A Few Thousand Words

Or at least, that what they say pictures are worth...

This is what the weather around here has felt like these past few days -- over 100F (38C). At least it's not hitting the 112F (45C) mark that it did during our first summer here, when we had 18 extra people camping in our house and back yard (including the Maynard family).

We finally laid our venerable 1993 minivan to rest in a local junkyard this week. Farewell, thou good and thoroughly rusted steed. Our newer car -- the one we're counting on in our imminent move -- promptly puked up its transmission in sympathy. Cars: you can't live with 'em...

My daughter Jo and her friends hang out a lot, reading their Bibles and being a great little organic community of Jesus-followers. Jo took this photo a few days ago. She was reading Acts 20 at the time. Cool, eh?

And speaking of "eh"... It's Canada Day -- celebrate the best part of North America with us!

Red Green Update, just for Rick Meigs!

Foreshadow

fore·shad·ow (fôr-shad-oh)
tr.v. fore·shad·owed, fore·shad·ow·ing, fore·shad·ows
To present an indication or a suggestion of beforehand; presage.

(Unwanted) CSI Moment

Have you ever had one of those moments where a popular TV show like CSI (in any of its numerous iterations) suddenly and dramatically shifts from being "digital reality" and becomes "real reality"? It's a bizarre, uninvited, and unwelcome experience of the old saying, "when life imitates art".

We had such a moment this weekend in our wee clan. Our youngest daughter Renee – just turned eleven – was on an outing with a friend's family when they suddenly and unexpectedly came upon a horrendous accident scene.

The parents immediately told all the kids not to look, of course, but it was too late – our daughter had already seen the two hideously disfigured victims. She's been having nightmares about it ever since. We've been praying with her and comforting her, but it was something that you wish you could forever shield your children from ever having to see.

If you read these words, please pray for Renee – it's been a tough weekend for her.

Update June 26

Thanks to everyone for your prayers, concern & emails asking about Renee. Your prayers are having a great effect, and she is bouncing back to her usual self.

Thanks to all!

The Tune

"God is speaking through the music…" (Kevin Prosch, Come To The Light) "Once, there was a Tune and everybody knew how it went. But as time went on, people began to forget, until at last no-one could remember…" (Larry Norman, The Tune)

I have often found that one of the more common ways I hear what God is saying to me – on a personal journey, ongoing sanctification level – is through the music that I am listening to, or even just overhearing.

The thought occurred to me this morning as I sat in a worship service in a local church. In the (generally helpful) corrective of recent years that has boldly stated: "Worship is not just singing", sometimes we run the risk of missing out on a very vibrant part of corporate worship. Music and melody-making is the spontaneous – dare I say normal – response of most of humanity, from joyful songs of celebration to mournful laments (the "blues"). There's something in everyone that resonates with musical expression, regardless of whether they have training or talent or not.

When I was going through my most extreme season of detoxing from church, one day I found myself listening to an old Delirious? cd, and suddenly realizing that something within me was eagerly responding to the worship.

Some years later, during another difficult transition, I was at a Delirious? concert in Chicago, and felt the Lord was aiming the song Every Little Thing's Gonna Be Alright right at me. And I was greatly encouraged and built up in my faith as The TuneMaster spoke through The Tune.

During our first faith-steps as full-time, supported-by-others missionaries in YWAM, I remember driving somewhere, and listening to Petra's end-of-career live album Farewell. And a song that had been previously unknown to me suddenly jumped out as the chorus played: "you're in the right place, trusting only Him…", which made me also recall the Delirious? song from a few years earlier. And again, The TuneMaster spoke to me through The Tune.

For me, as a musician and sometime worship leader/backing musician, the reminder that worship is far more than just singing is a balancing corrective to those who would simply spend all their time seeking the latest and greatest "worship experiences" (once referred to as "evangelical liver shiver"). But in the interest of not seeing the pendulum swing to an equally unbalanced extreme, let me say that there's just something about the power of The Tune: music, melody, lyrics – and The TuneMaster's creative presence in the midst of it all – that is winsome, inviting, and nourishing to the soul.

Too Much Time?

Some might suggest that my son has too much time on his hands, but I am just a proud papa over how creative his self-pic is. Mine (at upper right) is also media/technology related, but perhaps more in keeping with my own inherent retro-ness.

Still, I can claim at least a little creativity in this blog, as evidenced by the extremely clever and incredibly difficult-to-create "Error" message below. But at least I have photographic evidence to suggest: (A) that there is a definite physical resemblance between my son and I, and (B) that quirkiness is deeply ingrained in our family's DNA.
Now, if I could just get some creating blogging happening, I'd be a well-adjusted individual.

Or something.

Road Trip!

This past weekend, I was privileged to participate in the time-honoured tradition of road trips with friends to places unknown, in this instance, the town of Nelson BC, in the picturesque Kootenays. The Nexus Vineyard Church started there three years ago, and a bunch of friends from the Penticton Vineyard were traveling down to help with their local outreach, and I was asked to tag along.

My main contribution to the church plant was helping with music at their Vineyard Cafe on Saturday night, which is their only public gathering. It was a very interesting mix of music, food, good organic coffee, Rob Bell's Nooma videos, and generally a missional-meets-Wimber vibe.

One of the standout points for me was getting to know some of those who "belonged before they believed", and to hear their stories of meeting Jesus. There's always something remarkably life-giving in just hearing the stories of those who have had their lives changed (or, begun to have their lives changed) by Jesus.

Another highlight would be the late-night beer-and-fellowship in the pastor's hot tub, where we talked about a whole pile of things, but inevitably, the Lakeland topic came up. And since almost all of us had significant history with the Vineyard during the Toronto Blessing years, we ended up reminding each other of the great times of encountering the Spirit in unexpected ways.

This picture has absolutely nothing to do with our discussion of the Vineyard movement. It's an actual winery on Vancouver Island. I just thought it was funny.

And yet, we also regrettably lamented how hype, hysteria, and really really bad theology (in our opinion) derailed what had begun as a genuine move of God (in our opinion) in Toronto. We all had many stories of how we had been blessed and encouraged, but we also had many stories of excesses and concerns.

But by the end of the evening, we were also unanimous in our desire to see the Spirit continue to work in surprising and powerful ways in our lives, and continue to stand firm against becoming possums of discernment. The little missional Vineyard church plant in Nelson may be a church to keep our eyes on, as they attempt to walk a charismissional path in that town.

And I hope that my guitar and I get invited back to the cafe again sometime!

The Possum of Discernment

This is a prophetic picture. The unfortunate creature is the Possum of Discernment and the nefarious line-painting executioner that prematurely and unceremoniously crushed out its life and dignity would be any revival machine with the words "judge not" painted in big red letters on its side.

The reason why discernment could be pictured as an (o)possum came to me while listening to a very balanced speech last week about how to process Bentley & the BAM-lets (not to be confused with Bennie & the Jets).

During his -- well, yes, let's just call it what it was -- sermon, the pastor made the following insightful observation:

"Those of you with the gift of discernment have actually felt like you're on the wrong side of the fence.

"I believe that God is calling you to refine things and to speak out, but when there's a wave of excitement going through the room, the last thing you want to do is go: 'Excuse me, I gotta concern about what's going on here.'

"What you (think you) want to do is just sit down, and shut up, and maybe it would be best -- you know -- if you just went to another church because you don't fit in here."

The pastor was doing his best to value and encourage those with discernment gifts to exercise them even when it's not the most popular thing to do. And that's when I thought of the Possum of Discernment.

And why the Possum of Discernment often feels like -- and ends up as -- Revival Roadkill.

The "wave of excitement" often feels more like a thundering tsunami than a slight surge in the surf. And people with genuine gifts of discernment, coupled with some depth of biblical understanding and theology, often just get worn out/worn down by these kind of reactions:

• You're resisting/quenching the Spirit
  
• You have a religious spirit (or its variant: don't be such a Pharisee)
  
• Judge not, lest ye be judged (sometimes accompanied by "thus saith the Lord")
  
• Unity is where God commands the blessing, but you're sowing division
  
• God often offends the mind to reveal the heart (which, being translated, means "Don't you get it? You're still wrong, no matter what.")
  
• The letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life
  
• Have you ever repented of going to Bible college/seminary and getting filled up with man's wisdom? (yes, I've heard this one -- directed at me)

And under the weight of being routinely and repeatedly marinated in these kind of reactions, many with the gift of discernment withdraw and functionally become Possums of Discernment: they sit down, keep quiet, and hope for the best. Which inevitably leads to becoming the Revival Roadkill pictured above.

A book that was tremendously helpful to me in the final days of my first pastorate was The Subtle Power of Spiritual Abuse. I've loaned out my copy numerous times, and have no idea who had it last. Highly recommended.

The book includes a chapter on the all-important question: "should I stay or should I go" (cue The Clash). I can't recall the whole check-list that was included in the chapter, but I recall clearly the one line that helped me immensely: "If you came for the first time today knowing what you now know, would you stay? If the answer is a clear NO, why are you staying?"

One thing is for sure: being a Possum of Discernment is to choose passivity, and passive people are the doormat that everyone scrapes their books on. Either decide to stay and ring the four-alarm fire-bell long and loud, or decide that the better part of valor means heeding the advice of Prophet Gump: "Run, Forest! Run!"

Passivity = Possum = Roadkill.

BAM! (thunk...)

I've been getting a few emails about the "revival" in Lakeland Florida, under the auspices of Todd "Bam Bam" Bentley, wondering what my thoughts were on all of it. A four-way email conversation between myself and some of my blogging friends has resulted in an impromptu synchro-blog: Brother Maynard (But Is It Revival?), Bill Kinnon (Good Grief, Charlie Brown), and Kingdom Grace (Healing Revival).

DISCLAIMER: I am not a guru on this matter. Yes, I wrote a book about this kind of stuff, but that doesn't mean I'm qualified to pass judgment fairly, impartially, and omnisciently on all things Bentley.

Having said that, here's a few thoughts anyways:

Q: Is the Holy Spirit actually at work in these meetings?

A: I don't doubt it for a second.

But the "anointing", presence, or power of the Spirit is never a rubber stamp of approval on the people being used by God. Quick examples: Samson (Judges 13-16), King Saul prophesying (naked!) in spite of himself, or Balaam being hired to curse the Israelites yet ended up prophesying blessing because of the Spirit's intervention (Numbers 22-24).

As soon as we equate the manifest, powerful presence of the Spirit with approval of theology or even methodology, we're already in trouble. Balaam's donkey could give testimony to this.

Q: But what about all those healings -- could they be true?

A: Some are probably real.

And probably a significant amount won't be, but it will be hard to tell, because a lot of healing-claiming types will say they're healed even when they aren't. Their belief in the necessity of a "positive confession" means they have no choice but to say they're healed, even if there's absolutely zero evidence of it. (Wendy, my sagacious wife, wonders where the line between "speaking in faith" and "bald-faced lying" might be.)

And, typically but regrettably, some reports of healing will be exaggerated, embellished, or simply proven later to be complete fabrications. I truly wish, as someone who does believe in the Spirit's power to provide physical healing (and having witnessed some genuine healings myself), that this were not so, but unfortunately...

Q: Does Todd Bentley have wacky teachings that are of the incredulous forehead-slapping variety?

A: Do bears fart in the woods?

If you spend even a little time wandering through the bowels of Todd's website, you can easily find stuff (like partnering with angels of finance, or claiming that St. Paul told Todd during a visit to Paul's cabin in the third heaven that the book of Hebrews was co-written by Paul and Abraham the Patriarch) that ranges from straining credulity to outright laughable. Don't take my word for it -- try reading some of Todd's sermon transcripts. Not everything is bogus and "out there", but there's an abundance that is.

Q: Must I really cast my discernment under the wheels of the revival bus in order to receive what the Spirit may be genuinely doing down there? A: Only if the Spirit has decided that the Book that He inspired is no longer relevant.

I posted on the famous Bereans (Acts 17:11) before, but it should really be said here again:

1. The Bereans were eager and teachable, not judgmental, critical, or nit-picky. They didn't want to miss what God was doing (as this newcomer named Paul was telling it).
   
   
2. The Bereans were NOT gullible and naively accepting anything that came their way. They kept the Bible as their source and grid for evaluating what they were hearing, regardless of any oratorial skills Paul possessed or how many signs and wonders he may have performed in their midst.

So, I guess I could sum up with: don't assume the worst of everything, but don't let "revival fever" affect your brain. Don't be paranoid, but don't be gullible. You will not quench the Spirit by checking things by the Book that the Spirit co-authored. Or, to quote a more reputable source than yours truly:

"Do not put out the Spirit's fire; do not treat prophecies with contempt. Test everything. Hold on to the good. Avoid every kind of evil." (1 Thessalonians 5:19-22)

Update May 14

THIS is priceless -- and I think I saw it "live and in colour" in a local church last Sunday...

ht to jon @ ABSO Jesus

Ink Blots

The Younger threw back his head and drank in a deep lungful of the fragrant spring air. "Ah, do you ever get tired of that 'it's spring and everything's gonna be all right' kind of feeling?" he asked his walking companion. The trees, freshly green and bursting with new blossoms, seemed to wave in agreement in the warm breeze.

The Elder chuckled as he adjusted his cap. "No, it's an irrepressible feeling of youthfulness and joy that even the most depressing of winters cannot oppose," he replied, "although I must make brief mention of the wind, which seems determined to make me part ways with my Mariners' headwear."

The Younger turned to give the Elder an appreciative look as they ambled along the ocean-side boardwalk. "Wow, before the Mariners bit, you were sounding pretty poetic, even deep," he teased his friend.

They shared a laugh, the kind born of a long and comfortable friendship. The Elder paused mid-step suddenly, and with a sly look, remarked, "I suppose that's why I still have some hope for the state of the church these days – no matter how depressing the winter of transition has been, I still have hope that spring will inevitably return."

The Younger stopped and turned back to face his friend, with a thoughtful tilt of his head, "Are we going to develop a weather-based metaphor for our ecclesial ponderings, then?"

The Elder shrugged, "That would be an interesting exercise, now that you mention it. In fact, I was hoping that we could explore the use of metaphors in our spiritual journey when we met today. Maybe this could serve as a good segue?"

As they resumed their relaxed pace, the Younger conceded, "Sure, I guess developing new metaphors would be a good starting point, as long as," and his glance was as slyly conspiratorial as the Elder's had just been, "it doesn't become our new foundationalism, eh?"

The Elder rolled his eyes and chose not to be baited into that direction. "Well, let's just have a quick look at the various metaphors that are already in the Bible, then. Which metaphors do you think of first?"

They came to a park bench overlooking the bay, and after quickly dusting off the sun-dried evidence of recent bird migrations, sat down. "Well, the most common ones that I seem to hear," began the Younger, "would be the Body, the Kingdom, family – like children, sons, daughters, and so on – temple, citizens of heaven…"

"Don't forget Isaiah using agrarian language like 'planting of the Lord', a kind of garden metaphor," suggested the Elder, "even if it's not clearly called that."

"And the many different metaphors Jesus used to describe the Kingdom," the Younger chimed in enthusiastically, "like a treasure in a field." "And St. Paul's use of military metaphors in Ephesians," suggested the Elder with equal enthusiasm.

The sudden silence that followed his last statement accentuated the sound of the breeze teasing the small sailboats across the water in front of them. "What? Did I say something wrong? Heretical? Unbiblical?" asked the Elder, looking genuinely puzzled.

The Younger shifted uncomfortably on the bench. "Well," he reluctantly began, "I've never been much of a fan of military language when talking about the Kingdom or the people of the Kingdom."

His eyes searched the now-expressionless face of his older friend. "I think you'll find that many, if not most, in my generation don't respond well to army metaphors."

"Hmm," replied the Elder, nodding as he studiously contemplated the few clouds dotting the blue sky above the wind-swept waters. "Well, I can understand your reticence to embrace that as a metaphor, but it is in the Book," he finally said, glancing at his young friend, who was likewise casting a brooding stare at the waves and tiny boats scurrying past.

After a longer pause, the Elder finally broke the silence. "Do you recall, from your college days, the Rorschach test?"

"Wasn't that the ink blot guy?" asked the Younger, remembering. "He would show people ink blots and they would tell him what they thought the blots signified. Wasn't that supposed to 'reveal' more about the person than the ink blot itself?"

The Elder nodded, "Something like that. Sort of like the old joke about the person taking the test seeing 'sex' in everything and accuses the guy giving the test of drawing dirty pictures... But getting back to metaphors of the Kingdom," he continued, "would it be safe to say that Jesus in particular used various metaphors in order to bring an expanded understanding of the Kingdom to His listeners?"

"Yeah, that was sort of the opposite of His parables, in a way," replied the Younger. "Parables to hide truth and make people work to figure it out, but metaphors of what the Kingdom is like in order to bring greater illumination. Although even then, some of Jesus' parables – like the sower and the seed, for example – were supposed to bring clarity about the Kingdom, yet only for those willing to do the hard work of being those with 'eyes to see and ears to hear'."

"Jesus sure breaks all the rules of clear and concise communication, doesn’t He?" laughed the Elder. "Not to mention all the church marketing guru-speak."

"Don't get me started on church marketing!" warned the Younger, his mood lightening and his countenance darkening at the same time as he laughed and waved an accusing finger in the direction of the Elder.

"Okay, back to metaphors," said the Elder, pausing briefly before continuing. "Let's cut to the chase and say, number one:" and he began counting on his fingertips, "that it's plausible – and likely probable – that all the metaphors in the Bible are simultaneously true about the Kingdom. Second, as metaphors, they're intended to bring clarity to our understanding of the Kingdom. Even when we sometimes have to do the hard work of figuring out what Jesus is trying to communicate through some of the parables."

As the Younger nodded, the Elder continued. "Third – and this is where we need to tread a little more carefully – the Kingdom is so multi-faceted, like a finely-cut diamond, that we dare not isolate the various biblical metaphors from each other, or we run the risk of developing a lop-sided, simplistic, or at best inadequate understanding of the Kingdom and our role within it."

The Elder slowed down his speech and leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees as he stared over the bay. "And fourth, in some way, our preference of metaphors for the Kingdom – like a spiritual ink blot test – may say more about us than it does about the Kingdom."

He leaned back and looked at his friend. "Maybe the things we want to exaggerate out of proportion – say, gardening metaphors -- says something more about what makes the Kingdom comfortable for us. And de-emphasizing metaphors that make us uncomfortable – military ones like "army" – may say something equally revealing about us. Something disturbing, to be honest."

The Younger never let his gaze stray from his friend’s eyes, even as he shrugged as if to say, "Disturbing? How so?"

The Elder turned toward the Younger and leaned in as he said, "Maybe, just like the ink blots, our preference or avoidance of biblical metaphors of the Kingdom is just revealing that we're still trying to control the Kingdom, and make it about us, instead of about Him. What if, when we say 'I'm not comfortable with that metaphor', we're really simply choosing to ignore Kingdom reality that makes us uncomfortable?"

The Younger nodded slowly, mulling over the implications. "Or when we say, 'I prefer this metaphor'," he suggested, "we're really saying that we're enamored with one aspect of the Kingdom – why? Because it makes us feel good? Because it doesn't challenge our status quo or demand anything sacrificial of us?" He frowned, shaking his head. "This isn't how I would have expected a discussion on metaphors to go, to be honest!"

The Elder suddenly laughed out loud, breaking the tension and sending nearby scavenging birds screaming into the air in shock. "Then I guess what we're really saying is: The one metaphor we should NEVER use about the Kingdom is smorgasbord, eh?"

And he laughed again, as the Younger shook his head and ruefully let out a long-suffering sigh.

April Showers Bring...

New music! Well, not entirely new, but here's a few choice items that regularly grace our car's CD player with their jovial presence:

	Canadian rocker Kim Mitchell is back with Ain't Life Amazing, and Sir Kim rocks every bit as much now as he did with Max Webster and his earlier solo career. A great highway roll-down-your-windows and rock out treat!
	I've discovered that my favourite Bruce Springsteen albums are the ones that include the E Street Band. They help shape the sound, and Bruce's material is even better for it. Magic is just a great album -- catchy, thoughtful, and the opening track Radio Nowhere is my new anthem for the state of CCM and worship music alike.
	Todd Agnew's Better Questions is one of those rare Christian albums that I really like (a little jaded with ccm, to be honest). Todd is best known for penning Grace Like Rain, and here he travels adeptly through all kinds of musical styles, but his story-telling and refreshing lyrical transparency is what really got my attention.

Stay tuned -- I'm still working through my thoughts on the Kingdom of God in a charismissional paradigm, and I believe the Younger & the Elder are lurking about with some new conversations as well.