Jesus to the Nations

When I woke up today, I just assumed it would be a pretty normal day. There was no way I could have predicted the events that occurred. I woke up late, did my methodical morning stuff like make coffee and read the Bible and some other cool books, and attempted to do some school work. I then became distracted, and decided to go to campus to see Clubs and Societies Day. Probably if you go to university your school has something similar. All the clubs had displays in the student centre and they were trying to recruit everyone. I had an interesting time perusing all these booths and I was pressured into joining the Ski and Snowboard Club, but they have free t-shirts so it probably was a good decision after all, despite the fact that I am about 100 percent sure I will not be making it to the slopes this winter. As I browsed these booths I became hungry, which made sense because it was lunchtime. As fate would have it, I was in the student centre, so I had a number of options to choose from, including Subway, which was my eventual choice.

Little did I know that when I sat down to eat that delicious chicken sub, my life would change forever. For as I took off my jacket I felt something catch on the inside of the jacket. When I laid the jacket over the back of the chair, a white object dropped from the sleeve. I could not believe it. It was my Jesus to the Nations bracelet. It had snapped.

That rubber wristband is from the 2012 conference, or perhaps the 2011 one. To be honest, I cannot quite remember. In fact, I have been wearing it pretty much constantly since I received it. And today it fell off. My wrist feels naked.

OK, so I am over-dramatizing this. But honestly, for nearly three years I have left it on because a) I want to remember all the things I have learned at the Jesus to the Nations conference over the years and b) I want to be reminded every day of my true mission in life- to bring Jesus to the nations.

For those of you who do not know, Jesus to the Nations is a conference that happens every year in Halifax. It is a conference about Christian missions and it is completely free. There are speakers, workshops, and missions displays. And I have been there every year for perhaps the last 15 years. I have heard inspiring leaders like Jackie Pullinger, Lorne Cunningham, Brother Andrew, Libby Little, George Verwer and KP Yohannan. I have been challenged to serve God and to surrender my life to Him. My heart has broken for the millions who don't know Jesus' name, or who live in poverty, or who don't have the Bible in their language. I have received practical advice on how to live out my faith.

Every year, I love to go to Jesus to the Nations because it is a reminder of how global God's Kingdom really is. It is just human nature to be so caught up in our own lives and what is going on here. I spend way more time praying for stuff like for me to get good marks than for stuff like for God to help child sex slaves in Cambodia or for people in Cameroon to be able to read the Bible in their own language. So it is extremely helpful to go to an event like Jesus to the Nations and open my mind and spirit to remember how BIG God's Kingdom is. He is not only at work in Truro or Wolfville or Waterloo, he is also at work in the city in Ecuador or a little village in India. Hearing God-stories from all over the world is also such a faith-builder. It reminds us of God's incredible power. The God we serve is so mighty.

So when I looked at my Jesus to the Nations wristband, those were the things I remembered. It is a reminder to my commitment to God, to serve Him wherever I go. I have worn that wristband to Africa and back (twice), and all over North America, and it is exciting to think of where God will take me next.

Meanwhile, I am on track to finish my Master's program which will presumably be the start of a decent career here in Canada. I am not sure if I will stay in Canada long-term-- I think I am not quite done with overseas missions. But for now, God is calling me here. And what I have learned, and am still learning, is that missions is not just where you go. Missions is a lifestyle.

Missions is a lifestyle, no matter where you live.
Missions is being generous with time and money.
Missions is praying for God to glorify Himself in the world (and especially through you)
Missions is treating each person like they are God's precious child (even if they are a homeless person and make you kind of uncomfortable, or that annoying guy in your building).
Missions is being perceptive to what the Holy Spirit is doing around you.
Missions is taking risks to bring people into God's Kingdom.

OK, now that my wristband is gone, I am going to need you guys to remind me every day of this. But seriously. I have been so convicted of this lately- this idea that I need to be using the gifts God's given me here, for his Kingdom. The idea that in every single one of my relationships here is a missions field, whether it is with professors, students, housemates or friends. Maybe someday God will call me to some frontier. But for now, this is my frontier, wind chill and all.

My year in Bible verses

As another calendar year has just come to a close, the time comes to reflect on the past year. I would like to do this using Bible passages that have been meaningful to me throughout the year.
Habakkuk 3:14, NRSV
Though the fig tree does not blossom,
and no fruit is on the vines;
though the produce of the olive fails,
and the fields yield no food;
though the flock is cut off from the fold,
and there is no herd in the stalls,
yet I will rejoice in the LORD;
I will exult in the God of my salvation.

I read this at the beginning of the year and it has been a comfort throughout 2014. I had always known that God's goodness is not dependent on circumstances, but this year I was able to experience that fully. God has been good during a less-than-perfect job, unexpected illness, untimely death, and the struggle of transitions. And though it may not seem like there is much to rejoice, I can exult in the God of my salvation.

Township of Woolwich, Ontario

2 Peter 3:9, NIV
The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.

This verse is about God's promise that he will return. For me this year, it was a reminder to be patient. To speak with candor, at this point in my life I feel like I am in an awkward in-between phase between being a carefree undergraduate and being a bona fide adult with a career and a marriage and kids. But God is teaching me to be patient, and to embrace this transitional time in life. He is not slow in keeping ANY of his promises.

University of Waterloo

The first half of the book of Mark

I spent a week studying this with a group of students.
Here are some of my thoughts from that week:
There is something coming up in our study of Mark-- this pattern of God allowing people to get into these desperate situations, and then showing his glory. Like Jesus asleep in the stern during a storm. Like allowing Jairus' daughter to die and for the parents to go through that anguish before raising her. Why? Is it because God wants us to experience the desperation we would feel is we were not dependent upon him? I guess I mean, in order to experience what we no longer have to face? Would we be less thankful if we were less desperate to begin with? 

I am still struggling with this one.

Desperate people at MarkEast 2014

Isaiah 43:19, NIV
 See, I am doing a new thing!
    Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?
I am making a way in the wilderness
    and streams in the wasteland.

Somebody read this verse during my trip to Cameroon in March. That trip was a huge paradigm-shifter for me, as this verse indicates. God is doing a new thing in the Bible translation movement, and I learned about it during my time in Cameroon. Bible translation no longer needs to be done by white, Western missionaries-- the chief purpose of these missionaries should be empowering nationals to do this work themselves. And in places like Cameroon, people in in the many language groups of the country are engaging in Bible translation and literacy, and God is doing amazing things. He is doing a new thing. This year, I learned to watch out for new things God is doing.

God speaks Aghem (language of Northern Cameroon)

Also, Cameroon is beautiful

Habakkuk 1:5
 The Lord replied,

“Look around at the nations;
    look and be amazed!
For I am doing something in your own day,
    something you wouldn’t believe
    even if someone told you about it.

And so, this is the verse I hold onto as 2015 begins. Somehow I managed to find verses in obscure Habakkuk for two consecutive New Years. God is doing something we wouldn't believe, even if someone told you about it! If at the beginning of 2014 I knew I would get to see two friends get baptized (and joyfully hear about two more), friends healed of sickness, my brother (and a bunch of other friends) get engaged, and my family/church family keeping faith despite unforeseen difficulties, I would not have believed it. That makes me hopeful for 2015. I wonder what God is doing this year? I wonder what I will look back on at the end of the year and say, "Who woulda' thunk?" 

Here's some artwork my super talented sister did. Please don't use it without giving credit :)

 Thanks for reading, friends. Maybe I met you this year- for that I am thankful, too. What a year! I am hopeful for 2015.

Don't say Merry Christmas... unless you mean it

**I feel like all my blog posts lately have been particularly rant-y. So, umm, sorry? But this is just something that's been on my heart lately. I also have to acknowledge that I am writing from within this materialistic culture that I criticize. I am SO not free of blame for contributing to this.**

I love the holiday season.
I love the egg nog and the snow gently falling and candy canes and carols and It's a Wonderful Life.

Mostly, I love that it is a time of year when we think about Jesus. Or at least, we supposedly do. Over the past few years I have seen a bit of backlash from the Christian community, because of signs like this one I saw at Target today (also, side note, why oh why did I choose to go to the mall in December?):

What's wrong with that sign? Some of us would prefer it to say the word "Christmas."It's "Happy Holidays" this and "Seasons Greetings" that, and then Christians come up with the fun rhyming saying, "Jesus is the reason for the season."

Whoa now.
Hold up.
JESUS is the reason for the season?

Each year, we put ourselves into debt, increase our stress level, and end up with useless trinkets that some underpaid worker in a developing country made, and we smile and pay $44.00 for a snow globe that says "Jesus is the reason for the season."

This American conservative website published an article called "Now 8 states waging war for Christmas." Western Christians are feeling threatened, because of restrictions on when you can and cannot say "Christmas."

But as a Christian, I have to say this growing trend away from saying "Merry Christmas" is welcome.

Because as long as we celebrate this holiday the way we do, I do not think Jesus wants anything to do with it.

Christmas as we celebrate it is an orgy of greed, consumerism, materialism and entitlement. 
That is not what Christ represents.

I am a Christian. That means that my heart sings the hymn of Philippians 2. It speaks of Jesus:
who, though he was in the form of God,
    did not regard equality with God
    as something to be exploited, 
but emptied himself,
    taking the form of a slave,
    being born in human likeness.
And being found in human form, 
   he humbled himself
    and became obedient to the point of death—
    even death on a cross.

 Jesus, one with God. King of the universe. The One person in all of existence who has no reason to be humble. After all, Jesus was there at the beginning. He is the artist who created such unmatchable wonders as the Rocky Mountains, the honey bee, love, and you. He is the one who does nothing wrong. And somehow he put his great power aside and became dependent. The King of the universe became a zygote. The creator of the vastness of the world confined himself to be inside a woman's womb. Like any infant, he could not walk, talk, or eat by himself. 
And he was born in a manger.  

Imagine Jesus' obituary after he died on the cross:
Jesus, 33, of Nazareth. Born in Bethlehem, in a food trough, among manure, flies, and livestock. Executed between two thieves as a crowd mocked him.

This is our God. 
This is sacrificial love at its finest. This is the opposite of the greed of Christmas.
Yes, it is a gift. But this is the difference between Christ's gift and the consumerism of Christmas: Christ's gift cost him everything. He gave his entire earthly life to the people who did not even deserve his love. And he died for those same people, and for me and for you. Jesus chose to be poor.

For you know the generous act of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that by his poverty you might become rich. 

We are rich. Jesus is all we need. We do not need to show our love to our friends and family by purchasing a bunch of junk and putting it inside a giant sock. When we celebrate Christmas in the same way as everyone else, buying into this materialistic culture cleverly sold to us by retail marketers, what are we telling the world about Jesus?
It's like we are saying "Jesus isn't enough."
We are agreeing with this philosophy: "More stuff will make you happy" 
Or maybe this one: "Your loved ones will not know you love them unless you spend a lot of money on them."
But then we say: "But please, name this holiday after our Saviour."

Here's some real talk from the prophet Amos. He was writing to the Jews, who at that time were living in luxury- but ignoring the poor. They were comfortable and happy but forget their mission and forgot what set them apart. I see too many similarities with Christians today. Here's what God is saying:
I hate, I despise your festivals,
    and I take no delight in your solemn assemblies. 
Even though you offer me your burnt offerings and grain offerings,
    I will not accept them;
and the offerings of well-being of your fatted animals
    I will not look upon. 
 Take away from me the noise of your songs;
    I will not listen to the melody of your harps. 
But let justice roll down like waters,
    and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.

 So this Christmas, let's change what "Merry Christmas" means. Let's disassociate Christ with the corporate consumer culture, and remember what he really is: the ultimate example of humility and sacrificial love. 

[Here's a group celebrating Christmas in a great way]

On Community

Saw this on the internet, don't know the attribution but I really liked it!

 After an absolutely wonderful time at home with my dear sweet family on Thanksgiving weekend, I landed back here in Waterloo to jump right back into graduate student life. And though I have been oh-so-busy with reading, writing, and marking, it was only a few days after being back here that I noticed something missing. After being home for three days of sufficient hugs, spiritual discussions, spontaneous prayer and just generally being with my family, it was a shock to come back to this new city. I realized my life here is lacking community.

I ended up here and I guess I just figured I could plop right down in some Christian community and that would be it. And I have been super blessed to know amazing people here: the church I attend is full of hospitable and caring people, and I cannot attend a Sunday service without feeling God's presence. I pray with a group of graduate students once a week, and I have gotten to know a group of girls who are cultivating community in their humble brick house.

But that does not stop me from missing the Christ-centered community I enjoyed and was a part of at camp and at Acadia. I truly believe God grows His Kingdom through strong, grace-filled communities, and I saw that in action at Acadia and this summer at camp. In Christian community, people get to worship corporately, pray for common goals, work for common goals, and see these goals happen. People are "spurred on toward love and good deeds." When one person in the community is sad, the whole community is sad. And when one member celebrates, everyone does. Being part of a thriving Christian community at Acadia was a source of joy and meaning for me in the past couple of years.

And so when I came to Waterloo I expected I would immediately find such a community. However, my attitude was all wrong. The task is not to find community. The task is to create community. And creating community is not an easy task. I tend to think of the shiny-happy parts of the Acadia community. But I forget how hard it really is.

JOYful worship through music with Acadia folks

Community requires sacrifice. How many times during my time at Acadia did I, and others, set aside academics (and enough sleep) in order to facilitate events, to help a friend in need, to lead Bible studies? We had to put aside our own needs because we believed in the necessity of a healthy Christian community. Sometimes, we had to sacrifice ideas or plans of ours to promote unity. Other times, we sacrificed money to support the vulnerable or missions endevours in our own community. Time is such a precious commodity in life and the sacrifice of time for Kingdom-building efforts just goes to show how worthy the cause really is.
"Let each of you look not to your own interests, but to the interests of others"-Philippians 2:4

One of my favourite examples of working together for a common goal: After a devastating storm at camp, we worked together for days on this clean-up effort! People were so generous with their time and resources (like the truck pictured).

Community requires commitment. At Acadia, I learned that a good Christian community does not just spring up overnight. It requires commitment from everyone involved. There were a lot of times when I was ready to give up. I led prayer meetings that nobody attended; or people would be antagonistic towards me or others, and I sometimes wanted to forget about it all. But when the community really started to thrive was when there was a few faithful people committed to praying and cultivating community.
"And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near." -Hebrews 10:25

Community requires risk-taking. There are so many risky parts about living in community. At camp, one of the first things we were challenged to do was share our stories. This was risky because it caused our team to open up vulnerable places of ourselves to each other. In the end, though, it helped keep us honest with each other, understand each other better, and treat each other with more grace. Community is risky because it cannot work unless we are honest and vulnerable with each other; if we choose to trust the deepest parts of our being to other flawed human beings. It is risky because mistakes are inevitable. We will be hurt; and we will hurt others. And this only underscores the need for God to intervene to help with supernatural forgiveness.

One of the riskier initiatives of the Acadia community... I'm sure we all remember the BS Party

Even though community is hard, I still want it. Because it is in community that I have seen God work in amazing ways. I have seen love in action in a way that seems anti-human nature. And I have been challenged to really follow Jesus. But I know community is not something I can just kind of passively join. I need to roll up my sleeves and be willing to get dirty!

**Also I should say that the communities I am talking about here (Acadia and camp), though they are wonderful, are far from perfect. I am not saying we should all emulate them. Any group that includes humans is going to be inherently messed up. If we are looking for someone to emulate, I would point to Jesus.**

Helpless

 Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me
    all the days of my life,
and I will live in the house of the Lord
    forever.
-Psalm 23:6

Psalm 23 is often read at funerals, which is great, because it talks about the God who comforts us even when we walk through the darkest valleys. But the fact that it is known as a funeral Psalm is also not great because we can miss so much when we only think about it in that one context. But maybe this Psalm is more about life than it is about death.

For me and my family, these past few months have been a time of radical dependency on God. One Friday night, my mother fell while we were swimming. This resulted in the unexpected discovery that she may have multiple myeloma or another form of--this word nobody ever wants to hear--cancer. After over a month of tests and waiting, the diagnosis finally came. That word that nobody wants to hear.

Meanwhile, my youngest sister is heading to university for the very first time, my brother is starting a new job, and I am moving halfway across the country.

The weekend after my mom first broke her collarbone happened to be a massive storm in Nova Scotia. At camp, we huddled in the lodge, helpless as trees toppled all over camp.
Helpless is a good word to describe how I feel. I was helpless to stop the raging wind and waves during the hurricane, and I am helpless to stop the storms that that assault my life.

You know who else are helpless?

Sheep.

The Lord is my shepherd;
    I have all that I need.
-Psalm 23:1

Recognizing my own helplessness makes it easier to relinquish control to God. I can relinquish control to God because I know he is good. He is healer. He follows me with goodness and mercy all the days of my life. He is with us, even when we walk through the darkest valley. 

Going through cancer treatments is a dark valley. But God is with us.
Not being together as a family is a dark valley. But God is with each of us. 
Saying "see you later" to the people in the Maritimes I love dearly is a dark valley. But God is with me. 

Every moment is a choice. Will I choose to hang on to the myth that I have everything under control, or will I surrender to my Shepherd? Oh yes, this Psalm is about life. And it is about the best kind of life: eternal life with God, eternity beginning now. I can feel helpless against the storms that assail. But let us not forget. Our God is known for calming storms.

and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord
    my whole life long

-Psalm 23:6 

The Myth of Productivity

The young girl stands poised at the end of the zipline platform, contemplating. Should she go down? Should she take the leap? With our feet on the stable earth, we shout at the girl in the swaying treetops, telling her to jump, to trust us, to jump. But she is not sure. She is scared. My camera is ready to take the shot. That's my job, to capture the children in their greatest moments. But now, my job is waiting. As I hold the camera, waiting for the little girl to jump, my mind is sprinting through all the things I need to do. Call the parents. Create the DVD. Edit that document. But I wait.

In the end, the girl does not jump. She climbs slowly down the ladder and is unharnessed. She declares that she will try again tomorrow. But we are proud of her. She has made a remarkable step in her personal growth. She is just young and she has climbed so high. She has gotten farther than before. We affirm this.

Was this a waste of time? To wait for this young girl? We want to get people on the zipline quickly before the next activity, we want to make sure that we stay on schedule. We have a lot of activities to pack into one day and spending more time on one affects the whole day. But lately I have noticed that God does not often stick to our schedules. In a book I am reading right now (Multiply), there was a quote I found to be true: "God cares more about your character than your productivity." As a person who graduated with a degree in economics, that is one of the more difficult things to swallow. But even if I don't like to believe it, this is the truth: God is not efficient. 

Is it efficient to leave 99 sheep in order to save one, as the story goes in Matthew 18 and Luke 15? What about when Jesus helped Peter and Andrew catch all of those fish, and then calls them to leave them? Surely that's not efficient. Or when He got interrupted in the middle of healing a crowd of people by a paralytic coming through the roof? No, God does not seem to care about productivity as much as He does about character.

And that is why it is not a waste of time to stop our daily tasks once in a while, to allow ourselves to be interrupted by relationships. In my short time of living I have observed that life is a series of interruptions. Nothing is quite as we have planned it, and these interruptions build character. I pray I may be more aware of what is important. I like being productive. I like finding the most efficient way of doing things. I like making to-do lists and crossing things off of them. But in the end, I do not think God will say "Well done, good and faithful servant. You have gotten the most things done. You have crossed everything off your to-do list in life." No, I  hope He will say something like "Well done, good and faithful servant. You have recognized Me when I have interrupted you."

God cares more about your character than your productivity.

Taking the scenic route. Walton, NS

Why I am working at camp

Hi friends,
This summer, I am doing something I love: working at camp. I also have a job that allows me to use my gifts and talents in ways that I am very excited to do. I even get to take photos, make videos, and write blog posts! Of course, as a university graduate, I probably could have chosen a higher-paying job or a job in my field.

So why did I choose this job, this job where I live in (let's be honest) the middle of nowhere, getting less pay than I might get somewhere else while working really long hours? For some people, this may seem crazy. For me, this is camp, and I couldn't imagine a better way to spend my summer.

Here are some reasons camp is a worthwhile place to work:

• The staff: in what other job do you get to work with a bunch of other people around your age who all have the same vision, who are a bit quirky and are totally humble, gracious people? At camp I am given the opportunity to learn from my peers and laugh with them every single day. Camp is an environment where I have the opportunity to become closer with my coworkers than in any other job. This is a diverse group of people who all have to work together for the same purpose. It is a beautiful microcosm of the Kingdom of God.
  

  

  Some camp staff being silly at our fave ice cream place

  

  Working together

•  The surroundings: There is something life-giving about being in a place where God's creation is visible and circumambient. Each day the lake looks different. It's sometimes halcyon and glassy, sometimes white-tipped and choppy, and sometimes gray like the sky above. Just breathing here is a treat.
  
  
• Children are adorable: I need to make this clear. Children just make me smile for no other reason except they are who they are. These little people are in the process of discovering the world and it is really fun just to watch them do it. I love them because they do unexpected things all the time!
  
• The opportunity to invest in these children's lives: When I was young and went to camp, I saw Jesus' love in action among the staff at camp. It was environment conducive to spiritual growth. When children come to camp, I have no idea what their home situations are. I do not know what their background is. They may not have ever heard Jesus' name. But for the one week they are here, we have the opportunity to show them God's love in a big way. We have the opportunity to invest into them. 
  
• It's where God's called me to be right now: Being in a place you know you are meant to be is pretty much a recipe for contentment. I love that my job can include everything from canoeing with campers to making videos to cleaning toilets, and every day I wake up with a thankful heart.
  

  

  Whee!

Thanks for reading, friends. For the next couple months I will be here at camp before moving halfway across the country to start yet another chapter in my life. Please pray for me and the staff at camp as we sow the Gospel into children's lives this summer. Please also pray for my preparations to go to Waterloo. Let me know if there is any way I can pray for you, too!