Do I Know my Neighbour?

As Christians learn to interact with the culture as us Joe Thorn as a good question

"Do you know the people, the local issues and struggles, the values, practices and interests of your neighbors? There will be no cultural engagement unless you are there, hanging out, interacting with the world outside of the church. Need a place to start? Introduce yourself to your neighbors and invite them over for dinner, read the local paper, participate in local events, let your voice be heard when appropriate, be a regular at local establishments."

As Mel and I have moved around in my exploring pastoral ministry and particularly in the last few years with Sovereign Grace, it has been very hard to get to know our neighbors and it has been hard inviting them over when we haven't had a house to invite them to. However, it has been a longing for both of us, that if Lord willing we would plant a church back in Ottawa, [or wherever we end up] the practice Thorn is talking about is something we want to do. Not only to engage the culture, but to by God's grace build the church.
But in the meantime I need to be creative and not allow the challenges to be excuses from this call to be salt and light to those God has placed me around.

So I leave the question for you today, do you know your neighbour?

Love and Good Deeds

Man, props to guys that do this every day and multiple times a day.

A truly Christian faith is that which produces good works; but all good works which it produces are by love [13]

If I love God [a truly Christian faith] I will be producing good works and this good works will be produced because I love God.

It can seem like circular reasoning but I need both sides.
The first is a check that if I love God, it will be evidenced through good works expressed towards others. My wife, my daughter, my family and my friends should see that I love God through my actions towards them.
The second half is a reminder and challenge that I don't do the good works to be seen by these people or for people to pat me on the back or impress them. Instead they should grow out of a love for God and a desire to honour and please Him.

Music

I was talking to someone today at school about my favorite concerts and I thought I would share then with you.

Tortoise [both times] - The first time I saw them with Isotope 217 and at the end of the show they all came out and played together. The second time they had the drum kit at the front of the stage and to see John McEntire drumming away was a sweet experience. Tortoise is an ambient free jazz band from Chicago, great chill and studying music. You can hear them hear http://thrilljockey.com/splash.html

Sunny Day Real Estate - I never thought I would get to see this band, but when they released the Rising Tide, Mel and I went to Montreal to see them. It was sort of a surreal experience being able to see some of my favorite songs of all time performed live. If you like "emo" or indie rock check them out.

Godspeed you Black Emperor - This band is a total experience. They set up a screen behind them to match what was going on musically. They would progressively layer old reel movies as instruments were added to each song. The second time I saw them, they played one song where the drummers [two of them] slowly built in the song towards the same beat.

My advice to you today, get out there and enjoy live music!

Loving God

"Without love, there can be no hearty submission to the will of God." [10]

Until I come to a place of loving God's ways I won't submit to Him or to His ways. And even as I come to Christ, I need the Holy Spirit and the Bible to help me understand and love God's ways and remind me that they are perfect, from a God who loves and worthy of surrendering my life to. I desire ease while God desires me to serve and put my wife and child's needs before my own. I want people to notice me, but God wants me to remember that the only person who I should be aware is watching is God. My ways lead to strife, hurt and destruction but God's will leads to a life increasing reflecting Jesus and eternal life. But, until I come to love God's ways and see them as perfect and beautiful, I will not surrender to them.
God help me to love you more that I might love your ways and surrender to them daily.

Humility before God

"A true Christian delights to have God exalted on his own abasement because he loves him." [7]
Humility towards God comes from thinking charitably towards Him, i.e. thinking the best about God. When I think the best about God in terms of how great and awesome He is, it should have the intended effect of humbling me because He is so much greater than me.

On that note, go and watch this sermon. This is a testimony of what being humble and humbled before God looks like http://www.marshillchurch.org/sermonseries/philippians/week_05.aspx
If you know who this man is, you will be profoundly affected by this sermon as I was.

Simple man, simple truths

I have tried to do too much with this blog in recent months and because of it, I've left it thinking it was too much to do. Recently, I was thinking about David Powlison's thoughts on preaching and counseling from his article Think Globally, Act Locally [The Journal of Biblical Counseling Fall 2003] and the new tag is a reflection of his thoughts.
In essence, the goal going forward will be to have one bit of truth and one bit of life. The one bit of truth will, for the next while come from Charity and Its Fruits by Jonathan Edwards because this book has had a profound effect on me.
Then I will aim to share one bit of life, something more lighthearted to give you a window to my life on a more practical level.

So come along for the new, more focused ride. Hope you enjoy

Amazing!

It's still sort of surreal that I have a daughter and now tomorrow I begin classes at Sovereign Grace Pastor's College.
God has blessed us beyond what I ever imagined