I was invited to the Alberta Progressive Conservative Party Convention held in Red Deer on November 7^th.  It was amazing to be a fly on the wall during this fascinating political process.  1300 people filled the convention centre, while a union protest gathered outside.  TV crews and wealthy business people mingled with provincial and municipal elected officials.  It was an electric atmosphere topped off with good food and heated discussion. 

 It was explained to me that in politics there is always one group vying for power, and another group trying to hold onto power.  It was clearly the case all around me.  Young men in fitted suits moved from one meeting to another, there were whispers about the Premier – would he stay in power?  Could the votes be swayed?  Who will be the king-maker today?

 Power struggles are not new.  The Bible is full of stories of kings and rebels fighting for power.  Even King David had a son rebel against him.

 And then, one evening, a young girl without honor traveled to Bethlehem with her fiancée Joseph – a mere laborer.  She was pregnant and delivered her baby in a barn.  You may know the story.  Jesus’ birth was the farthest thing from a power grab as could be conceived.  Born in the most humble of circumstances was the most powerful person ever born.  Jesus would make it possible for humanity to have a right relationship with God; He would take away the sins of the world and he promised eternal life.  That is power, yet he chose to lay down his life for you and for me.

 Whether in politics, business, or in your home with your spouse and children, you have the potential to wield power.  With that power, you may choose to build up or destroy, manipulate or offer grace.  When you hold power, chose to hold it as Jesus does.  The Christmas story turns the idea of power on its head, may Christmas transform your heart anew.

Joe Manafo just dropped me an email about a new project in the works at tabled.ca.  The focus of the project is to creatively engage people in the Lord’s Supper.  I look forward to watching this project grow and expand.

I’m a bit of an ecumenical fellow.  I grew up Pentecostal, attended a Baptist church, work at a Lutheran church, and studied at several inter-denominational evangelical schools.  So I’m always pleased when one group of Christians makes an effort to build bridges with another.  Saying ’sorry’ is tough, but Christians ought to be the best at saying it.

It may be something for the history books now, but Lutherans once took to persecuting Anabaptists pretty badly.  Instead of forgetting about it, modern day Lutherans have taken steps to apologize and seek forgiveness.  Mennonites (Anabaptists) are grateful and reconciliation is happening!  Check out the story here.

Well done everyone!

How can you pass up something so good for so free?

John Piper’s “Desiring God” was and is a very formative book for me.  Click here for your free download (I think it’s available for a limited time).

I came across this prayer (thanks, Missional Church Network)

Lord, I sometimes wander away from you. But this is not because I am deliberately turning my back on you. It is because of the inconstancy of my mind. I weaken in my intention to give my whole soul to you. I fall back into thinking of myself as my own master. But when I wander from you, my life becomes a burden, and within me I find nothing but darkness and wretchedness, fear and anxiety. So I come back to you, and confess that I have sinned against you. And I know you will forgive me.

- Aelred of Rievaulx (1110-1167)

I’ve done the Alpha course a couple of times and found it to be a great experience.  After seeing this video with that cool English survival guy, Bear Grylls, I wonder if it’s time to do it again…

As snow hit Calgary this week, I blared Downhere’s Christmas tunes from my car stereo as I navigated through frozen snow ruts and slid through icy intersections.  I can think of no better soundtrack for my winter adventures than this new album.  It’s a mix of re-created favorites and some excellent new stuff.  I always love the upbeat stuff like their new song Christmas in Our Hearts, it’s so well written and produced.  Having followed Downhere for years, I have come to really delight in their growth as artists.  Marc even sings in french, it adds such a beautiful flavor to the album.  But as I think about the crazy hustle of Christmas, I find my greatest comfort in songs like What Child is this? and Gift Carol.  Songs like these remind me that Christmas isn’t about insane spending on plastic gift cards and trinkets, but that we as disciples of Jesus set aside time in our year to thank God for the incarnation of Jesus.  The CD is an invitation to remember that Jesus is King and reigns on His throne forevermore.

On a side note, there is a ten second track that belts out, “FIVE GOLDEN RINGS.”  My wife was sleeping in the car as we gently drove through the mountains last week and this track burst through our speakers on high.  She woke up in a fright that was not exactly in the spirit of the Christmas season.  I chuckled for hours…

Merry Christmas!

Who holds the power in the church?  It seems that whoever has the largest pockets can sway the Bishops this way and that.  The Arcus Foundation is a very large fund aimed at influencing denominations to change policies concerning homosexuality.  They have given $200,000 to Lutherans Concerned to “to organize and support a grassroots collaborative effort to change existing denominational policy at the 2009 Churchwide Assembly of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America toward the full inclusion of LGBT people of faith.”  It worked because the 2009 Churchwide Assembly of the ELCA made drastic policy changes in that direction.

What is the role of big lobby groups with varying agendas in the Church today?  With the Lutheran church in financial troubles, will the lobby money seems more attractive?  How will the Bishops and Councils of the ELCIC make clear decisions in the face of a theological potpourri.

See the original article here.

I was really pleased to recieve a publication from the Mennonite Mission Network called, “Beyond Ourselves.”  What a great name for a publication about outreach!  Some denominations are doing a great job at thinking about our call to be missional disciples of Jesus, and it’s my impression that the Mennonites are charting a course in that direction.