiing I'm going to a CSI seminar! (that's right CSI...discovering how the Waterloo police solve crimes.) That's also fun for me!

The Cost of the Cross

Lately I've been challenged with the task of leading a Youth Alpha. The idea is you present the same material as the Adult Alpha course but far more interactively. This means I've had people (namely Margaret and Stephanie) scrounging around for videos and music for me. This course also contains experiments and games. Fortunately others have done the course before and left ideas behind. For instance, this week is talking about the power of the cross. To illustrate this you take some water and add some food colouring to it and make the water really dirty; then you take some bleach and add red food colouring to the bleach to represent the blood of Jesus; then you take this mixture and add it to the dirty water; although it's not instance, within an hour or so the water is completely clean again! "Oh the blood of Jesus, that washes white as snow".

Even with this great illustration though I still find the concept of the cross hard. I guess it's because I haven't been raised with the Jewish and Moslem heritage of animal sacrifices. It was Henri that found a story that solidified this concept for me; check it out at: http://dailywisdom.gospelcom.net/archives/old/1996/04/dw-04-12-96.html