Merry Christmas

I am taking a break for a few days on the blog in order to focus on some other important things in life. Namely family. Our son and his wife as well as our daughters and their boyfriends are all at our home.


I hope you are having a relaxing Christmas season. Talk to you in a fw days!

Love to see the changes

It has been a long and sometimes challenging last couple of years as we have invested and supported one particular teen named Jerry. We have tried to pour out our hearts and God's love to him, hoping and praying that some day things would "click" and that he could start to make the right decisions. It has been emotionally draining sometimes, but I knew we had to persevere.


The last couple of weeks have been very encouraging. Jerry has shared many "breakthroughs" with me and a few others that are close to him. Tonight he told me that his commitment to himself is to be at church each Sunday and to be at youth every Wednesday night. He has also made a commitment to volunteer his time to help others.


He finished his schooling for the semester yesterday and this morning he woke up and determined he would give back to others. He spent the day helping others to prepare for a big banquet here in town. He felt so good. I am going to continue to invest my time with Jerry to help him find those places to volunteer.


Pray for Jerry as he makes a tough choice tomorrow as to whether he will return to his family for Christmas. He is both excited and afraid as he contemplates what could happen. He really is a good kid, I wish him all the best this Christmas season.

Caroling, blessing and being blessed

We had such a fun night last night as we spent an hour or so with some of the folks at Pine Grove nursing home. Nine teens and I sang five Christmas carols for the folks, We spent most of our time simply interacting with many folks that just needed someone to spend time with them.


I think one of the things that stood out to me and also to the staff at the nursing home, was the ease with which our teens interacted with the seniors. They were not scared or shy, they just went for it. It was beautiful to watch. There are times when our fear of certain situations stops us from really reaching out. It is so good for all of us to get out of our comfort zones and make a difference.


I also wanted to give an update on our Christmas baking sales. We are officially sold out. The last six were delivered after supper. It is such a blessing to be able to add almost $800 in to the ministry through the generosity of others.


Christmas is the season for blessing others and we continue to look forward to this season of impacting others. I had a family call me today in need of assistance, there need has come a s a result of losing everything in the recent flood. They have two children aged 6 and 9 that lost everything in the flood. All they have are the clothes on their backs. We can make a difference.


If you know of anyone that has some extra clothing for a six year old boy and a nine year old girl let me know. We would be pleased to get it to them.

Noble acts

Yesterday a friend call me, sharing that he wanted to help a teen that was struggling. In fact, my friend had a friend come to him and give him $50  and asked him to find a place to help a troubled teen. My friend came by and  handed me $50 and asked that it go to someone that could really use it. 


This afternoon, Will (one of my advisory board ) and I had the honor of meeting a young man from our city that is in crisis. He is 19 years old and is basically all alone. He is trying to make it on his own but has suffered setback after setback. He came to us through a reference from someone else in the city. All the teen was told was that "he was going to meet a group from a church". 


He came to us with apprehension as he is "not religious" at all. He was worried that once we found out he wasn't in to church that we might not be interested in helping him and that he would have to go to church for us to help him. We quickly helped him to understand that we were not helping him to get him to go to church, we were wanting to help him because we cared. We are also not a church group!


As we purchased him a meal and began to let him talk he really opened up. He began to share about his need for work, and that he was honest and just needed someone to give him a chance. We let him know that we believed in him and that we were there to support him any way that we could. He once again expressed his amazement that there were actually people who would really have concern for him and that would help.


God's timing is great, and  I was able to purchase a $50 gift card for food for the young man that we were chatting with today. That blessed him! It will also be a blessing to the folks that wanted to invest in a teen in need .


At the end of out time together I told him again that we cared and that I was going to do something else. I told him I was going to get others to pray for him. He said that would be "a very noble thing to do". He was truly touched by this. So friends please join me in "this noble act" of praying for Andrew. He needs our prayers and he needs God to move in the challenges that he faces.


I am so thankful that God continues to send these precious teens across our path. I am also thankful for ministry partners like Will who has the same heart for people as we do in the Boaz ministry. I am truly grateful for God's timing and His provision!

Rock

This morning I got up early and headed to the church for prayer meeting, it was a powerful time. It is such a blessing to come together with fellow believers to intercede for others, and to hear from God. It is always amazing to spend time with my "ROCK"!


I was able to get the flat tire off of the van this morning and take the tire down to my friends at Firestone. I had noticed that there was something that looked like a  nail stuck in the tire. The experts there determined that what was actually the problem, was a "small rock" that had penetrated through the tire and was causing the problem. In just a matter of minutes the tire was repaired and I was on my way back up the hill to my van. I got the tire back on my vehicle and carried on with my day.


I started to think about what had transpired with my tire. I was reminded that my tire is like people. We get going along well in life and then something small gets in the way and takes the "air" out of us. It can be the tiniest thing that takes us off track in just seconds. When those times happen we can either stay there and be"flat" so to speak or we can get the situation dealt with and get filled back up again.


So many times people have things that happen to them that causes them to get stuck. Sadly they stay disabled for a long time. God doesn't want that for us. He wants us to get our situations taken care of and then get back on the "road of life".


Where are you? Are you deflated and defeated by life and its setbacks? Are you spending time getting your situation dealt with by the one who can reinflate you? I hope that if you are feeling like the air has been knocked out of you, that you will take a few moments and  invest in the One who can fill you up and keep you moving forward.


Remember often it is the little things that derail us! 

Flat tire

God is good! Even when things don't go my way. Tonight I was leaving the church after youth and had driven just about a 1/2 kilometer and one of the kids said that they left something behind at the church. I turned my van around and headed back to the church. I had to open the door and when I came back out of the church I noticed my tire going flat. Within moments it was flat.


I was so grateful that it happened where it did and when it did. It happened under the lighted canopy of our church and it happened while I was not driving the kids home. It could have been very unsafe if I had pulled out on to the highway with all the teens in it. I was sure to be positive and thankful for all He has done as I want our teens to see that you can be thankful to God no matter the good or the bad.


I really feel like it was God's timing for this to happen. Some of our teens have been talking lately about how if God doesn't answer your prayers in a specific time that maybe He doesn't care. I have tried to show them that God is not a spiritual good luck charm, but He is en ever present help in times of trouble. I am thankful that I could show them a good attitude in the midst of our trials.


I am convinced that I am blessed to have a vehicle. I am blessed if I can put gas in it. I am blessed to have friends that can help. I am glad that I can fix it tomorrow. I am glad... why? Because I serve an awesome God and I live in North America, that alone makes me one of the most blessed people in the world.

Getting ready

I have been doing lots of preparation and praying in order to be ready for our board meeting tomorrow night. It is one of those nights I am really looking forward to for a couple of reasons. One is that I can spend some time with some folks that really believe in the ministry of Boaz. It really is refreshing to go to a board meeting where I know the people who come and share have a desire to reach hurting people and especially teens for Christ.


Another reason I am excited as that we are going over our latest application for our charity status. I know that our ministry is a non profit ministry, one where we are focused on reaching people and investing in people. I know with God's help we will achieve our goal of becoming a recognized charity. I believe that God will give us the needed direction we require.


It is going to be great as well to prepare our hearts to really stretch our faith for a great next few months of ministry. I can sense God's moving in this ministry. I have these words running through my spirit right now, "position yourself to receive". I believe that God is in the process of really pouring out His Spirit on what we are doing. I know it is His heart for Boaz ministry to really make a huge impact on our city and beyond. It is going to take more time, and money to do what He is directing us to do and I have the faith to believe in Him.


I was reflecting over the last few days about God's provision. The reality is that God is doing it. He is laying this ministry on peoples hearts. He is leading the way! He is providing for us! He is good! I trust Him!

God I thank you for your perfect positioning  and your amazing provision for this ministry. I entrust this ministry to you? I ask you once again to lead this ministry. Give me wisdom as your child to do what needs to be done. I acknowledge you as the one who can go before us in every way and I will be sure to give you the credit for all that is accomplished. Thanks for letting me have the privilege of serving you!

Breaking up hardened hearts

I love to bless others especially when they least expect it. I have known a young lady for about six months now and she has been very reserved and really has a distrust for people especially Christians. Yesterday I thought I would try something different so I just went up to her and said, "Hey I want to bless you with this small gift!" 


I gave her what I felt the Lord had laid on my heart to do and she was caught off guard. She couldn't believe that I would do something like that for her. She smiled and said, "I don't know what to say." I told her that thank you would be enough. She then came over and sat down and we had a really great chat.


I decided to bless her again today, this time I gave her some of the Christmas baking I had. I told her how much I appreciated her and wanted her to have this small Christmas gift from me. She was really touched that I would help her with something so simple. You see she is a young lady that has often been hurt by Christians and now she is seeing a different way she can be treated. I love it when people see God differently as a result of a couple of small acts of kindness.


I would highly recommend the book "You Were Born For This". It talks about following God's nudges and being a miracle to someone in need. It is a wonderful way to live our lives, to be looking for those God moments when we can show His love to people when they least expect it.


It is soooooooooo much fun!

Moves of God

I shared yesterday the story of amazing provision for our drop in. I want to share what else God has done in the last 24 hours. So much is happening that I will present it in bullet form.

• Last night a lady came in to Trinitea's as we were setting up for the drop in and purchased meal tickets for me to hand out to teens in need. It is to be used for teens I meet on the street. Didn't ask for it, just was blessed with it.
• Teen drop in had no one stop in tonight. God had something else in mind and we ended up having a powerful night of ministry as friends of mine dropped in and God moved powerfully. Special thanks to David and Kathie for your obedience. God moved mightily in a young ladies life.
• Stopped in to Trinitea's this morning to get some work done. As I was working three men came in and I engaged them in conversation. One of the men went to the bathroom and when he came back in to the restaurant he asked about the clothes in the  back room. I told him it was from Boaz ministry and that if he needed something to help himself. He and one of the other men went out back and gathered up some much needed clothing. One of the men said, "I also got some clothes for my son for Christmas, now I have something to give him". Beautiful! The other man came out carrying some work overhauls that look brand new. He said "are you sure these are free? I have been praying that I would find something just like this and I have been trying to save money so I could buy some, now I can use that money for something else."
• The guys were also told about our Tuesday morning Bible study and they plan to attend. They were so grateful!

God is good, it is nice to see how God is moving!

Successful night

Last night we had our second night of blessing those in need of a little encouragement in our city. Each Thursday night from 5 until 8 we provide quality meals for people for a cost of $1. It is a chance for the people that work very hard to make ends meet, and still come up short, to be able to have a great meal at a low price.

We were blessed to serve 22 people last night including three families. It was so powerful to see the joy in their smiles as they sat and enjoyed roast beef, potatoes, veggies, gravy and strawberry shortcake for desert. One couple talked about how it was so nice to be able to have a warm and home cooked meal. They said they were going to try and make it a Thursday night event. Beautiful.

Lynn and Patrick are our friends in ministry and are the owners of Trinitea's Cup where we partner together. This video shows their vision and thoughts on the Thursday night ministry:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7wKuGXaUlwk

Miraculous provision

This afternoon I had to go out to the grocery store to purchase the food for tonight's drop in. I was heading to one store but then I felt led to go to another store in the city. As I walked in the store I said a quick prayer to the Lord, "Lord if you have someone that wants to bless us today and provide for tonight, I am open to receive from them."

I picked up some things and then was headed up the last aisle when two older ladies were walking by my cart. They said, "It looks like you are buying things for a party". I responded and said, "actually I run a drop in for teens in the downtown area and this is for our drop in." Without another second passing the ladies said, almost in unison, "can we give you some money to pay for it. We think it is so great that you are helping out our youth".

With that they paid for the stuff in my cart. I said to them, "let me tell you what I prayed as I was walking in here", and I shared what that prayer was. They were so blessed to be able to give. It turns out one lady was Catholic and the other was United.

I see it more and more everyday that God is in this ministry. He is our provider. As we bless others, he blesses us!

Further understanding ...cutting

I am a father of three children, I am married and I have two siblings.


I am a Christian and proud of it. I believe that Jesus is my hope in life.


I am a youth pastor, a missionary and the founder of a ministry that focuses on hurting people, especially teens and young struggling families. I am a teacher but as important to me is that I am a learner. I love to read and learn new things that help me be a better parent, father, son, Christian and laborer for God.


Why do I say all this? I want to encourage all of us to be educating ourselves on how we can help people more effectively. I am doing this right now through a book I picked up. As someone that works with hurting teens I have wanted to try and understand on a much deeper level teens that "self injure." Whether we like it or not the reality is teens cut themselves, burn themselves and do other things to deal with their emotional state.


This book to me is a must read for all parents youth pastors, educators and anyone else that works with teens. It is not written from a Christian perspective, it is a psychology book written in a way that the average person can understand it. It is written by Dr. Michael Hollander and is called "Helping Teens Who Cut".


I was very careful not to say that they do other things to hurt themselves or bring pain because that is not what they are trying to do. They are actually trying to avoid pain, especially emotional pain. I must confess that I knew very little about this subject so I am learning so much that will help me to make a difference.


I believe that in life we are tempted to look down on people that have certain behaviors and put a label on them. How should we look at these kids that cut? Are they suicidal? Not usually! Are they seeking attention? Not usually! Are they trying to get out of something? Not usually! Then why do they do it?  "Often it is to regain emotional balance in their lives. It is a solution to the extremely disturbing emotional problem of feeling out of control!" p. 8 "Helping Teens Who Cut" by Hollander.

As we try to figure out  why people do what they do it is important to not be quick to judge, but quicker to seek to understand. I am glad for what I am learning, it is such a blessing. It will help me be a better father, pastor, missionary for sure. By the way the book is all about being a better and more understanding parent, grandparent and mentor no matter if our kids are cutters or not.

The sad truth my rant!

A number of you are familiar with the young family that we were able to help out last week. She was a young lady with three children aged 10, 3 and 2 that was in a tough situation. She had just arrived in Fredericton and was desperately looking for a place to move in to.  


I became aware of her situation as she had called the church. She was not asking for much, just a hand up! She needed a place for her and her small family to stay. Her only option was to sleep in her car overnight if she couldn't find a place to lay their heads down. As long as I could do something I would. We were able to bless her through the help of two local churches to provide three nights in a hotel until she could get things sorted out.


This morning I got a phone call from her expressing her sincere thanks for truly helping her. I know she worked very hard to provide for her family by making phone call after phone call to local churches both here and in Saint John. I asked her what she discovered as she called churches and here was her response, "I called over 130 churches in these two cities asking for help with my situation and only 3 churches were willing to help." In truth it was four churches because she didn't know that I had gotten a donation from First Wesleyan Church and Morning Gate Church.(she thought it was from one church). She also said that the other two only got involved because I was willing to help her and that they were willing to partner with us.


How sad is that? I am disgusted actually. I apologized to her for the way she was pushed away by the "Christian church". I know that churches are involved in various projects, but the response is inexcusable. What kind of an example is that to people? If you had a son or daughter that was struggling to provide for their children and they needed help, wouldn't you hope someone would step up and help?


One church responded that they would have helped her but they had people in their church that needed help. All I have to say to that is, "seriously!" How will we ever reach a lost world if we are so consumed by ourselves? 


If we read the Parable of the Good Samaritan we see the real heart of God. It isn't to only provide for those who are "on the inside" it is to help the hurting that are different than us. I do believe that this Samaritan reached down and got dirty and then paid the price to help bring healing to the hurting, even though the Jew was outside of his "family".


I know this sounds like a rant, it is! It is time for the church to step up and start doing more than talking. Talk is cheap!  God warned us in scripture when he said, "when you didn't do it unto the least of these you didn't do it unto me."


I know we can't help everyone, but I am not sure how 126 church that were contacted couldn't even give $20 towards this incredible need. Where is your heart, is it for buildings and nice furniture or for hurting people?


Thanks to the four participating churches. You know who you are and you know who you aren't!

Application for charity status

I am asking for prayer from all of you that follow this ministry and support it in various ways. 


Many of you know that this ministry was started in October of 2009. We chose to go the route of being incorporated and once we had that to pursue our charity status. We became incorporated at that time and our first application to revenue Canada was turned down (this is not uncommon). 


The time has come for us to reapply. I am going to be presenting our new application to the board next Tuesday night. I am asking God to give me the exact words that I need to prepare for this application. I want to be able to present our ministry very clearly and help those making the decisions to understand that our ministry is very much a charitable organization.


Would you please join with me as I invest time with Christ, to seek his face. I want this application to be Holy Spirit led. I have waited on the Lord to take us to this point of being able to give more specifics of what Boaz is about today and what I envision it will be in the future.


I know that ultimately it is His ministry. I have the privilege and responsibility to lead it and to share the vision that God lays on my heart. I take comfort in knowing that it really is all about Him and I want to write down His heart for this ministry to the hurting and less fortunate in our world.


Thanks in advance for your prayers! This is an important next 6 days in the life of this ministry.

Reaping and sowing

I am sharing a short devotional from Derek Prince. It was sent to me today and I felt it was something that would benefit all of us who are trying to impact this world.

Sowing and Reaping Here is a word for you from the Word. Galatians 6:7 Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. NIV There’s a warning against deceiving ourselves, imagining that we can sow one thing in life and reap something different, imagining that we can get away with things that God won’t see, that we won’t be caught up with the consequences of our actions. The Bible warns us this isn’t so. God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. We know this is true in the natural realm. We know that if we plant an orange pip an apple will never grow. We know that if we sow maize, barley will never grow. What we sow is what’s going to come up out of it. So many, however, that see this in the natural don’t realize it’s equally true in the spiritual. God has made the whole universe with the same principle - that what we sow we reap. If we sow unkindness, we’ll reap unkindness. If we sow selfishness, we’ll reap selfishness. If we sow bitter words, we’ll reap bitter words. But if we sow peace, we’ll reap peace. If we sow love, we’ll reap love. If we sow joy, we’ll reap joy. Are you dissatisfied with your life? Are you dissatisfied with the way things are? Remember that what you are reaping is the result of what you have sown. If you want to reap differently, you’ll have to begin to sow differently. God is not mocked. A man reaps what he sows. - Derek Prince Do you ever grow weary in doing good? Never give up! Do you ever get tired of blessing others? Don't stop blessings are on the way! Do you feel like you need more? According to His mathematics, give more!

Moving day

Today was another step forward in our ministry as we were able to move a number of our clothes and canned food to Trinitea's Cup where we host our drop in as well as our Thursday night outreach to struggling folks. It is nice to have things in a central location.


In order to do the moving I needed some help and my help came in the form of Jerry. It was nice to spend some time with him and to give him a chance to give back a little bit. Sometimes it feels like we give to him without return but today he was able to help just a bit. I know he felt good being able to assist.


During the day today I had a neat conversation with a couple of young ladies I have known for some time. As we got talking they asked about what I was doing now. I was able to share about my pastoral ministry, my COI ministry and of course the Boaz ministry. As I began to share with them my heart for this ministry they were quick to express their gratitude for this type of ministry.


We also discovered that we are all trying to help the same type of people. Teens that are at risk is on their hearts. One is a police woman who works with young offenders and the other is a mental health counselor with a focus on teens and children. We saw how we could all work together to help out hurting teens.


My favorite thing about ministry is that you never know what your day will bring. Sometimes those days are filled with challenges and some days with blessings. I love how God takes a day like today and advances this ministry further along. His timing is wonderful!

Crying is not enough

This is a picture of my friend Paola, 

she makes me want to do more to help her and her family and community!

If you could do something to make a difference in this world, what would you want to do? I think it is an important question to ask ourselves. I think there are dreams and desires that God gives us that sometimes we neglect or set aside for a period of time, but we never get around to doing it.


As I taught my Sunday School class this morning I asked our teens about ideas that they might have to help people in our world. They gave me some of their thoughts as to what was on their heart. It ranged from visiting seniors homes to visiting children in the hospital. One wanted to raise money for a friend who needs surgery but can't afford it.Another had an aunt that needed surgery for MS and needed a financial miracle in order for it to happen.


We also considered something that we had talked about doing a number of months ago. We wanted to help support a couple of orphanages around the world. We got the information about these orphanages but never followed through, it is time we did it. 


I guess what it comes down to is this. I want the people that I have influence over to understand our responsibility to help others. We can't just talk, we need to do! A quote from a book I am reading says this, "Do the situations you see in life make you cry, or is it enough to make you help?" The point is we must do more than cry over something, we need to help too!


I for one want to live my life to where I help. I am so glad for Boaz Ministries and for my work through COI in the Dominican Republic. I know we are making a difference, and if you read this blog on a regular basis I know you have a heart to help!

Blessing of others

There are so many people that bless us in our lives. At times it is very evident to others and other times people kind of fly under the radar so to speak. Today I want to bring notice to a few people, there are so many more I could thank but for today I will focus on these.


Shawn and Kim are the owners of a local business here in Fredericton called the Goody Shop. For the second straight year they have taken their time and their stock and baked us many tasty cookies. I was blessed to swing by their business and pick up 100 packages of cookies (each pack contains 17 cookies) that they have donated to us.


Another friend of our ministry is Morning Gate Church. The good folks at my home church have contacted a number of talented musicians and brought them together tonight for a benefit concert. They believe in giving back to the community and they are wanting to help this ministry continue to be successful. They are always so encouraging and they bless me by their true hearts for Christ and for reaching out into our community.


I recognize that in order to grow this ministry it must include many more people than myself. I am so thankful to God for the people that He raises up all around me and this ministry to make it possible for us to do what we do.


Update from the concert we were able to raise $1000.05, praise the Lord!

The cost

Tonight was our fourth night to do our drop in at Trinitea's Cup. It was great, even though we didn't pack out the place so to speak. We had five people drop in and share some food and fellowship with us. I am not worried about numbers, I am more concerned with being faithful to obey Him.


I have been thinking about obedience lately and how there is a cost to pay to be obedient. It requires sacrifice on our behalf, even when we can't see immediate results. I was thinking about our Thursday night meal being offered to people who can't afford to eat, for only a $1. It costs close to 100.00 in order to have the food available and it is not possible from a monetary standpoint to break even. We cant measure things based on money.


You can't put a price on helping someone to have hope. You can't put a price on having someone walk away knowing that they have a full stomach. You can't put a price on caring for a person. It is priceless and yet has so much true value.


I watched last night as one lady came in with her two year old. She had not had a warm meal in a very long time. She was so grateful not just to eat but to have someone sit down with her and treat her like a human being. She was blessed not only physically but emotionally as well. 


If we choose to do an act of kindness towards someone it might cost us something. It could be your time or your talents or even your money. But I can truly say no matter the cost it is well worth it. Jesus told us that there would be a cost, and He truly lived it out, right to the very end. He did it knowing that many would reject His sacrifice. 


We are trying to be Christ in our city, to reach the hurting, the rejected and the forgotten. Will we reach everyone? No but we will reach some and that is truly worth it!


If you want to assist we could use your time, talent and money too!

Decisions, decisions

I am not sure about you but sometimes we need to make tough choices in life and we are not sure what to do. Last night in youth we took a look at Joseph, Mary's husband and the toughest choice he probably had to make in life. He had to decide what he was going to do with Mary, the one who was pregnant and the one he was clearly not the father of.


When we read his story in Matthew Chapter 1:28-35, we see that he was troubled as to what to do. Eventually he knew what to do because of a dream that he had. I can only imagine the struggle he went through in trying to do the right thing. Here are five things that I think made him make the right decisions. 


Maybe these will help you to make the right decision too.


1) He was a righteous man. In other words He lived to honor God. He knew that his decision needed to reflect his commitment to God. If we are God followers we will want to honor God with our choices.


2) He was a caring man. We read that no matter what he did he did not want to embarrass, humiliate or bring pain to Mary. We should always consider how are decisions impact other people. Sometimes we get so focused on what is best for us that we forget what impact our decision will have on others, especially our families.


3)He was a patient man. God's word says that he did not make a quick decision, he prayed, thought about and really weighed what needed to be done. In life we tend to make bad choices when we make reactive decisions. It is best to take your time, ask others that are wiser than yourself, spend time in prayer and His Word before reacting. Joseph could have heard the news and reacted and walked away on the spot but he didn't. I like that!


4) He was obedient. After his dream, one that made it clear what he was supposed to do, he did what he was told to do. This is where the rubber hits the road. We can be Godly, caring and patient, seek lots of good advice but still in the end not do what we should do. Once we know the right thing to do, then we need to do it.


5) He was self disciplined. You see even after he was married to Mary and before Jesus was born, Joseph chose not to have sexual relations with his wife. He could have, but he chose to honor God with his discipline. He loved her so much but in his heart he knew he needed to wait. How about you and I, do we have the discipline to do what is right or are we swayed by the latest trends or cultural pressures?


I hope this assists you, as it has me! I want to make good and Godly decisions, I want to care about others, be patient, wait on him and then have the discipline to DO what he says!

Final thoughts on DR Part 4

I was so blessed to be able to lead this group of ladies to San Pedro and to see all that we were able to accomplish during our time there. I want to share one last story from this trip, though I could share so many more things.


Many of you are familiar "Compassion" and the work they do in child sponsorship. I want to tell you it makes a huge difference. The children that are part of the compassion program are at a much higher level of education and health than the other children. This is because of the monthly donations these children receive.


We visited two compassion sites during our trip. The first was in a very poor section of San Pedro. As we entered into the center we noticed something special. The floors were very clean, there were women learning to bake, there were children in classrooms learning the Bible, there was lots of water and food for the children. The children were so much happier there than any other experience we had.


The second compassion center was the one I talked of earlier. It was where we were able to teach the girls to sew. Once again very well kept, lots of food and drink for the children and a loving and caring atmosphere. 


In the first center we discovered that there were 310 children in the compassion program and 248 had sponsors. This tells me that there are 62 more kids needing sponsors. I am sure that some of our girls will become sponsors from this center and if you have interest let me know.


We also had the honor to see the children shows us letters from their compassion families. They were so excited to receive pictures and letters from their "adopted families" and they were also writing their letters to the families. It was so beautiful to see.


I would encourage anyone to get involved with Compassion, they are making a huge difference.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CLH3kmOzVCI

Some of the beautiful children of Dominican Republic

Thoughts from DR Part 3

I think my favorite moment from my latest trip to the DR came in an unexpected way and place. I have done many special things in the DR. We have impacted schools and families, we have ministered to young children, and we have reached out to seniors. This time though we were reaching out to teenagers.


On Thursday afternoon we were at this amazing center in downtown San Pedro. We were spending time with lots of kids, encouraging them and playing games with them. In a room off to the side were about a dozen or so beautiful young ladies from the DR. I feel that way about all the Dominican people that they are beautiful. When you see this video you will understand.


One of the ladies on our mission trip brought with her a couple of sewing machines from home. She also brought a lot of material to sew with. She cut out patterns and was ready to teach. The question for us was who will her students be. It turned out to be a group of young ladies anxious to learn these new skills.


So often in life we think we need to do ministry a certain way, this is a fallacy. Ministry can happen in many ways and through various means. On this day these girls were ministered to by learning how to use sewing machines. If the girls could learn how to use these machines, they could then make their own clothing and they could make things to sell to others. It may be the one opportunity they have to escape incredible poverty.


I watched these girls and saw a joy come over their faces that I have never observed before. It was beautiful, and I was so blessed to be a part of it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=apa_PD6LvLQ


After we were finished the sewing machines were left at the center, the patterns were left, the material was left and more importantly our hearts were left there too. I cant wait to go back and see this budding designers. God is so good!

Thoughts from DR Part 2

One of the nicest places I have ever visited from a beautiful structure, one that was clean and full of life was a place that I least expected to see.

You need to understand that much of the DR suffers from incredible poverty. In the midst of this poverty was a beautiful seniors home, one run by an amazing nun. When I saw this precious lady I was instantly reminded of Mother Theresa. Here standing before me was a lady with an incredible passion for others. The joy on her face was incredible. She referred to the 24 seniors under ministry as her babies.

She had helped to run this seniors home a number of years before and had been called away for a number of years to Venezuela. While she was away, she heard that the home had fallen into disarray and her heart was broken at this news. She made a decision to return to the DR a few years ago. Upon arriving back she was greatly saddened but determined to make things different.

She gathered together the support of others and appealed to the government to take care of her babies. People began to respond and she has now brought this incredible place to a level that would rival any seniors home in Canada. Her heart for the people, and the hearts of her fellow nuns was very evident. She thanked us over and over for coming and bringing additional supplies.

I was reminded again of my favorite saying, "to the world you may be one person, but to one person you may be the world". To those who were loved and cared for by her and others, they have seen the difference one person can make.

Thoughts from DR Part 1

I love the Dominican Republic!  I love the ministry we do there! I am blessed!


It was so refreshing to return to the nation that has stolen  my heart. This is my third trip to this beautiful land. It is beautiful because of the people in it and the weather and joy in their culture makes it so attractive. Yet it is very sad for many of those folks.


On Tuesday afternoon we traveled about an hour outside of San Pedro de Macoris to the town of Hato Mayor. It is a small city that houses 200,000 people. One the outskirts of Hato Mayor is an impoverished village (barrio) called Chine(cheeneh). Chine was incredibly sad. We had to drive about 2 miles over dirty broken roads before we stopped in the middle of the barrio. What we saw was truly heartbreaking.


We saw poverty that took my breath away. Children played in squalor in their two room homes. There was one bed in the homes that sometimes housed up to seven people. There were no lights, no running water, no place for anything. They had very little food, very little in clothing and no money.


In one home we met a beautiful young girl that was just 15 and she was taking care of her one year old child. I couldn't help but think that if she just had an opportunity to live elsewhere she would have a different life. What could ever change her future? What about her daughter, how would she live the next 70 years? Is this all she would ever know?


Sadly she was not the youngest pregnant girl that we met. One girl we met was just 12 years old and had a child on the way. The question was asked, "why don't they stop having children?" It is a good question and here is the sad answer, they can't because they don't understand. They need to be educated and taught about birth control issues, but even if they were taught, how could they afford it? 


Poverty is disgusting! Poverty is ugly too, but the people are so wonderful.

We walked the roads in Chine stopping to talk with as many as we could. Wow, what beautiful people. They were so willing to talk and greet us. One of the local "store owners" was very skeptical at first of us but by the end had grown to trust us. He joked with us and thanked us for coming. I know that what we did was small in the scheme of things but for one day, yes one day, we made an impact on Chine. I will go back there again. I have to!

You never know the impact you make

I received an email from a good friend of mine today, his name is Jack and we were chaplains together in the Olympics and again in the NFLD hurricane relief. I am going to be staying at his home this Saturday night as I have an early morning flight on Sunday.


Back to the email. Jack tells me that he was talking to a girl from Fredericton today, she is a student at Acadia Divinity College. Her name is Sarah and in conversation she was talking about how she became a Christian about three years ago. She told Jack that I had led her to Christ at that time and her life has never been the same since.


I had to call Jack as I couldn't remember Sarah specifically right away. Then he explained her conversion and where it happened and then I remembered. She had called and made an appointment to see me, God had been working in her heart and she wanted to talk to a minister. We met and I explained God's love to her in a simple way she could understand and she gave her heart to Christ in my office. I remember the joy on her face!


Now Sarah is training for ministry! You and I never know who we impact and how God is going to use that person! I can't wait to talk to Sarah myself. This is going to be very cool!

Upcoming trip to DR

I have a tremendous heart for the people of the Dominican Republic, especially the teens and the children in the two villages we are ministering in. I will be returning to Dominican this weekend for my third trip. Each time I go there God gives me a bigger heart for these beautiful people.


I have a desire on this trip to not only minister to those we are there to help, but I also desire to get a bigger picture of what it is that God is asking me to do, and the Boaz ministry to do in the long run. I feel like we are barely touching the surface at this point and there is many more ways we can help those less fortunate.


I found out last night that one of the opportunities I will have on this trip is to share the gospel with a group of teens on Monday night. I am praying that the lord will clearly direct me as I share. After my last trip to the DR, I felt like they had more to say to me than I could ever begin to share with them.


I desire to impact this nation not just by being there and encouraging but also by giving financially. I feel like these two villages are where God is asking me to invest His resources that He has entrusted me with. I am not sure what that means yet, but I wan't to be open to whatever He desires.

Please pray for me and the team I am leading, during this upcoming week. We will arrive in Santo Domingo on Sunday and will be returning next Saturday.

New believer

Tonight was a special night at youth. It had a beautiful ending as one of the teens in our youth ministry made a decision tonight to give her life to Christ. 


Jennifer is a young lady that is very new to our church. Her family has recently started to attend on Sundays and Jennifer has been in our Sunday school class. She is a very quiet young lady and often I felt like some of the girls made little attempt to make her feel welcome, yet she still came.


Samm, one of the girls in our youth group invited Jennifer out to our Wednesday youth night a couple of weeks ago. Tonight was the first night she came out to our mid week ministry. When she walked in the door some of the girls made her feel welcome right away. I love when that happens!


At the end of youth as teens were leaving Jennifer came up to me and said, "I want to be a Christian!" That my friends is so powerful.  I asked  5 of our teen girls  to gather around her and one of them shared how she became a Christian. Right there at the front of the church Jennifer gave her life to Christ. Samm then prayed over Jennifer, that is also powerful as Samm is just a new Christian herself (she celebrates her spiritual birthday on Dec. 23rd)


The other girls then gave Jennifer a hug and told her how excited they were for her. After they had exchanged email addresses it was time to head home.


Since last December we have had ten teens give their lives to Christ. I am so thrilled to watch God move! I guess the angels are celebrating in heaven tonight, I know I am!!!


Thank you Lord for what you are doing in Jennifer's life!

Praise reports

I love when I can report good news to all of the blog followers. Let me share these awesome stories:


I was talking with a gentleman tonight who wanted to share with me an amazing story. This older gentleman has been praying for his granddaughter for years, she is close to 30 years old. For many years she has struggled with making the wrong decisions. Many times she felt like a failure and her grandparents would talk to her on the phone and encouraged her.


Over the past few years life has been very challenging for the granddaughter and her husband. He has been to Afghanistan a couple of times and has experienced lots. A few months ago he made his way back home, but during his time away the grandparents continued to pray for them and encourage them and talk to them about God.


Last week the husband was at work and told his boss he needed to leave work during his shift. He then called the local pastor and set up a meeting for he and his wife. They walked in and talked to the pastor and both of them gave their hearts to Christ. As soon as they walked out of the pastors office the granddaughter called her grandparents to thank them for always being there for them and for praying for them. She said thanks for never giving up. I love that, what a story of perseverance in prayer and love.


We started our downtown Tsunami Bible Discussion this morning at Trinitea's Cup. We were blessed to have six people around the table including myself. It is a great start, and we hope to have more join us on a regular basis. We will be meeting weekly, except for next week as I will be in the Dominican Republic, at 9:30 and we finish at 10:30. Bring a friend, it is awesome doing a Bible discussion out in the open as people walk in.


Be encouraged, never, ever give up. At just the right time God moves.


I would ask for your prayers as well for Carol, one of our board members. It looks like she has a recurrence of her cancer that was healed 4 years ago. Lets join together in lifting up Shawn and Carol as they face this trial in their lives.

New ministry starts tomorrow...Tsunami

I am not sure what your life is like right now, but mine is BUSY. It seems like every moment of every day is committed to something. Just when I think things are slowing down, they somehow get sped back up. One of the ways to slow it down is to invest time in Him.


Tomorrow we will launch one of those types of ministry. We begin a Bible study at Trinitea's Cup at 9:30 in the morning, I am calling Tsunami. We desire for people in the business of their lives to be able to slow down for an hour and come and focus on God and His Word. Every Tuesday from 9:30-10:30 we will meet together.


Who will come out and join us? I am not really sure. I guess if the truth be told I am not too worried about stuff like that. I believe if we have just a handful of people join us that it can be fruitful. The point of this is to get people in the Word and to reach out to those with questions about God.


If people come in to the cafe and want to join us, I say come on in and have a seat. If you are a skeptic have a seat. If you are a person who has been burned by the "organized church", we have a seat for you. If you feel that God has let you down. You are welcome at our table.


We are not running a Bible study for the person that thinks it is cool to be in every Bible study going. Our goal is to reach out to the unchurched or the doubting Thomas' of life. We want people to join us that have lots of questions about God and who He claimed to be. 


How do we promote a ministry like this? Well probably not on a Christian radio station. I don't think we will find a lot of our target audience. Probably not by putting up a sign in the local church, since we are not looking for them to add another thing to their "religious calendar". The answer to this question is that I am not sure where to promote, but maybe we can invite some questioning friends. 


If you are reading this, consider this your invitation. Jesus said, "come to me all you who are burdened down, cast all your cares on me, and I will care for you". Invite others to join us where we can learn together in a  loving and caring, non judgmental atmosphere.

Hopefully we will see you at Tsunami! Come on out and I will tell you why it is called Tsunami!

Drop In Started

Drop in night was very encouraging. Even though we only had a couple of young folks drop in we had fun. The food was great and the atmosphere was even more incredible.


We had a couple of folks drop in after we were up and running for an hour or so. Joe and Jessica spent close to 45 minutes with us. They had some warm food and desert and spent some time just hanging with us before they had to catch a bus. They wondered if this was our first night doing this and we told them it was. They thought it was great.


An older couple that are part of another drop in for adults stopped in to say hello and we had a nice visit with them. They were very encouraging and enjoyed watching the hockey game with us. They had a little bit of the desert we had for the evening and they talked about the drop in they go to.


Two other girls came in around 9:30, they are non Christians and friends of a mutual friend. We decided to play a game of monopoly and it was surprisingly fun. I am not a  big monopoly fan but they made it fun. After a long game and the building of some new friendships it was time for us to close up for the night.


I am excited because of a couple of comments that were said during the night. The first was, "this is so much fun. It takes me back to the fun I used to have before I got messed up in drugs. It is so nice to be sober and have a good time." The second was said as people walked by on the sidewalk, who were drinking, " I am in here having lots of fun, and I don't need to be doing what you are to have fun". Don't worry the people on the sidewalk couldn't here what was said as they were outside and we were inside.


We are looking forward to next week!

Persecuted church

This week is one where we focus on thinking of others who have paid and are paying a great price for our freedom and for the ability to keep us free.


Today is Remembrance Day the day set apart to be grateful for the sacrifice of so many soldiers and their families. Without their willingness to serve us, our lives would be so incredibly different. Think of all the freedoms we enjoy: travel, enjoy friends, vote, have food, speak, read and worship. This is a short list it could be so much longer. I AM SO THANKFUL!!!


This week in Christian circles it is the week to remember the persecuted church. There are so many people around the globe that do not have the freedom to serve Christ. The only way they can serve Him is to risk personal loss, torture, and life.


Last night in youth we talked about some of those who are being persecuted today because of their faith. The statistics say that 200,000,000  people are persecuted on a daily basis. Sadly 300 people on average lose their lives each day as they are murdered (martyred) for their faith in Jesus Christ. Those people are not necessarily trying to convert people to Christianity, they are treated this way simply because they carry a Bible. Many today are being abused and tortured in horrific prison cells around the world.


Will you join me in praying for those who are so committed to Christ that they will not denounce Him!


We played a game last night to simulate what those who endure suffering for Christ. It was called "Underground Church". We hid 12 specially marked Bibles in the sanctuary. When the teens found these Bibles they then needed to smuggle the Bibles to another location in the church. We had two individuals that were police, their job was to arrest those who were caught smuggling. Those arrested were sent to jail and the only way out for them was to endure a mental challenge. (It was good as they had to memorize a scripture about persecution)


All told it took 47 minutes to get the Bibles found and smuggled. Close to half of the teens were thrown in jail during that time as they were caught smuggling. It might sound like a "pointless game" but it wasn't. The teens talked about how they felt as they were trying to smuggle God's Word. They talked about how it felt to be arrested for trying to do something basic. They also talked about the process of getting the bible to the right location and how they had to plan things out to do it.


I hope that we never take for granted the freedom we have. One of the greatest blessings we have in our country is to be able to worship God freely. We may not always have this freedom! I would challenge you to read Matt 24:3-13 to see why I say this.

Who better to encourage

This afternoon I spent some time with Jerry one of the teens we have been helping out over the past year or so. Jerry is working right now, and he has talked to me about understanding life even more now. As we were talking I told Jerry that someone had mailed him a letter and that it was at my house so he came over to my house to get it.


As we were walking downtown, on the way to my house, we passed a father and daughter. The daughter was probably about eight years old and she skipped along the sidewalk. She had a big smile on her face as she looked up to her dad and the big buildings around her. I made the comment to Jerry that it would be nice to have our kids not have to get older than eight or so because at that age life can be so easy. The reality for a lot of kids is that as they grow older life is not so easy. Jerry agreed that life was much less difficult when he was little.


Back to the story. Jerry and I arrived at my home and I gave Jerry the letter addressed to him. It was from a girl he knew from the past year. Jerry had talked to this fellow teen who was struggling with addiction about checking herself into rehab. Jerry opened the letter and read it very quietly. He asked me if I wanted to read it. I said I would if he wanted me to. He insisted that I do.


It was a beautiful letter. In it she thanked Jerry for always being there for her. She thanked him for being such a close friend and for believing in her when no one else did. She thanked him for pointing her to rehab and thanked him that her life was now on track. She went on to encourage him to do the right things and to surround himself with good friends that don`t use drugs. It was powerful!


I thanked Jerry for being there for her. I was very proud of Jerry for his input in this young ladies life. I thought to myself who better to encourage Jerry than someone who has walked that same road. Never, ever give up on people.

God's faithfulness

First let me say that I am sorry for not blogging these last couple of days, I have been in lots of pain and continue to be today. Unfortunately it is my other shoulder and arm that are causing me the problem, which is discouraging.


We had a moderately successful fundraising dinner. We ended up with only 20 or so people, we had hoped for and prepared for another 12-14. The good thing about our evening was new exposure to our ministry for some new folks unfamiliar with Boaz. 


I was able to share about our upcoming Friday night teen drop in and before the night was over I was given $100 to be used for our first drop in. I also received a commitment for the sponsorship of two other nights for the drop in, so that was a positive. All told the night generated another $235 over and above the money for the drop in.


Special thanks to those who ministered on this evening through music. Steve Patterson was first rate and showed again his humble spirit. His daughter Taylor and friends Kaitlyn, Rachel and Rebecca entertained us with their talents. Thanks girls!


Lynn and Patrick along with Amanda and Eric did a great job providing an amazing meal for all of us. The spaghetti and sauces as well as the strawberry shortcake was incredible. I trust that even more folks will get on board with Trinitea's to support their ministry in our city.


So the countdown is on until Friday night where we launch our Boaz teen drop in. I am praying that we will make a difference in the lives of teens who are hurting and in need of encouragement. Will you join us in praying?

How important is this ministry

Whenever we do ministry we need to be sure that we understand why we do it and what our motivation is for what we do. I thought it would be good to remind ourselves of a couple of things.


Why do we do Boaz Ministry? The simple answer is to minister to at risk teens and young families and help to improve their lives. We want to meet their physical needs and to also meet other needs including the spiritual needs.


What is our motivation? God! We do not serve God so that He will love us more or to gain His acceptance, we serve Him and do this ministry because we love Him and love others.


I continue to work through the scripture of Psalm 16 and the second part of verse 3 says:
"They are the majestic ones in who is all my delight."


Have you ever wondered what someone who is a King or Queen would look at as majestic? I would think it would take a lot for them to be impressed. If you think about it they can pretty much have whatever they want. If you look at our queen, every where she goes people lavish her with gifts. I wonder how many flowers and teddy bears can one woman handle.
Sometimes we look at the "rich" people of life, people like kings and queens, or athletes and actresses, singers or the Bill Gates' (some treat them like they are royalty) and wish for all the things they have.
King David wasn't impressed by the latest "bling", but there was something to him that was truly majestic. The word "majestic" used here refers to something powerful or amazing or of great value. David says what is "majestic" are the true saints of God. (see yesterdays blog for a description about saints)
The King was dearly blessed or delighted when he saw people, Godly people, honoring God and taking care of their fellow brothers and sisters on this earth.
Somehow I think the God I serve delights in seeing this too. He is not impressed with all the money I have or don't have, He is not impressed with all the things we can accumulate. He is impressed with those who choose to serve others in obedience to His command to "love God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength and to love your neighbour as yourself."
I believe He delights in how we treat others and how we use the resources He has entrusted to us. He has blessed us to bless each other, not to focus on ourselves all the time.
If King David was living during our time would he be delighted in us? Our King Jesus, sees what we do, and I believe He is delighted!

Saints in the earth

Have you ever been out with a crowd of people and there is that one person that will do anything they can to get others attention. They need acceptance of others and they will do anything to get it.Those need can sometimes lead to some pretty compromising decisions. I think of teens and the years that they spend trying to fit in and be accepted. It is during those times of insecurity that life altering negative decisions can be made.


Last night in youth we were talking about the word compromise, and how it can lead to tragic consequences when people do it. I was thinking about the oil spill in the gulf, and how 11 people lost their lives because of inadequate concrete (compromise). I reflected on Hurricane Katrina, which saw over 1000 people lose their lives because the levies were compromised and gave way. Compromise leads to destruction.


Instead of choosing to do what others are pressuring us to do, we should stand up for what is right. We need to choose well. We need to love others and serve them, encourage and support those who are willing to stand out for God. They give me great joy!


Those are the people David is referring to in Psalm 16:3 when he writes "as for the saints who are in the earth".

In verse 2 David was making a declaration to the Lord. In verse 3 David is making one to the "saints in the earth."
In some traditions sainthood is a serious thing. It is a title that is put on someone because of "what they can do". Someone is declared a saint because they are believed to have healed someone. The reality is that no man has ever healed another man, God is the healer not man. David is not talking about those man made at all. 


I believe that there are present day saints, as in people who have committed their lives to Christ and honor him. David is talking about Godly people and how they have chosen to live their lives set apart for His kingdom.


As a pastor I love to work alongside others who are set apart to do His work, in the earth, or another way to put it is on this planet. Anyone that is truly committed to helping others here,in Christs name, and without looking for personal fame, are people we might refer to as "saints". It is not a title with a capital "S" like Superman but I sign of respect. 


I think that some people want to receive titles in this life and that is what they strive for. To be honored as a saint is not something we should strive for.


Davis uses the word saints not Saint. Many times in scripture the word saint is used to describe those who are set apart to do His work here on earth.


To me one of those modern day saints was Mother Theresa. She did this by serving humbly and sacrificially in order to fulfil God's call on her life to the poor and neglected of Calcutta. She understood her calling and loved the unlovely. That is beautiful.


David was so blessed to see those around him that had set themselves apart to honor God and minister to others. He wasn't impressed by other people that had wealth. He knew that is not what defined a saint. He wasn't starry eyed at the great athletes of his day. He wasn't blown away with the neighbour who had the biggest and best Iphone (just kidding, I know they didn't have those). 
He was impressed, blown away, and touched in his heart by those who were deeply committed to God and through their actions loved and served others humbly.


What do you think David would say about our lives? More importantly how does God view us? Are we saints or are we...?