Converge magazine // 5

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MANLINESS

WHAT GOD REALLY INTENDED

MODERN DAY ROM-COM: A DYING LOVE AFFAIR

5 SERMONS

EVERY PASTOR SHOULD HEAR

MISSIONS SPECIAL

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depression in the church DAWN OF THE DAILY DEAL

JAN-FEB 2012 | Issue 5

$3.50 CDN

SHAWN GORE

THE CFL RECEIVER TALKS FAITH, FOOTBALL, AND FAMILY

experience

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Future

Your fuTurE: Earn your bachelor’s degree from more than 100 majors and minors in the arts and sciences.

Faith

Your fAiTh: Integrate your faith into the classroom, residence life, service opportunities and every other aspect of university life.

community

Your communiTY: Prepare yourself for a rewarding career, graduate studies or work in ministry, in our supportive Christian university community.

Visit www.redeemer.ca now to book a campus visit or apply online.

Our students put Redeemer at the Top of the class in the 2011 Canadian University Report.

Find out more at www.redeemer.ca/A-plus.

777 Garner Road East, Ancaster, ON L9K 1J4 T. 905.648.2131 | F. 905.648.2134 | 1.877.779.0913

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h

Trinity Western University ExpEct MorE “I’m plugged In at tWu. I love my classes and the fact that I can develop relatIonshIps WIth my professors. they expand my skIlls and they knoW hoW to challenge me.”

- amy, Communications Major

expect more from your education. tWu’s undergraduate and graduate programs equip students for a successful career and a life of meaning, one that makes a positive difference in the world. Interact closely with professors, join a close campus community, and gain the skills you need to transform your life and the lives of others.

ph: 1 888 GO TO TWU e: admissions@twu.ca Langley, British Columbia, Canada twu.ca

contents 4 EDITOR'S LETTER 7 REFLECTIONS 12 CULTURE

How the Daily Deal has changed our lives

14 MUSIC Manafest 16 LIFE Returning to the countryside.

19 MISSIONS SPECIAL 30 Q&A Shane Claiborne 32 MASCULINITY REBUTLE

Is the 'macho' man what God intended?

35 COVER: SHAWN GORE

The CFL receiver talks faith, family, and football

38 DEPRESSION AND FAITH 42 STYLE Winter basics 44 REVIEWS 48 LAST WORD

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convergemagazine.com

proyouthworker: just flipping through converge magazine when I saw my friend @MissTaraTeng featured in her anti #humantrafficking campaign chambers_clay: @CONVERGE_mag Just found you guys on facebook!

Definitely want to hear more about what you're up to and where you're headed!

NOV-DEC 2011 Issue 4

WORD BIBLE DESIGNS:

THE WORD AS SEEN BY JIM LEPAGE REALITY TV | JAYESSLEE | UNEMPLOYMENT | CONSCIOUS CONSUMERISM

SOCIAL JUSTICE $3.50 CDN

sweet tweets

We'd love to hear from you! @converge_mag

05 | Jan-Feb 2012 Christian Info Society 2nd floor 107 E 3rd Ave Vancouver, BC. V5T 1C7 t: 604.638.6007 1.888.899.3777

Editor Shara Lee shara@convergemagazine.com

8 SNIPPITS

nov-dec issue

converge

amykmac: Just discovered @Jim_LePage's Bible design series in @ CONVERGE_mag - brilliant!

Can't get enough! jimlepage. com/word-designs/ IJMCanada: RT @CONVERGE_mag: From the magazine! @ericjreynolds writes about @IJMCanada and Restoring #Justice: http://bit.ly/ rNWrXC Jim_LePage: Just got home to a copy of @CONVERGE_mag with an article on my Word designs.

Copy Editors Stephanie Ip, Eric Reynolds Designer Carmen Bright carmen@convergemagazine.com Accounting Cameron Heal Sales & Operations Jeremy Mills jeremy@convergemagazine.com Contributors Craig Ketchum, Jeremy Postal, Michelle Sudduth, Gavin Fisher, Yvadney Davis, Tracy Le, Jason Burtt, Cory Dyck, Allison Doiron, Cam Smith, Flyn Ritchie, Emily Wierenga, Mathew Block, Nick Schuurman, A.J. Pau, John Schaper, Karl Persson, Casey Phaisalakani, Agnon Wong, Jennelle Dippel Opinions expressed in CONVERGE magazine are not necessarily those of the staff or board of Christian Info Society SUBSCRIPTION RATES: 1 year (6 issues) Canada: $12 US: $22 International: Please inquire.

BULK DISCOUNTS We offer special bulk discounted rates to churches, schools, and other non-profits.

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editor's letter

new year, new you “The object of a new year is not that we should have a new year.

It is that we should have a new soul.” — G.K. Chesterton

A

t this time of year, many are suffering from the holiday hangover. Going from being filled with excitement and holiday cheer to being exhausted from the hustle and bustle of the season isn’t easy. It is, however, all too easy to slip into an unmotivated slump. Fortunately, the antidote to the holiday hangover is simple: set some goals.

A new year is a unique opportunity to start fresh, break old habits, and do things differently than we have done in the previous 12 months. There’s no better time than the beginning of a new year to reevaluate the past and chart a new course for the future.

A new year is also the perfect time to reconsider your perspective and start looking at the world, and yourself, differently. As you draw up your list of resolutions this year, I’d like to challenge you to set one more goal: tend to your soul.

More than just a cliché, tending to your soul is the best resolution you can set for yourself. So, if you only keep one, this would be the one to keep. Don’t make the mistake this year of setting superficial goals merely to improve body image or reputation. Do something that matters; make changes in the areas that actually count.

Tending to your soul means making every day count.

Instead of going through life waiting for the weekend or those precious but few and far between bits of time off, find purpose in everything you do. Live with passion and vision so that regardless of what you do, your actions add value to your life and to the lives of others.

Tending to your soul also means taking time to work on your spiritual health. Timothy puts it best when he reminds us to “have nothing to do with irreverent, silly myths. Rather train yourself for godliness; for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come” (1 Timothy 4:7-8).

Maybe this means getting up earlier or staying up later, but do whatever you need to do to work on your relationship with God. Deciding to tend to your soul is easy but sticking to it will be more challenging. So if you fail, don’t give up; remember that it takes time to develop good habits. When you muster up the resolve to put this advice into practice, there will be divine grace to help you persevere.

Are you ready for it? Repeat after me: “This year I will tend to my soul.”

Proclaiming Jesus Christ as Life!

TheTis island - BriTish ColumBia - Canada

Training for Full Time Christian Service Regardless of Occupation!

Leadership Through Servanthood by Christ’s Indwelling, Resurrection Life.

Practical Bible Teaching Genesis to Revelation: Christ Revealed in the Written Word.

Capernwray URL find yourseLf here facebook.com/regentcollege

@regentcollege

Vancouver, Canada 1.800.663.8664 www.regent-college.edu/converge

Show me your ways, Lord, teach me your paths.

Photo: David DeHetre/Flickr

reflections

rom a ns

1 2:2

“Be transformed by the renewing of your mind.”

M

uch effort is required to rescue someone from say, exploitation. Yet, the rescue is just the beginning of a new journey. A longer process of healing is needed to lift psychological and emotional weights.

This illustrates sanctification: the journey of transformation that follows salvation. Sanctification means “to grow in grace.” Like a sunflower turns its face towards its namesake, we must also grow to face God and walk into our future with eyes fixed on him.

Transformation begins in the mind. Actions stem from thought patterns. We are transformed by the renewing of our minds. If we contemplate sin, allow fantasy to take root, or dwell in the past, we entertain deception. Our thinking must be sanctified because Satan, the deceiver, knows how to use the mind as a weapon against its owner.

For lack of a sanctified imagination, one is susceptible to suffering. Falsehood takes root subtly in unguarded minds.

Nostalgia can idolize the past instead of trusting God for the days to come. Old pain can distract us from present opportunity, fostering helplessness. Refusing negative thought patterns is part of sanctification.

Without a sanctified imagination, the church has only the world to imitate. It will reproduce bland facsimiles of worldly art, education, economics, relationships, and governance. It follows suit instead of setting an example.

God desires a child-like church that believes anything is possible. Embrace godly imagination: Jesus said to pray for heaven on earth. Is the church dreaming big enough? Some decline the invitation to pray for the impossible, opting instead for safe yet stifling religious principles and platitudes.

However, God’s business is doing the impossible. Religion and intellect have not saved humanity and we are not any closer today than before. Saving humanity is God’s domain, and He lives in us. The impossible is nothing.

The prophet Joel wrote that in the end times, God’s people will see visions and dream dreams, presumably ones that will change the world. If the church seeks to carry out God’s plans, its barriers need to come down. The book of Acts references Joel’s prophecy, which the early church lived out, and saw miracles become commonplace. Our imagination must grow in grace or we will resist God instead of dreaming with Him. ­­—By Craig Ketchum

JUST SO YOU KNOW VALENTINE'S DAY: What different ROSE COlourS MEAN RED

Photo by Ewan-M/Flickr

Valentine's Day wouldn't be quite the same without a fresh bouquet of red roses. Ultimately recognized as the symbol of love and passion, the red rose is the lover's rose.

WHITE

YELLOW This warm and affectionate rose is one you would give to a friend. The yellow rose symbolizes friendship, joy, and caring.

PINK The mearning of a pink rose varies depending on its shade. If light pink, it symbolizes admiration, femininity, grace and gentleness. If dark pink, it symbolizes elegance, gratitude and appreciation.

ORANGE Often an eyesore in other places, the fiery hues of an orange rose can express enthusiasm, attraction, and passion.

PURPLE

HEALTHY START Easy Spinach Omelette Ingredients:

Directions:

2 eggs 1 cup of baby spinach leaves 1.5 tsp, grated Parmesan cheese 1/2 tbsp of Vegetable oil 1/2 tsp Onion Powder 1/8 tsp Nutmeg Salt and pepper

1. Beat eggs in a bowl. Add baby spinach and Parmesan cheese. Season with onion powder, nutmeg, salt, and pepper.

2. Pour the mixture into a heated skillet with some oil. Cook for two to three minutes. Turn it over using a spatula and cook for two to three more minutes.

Blueberry Breakfast Smoothie Ingredients:

Perfect for new love on Valentine's Day, these are the roses you'd give to someone you've fallen in love with — at first sight. Purple symbolizes enchantment.

1/2 cup blueberries, picked over and rinsed 1/2 cup low-fat vanilla yogurt 1/2 cup skim milk 2 tbsp honey 5 ice cubes

BLACK

Directions

Unless you're into this stuff, black roses should be a no-go on Valentine's day. After all, they symbolize death.

Place all ingredients in blender, and process until smooth. Serve immediately.

Photo by Khürt/Flickr

This rose is associated with pure, young love. It represents humility, purity, and innocence.

TECH TALK With AJ Pau| @Kardboard Motorola RAZR Motorola has resurrected the original thin cellphone as an even more impossibly-thin Android smartphone. At a ridiculous 7.1mm thickness, the new RAZR is sure to cause pieces of paper to take on extreme diets. It’s not thin on features though, with a powerful dual-core processor, 16 GB of storage, true 4G LTE support, an 8-megapixel rear camera and a 1.3-megapixel camera up front, this phone is packed with possibilities.

Available now: $149.99 w/ 3-year contract, Rogers Wireless

8 | CONVERGE. january.february

2012

PlugBug Charger For the Mac users out there, there’s now a way to improve the already well-designed power adapter. The PlugBug replaces the swappable connector with one that adds a USB port for charging devices. Unlike most USB wall adapters, it pumps out a hefty 2.1 amps of power, meaning things can charge even quicker. It also works as a stand-alone unit.

Available now: $34.99, Twelve South

MIDAFTERNOON STRETCH

ECO CORNER

The flamingo AKA. Standing Quad Stretch

SOUP STORAGE

HEAT PACK

Just fill with leftover soup and lay flat in your freezer. As a space saver, you can even stack your soup!

Fill with rice and microwave for 1-2 minutes. (Make sure your bag is microwave safe! There are specific brands that make microwave-safe baggies!)

difficulty: Begin standing, grab foot, and stretch back.

5 new uses for

The sandwich bag FUNNEL Cut a small hole in a corner of a bag and use as a funnel.

Save money and save the environment!

Before tossing out your little used baggie at the end of lunch, tuck it back into your lunch container and save it for these five cool new uses:

Make sure to keep your knees together, you get more of a stretch that way.

ICE PACK Simply fill with ice.

Done!

CAKE ICING

Free Masonry MOST Masons are civic-minded people with a desire to help others.

Cut a small hole in a corner of a bag and fill with icing.

MANY are active in the church.

What are the SECRETS that Masons don’t know?

DON'T BE AFRAID TO WASH AND REUSE YOUR BAGGIE If all else fails, just bag another sandwich with it!

Thanko Fanbrella Here in the fair ville of Vancouver, B.C., an umbrella seems to be on the list of daily essentials — right below the venti latte. Deep in the Thanko labs, they had us in mind when they cooked this up.

I can see how their newest gadget would fit right in here. Open the umbrella to keep the rain off you and your yoga mat, and then turn on the builtin fan to cool your latte. It’s West Coast perfect, I tell you.

Available via import: ¥3,980 (~$50), Thanko

Is the Great Architect Of The Universe, the god of Freemasonry LUCIFER? Is Freemasonry A BARRIER to God in people’s lives and within the Church?

Are generational CURSES involved?

God LOVES Masons but wants them to be ‘set free.’

Our website provides free manuals and other resources VIsIT Us aT BooTH eo9 Choosing Truth Ministries (www.ctmin.org)

5 Sermons Every Pastor Should Hear

By John Schaper As one of the 20th century’s most recognizable and respected names, Billy Graham set the standard for great evangelistic preaching. He proclaimed the gospel unashamedly with passion and integrity — exactly what an anointed preacher is supposed to do.

People hear sermons preached from pulpits in churches every week. Today, we have the privilege of bringing many of the great preachers right into our homes with YouTube, live streaming, and various other websites. All you have to do is Google a name and up comes a smorgasbord of spiritual food. Many times, you will hear something that will challenge your mind, bring you closer to Christ, and perhaps even change your life forever.

Paris Reidhead preached a sermon called, Ten Shekels and a Shirt, which can be found on www.sermonindex.net. It has been downloaded more than 150,000 times and is called by managers of the website the “most influential sermon of the 20th century.”

It’s a message that will grip your heart and cause you to look more closely at a mask you could be wearing. You will even find yourself wincing as you hear truths that might hit a little close to home.

On the same website Paul Washer offers, Ten Indictments Against the Modern Church, a sermon preached at a revival conference in Atlanta Georgia. It’s one of the longest messages you will ever hear, being more than two hours in length.

According to an eyewitness, he was about to stop after his allotted 60 minutes but the congregation would not let him. They pleaded with him to go on and he continued with an impassioned plea to the church to stop playing games and become authentic as you live your life before the watching world.

At the other end of the preaching style spectrum is Francis Chan who delivered a message cleverly titled, Luke Warm and Loving It. This can be found on YouTube. Using Luke 18:20-22 as his basis, he challenges Christians to look at their spiritual poverty and not to boast about wealth when, in truth, they are spiritually poor. Chan has a casual style that appeals to many of the younger believers in our midst. I love his clear anointed message, down-to-earth illustrations, and sense of humor.

John Piper has become well known as both a speaker and an author, having written more than 30 books. His message to believers called The Price of God’s Own Blood is a clear reminder of the real reason Christ came to Earth. He uses the stirring account of Nicolaus Ludwig Zinzendorf and the Moravian church revival as an illustration of faith and sacrifice. You will be stirred to consider the sacrifice of Christ and the response of so many that have given their own lives for the sake of the Gospel.

According to his website, Ray Stedman is considered one of the 20th century’s foremost pastors and Bible expositors.

Although he has gone on to be with the Lord, his wife continues his ministry by making his sermons available online. They are all filled with rich content. Stedman’s passion was to preach through the Bible verse by verse. Some sermons are more topical in nature including one entitled, “The Body of Christ” which gives you a clear understanding of the church as a body, not a building.

So there you have it. Five preachers. Five sermons. But there are so many more men and women who, through their preaching, have touched hearts and changed lives through the power of the Holy Spirit. Start to listen and open your heart to what the Spirit might be saying to you.

10 | CONVERGE. january.february

2012

FRESH STARTS

Some resolution suggestions for you

1

Make time for family.

They are the ones that really matter.

2

Create a plan to get out of debt.

If you are not in debt, set aside a bit of money every month for savings.

3

Stop trying to buy happiness. The things that give us the most fulfillment are free.

4

Cut down TV and movie watching.

Spend that time taking up a new hobby.

5

Smile more often.

This will make both you and the people around you happier.

Be

transformed

Photo: SarahInDisguise/Flickr

yourself

known

6

7

Be true to yourself.

As Judy Garland once said, “Always be a first rate version of yourself instead of a second rate version of somebody else.�

Let go of the past.

This may mean letting go of grudges and extending forgiveness to those who have hurt you.

8

Make time for fun.

While it might seem like an indulgence, it should be a requirement.

9

Exercise more often.

It will enhance physical fitness as well as overall health and wellness.

10

Do daily devotions.

Seek out quiet time every day to spend with God.

informed

inspired relevant

real

Discover who you can be.

Open House Thursday March 29th 10:00 am - 3:00 pm Converge_Winter 2012.indd 1

8/5/2011 3:44:02 PM

CULTURE

DAWN OF THE DEAL How Groupon Changed Everything on your iPhone, then steer clear of Groupon. Even my wife has fallen victim. Recently, we had a discussion about it: “Say it, dear! ‘My name is Rachel, and I am a Grouponaholic.’” “Well,” she retorts, “We have all year to decide when to use the coupon, you know we’ll need it eventually!” Truth be told, my wife and I have been downsizing considerably — living with less and being content — which means we’ve been using Craigslist more, and Groupon less. But I’ll admit, one feels a noticeable high and marked residual pleasure from saving a few bucks. In fact, the feeling is akin to winning. So it’s not surprising that with all the “deal” sites popping up, temptation to accumulate “stuff” is growing stronger.

The timing of deal-of-the-day and web-based coupon businesses couldn’t be better. Entire nations are struggling with huge debt loads, rising unemployment, and significant declines in lending. Everyone is trying to save a penny.

A deal sounds like a good thing. But it’s going to require our continued self-control not to end up 'penny wise and pound foolish.' We may spend more money than we intend simply because we’re buying a lot of things we don’t really need.

Unfettered spending makes us victims of consumerism, fostering in us the need to acquire greater amounts of goods and services. We are Illustration by Carmen Bright & Jacob Kownacki besieged by a barrage of advertisements tellI have become a “Craigslist king,” according to one of my ing us we need product X to be happy, sexy, or smart. In light of students. “How do you do it, man?” he asked. “You find everythis, we should be increasingly aware of our true needs, and then thing you need for next to nothing! Teach me your ways.” prompted to think through the process of buying — from whom or Part of me wishes he had the same passionate inquisitivethrough which site. ness with regard to his studies; nevertheless, I was obliged There's also a difference between obsessive frugality and good to explain the art of bargain hunting. My reason for buystewardship. Sometimes, bargaining to get the bottom dollar isn’t ing items through Craigslist doesn’t stem from an aversion the wisest approach; we could be eating into someone’s due comto paying taxes on retail items, or a personal policy to only mission, or exploiting a seller unnecessarily. Finally, we must buy local. The single greatest reason for my developed skill of question the sheer amount of time it takes up in our lives in the nabbing discounted stuff comes from being tight on funds. form of countless emails, alerts, and notifications. We can be so According to Plato, necessity is the mother of invention, consumed with getting a deal that we face diminishing health in and I’ve learned to be quite inventive in order to get necesother areas of our lives. Asking ourselves these questions will help sities for less-than-average price. I have learned patience in us decide how to face the next killer deal that pops up in our email waiting for the right deal, and also the ability to strike like a or on our smartphones. viper when that deal presents itself. You see, with Craigslist, When used properly, Groupon and the like can be avenues to a good deal can be scooped in minutes. But with the recent experience healthy relationships and good fun. They make it posboom in discount e-commerce, finding deals is becoming sible for us to try exotic foods, travel, or skydive — things we might less of an art. not have attempted at retail price. And several available deals reThere are two web-based markets that have every barquire two or more participants, creating space for us to spend time gain-hunter’s stomach filled with butterflies: the “deal-ofwith friends and family around fabulous food or exciting activithe-day” and “coupon” e-markets. Websites like Woot and ties. In addition, several deals are set up to be given as gifts, and Groupon have changed the game for bargain hunters, so that in a society that is increasingly self-centred, this provides us with even a discount dilettante can feel like a pro. When Groupon opportunities to think about the needs and wants of others. So let launched in 2008, it had only one market: Chicago. By Octous remember that as consumers, we can use these businesses as a ber 2010, it had hundreds of markets worldwide and 35 milresource to enjoy life in healthy ways, rather than allowing them lion registered users. The company’s profile for potential into consume us. vestors reads, “Groupon uses collective buying power to offer unbeatable prices and provide a win-win for businesses and Jason J. Burtt is the pastor of youth and family ministry at West consumers, delivering more than 650 daily deals globally.”

Vancouver Baptist Church.

If you’ve been looking for ways to become less dependent

By Jason Burtt

12 | CONVERGE. january.february

2012

Give them a summer that lasts

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MUSIC

MANAFEST Rap to rock and in between

By Shara Lee Growing up, Chris Greenwood (who would later become the artist known as Manafest) had two major influences in his life: Hip-hop and skateboarding. Musical acts he admired ranged from Linkin Park to Michael Jackson.

“I was hanging with a lot of guys that were into hip-hop and so obviously that inf luenced me that way, but eventually I had to find my own thing and that's where that whole rock element came.”

Although he had always felt drawn to music, Manafest didn’t decide to pursue it seriously until he was well into a career with computers. “I was a full-time IT guy for a while. I went from working five days a week to four, to three and then I started taking leave of absences and I eventually just left,” Manafest recalls.

Realizing he wasn’t living out his purpose, he began playing shows in the evenings, weekends, and whenever he had free time. “It was a huge step. It was a big step of faith and trust and I probably should have waited a little longer because I wasn't fully ready, but you know, everything is a learning experience and it forced me to learn really quick.”

14 | CONVERGE. january.february

2012

He started playing music that echoed his own personal taste, melding hip-hop and rock. His sound was unique and soon, Manafest was discovered by Trevor McNevan of Thousand Foot Krutch. “We became friends and he connected me with the label Tooth & Nail in Seattle,” he says.

Since then, Manafest has won dozens of music awards including two Junos. These days, he is leaning toward a more rock influenced sound and says his next album is his going to be his most focused yet. “People sometimes get confused with the hiphop thing and the rock thing because I had mixed the genres for so long, this is the first time I'm really not mixing anything,” he says. “There are no funny songs that stick out . . . We really tried to focus the sound of it so it's a real full experience.”

While style is obviously important to him, the message of his music is why he does what he does. “The whole purpose of Manafest is just about being a light and encouraging people and inspiring people to go after their dreams . . . I've [had] crap in my life and I've experienced some things whether it [was with] relationships or family, and sharing those stories helps to encourage people to keep going.”

                       





            

LIFE

SO YOU THINK YOU CAN FARM Part four of Nick Schuurman's farming series.

Even if you live in the heart of downtown Montreal, chances are that you or someone you know has either expressed interest or participated in some sort of farming experiment. WOOFing (Working On Organic Farms), community gardens, farmers' markets, and summers spent on local farms are no longer reserved for middle-aged men in straw hats; they are now the stuff of hipsters and socially-conscious undergrads looking for summer employment. The do-it-yourself appeal of producing one's own food, along with participation in an alternative to what many view as destructive and unsustainable food production have a surprising number of young people interested in farming.

Whenever I mention I often spend several of my summer weekends canning fruits and vegetables with my family, I receive a litany of envious responses. What folks want, I think, when they respond like they do, is the deep satisfaction and sense of reward and independence one experiences having produced one's own food — a satisfaction that cannot be found in the aisles of your nearest Illustration by Jennifer Ku grocery store.

At some level, we all know that something is profoundly wrong with our food system, and it doesn't take an environmental engineer to explain it to us. Nearly all the edible material you and I handle nowadays is some far-removed bi-product of the earth. Think about the last meal you ate. How many stages of processing, packaging, delivery, and sales did it have to go through to get to your plate? How many separate ingredients were shipped? How many separate kilometers prior to that? With all of that in mind, we can begin to understand why there is something powerful about the immediacy you experience when you brush the dirt off a carrot you planted months ago and just now unearthed, and why a disillusioned, dot-com city-dweller would hey skipped school — not to bum be interested in doing just that. around the mall or smoke up down Before you abandon your degree and run off to the countryside the street — but to help with harvest. In though, you need to know that it is incredibly difficult to make the complex hierarchy of high-school sub- a living farming at a sustainable, small-scale level. Agriculture cultures, the farm kids occupied a catego- nowadays is a big-business affair, and in many ways a complex ry of their own, and everyone knew who and broken system whose problems simply will not be solved by they were. planting an urban garden or making a trip to the local organic I recently had a conversation with a market. There is, however, something that can be learned from all friend who had returned from a season of this, and something profound that can be reclaimed in our efof work on an organic farm. Among other forts, however small, to participate in the work of agriculture. things, she also works as a barista at a We were created for connection with the earth, and, in our indowntown café and regularly helps orga- creasingly disconnected urban landscapes, our generation has benize fashion shows. The lines dividing my gun to long for a return to that vision of living. Community and high-school system of social classes have rooftop gardens, farmers' markets, and summer internships are now been blurred, and the people now in- really tangible ways to become more environmentally and socially terested in raising laying hens and plant- conscious. In a very real sense, participation in the work of the ing fruit trees are looking a lot different field hand is a way of becoming human. than they once did.

Everyone knew who they were.

Wandering the halls in steel-toe boots, jeans, and plaid, they talked tractors and nodded from under hats bearing the logos of local feed suppliers.

T

16 | CONVERGE. january.february

2012

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11/29/2011

12:32 PM

Page 1

I N T E R N AT I O N A L F E L LO W S H I P MISSIONS CONFERENCES

OF

March 9 - 10, 2012 February 24 - 26, 2012 February 3 - 5, 2012 Church of the Rock

1397 Buffalo Pl., Winnipeg

“Loving the Middle East” Keynote Speakers: Hormoz Shariat, Wagdi Iskander, Jason Mandryk and David & Karen Davis w w w. m i s s i o n fe s t m a n i t o b a . o r g

Shaw Conference Centre 9797 Jasper Ave., Edmonton

Fort St. John Alliance Church 9804 - 99 Ave., Fort St. John, BC

“The World is My Neighbor” Keynote Speakers: Maralee Dawn, Vince Antonucci, Asmick Jean-Jacques and David Macfarlane

“The World is My Neighbor” Keynote Speaker: Martin Lamb

w w w. m fe s t . a b . c a w w w. m i s s i o nv i s i o n fs j . c a

IFMC Members: Missionfest Manitoba (Winnipeg)

March 16 & 17, 2012 Cornerstone Church 315 Lenore Dr., Saskatoon Keynote Speakers: Dr. T.V. Thomas and Sid Koop w w w. h a r v e s t fe s t s a s k a t o o n . c o m

March 23 & 25, 2012

w w w. m i s s i o n fe s t m a n i t o b a . o r g

Mount Saint Vincent University

Missions Fest Alberta (Edmonton)

166 Bedford Hwy, Halifax

w w w. m fe s t . a b . c a

Mission Vision (Fort St. John, BC) w w w. m i s s i o nv i s i o n fs j . c a

Keynote Speakers: Shane Claiborne, KP Yohannan & Freda Smallwood w w w. j e s u s t o t h e n a t i o n s . c o m

HarvestFest (Saskatoon) April 12 - 14, 2012 Global Kingdom Ministries 1250 Markham Rd., Toronto

w w w. h a r v e s t fe s t s a s k a t o o n . c o m

Jesus to the Nations (Halifax)

MISSIONS GLOBALES

w w w. j e s u s t o t h e n a t i o n s . c o m

"Moving Beyond Barriers - Together.

Are You Ready?"

Keynote Speakers: Dave Toycen, Majed El Shafie, Nigel Paul, Susan Finlay & Bettina Vasquez w w w. m i s s i o n fe s t . o r g

November 2 - 4, 2012 M i s s i o n F e s t To r o n t o w w w. m i s s i o n fe s t . o r g

Missions Globales (Montreal) w w w. m i s s i o n s g l o b a l e s . o r g

www.missionsfellowship.org

Collège Jean-de-Brébeuf 3200, Côte-Ste-Catherine, Montréal

"N'entendez-vous pas leurs cris?"

"Don't You Hear Their Cry?" Keynote Speakers: Nizar Shaheen & Kendall w w w. m i s s i o n s g l o b a l e s . o r g

An INTRODUCTION TO

missions Photo by Andy Olsen/Feed My Starving Children under Flickr Creative Commons

By Flyn Ritchie

B

rian Stewart had drifted away from the church, but he was gradually drawn back to faith through his experiences as a reporter in hot spots around the world.

As one of Canada’s top journalists for more than 40 years, he currently hosts the foreign affairs show, CBC News: Our World.

Stewart was the first North American reporter to shine a light on the massive Ethiopian famine of 1984-85. He won several awards for his reporting on child slavery in Sudan in 1989 and has filed reports from numerous war zones.

He declared, “I’ve found there is no movement, or force, closer to the raw truth of war, famines, crises and the vast human predicament, than organized Christianity in action. And there is no alliance more determined and dogged in action than church workers, ordained and lay members, when mobilized for a common good. It is these Christians who are right ‘on the front lines’ of committed humanity today, and when I want to find that front, I follow their trail.” 1 That wasn't what Stewart had expected to find. And I suspect it's not what most of us expect to find. After all, aren’t we in a post-Christian culture? Isn’t the influence of the church waning? Hasn’t the church been responsible (in part, at least) for such misguided and unjust enterprises such as residential schools?

In short, are we not weaker today than we were yesterday, and should we not be cautious about jumping into anything that sounds like missions?

We have a hard time seeing the big picture. That's why we must rely on God and on His Word. Christopher Wright points out in The Mission of God that "God is on a mission, and we, in Paul of Tarsus’ wonderful phrase, are 'Co-workers with God'" (1 Cor 3:9).

The Bible is permeated with God's mission, says Wright, and, "All mission or missions which we initiate, or into which we invest our own vocation, gifts and energies, flow from the prior and larger reality of the mission of God." So when Stewart found active Christians on the front lines in El Salvador, Beirut, Rwanda, and Ethiopia, he shouldn't really have been surprised.

He said it didn’t seem to matter how fast he arrived at a war zone or crisis, he was always arriving after the Christians.2 “It used to frustrate me that they were always first,” he said.

“It drove me nuts! We were never there before them.” Then he began to see these people as “the primary light in the darkness — and often the only light there is.”

Seeing organized Christianity in action over and over led him to follow his own winding path back to Christianity — “connecting the dots” of what he’d seen and experienced, and eventually returning to his roots in the Presbyterian church.

“The church and Christians stand up in the face of danger, telling the world they are not going to stand aside. They stick it out longer than anyone; they are the bravest people in the world.”

For example, he points to the rise of the Solidarity trade union in Poland. 3 With the support of the Catholic church, he said, solidarity helped bring down the Iron Curtain.

Stewart recalls meeting Solidarity leader Lech Walesa in a stairwell as he was on his way to Mass. It was shortly after he had been released from prison in the early 1980s and many feared he would be assassinated. Walesa was asked whether he was afraid.

“No, I am afraid of no one or nothing — only God,” Walesa said. "It was a transcendent moment," Stewart said, because it revealed that no force or empire could ever extinguish the power of faith.

Stewart says the Christians he saw over and over on the front lines were only able to be there because of those who are working in less dramatic ways to support them.

We might be on the frontlines in crisis-ridden nations or our own inner cities; we might be in the background, but we all have a role to play in the coming of God’s kingdom.

‘On the front lines,’ a message to the 160th Convocation of Knox College, May 12, 2004 2 Gerty Shipmaker: ‘Stewart extols Christian valor on the world’s front lines,’ BC Christian News, December 2009 3 Deborah Gyapong: ‘Successful anti-poverty programs ‘overlooked’: veteran journalist,’ Canadian Catholic News, May 2007 1

www.IntercedeInternational.ca

convergemagazine.com

| 19

Canadians on a

mission to save the world

By Emily Wierenga

I

t started with a church purchasing a curling rink in 1983.

Today, Missions Fest has expanded into an international organization, mobilizing hundreds of thousands of evangelicals for the mission-field.

“Missions Fest exists to help connect the dots between people, churches, and opportunities in the world of missions,” says Dwayne Buhler, director of Missions Fest Vancouver. “The vision is to provide a local, church-based, volunteer-led, donor-funded conference that will spark an interest to get involved in outreach.”

The event was birthed 29 years ago when a Vancouver church decided to use its newly-purchased curling rink for an interdenominational missions gathering.

“World Missions was getting a back seat in the church’s agenda and budget,” said Richard Dodding, CEO of Missions Fest International and the founding director of Missions Fest Vancouver. “Out of sight was definitely out of mind. Something needed to be done.”

It wasn’t long before other congregations were invited to join.

“The original concept was that if churches worked together, they would be able to hold a larger world missions conference, increasing the exposure and outreach for the local churches,” says Buhler, who took on the role of director in 2007.

The preliminary conference took place January 1984 at the MacPherson Centre in Burnaby, B.C.. A crowd of more than 3,500 from six different churches enjoyed four missionary speakers and a host of information exhibits, in addition to a wide array of flags and ethnic food.

In the years following, other cities caught the vision, making Missions Fest an annual event in Vancouver, Edmonton, Saskatoon, Winnipeg, Toronto, Montreal,

20 | CONVERGE. january.february

"It engages people for the global commission.

There’s a saving of souls in the balance."

Fort St. John, and Halifax, in addition to Portland, Seattle, and Lancaster.

“What started as a one-time event has now grown to what we know as the largest annual missions conference in the Western world,” says Buhler.

Then Dodding began to think worldwide, taking on the role of CEO of Missions Fest International.

In 2006, the first conference on nonNorth American soil was held in Lubumbashi, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Both Pretoria, South Africa and Kinshasa, DRC began conferences in 2008, and in November of this year, Missions Fest was born in Brazzaville, Congo.

“It impacts people to move for Christ,” says Jude Hodgson, former executive director for MissionFest Toronto. “It engages people for the global commission.

There’s a saving of souls in the balance.”

Each city has an autonomous board which not only organizes events but decides upon themes one year in advance.

While the themes may differ, they all revolve around mobilizing believers to take the gospel to the world’s 600-plus unreached people groups.

“We want to move beyond barriers that are blocking us from working together and accomplishing God’s purpose,” says Sharon Ganesh, who assumed Hodgson’s position in August 2010.

It’s a message that has stayed the same, in spite of the conference’s many changes.

“We cross age, denominational, ethnic and demographic borders,” says Ganesh.

“It really does look like the Kingdom of Heaven when you come to a Missions Fest.”

For more information, please visit www.missionsfellowship.org

Booths and events held at Missions Fest Vancouver 2011. From left to right: Camp Qwanoes, Capernwray Harbour Bible School & Conference Center, and worship

2012

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5 missions DESTINATIONS

rowing up in church culture, I knew that when a missionary came to town, I could expect to hear a few good stories, see some grainy photos, and play with some interesting tribal nick-nacks. This, I distinctly remember, was all in attempt to compel our church to fund the missionary to live in a strange and far-away land.

This made perfect sense to me then, as it still does now, because missionaries are a strange breed. They’ve given up the comfort, luxuries, and apathy of life here, and have plunged themselves into the mandate of Jesus: “As the Father has sent me, so am I sending you.”

For most, missions will never be fullRestricted Access Nations time on foreign soil. Yet, sometimes it Restricted and limited access nations takes two weeks of going somewhere represent the largest unreached people strange and exotic to break us out of our group in the world. These countries indifference. Here are five destinations are typically Islamic, communist, or around the world that might help you totalitarian in orientation and include break free into missions: countries throughout Asia, the Middle East, and North Africa. Missions in these countries must happen carefully and Thailand creatively. If you are a professional in health, business, technology, education, Tourists flock to Bangkok, Buddhist or law, your skill set will open all types of temples, and the party hot spots of the opportunity in these countries. beaches in the south. Sadly, Thailand is If you would like to talk with someone also recognized as an international sexwho is really doing this but whose name is tourist destination with thousands of the blacked out and their assignment undispoor and vulnerable being bought, sold, closed, connect through rannetwork.com. and trafficked for sex and labour. The fight Not for the faint of heart. to stop human trafficking is fought in the streets and mountains of Thailand, and Ukraine you can help.

Not “the Ukraine,” Ukraine is a fantasDonate to organizations like notforsatic cross-cultural experience for a church lecampaign.org or team up with imagor family mission’s trip. The post-USSR inethailand.org and go to Thailand for a Ukraine opened the door to massive week or two and help protect the vulneraevangelistic effort with new churches ble from being trafficked in the first place. springing up everywhere, most led by India those with no ministry or theological training. Opportunity in Ukraine exists Of the 1.2 billion people living inside in leadership development and theologithe borders of India, one-third live in cal training for church leaders, serving desperate poverty, lack access to basic children in orphanages, as well as develsanitation and education, and are affected opment and humanitarian aid. by religious and caste related violence.

Missions in India include food programs, Canada vocational retraining for women, children’s Why does a nation like Canada need homes, hospitals, schools, and a huge list missionaries? One reason: to serve people of humanitarian work. who need to know Jesus; the same reason If you’d like to go short-term to India, that Korea, China, Philippines, Uganda, connect with stmnetwork.ca and they will and other countries are sending missionput you on the ground with local missionaries here. Mission is at our front door, in aries who will show you a world that is the next cubicle, and down the street. Our barely imaginable. call as Christians is to here and now.

Author Lenard Sweet states it compellingly: “Light illuminates darkness. If there is darkness, the blame should be attached where it belongs; not to the world that is dark but to the church which is failing to provide the light.” Let’s not fail the mission. Where will you go?

22 | CONVERGE. january.february

2012

YOU & MISSIONS Two young missionaries share their stories of taking the gospel abroad.

I

never thought I would find myself here; in the midst of a garbage strewn street, surrounded by strange and often unpleasant smells. I was in a completely different world than the one I had grown up in, where clean streets were the norm, homes had curb appeal, and every driveway had a car. Though I had come to Cape Town, South Africa as part of a discipleship training school outreach team with the intention of being the hands and feet of Jesus, in Masiphumelele (a small township in Cape Town) I wasn't sure what I had to offer beyond a smile.

My impression of the shantytown Masiphumelele would be reshaped over the following month through almost daily visits.

When the time came to move on, I didn't see the garbage as much as I saw smiles of people that I knew and loved. The smell of burning garbage, all of the strange foods, and the ramshackle homes had become so much a part of my daily routine that it was strange to leave them behind. As we visited Masiphumelele over the first month of our trip, my heart went out to the families and individuals we met as we walked the streets and my prayers went up to God. I remember meeting one young man who experienced dramatic changes in his life as we spent time visiting him. Our first time in his home was a revealing experience. It was little more than a tiny room. Everything was in shambles: there were dirty dishes, empty beer bottles, cigarette butts, and far more littering the room. I sincerely believe that this was an insight into his heart, and taking the opportunity set before us, we presented him with the gospel of Jesus and offered to pray with him. It was clear to him that he needed Jesus in his life, so he made the decision to accept Him as his Lord and follow in His ways.

Allison Doiron

Why did you decide to do a missions trip?

Cory Dyck

God has been calling me to do missions trips for a very long time. He has given me a love for travel and a desire to explore the world and its cultures. Thailand had been on my heart for about a half-year before I went.

Why do you think missions are so important?

The very next time we returned to visit, his home had changed completely; gone were the dirty dishes, beer bottles, and cigarette butts. The place was clean! It seemed evident that the work Jesus was doing in this young man's heart was filtering out into his daily activity and stewardship of his home. We continued to serve him as best we could during the month we had, helping him search for employment, teaching him some of the foundations of faith in Christ, and by giving him our friendship and love.

One of the greatest challenges of ministering to these people living in squalor was that I lived in a furnished apartment with hot water, constant electricity and all of the trappings of modern life. To go from extreme poverty to comfortable, almost cushy life on a daily basis was a conflict I constantly dealt with. I found myself asking the question, “How can I relate to this suffering and hardship?”

I think to experience the answer to this question so vividly can reveal something about what it meant for Jesus to come to Earth from heaven. He had to leave absolute glory for a broken and hurting world so He could truly identify with us in our pain and suffering through experience, not just understanding from a distance. I learned that while I may not walk in the same injustice or daily suffering, I can lend my ear, come close, and empathize as I listen to stories, carrying them in my heart and prayers. I can identify with root issues behind suffering — greed, selfishness, sickness and death — the very things Jesus defeated by dying on cross. We have all of Jesus to offer and we can offer nothing less.

I returned from South Africa carrying the suffering I had seen, but at the same time, greatly encouraged to know that, even in the darkest of places, God was tangibly at work changing lives. He does this through the obedience of ordinary people. It is a simple spiritual principle that has remained before me as I have served with Youth With A Mission (YWAM) during the past four years. I am qualified for the work because God has called me. Ordinary people will do extraordinary work when God gives vision, hope, and strength. That is what I continually hope for, and am seeing as I am working to establish a new YWAM centre in Biarritz, France with a small pioneering team. We all have gifts to offer: in our humanity we are not always perfect, but we serve God as best we can and He will always show up to do the impossible. ­— Cory Dyck

Missions offer much-needed assistance to many organizations needing to run programs that seek to rebuild a nation physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Experiencing different parts of the world brings us back to true reality. The Canadian reality we live in revolves around money, power, and materialism. This in turn pulls us far away from God and his Kingdom. Going to a less fortunate country gives you a renewed perspective on life and how God wants to be a part of it.

How did this missions trip change you?

Thailand changed me in many ways. It showed me that in our North American society, we are overwhelmed by materialism, individualism, and wealth. However, in a place like Thailand where everyone has much less, you can actually live life much happier because there are not as many distractions from God. I learned that cellphones and laptops are things we idolize instead of God. What we all really need is more God in our lives. I learned how I must place my faith and life in His hands because He knows what’s best for each of us. Living life without Him leading us is like walking down an empty, endless pathway. I also learned about the indescribable love that He has for everyone and how truly powerful and overwhelming it is.

Would you consider doing a missions trip again?

Yes. God has really placed missions upon my heart. For example, He has been calling me to a specific orphanage in India for the past five years. I’m really excited but patiently waiting for Him to guide me there when I’m prepared and the time is right.

Maybe in a year, maybe in 5 years. Whatever it may be I will faithfully be waiting.

Describe a moment on the trip that changed you.

Our team went to Songhula beach with the children (ages 8-15) we had been teaching English to for the past two days. At the beach, the children took turns to listen for God’s voice, then told us what they heard (allowing the Holy Spirit to speak through them). At this moment God spoke to me for the first time. His love, warmth, and compassion surrounded me — it was unlike anything I’ve ever experienced before. This modest group of children and teenagers from a very small church in an impoverished town in Thailand were so close and connected to God. I was overwhelmed by their faith, their love and the openness each had with the Lord. My team had gone there to help them but we left feeling as though they had helped us more than they could ever imagine. convergemagazine.com

| 23

(c) Mercy Ships/ photographer David Peterson

Following the call

to cut and colour

By Jennelle Dippel

W

hen Jillian Norris received news about a volunteer position as Crew Hairdresser for the world’s largest charity hospital ship, she quickly “jumped on board”, so to speak. It was a role ingeniously out of the ordinary, and perfect for the hairstylist. It was so perfect, in fact, that she immediately signed up for two years of service.

“I’ve wanted to be a hairdresser since I was seven and also had an interest in missions and helping people from a very young age,” says the 24-year-old Calgarian. “For me, it was just a matter of finding where I could merge the two passions.”

To make the position of floating foil-artist more unique, it is one of the only roles onboard the Africa Mercy that caters 100 per cent to the crew. “I get to meet almost everyone that comes and goes from the ship,” she explains. “And although I’m not down in the hospital helping the sick, I am serving the people who are. I get to hear about amazing things that are happening from so many different perspectives.”

The Africa Mercy, on average, houses 450 people from upwards of 40 different countries. These Mercy Ship volunteers serve in a variety of ways to restore the health and emotional wellbeing of thousands of people along the coast of West

24 | CONVERGE. january.february

I always wanted to be able to leave everything behind . . . to go where God called me.

Africa, mainly by providing free medical care and developmental programs. Norris offers the crew members a rare chance to be pampered between long days that are often emotionally turbulent. Her services allow volunteers to regroup and feel good so that they can focus on the tasks at hand.

“Sometimes, the salon is a place people come when they’ve had a bad day and need to relax,” she says. “Sometimes they need a reminder of home, or someone to listen to what’s going on in their lives. I leave each day feeling different. Sometimes I’m exhausted from all of the emotions and sometimes I come out really happy . . . every one of those moments is shaping me into a more compassionate and loving person.”

Norris describes the Africa Mercy as a floating college dorm. “We have [small] rooms, a little store (the Ship Shop) and a Starbucks coffee shop. There’s also an internet café and many lounge areas to hang out with friends.

“For the most part, I love the ship,” she says. “The challenge is that there’s not a lot of personal space and it’s hard to find alone time. When I’m at home, I can hop in my car and go just about anywhere, but here it requires a lot of planning.”

Norris finds it difficult to let go of fellow shipmates almost as quickly as she’s met them. “[The ship] is like a revolving door of people coming and going,” she shares. “New crew arrive and leave weekly, and each crew member stays to serve for a different duration of time. We are constantly saying goodbye to really amazing people.”

Norris herself will say goodbye to the

2012

Africa Mercy in July 2013. She will return to regular salon work but she won’t be the same. “I am already being challenged in ways I never could have imagined,” she says. During her time with Mercy Ships, she has not only gained hairdressing skills, she also gained the ability to communicate well with people from any culture. “[Hairdressing] is not just a means of income, but an opportunity to really value each individual as a person, not simply a client. My hope is that I will be more loving and compassionate to all people,” she says.

Norris has advice for those searching out their own adventures and ministry opportunities: “Seek God first and pray about every decision you make; He will be your ultimate guide. Also seek the guidance of those around you that you trust.

There will be some people who think you are crazy to be doing what you are doing, but you will also find friends and family that see things as a perfect fit.”

The ideal fusion of skills and service opportunity may not always present itself as obviously as this one did, but Norris recognizes the fundamental importance of going with what she’s good at. She is also compelled by the vital necessity to simply go where she is led. “I always wanted to be able to leave everything behind, no matter what the cost, to go where God called me. I don’t know if I’ve necessarily had to do this because I am not living in the jungle without food or water. I have everything I need and lots of things I want — but it is a place where God has brought me — to give up the familiar, to go and serve.”

poverty. it’s complicated.

God complexes. Labels and stereotypes. Belief systems. Money doesn’t fix things. Relationships. Yeah, it’s complicated.

Evaluate how you think about the “poor”. What are your assumptions about poverty? Maybe it’s time you challenged them.

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CANADA

fhcanada.org

PovertyRevolution.org

Missions and Martyrdom:

Dying as a witness to the faith

By Gavin Fisher

T

he term “Christian martyrs” usually conjures images of missionaries from far flung corners of the globe, suffering from persecution and dying for their faith. While there is some truth to this picture, it does not completely convey the full sense of the word “martyr.”

The original Greek word matur means “witness,” “one who testifies with his very being, body and soul,” writes Carolyn Forché in her essay Seeds of Liberty/ Sign of Hope.

While there have been plenty of people throughout history who have been willing to lay down their lives for a cause (religious, political, or ideological) those who have made the most difference are those whose very lives and deaths stand as a testimony to their beliefs.

Stephen of the Acts of the Apostles is regarded as the very first Christian martyr, and his story exemplifies what it means to be a witness.

When the Apostles decided to appoint seven men for the daily distribution of food in the community, he was selected because of his qualities, and he did “great wonders and signs among the people” (Acts 6:8). When his opponents failed to argue against the wisdom and Spirit with which he spoke, they brought false charges against him and he was brought before the council of the High Priest. His long, erudite speech was met with anger and hatred, and he was dragged out of the city and stoned. This was done all under the approval of Saul, a zealous Pharisee. Stephen died, but his last words were, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them” (Acts 7:60).

Stephen embodies what it truly means to be a martyr — a witness to one’s belief.

Stephen’s life and death represent the faith, Spirit, and forgiveness of Christianity. After his execution, a great persecution rose up in the early church — in correlation with great growth in the church. Even Saul (who was fervently dragging Christians off to prison) encountered God on the road to Damascus and was radically transformed. Saul, renamed as Paul, became a tireless missionary and a brilliant Christian thinker whose writings make up a large portion of the New Testament.

Throughout history there have been

26 | CONVERGE. january.february

2012

many martyrs who have also achieved this with their lives and deaths.

William Tyndale, an English theologian and scholar during the 16th century Protestant Reformation, was the first to translate the New Testament from Latin into English. Tyndale believed people were accepting the corruption of the Roman Catholic clergy because they could not read the Bible for themselves. His translation was condemned and prohibited, and eventually, Tyndale was strangled and burned at the stake by order of the Emperor of Germany. Tyndale, however, was an important witness. Later English translations of the Bible, such as the 1611 King James Version, drew from his translations.

Stories of people whose lives are powerful testimonies still abound today. I recently had the chance to meet a missionary who is supported by the church I attend. Roy Comrie, a missionary from Zimbabwe, served with the African Evangelical Fellowship from 1962 to 1999. His life and the lives of his fellow

Before the first trial of the case, Roy wanted to meet with Chris, his sister’s murderer. What seemed to be virtually impossible became a reality when the judge was running twenty-five minutes late and Chris himself — for reasons unknown — agreed to meet with Roy. Roy was crowded into a small room with eleven other men, including the defense attorney, the prosecution, and two detective chief inspectors. Sitting next to Chris — the very man who had killed his sister — Roy began telling a story.

The story he told was the story of Gary — a man whose life bears similarities to that of Paul in Acts. Gary was a member of a gang in Zimbabwe that murdered nine missionaries Roy had known. One day, much to his surprise, Roy discovered Gary had committed his life to

Those who have made the most difference are those whose very lives and deaths stand as a testimony to their beliefs. missionaries are also examples of what it means to be witnesses for Christ. I had the opportunity to sit down with Roy and hear some of his amazing stories — which demonstrated God’s healing hand and greater purpose even in the most senseless of deaths.

He began by telling me how his own sister was brutally raped and murdered in South Africa. I could sense the pain in Roy’s voice as he began telling this story, and telling me that his first thoughts towards the perpetrator were, understandably, not very pleasant. However, Roy soon began to wonder what God intended in these circumstances.

Christ and was preaching the gospel.

Over a period of two and a half years, Gary sought out the other members of his former gang, in order to share the message of Jesus — a message of new life and forgiveness. Eight of the gang members eventually dedicated their lives to Christ.

By the time the judge arrived and the trial had to begin, Roy had spoken for 17 minutes in total. And that was enough.

Chris, after receiving a Bible from Roy, said these words to him: “I am so sorry.”

There were seven trials in total, but before the last trial, Chris became a Christian.

Roy has met with Chris four times

FOR FURTHER READING:

China’s Christian Martyrs Paul Hattaway

Jesus Freaks

DC Talk and The Voice of the Martyrs

Jungle Pilot (the story of Nate Saint) Russell T. Hilt

By Their Blood: Christian Martyrs of the 20th Century

James and Marti Hefley

Foxe’s Book of Martyrs John Foxe

Hold your next retreat at UBC… A place of inspiration.

in total, and will be seeing him again in February this year. “I can hardly wait to get back, just to see Chris again,” Roy said.

Chris is now serving out a 65-year sentence in prison. Roy told me that Chris is part of a group of four men in that prison who have dedicated their lives to Christ, and they encourage each other and do Bible studies together. “It is so tough to imagine the huge prison with thousands of people in it. It’s like another world,” Roy said.

“But into that world, God has got some real live murderers who have become his witnesses.”

This is the true definition of Christian martyrdom. A martyr is not just someone dying for a cause they believe in, but someone whose life and death is so impactful that others — like Paul, Gary, and Chris — are forever changed by their witness.

JEWS FOR JESuS

By Shara Lee

“I

n Israel, nobody knows Jesus by Yeshua, they call him Yeshu,” says Dan Sered, director of Jews for Jesus in Israel. “Now Yeshu is actually the name that the rabbis gave Jesus in the middle ages. They took the last letter [the ‘a’ at the end] of his name, deleted it, and gave him the name Yeshu — an acronym that stands for, ‘may his name and memory be blotted out.’ And that’s how everybody in Israel calls Jesus. They call him Yeshu.”

Although it has been a long time since the acronym was used, and most Israelis do not know the true meaning behind it, many today still call him Yeshu. “As believers in Jesus, we know that there is power in the name. They took away his name from the Hebrew word that means salvation (which is powerful) and they gave him this curse,” notes Sered. Even among his own people and in his own land, Jesus today is a stranger.

According to Sered, Israel is a popular tourist spot for Christians, but very few actually come to do missions work. Many don’t see Israel as an obvious choice for evangelism because it is a developed country, not some remote place in Africa. There is a lot Jewish people don’t know about Jesus, and the things they do know about him are often untruths.

For example, many were brought up and taught that the New Testament is antiSemitic.

Many Jewish people in Israel are, in fact, secular. “When we think of Jewish people, we think of the Orthodox. You know the ones who are dressed in black, and we think of them as people who believe in the Old Testament, but that’s only a minority of the Jewish people,” says Sered. “That’s 20 per cent of world Jewry. Most Jewish people are secular, either atheist or agnostic. So reaching them is not a lot different than reaching your average secular person in America or in Canada.”

But in a culture that’s so anti-Christian and so anti-Jesus, evangelism isn’t easy.

Even when Jewish people make the decision to follow Christ, they pay a price for believing. “You could lose your job, you could lose friends. It’s a really serious thing when you commit your life to the Lord here in the land,” says Sered.

28 | CONVERGE. january.february

2012

Translation from Hebrew: Yeshu=Yeshua=Yeshuah

Because the cost is so high, Sered believes more needs to be done by those outside of Israel. “There aren’t hardly enough missions organizations, Christian organizations, or Christians at all who come to Israel to bring the gospel,” he says. “Also important, maybe even more important, is prayer. We need God’s people to pray for the people of Israel to come to faith in Jesus, pray for the local body to be bold and pray for more workers in the field of Jewish evangelism in Israel.”

Sered himself was raised in a secular home with Jewish parents. “I always believed that God was real. But I really didn’t know what to believe. Judaism never really made sense to me — All the laws, and rules and regulations. I really never connected to Orthodox Judaism.”

When Sered was 15, his family moved to New York after his father, who worked for the Israeli government, was sent to serve in the Israeli consulate in Manhattan.

A few years later, while at university

Dan Sered, director of Jews for Jesus in Israel.

studying mathematics, Sered got a job tutoring. “One day, I was helping a girl named Dina with her math homework.

She recognized my accent and asked me if I was Russian. And I said, ‘No I’m Israeli’, and she said, ‘oh cool, I’m also Jewish,’” he recalls. Soon after Dina told him that she believed in Yeshua. “Because I’m fluent in Hebrew I know what Yeshuah means — it means salvation. But I never heard of such a name before. Nobody in Israel today is named Yeshua so I wasn’t sure who Dina was talking about. Dina told me that this Yeshua is actually Jesus.

I was really shocked at the fact that Jesus had a real Jewish name Yeshua, meaning salvation. I was really interested.”

Soon after, the two met for lunch. Dina opened the Old Testament scriptures and pointed to prophecies of the Messiah. She then turned to the New Testament and showed Sered how Yeshua (Jesus) had fulfilled all those prophecies.

“It made perfect sense and I came to believe,” reflects Sered. Two years later, he and Dina were married.

“Obviously, coming to faith is a very individual thing. I do think that many Jewish people are searching. They might have never heard of someone who was Jewish and believed in Jesus, they might have never realized that Jesus himself was Jewish. He was Israeli you know?”

Sered says with a chuckle. “And believing in him is the most Jewish thing that anybody could do.”

SHANE CLAIBORNE Interview By Craig Ketchum

Photo permission given by SimpleWay. Original photo by Tsar Fedorsky

Shane Claiborne is a founding partner of The Simple Way, a faith community in inner city Philadelphia that has been a New Monastic model for many faith communities around the world. He is the author of several books including The Irresistible Revolution: Living as an Ordinary Radical and co-author of Common Prayer: A Liturgy for Ordinary Radicals.

Claiborne travels and writes frequently about social justice, Jesus, and peacemaking. His work has been featured on Fox News, the Wall Street Journal, CNN, and National Public Radio.

We caught up with Claiborne while he was home in Philadelphia to talk missions, apostles, imagination, and discipleship.

[CRAIG] I was reading something by Randy Clark and Bill Johnson, discussing the office of an “apostle,” a vocation a lot of people feel is out of reach. Yet, they shed light on its original meaning, which is to be an emissary or agent of the conquering empire, sent to make the conquered territory like the empire. They would bring God’s kingdom in the way that Jesus preached, “on earth as it is in Heaven.” But you run into people all the time who take that idea politically, do you not?

[Shane Claiborne]

Well, I think what’s really beautiful about the language of the scripture and the gospel is that it is taking worldly language — imperial language — and flipping it on its head. It’s creating a sort of a satire or lampoon of the collision of the powers of this world with the patterns of the kingdom of God, with the last becoming first and the first last, with the mighty being cast from their thrones and the lowly lifted. With all those things, you know it’s a very deep contrast. Arguably, there is still a very political dynamic happening there; it’s just that it’s an upside-down politics.

Are there some terms that the church throws around that you would like to see reinterpreted?

Well, you know our whole book Jesus for President nods at a lot of that; even the title. I think it’s pretty clear that when the early Christians were saying, “Jesus is Lord,” they were saying “Caesar is not”. The term “kingdom of God” was the same as the word for “empire” and so that language of the reign of God coming is a beautiful and very relevant image.

30 | CONVERGE. january.february

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Especially today with all of the incredible questions that are being provoked around economics, I think Jesus’ admonition in the famous Lord’s Prayer, “Give us this day our daily bread” is a really beautiful and subversive prayer because in a sense you’re saying to pray for tomorrow’s bread is a violation of the prayer, and to pray for my bread is a violation of it. It’s a prayer about all of us having enough to eat for each day. When we live in a world where about one per cent owns around 50 per cent of the world’s stuff, and masses of people are living in poverty so a handful of people can live how they want, I think that the economics of, “Give us this day our daily bread” is incredibly relevant to our world as well as the world Jesus lived in.

I think the image of beating swords into ploughshares is incredibly beautiful in a world that is riddled with violence. The image that the prophets Isaiah and Micah bring is that we would turn the things that have brought death into the things that would cultivate life. I just wrote a little thing on Facebook about the B-53 bomb that the US dismantled. It had many times the power as the bomb on Hiroshima that killed 140,000 in one blast. I think the prayer of the prophets that Jesus points to when He said, “I bring peace, but not as the [empire] brings peace” is a stirring image. “Pick up the sword and you will die by the sword” is a pattern that we have lived enough, always trying to get rid of violence with violence.

Jesus is offering another way.

Jesus calls us to pray prayers that seem idealistic since they place faith in a superior reality that can invade the present one. What is the biggest challenge you see facing today’s church as they pursue the life of Jesus and walk in his footsteps?

Imagination. The book of Romans really offers that in the 12th chapter when it says do not be conformed to the patterns of this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. It really is about having a new imagination that is sparked by the spirit of God and having the openness to see the possibilities beyond what exists. That’s what faith is about. A friend of mine said, “Faith is believing despite the evidence and watching the evidence change.”

I think Bobby Kennedy said that some people look at the world and say, “Why?” and others dream of the world that could be and say, “Why not?” Many in the church point to the elements of faith and healing but there’s also an element of being able to imagine a world where people have their daily bread and folks don’t die of senseless diseases that cost a few dollars to prevent. The church has really lost a lot of its imagination, which is why we constantly point back to the early church, which had much sharing, love, and, possibility.

And they always had enough.

Right. I saw a study that shows young people are giving less to churches than ever before, and yet we are one of the most generous generations ever. What I think is happening is that we just don’t trust the church with our money because 90 per cent of church offerings are staying internally and we’re seeing bling-bling televangelists, church scandals, and folks that have preached health and wealth prosperity that doesn’t look like Jesus’ gospel.

But the Spirit is beautiful and able to overcome the embarrassing and imagination-less things we’ve done. There is always the possibility to be made new again.

What have you seen in your travels?

When I was in Iraq one of the hospital managers threw his hands up as the bombs were falling and cried, “This is for a world that has lost its imagination!” It echoes in my soul that so many of the patterns that we see right now stem from a loss of imagination, but there is a hunger stirring around the world to try to imagine

different patterns than the status quo. We may have to.

Some of the economic issues are causing us to rediscover near-lost arts like growing our own food, using alternate transportation and rediscovering community.

Hard times often make you use your imagination and you become more resilient.

www.IntercedeInternational.ca

Are you finding more people keen to erase labels and blur dividing lines that sustain the status quo?

Absolutely. We have heroes like G.K. Chesterton who said [and I’m paraphrasing], “If I’m too liberal for the conservatives and too conservative for the liberals, then I might be just where God wants me.” I think that there are a ton of folks who are political misfits and folks who are squirmy and don’t fit into political camps and categories. Further, I think Jesus challenged all of the camps and pulling the best out of them and challenging their worst. I think what we should be doing is aligning ourselves with God and working with whomever we can to advance the kingdom of God, but not pledging any deep allegiance to any party or platform that is inevitably going to fall short.

What scenarios have you experienced the most success in advancing the kingdom of God? Oh, mercy! Every day is filled with resurrection and hope. We’ve gotten to see a whole neighbourhood come to life after a fire burned down six houses and we’ve got a garden, aquaponics, and a mural now. We believe strongly that dead things can be brought back to life and ugly things can become beautiful again. It’s at the heart of our faith.

That provides a high watermark for imagination, as we were discussing earlier.

Yes. When I was in Iraq this time last year, I had some powerful experiences where I was invited warmly into people’s homes and got to speak at schools. At a school, there was a kid speaking Arabic and I asked the headmaster what he was saying. He replied that this boy was saying that he had never heard of this kind of Christianity before. What occurred to me was that, around the world, it’s not just the reputation of nations like America at stake but the integrity of the gospel. Folks have seen distorted versions of so-called Christianity with people burning Qur’ans and holding signs that say, “God hates fags.” But I am incredibly encouraged that there is a new generation of folks who want to see a Christianity that looks like Jesus again.

Give us your definition of discipleship.

My definition would include the formation of people into the likeness of Christ, or as Mother Teresa said, “to carry the fragrance of Christ.” To the world, Christians are supposed to remind the world of Jesus. It’s no coincidence that discipleship shares a root word with discipline. We need to create holy habits and it’s hard sometimes, like exercising.

There’s a beautiful quote that talks about discipleship without discipline from Henri Nouwen. It says, “Discipleship calls for discipline, sharing the root word ‘to learn from’, and should never be separated. Whereas discipline without discipleship leads to rigid formalism, discipleship without discipline ends in sentimental romanticism.” That’s a good line! It’s beautiful. convergemagazine.com

| 31

gardener

The Man

God

HasN't Called You to Be

warrior

By Mathew Block

w h at t h e “ch r i s t i a n m a sc u l i n i t y ” m ov e m e n t k e e p s g e t t i n g w ro n g The Church has been inundated recently with a glut of books and articles on what it means to be a Christian man. But while we should think holistically about our identities — including gender roles — it is unfortunate so much of the material glorifies what can only be called “macho” Christianity. The standard tenant of the movement is simple: “God calls men to be warriors.” The problem is that this tenant draws more on society's understanding of masculinity than it does the scriptural witness.

Not that this is a new idea. Contemporary discussions of masculinity in the church stem from the “muscular Christianity” movement of the 19th century. As society began to embrace a more macho understanding of masculinity, Christian men feared they were losing face. That fear led Thomas Hughes in 1880 to lament the apparent “want of manliness” among Christian men. People were beginning to believe, he said, “that this weakness is inherent in our English religion; that our Christianity does appeal and must appeal habitually and mainly to men's fears — to that in them which is timid and shrinking, rather than to that which is courageous and outspoken.”

The answer, Hughes argued, was for men to rediscover

32 | CONVERGE. january.february

2012

true Christian masculinity: “The conscience of every man recognizes courage as the foundation of manliness,” he wrote, “and manliness as the perfection of human character.” Should Christian men repress this innate masculinity, he feared, then “Christianity will go to the wall.”

The words reflect the growing opinion of his day that Christian men must embrace a manly faith or face ridicule from the world around them. The modern fascination with masculine Christianity was underway, and its central thrust was that real Christian men ought to be warriors.

The fact that the Christian masculinity movement arose more because of a changing definition of masculinity in the 19th century than through a faithful rereading of the Scriptures does not, of course, mean all of its conclusions are wrong.

Men should be concerned with developing and maintaining a healthy lifestyle — with loving the Lord our God with our bodies in addition to our hearts, souls, and minds. But there is something seriously wrong with the cookie-cutter approach taken by much of the masculinity movement.

If you are man, the authors say, then you are called by God to be first and foremost a soldier. Be it Wild at Heart's suggestion

that, “in the heart of all men, there is a desperate desire for a battle to fight,” or a more recent Converge article's suggestion that mixed martial arts is a healthy expression of man's God-given fighter-instinct, the same underlying assumption remains: men are created to be warriors.

And that — pardon my bluntness — is just plain wrong.

The “warrior” cannot be our fundamental identity. After all, the biblical concept of battle is one primarily of response to outward aggression: a shepherd boy becomes a warrior after the Philistines invade; the Israelites are oppressed and then a Judge rises to protect them. Even when God sends the Hebrews to claim the land promised to their ancestors, it is clear these people are not warriors by birth. They were born slaves; they have to learn the art of warfare.

The great heroes of the Bible become warriors because the situation demands it, not because it is somehow part of man's innate nature. Any man can become a warrior if necessary, and, indeed, it sometimes is necessary. But it is not what he was created to be. It is not the core of his masculinity. It is not, for that matter, something limited to men; Deborah, too, was a warrior.

But being a warrior should never be the ultimate goal. The Scriptures are clear that the opposite is true: at the end of things, “nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore” (Isaiah 2:4).

Even God is not, at His core, a warrior; He wars solely because of outward opposition. He can be in and of Himself good; He can be in and of Himself loving (expressing that love between the Persons of the Trinity). But He cannot be, in and of Himself, a warrior. That role exists only because others challenge God. It is necessary only because of sin.

To see God's original plan for men, look to a time before sin necessitated the warrior role. Begin with Adam — and note carefully, dear readers, when God created man, he created him to be a gardener, not a warrior. Hardly the great hero of the Christian masculinity movement.

What kind of man did God create Adam to be? We know, of course, that God made this gardener in his own image.

But what does that mean? For one thing, it includes the idea of creativity. Just as God created and filled the universe with wondrous things, so too He commands man to “fill the earth.” There's a reason we call sex “procreation” — it is the act of “creating forth,” and in some small way, it imitates the creative activity of God. Man was also called from the beginning to “subdue” the earth. This reflects God's identity as ruler. As God rules over

all creation, humanity is also called to bear authority over the world. But just as God governs his creation with good — indeed, “very good” — intentions, we must also govern wisely. Adam is to be a caring gardener-king, not a tyrant.

Of course, these two commands to fill the earth and subdue it are given not only to men, but to women as well: “male and female he created them,” after all. But things fall apart when sin enters the world. Men are suddenly told that they shall bring forth food through hard work and toil. While nothing prevents a woman from aiding her husband in that work (such partnership and companionship were the impetus of her creation), ultimate responsibility for getting it done now falls on the man. The carefree gardener has become the care-full provider, supporting his wife and his family through arduous labour.

That responsibility to care for family

deners, not warriors. We are to be diligent labourers, patiently undertaking the hard work of cultivating and caring for our families, churches, and communities. We are called, like Christ, to lay down our lives for our brides, sacrificing our own needs and desires for theirs.

This is the biblical model of manhood — not drawing the sword at every opportunity (for those who live by the sword will die by the sword), but instead, supporting our wives, children, and communities “by the sweat of our faces” up to, and including, the point at which that sweat becomes “great drops of blood falling down to the ground.”

Do you want to know how you should live as a Christian man? Love the Lord your God and immerse yourself in His Word. If you are married, care for your wife and children. If you are single, serve your neighbours. For this is what it means to be a Christian man: to recognize that

t h e g r e at h e ro e s o f t h e b i b l e b e co m e wa r r i o r s

b ec ause th e sit uation dem a n ds it,

n ot b e c au s e i t i s so m e h ow pa rt o f m a n's i n n at e n at u r e . is explained more fully in Paul's letter to the Ephesians, where he wrote that “the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church” (5:23).

While Scripture may delegate the role of spiritual headship to men, that does not give men carte blanche to act tyrannically. We are called to lead, Paul writes, as Christ led. So how did Christ lead?

And what does that tell us about what it means to be a Christian man?

The answer is as simple as it is humbling: “Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her” (Eph. 5:25). The great leadership men are called to exercise in the family (and, by extension, the church and society) is one of sacrifice. We are to put wife and child before ourselves. We are to give up everything — even our lives — to ensure they are provided for in their physical and spiritual needs.

As we do so, we must bear in mind who we truly are as Christian men: sinners.

We cannot, as Christian men, lead others until we recognize that, of our own strength, we are unfit to lead. But even though we are insufficient to the task, God has called us to it and He is capable of working through us, despite our brokenness. We need His mercy when we exercise servant leadership, just as much as we need it in every other part of life.

We are called, like Adam, to be gar-

you are a sinner, forgiven by God, and then to live a life of service. You do not need to be “wild at heart;” our hearts are wild enough with sin already. No, our hearts need to be tamed by the blood of Christ.

Then, having been loved and forgiven by God, we can begin the hard work of loving and serving others through his strength.

So lay down the sword of the masculinity movement and pick up the plow of biblical Christianity. Yes, in expectation of the great promise of God's kingdom, let us “beat our swords into plowshares and our spears into pruning hooks” (Isaiah 2:4) — for God has not called men to be warriors but gardeners.

Mathew Block is the newly appointed editor of The Canadian Lutheran magazine and communications manager for Lutheran Church, Canada. He blogs on theology and culture at captainthin.net.

www.IntercedeInternational.ca

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The

Gridiron

FAITH of

By Shara Lee Photos by Agnon Wong of Art Department

Humble beginnings: What goes into the making of a professional athlete? Some would say equal parts dedication, love for the game, and talent. Shawn Gore, receiver for the B.C. Lions and 2011 Grey Cup Champion, would add faith in God and an incredibly supportive mother to that list.

Gore grew up in Toronto and was raised by a single mother from Antigua. She had come to Canada looking for a better life for her and her son. “There were times where we were in tough spots but it didn’t seem that way. She took all the burden and didn’t show me the reality of the situation we were in,” says Gore of his mother. “But growing older you realize these things. It couldn’t have been easy [for her] being alone.”

Gore tells us that the one constant support they had was the church. “I spent a lot of time in the church. It’s pretty much all I’ve known. Sunday you wake up, go to church, Friday you might have Bible study or youth group. And it’s always what I’ve been involved in. It kept me out of trouble, kept me focused, really guided me to achieve. A lot of people at the church really pushed me to get higher education, go to university, and just excel at whatever it is you’re supposed to do,” recalls Gore.

As a child Gore loved all kinds of sports and played everything from basketball to ice hockey. While many kids grow up dreaming of becoming a pro athlete, he

was just content to play for the love of each game. It was in high school that he decided to focus more on football, but only because he enjoyed it. “I’m a person who always thinks in the moment and I always focus on the moment,” and he goes on in his unwittingly ungaurded style. “My last year of high school I was like, I’m enjoying playing football maybe, I can continue.”

Gore decided to pursue a degree in Sociology with minors in Criminology and Sport and Health studies at Bishop’s University in Sherbrooke, Quebec. “I knew I had to do something that I was interested in otherwise I wouldn’t do the work,” says Gore. While away at school, he admits to losing a bit of spiritual discipline. “Being away from home I didn’t go to church as much. It’s a party university, you can get caught up in a lot of things and I did,” says Gore.

Breaking Point: While he may have gotten caught up in a few of the wrong things, he still managed to stay focused enough on football to impress scouts during his third and fourth years. Gore was recruited to the NFL’s Green Bay Packers right out of university. The transition was difficult for him — mentally and emotionally. “I left my country, left all my friends, family, everything I’ve known, and I was in a very uncomfortable environment where day in day out you're being being criticized and scrutinized,” recalls Gore. "Times where I felt like I just couldn’t do anything right and just didn’t feel that I deserved to be there, should be there, or that I was capable of it.

You can really have your confidence broken down.”

It was a phone call home that helped lift his spirits. “I remember calling my mother and being like, this is tough, I’m not sure I really wanna do this. And my mom said this simple thing that she always tells me. ‘Just pray. Just ask for God to be with you and pull you through this,’” says Gore. That’s exactly what he did.

From then on he started praying consistently all throughout training camp. During this time he really felt his faith growing. “When I prayed it created a sense of relief. I just knew everything would be okay . . . I just knew that I could find a peace with God,” he says. Up until this point a relationship with God had almost been secondary to everything else in life. This breaking point, although difficult, brought him back to faith in a real way.

Winning the Championship: For Gore, faith and sport go hand in hand. In fact, he sees them as almost the same thing. “You need the same drive, you need the same devotion and dedication,” he says. This journey of the B.C. Lions this season has been a perfect illustration of sport’s redemptive nature.

“We started the season 0 and 5 and a lot of people said it was impossible to win the Grey Cup.” says Gore. No team had ever won the Grey Cup after starting that poorly. It was even unlikely that they would make the playoffs. But the Lions knew this was what they really wanted and persevered.

“Slowly we started to win and slowly we put ourselves in a position to reach the playoffs. It’s the same thing with faith. There are a lot of people who are in positions that look very bleak. They don’t believe that there is an out. But if you stay on the course, really stay trapped in God, there will be breaks and eventually things will start to work out. God has a plan. When things work out for you, you can eventually look back and say, ‘this is why,’” says Gore.

According to Gore, before every game head coach Wally Buono would read a passage from a certain motivational book. The morning of the Grey Cup game Buono read a passage from the book that read, “All things are possible through God.” It was certainly true that day.

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Game Talk: Physically, training as a professional athlete requires discipline. Gore says that the off-season is actually more grueling.

During this time he does a lot of stretching exercises to increase flexibility, jogging to keep his cardio up, and high repetition weights to maintain strength. “There are just a wide variety of things that are possible. I try to maximize my time by working on things that will help me improve for that receiving position,” says Gore.

During the season, training looks slightly different. “The morning is very cerebral, very mental, we do a lot of meetings, a lot of watching video on our opponents, and getting a new game plan,” Gore explains.

After that, the team has a two-hour field practice. This is sometimes followed by a bit of weight lifting.

While they might train a lot, if you think the game of football is purely physical, Gore would be the first to tell you otherwise. “Physically, we’re all the same,” he says. “It’s very mental; it’s a chess game.

We do what we do based on what we think the opposing team is gonna do. There’s a lot more than just going out there and running around.”

There’s also another interesting dynamic comes into play — the team dynamic. Gore says there is great camaraderie between teammates. “We have to have faith in each other. After going through so much you grow a love and respect for them that can never be destroyed. Being able to accomplish something with others; you can’t get that by yourself.”

Gore has no plans to slow down. “I just want to take it as far as it can go. I wanna do as much as I can as well as I can. I know this off-season is gonna take a lot of training, mentally and physically. I wanna be able to do that so we can get back to the championship.”

It's the little things, "attention to detail," as he puts it, that make for a good game of football. Again elaborating on the similarities of faith and sport Gore says that it is also the little things that help to build a relationship with God. Whether it's getting to church on time, praying, or reading the Bible, Gore knows that these small actions will bolster his faith and help him achieve the ultimate goal of eternity in the kingdom of heaven.

Q&A

Q: What is your favourite football or sport movie?

A: Sport movie is probably Rocky.

Football fans are probably going to hate me for that one. Football movie is Any Given Sunday I love that movie, I have both of those at home on blu-ray.

Q: Your favorite football player?

A: Growing up I had a few. In the CFL, it had to be Milt Stegall and Geroy Simon.

I was always a receiver, so I looked up to receivers like them. In the NFL Jerry Rice. He was the best.

Q: Do you play hockey?

A: When I was younger, I played two years of ice hockey. I tried to cover all the bases with sports when I was young.

Once in a while I lace up the skates, get out there, but I’m not that good.

Q: What do you do in your down time?

A: Straight to the video games. I’ve been playing a lot of those. I play all genres, all types. During the season, I cannot play Madden or any football games. In the off-season I play a lot. Its funny, it only takes me about two weeks after the season to get the itch to play again.

Q: What is your favorite video game?

A: I’ve been playing a lot of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3. And I love racing games. I just think I’m really good at them and I usually win. I like what I win at.

Q: Do you watch any TV? A: I was at a restaurant two days ago and the star actor of Entourage was there. I'm pretty sure I was the only person in the entire place that had no clue who he was.

It just shows you how little TV I watch. I think I just have to be really interactive with whatever I’m doing.

Q: First date, what do you do?

A: Alright, I’ll tell you my secret. I keep it fun. I think you gotta go somewhere open, somewhere you can talk. The movie thing is not a good idea. I would go to the beach or maybe a walk on the harbour, somewhere you can talk.

Q: What’s your favourite food?

A: Anything my mom cooks. Definitely.

For some reason she cooks eggs that are better than anyone else’s eggs. It doesn’t really matter what it is. Whatever she cooks is probably my favourite.

Q: Advice for future athletes?

A: Play a lot. Do everything and don’t shut one thing out. Find the love and make it important to you.

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By Karl Persson

Ye fearful saints, fresh courage take; The clouds ye so much dread Are big with mercy and shall break In blessings on your head.

— William Cowper, Light Shining Out of Darkness (God Moves in Mysterious Ways)

The Problem of William Cowper

I

n Evangelical circles, the story of slave-trader-turned-pastor John Newton is well known, as is his justly famous hymn, “Amazing Grace.” Lesser known in these circles is the story of his friend, William Cowper (pronounced “Cooper”), an evangelical Christian and poet who suffered from chronic depression throughout his life. In his autobiographical memoir, he describes his first experience of depression in terms that will be familiar to many who suffer from this illness: I was struck not long after my settlement in the Temple [district of London] such a dejection of spirits, as none but they who have felt the same, can have the least conception of. Day and night I was upon the rack, lying down in horror and rising up in despair. I presently lost all relish for those studies to which I had before been closely attached; the classics no longer had any charms for me; I had need of something more salutary than amusement, but I had not one to direct me where to find it.

This harrowing description is all the more difficult to read in light of the knowledge that Cowper never fully recovered from depression even after his conversion. Like most who are chronically depressed, Cowper went through various ups and downs. In his better moments, he could process his experience through hymns and poetry, as evidenced in the above lines from his hymn popularly known as “God Moves in Mysterious Ways.” In his worse moments, he was convinced God had unequivocally rejected him for committing the unforgiveable sin, and he attempted suicide on a number of occasions. Tragically, he died a committed Christian, convinced that God had specially chosen him to be damned. In one of his final poems, “The Castaway,” he compares his situation to that of a sailor washed overboard to drown alone in the sea: No voice divine the storm allay'd, No light propitious shone; When, snatch'd from all effectual aid, We perish'd, each alone: But I beneath a rougher sea, And whelm'd in deeper gulphs than he. convergemagazine.com

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Cowper’s 21st Century Heirs

T

hough Cowper’s generation would not have used the modern term “depression” to describe his illness, descriptions of it match those of modern patients diagnosed with depression. I therefore suggest that our Christian response to this story (or lack thereof) is an indicator of our response to depressed persons in our own Christian communities. Their testimonies are rarely shared publically in church. Even when they are shared, it is often in terms of past experience; Christians seem to prefer stories of people who have already recovered from depression rather than stories of those who are still depressed. Deep down, there is a part of us that is uncomfortable with the threat such people pose to our faith: the awful and insidious experience of chronic depression seems to testify against all the things we proclaim about God — where in the scheme of God’s mercy, grace, and healing can there be room for that darkness? Faced with this apparent threat to our faith, we do our best to ignore depression and consequently do little to acknowledge those suffering from it. Our lives are shaped by the stories we remember from the Bible and broader Christian tradition, and when we forget stories such as that of William Cowper, our lives reflect such negligence. In response to this negligence, how might the church develop enough theological girth to honor the stories of depressed Christians, and make space for ministry to them?

At a Loss For Words: Evangelical Silence in the Face of Depression

T

he first question, of course, is whether one ought to make such space in the first place. In some theologies, depression is interpreted in entirely spiritual terms; such traditions usually suggest that those who suffer from it do not have enough faith, or have given in to spiritual despair, often demonically induced. Such thinking is usually paired with a belief that nearly everything can be reduced to matters of spiritual rather than physical causality, so that physical responses to depression, such as medication, are avoided. Relying on medication is seen as a compromise of faith, a reliance on medicine rather than on God. Although such theology is only marginally discussed in many Evangelical churches, it often remains the backdrop for the discussion of faith and depression, a presupposition left innocent until proven guilty. Pastors might not proclaim from the pulpit that depression is a sign of sin, or that there is a problem if one takes medication or is not healed, but in many such cases what is not stated can be as damaging as what is. Many churches, like the societies around them, mistake the appearance of happiness for the truth of Christian joy, and so are not comfortable with Christians who disturb this appearance. Members of such communities are not, in theory, opposed to addressing issues of depression — they simply avoid it by refusing to share with their congregants a theological grammar for dealing with sorrow and pain. In this avoidance, they do not address the theological problems with overspiritualizing matters of depression, and so let the more extreme voices in the church set the implicit tone of the conversation.

Working in tandem with such implicit theologies is the more sophisticated “worldview” conversation popular in intellectual Christian circles. As James K. A. Smith points out in Desiring the Kingdom, such conversations favor the intellect and mind over all other parts of the person; a correctly held worldview is the determining factor in the success or failure of a Christian’s faith. The problem for those with depression, however, is the very cognition with which they are expected to wield their

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worldview. From a worldviewish perspective, how can one offer hope to someone whose mind is so tormented that the cognitive formulation of a “worldview” is a burden too heavy to bear?

Though not necessarily intentional, “worldview” discussion often ends up alienating those struggling with cognitive and emotional issues such as depression.

Hipster Openness and the Loss of Christian Covenant

A

s we might expect, such reticence to deal with depression is tied to modernity’s habit of glossing over realities that might mar its ostensible “progress.” And Christians of our generation are right to abandon such modernity in favor of a more honest and holistic transparency regarding thorny issues. Yet, there is also something in the “emergent” or “hipster” Christian culture that makes me wonder if its communities have the resources to sustain honesty about matters such as depression. The postmodernism from which it takes its cues may be big on openness and “letting it all hang out,” but its greatest weakness is in the area of commitment, what the Bible would call covenant. For ironic and untrusting postmoderns, premature commitment is the deadliest of sins. If Biblical community is based on remembering the covenants God has made with us from creation onward, postmodern “community” is based on the liturgy of the mall, which, as Stanley Hauerwas suggests in his article The Christian Difference, is designed to make us focus on the present and forget that we have histories tying us together.

A Christianity informed by such postmodern thought has little shame; lust, violence, and tyranny are breakfast-table topics. What worries me, however, is that the often arbitrary collage of disconnected fragments held up as the model of postmodern honesty has no narrative through which to process the very topics about which it is honest. The problem is brilliantly typified in the recent film Drive. The violence in Ryan Gosling’s character is very “open,” but there is no narrative strong enough to deal with it. The film offers no history through which it can be understood, and while the narrative of familial ties proves

Christians seem to prefer stories of people who have already recovered from depression rather than stories of those who are still depressed.

Deep down, there is a part of us that is uncomfortable with the threat such people pose to our faith . . . where in the scheme of God’s mercy, grace, and healing can there be room for that darkness?

powerful enough to induce the character to take great risks, it has no capacity to deal with the forces that leave him driving down the road alone and dying at the end of the film. The film’s bleak conclusion typifies postmodern “honesty.” Such honesty is arguably bought at the price of the remembered stories that guarantee our covenants with God and each other. In our haste to abandon the caricatured versions of these stories produced by modernity, we abandon to our hurt our only mainstays against the irony and isolation of postmodern “community.” We thereby destroy our resources for dealing with the very issues we are honest about.

Breaking the Silence and Speaking Well of God

S

o where might we turn for help? With regard to modernity’s habit of overlooking depression, I suggest we might be usefully corrected by the Biblical book of Job. Job’s seemingly impious challenge to God is a scandal, albeit a scandal ratified by nothing less than Christ’s reference to Psalm 22 on the cross, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”

At the end of Job, we learn that the title character spoke well of God where his friends didn’t. This does not mean that Job had the cosy camaraderie so often mistaken for a personal relationship with God. What it does mean is that sentiments such as those expressed in Job do not compromise our testimony to God’s character. Rather, excluding such sentiments is a matter of lying about God, which is the same as taking his name – indeed His very character – in vain.

Taking Creation Seriously

J

ob also speaks to those who overspiritualize depression by emphasizing the “createdness” of creation. Behind all the argumentative wrangling in Job is the question of the natural world: Are the world and its contents mere pawns in the hands of a God who bats them about according to arbitrary and capricious whims, or are they something more complex? If the former, then Job’s comforters — and by extension those who reduce the workings of the cosmos to merely spiritual causes —

are quite right: what one does with the physical world does not in fact matter all that much. Yet God, in his response to Job, shatters such a view. The forces of the created world are real, and often terrifyingly so; you cannot catch Leviathan with a hook. The creation must be reckoned with on its own vexing but God-given terms, and it cannot be bypassed by those who see it as a direct correlative to spiritual affairs in the heavenly realms, or others who want to pass over physiological explanations of depression in favor of purely spiritual ones.

The Church as a Space of Covenantal Refuge and Vicarious Rejoicing

S

imilarly, the physicality of creation and the physical response required by Job in his suffering – that he may see his redeemer in the f lesh — reminds us that more is needed than a mere cognitive reorientation of one’s worldview. What is needed is the communion of saints, bound together by the f lesh and blood of Christ, which is indeed real food and real drink. Such a communion resists the postmodern impulse to dither about in a chaos of “honesty” unmoored from history and covenant. As communities we do not lose sight of the hope and joy toward which Christian eschatology always works, and which we remind each other of daily. Yet, within such communities of sustained hope and joy, we also make room for individuals who need to rely on us to hope and rejoice vicariously on their behalf. Knowing the kindness and patience of God toward us, we can care for depressed fellows, not as threats, but as blessings, knowing that their act of putting themselves in the way of Christian hope, even if they may not fully experience it till heaven, is an embodiment of faith, a type of Abraham looking for a promised land he cannot yet see. Such an Abraham will neither pretend to have reached the promised land when he has not, nor will he presume that God is not guiding him because he has not yet seen it. If we can make our churches places of haven and support for such people, we will have come a long way indeed in helping the spiritual heirs of William Cowper, hoping for God yet presently tormented by “the clouds they so much dread.”

convergemagazine.com

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IN HER CLOSET

WINTER BASICS

By Yvadney Davis

N

ew year, new start! Make sure your fashion resolution is refreshing, cosy, and practical without compromising on style. Now if your budget is worse for wear after the Christmas season, let your favourite pieces work doubleduty and take you from day through to night.

Get ready to update your wardrobe with this sugary sweet look. As the coldest season in the year, this is your opportunity to layer up on thick jerseys and fur (faux, of course). Just keep your colours and textures light and feminine. Mix muted pastels with creams and greys for the ultimate vintage ski bunny look.

Night:

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2012

Day: Fuzzy, cozy and furry? Have a little fur to jazz up your everyday go-toschool look while keeping it casual.

Use it again as a statement peice while on a date for Valentines dinner.

IN HIS CLOSET

WINTER BASICS

APRĂˆS

Day:

Guys: black, navy and brown are so yawn. If you want to perfect the dapper style of après cool, you need to go for shades of grey, beige, and denim blue. Introduce chunky knits and fur (still faux) to your utilitarian basics; think denim and cargo. To up the sartorial charm for a smarter look, add a blazer.

Night: Dress up or dress down.

Wear a grandpa vest over a demin shirt and throw on a warm blazer to dress things up.

pssst....!

Make the most with what you have!

Save some cash and re-use pieces from your 'Day' look to make your 'Night' look.

On warm days, roll up your slacks for a casual day time look.

Photos by Casey Phaisalakani convergemagazine.com

| 43

The Search for

LOVE in Cinema

Ask any relationship counsellor, and they will tell you prolonged ruts are detrimental to a healthy romance.

How can love be exciting when the couple is simply going through the motions with nary a spark of inspiration or enthusiasm?

Sadly, the same charge can be levelled at the Hollywood romantic comedy. Once an infectiously winning formula for fizzy, sexy populist entertainment, the genre is now regularly treated as second-tier counter programming to male-oriented CG blockbusters, lazily hammered together from creaky old parts in order to draw the oft-ignored female demographic to the multiplex. Scan a list of the last two years’ top-grossing romantic comedies and you will see joyless derivative filler à la No Strings Attached, Just Go With It, Valentine’s Day, and The Bounty Hunter.

Talk about a turn-off!

It’s kind of strange the genre has fallen into such dreary condition. Historically, romantic comedies creatively flourished in times of social unrest. The Great Depression spawned fast-talking screwball comedies, which included hilarious masterpieces like It Happened One Night, The Philadelphia Story, and Bringing Up Baby. Likewise, the bleak American mood of the 1970s — still shaken by the Vietnam War, Watergate, and crippling recession — ultimately led to wryly con-

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templative romantic meditations by filmmakers such as Woody Allen (Annie Hall, Manhattan), Blake Edwards (10), and Albert Brooks (Modern Romance).

Certainly, both bumper crops sought to achieve very different aims. The screwballs taught that love was capable of conquering any crisis, and that both partners could share equal ground in a relationship, whereas the latter neuroticismtinged efforts typically deconstructed the cinematic love story by emphasizing the seemingly insurmountable differences between the sexes. The best of each tackled their message with dazzling originality and razor-sharp wit, and made the act of watching movie stars fall in (or even out of) love enchanting.

One might hope that, given North America’s current economic uncertainty, intriguing filmmakers would be drawn to the genre, eager to re-examine the nature of comedic on-screen courtship.

Unfortunately, this hasn’t been the case.

Of 2011’s underwhelming output, only Woody Allen’s delightful (and independently financed) Midnight in Paris man-

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HAVE YOU SEEN? coming soon: ages to instill some compelling ideas into its frothy, crowd-pleasing mixture of sweeping period romance and luxurious travelogue footage. In his low-key fairy tale, the legendary writer/director sweetly questions our tendency to over-idealize the past — a popular genre trope — while also reaffirming the stirring power of a storybook ending.

Viewing Paris, or any number of classics, it becomes abundantly clear how desperately wanting the genre has become for strong, clever dialogue writers.

Recall the mesmerizing back-and-forth verbal sparring in films like His Girl

subtleties of elegant, amusing language to bring it to magical life. Katherine Heigl and James Marsden may look fetching together in 27 Dresses, yet, because they have nothing interesting to say, you can't get emotionally caught up in their tumultuous affair.

The question is, who’s capable of shaking up the status quo? There aren’t many Billy Wilders, Howard Hawks or Frank Capras to inject much-needed artistic energy these days. Judd Apatow is our most influential mainstream rom-com voice but, to date, his work is typically centered more on the raunchy

In recent years, the necessity of snappy dialogue has taken a backseat to plot, which is a hopeless miscalculation given the relative inf lexibility of rom-com story structure.

Friday or When Harry Met Sally, where seduction took the form of comic oneupmanship. The appeal of the characters wasn’t so much their physical beauty, as it was their smart, quick, funny, and wonderful company. Who wouldn’t want to be with them?

In recent years, the necessity of snappy dialogue has taken a backseat to plot, which is a hopeless miscalculation given the relative inflexibility of rom-com story structure. We know the couple will “meet cute,” have postcard-perfect dates, an unfortunate second act misunderstanding, and a blissful closing reunion. As far as plots go, it’s a fine one (just ask Shakespeare!), but it requires the pleasurable

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inner-workings of male relationships than in the actual pursuit of love.

Although Will Gluck (Easy A) and Paul Feig (Bridesmaids) show promise, they’re still too green for audiences to place their full trust in.

Gifted storytellers are crucial to the success of any genre, and it is high time the romantic comedy benefited from the wealth of interesting talent swirling about. Remind us what it feels like to laugh and be entertained by the promise of everlasting devotion between charismatic actors. Because, if this grim pattern continues, Hollywood may start to really see ticket-buyers lose that loving feeling.

Footnote February 24, 2012 What if your greatest rival was your closest relative? Footnote is a comic and tragic tale of father and son, glory and sabotage, truth, and family.

Gone February 24, 2012 A suspense thriller where Jill (played

by Amanda Seyfried) is up against cops, time and a killer who abducted her sister in place of herself.

The Lorax March 2, 2012 Dr. Suess' classic tale follows the journey of a 12-year-old boy and the charmingly grumpy Lorax.

Mirror Mirror March 16, 2012 In this Snow White movie, Julia Roberts plays the smartmouthed evil queen while Snow White bands with seven dwarf highway robbers to take back her kingdom.

HAVE YOU HEARD?

By Tracy Le

David Crowder Band Give Us Rest (A Requiem Mass in C [The Happiest of All Keys]) Christian, electronic rock, worship Waco, Texas January 10, 2012 A somewhat bittersweet album release, David Crowder Band presents their 6th and final album titled Give Us Rest. The band has been creating a unique sound since it first landed in the worship music scene in 2000. David Crowder is easily deemed one of the most progressive and eclectic within the contemporary Christian music genre. Knowing well many fans will light a candle of lament for the band’s final album, Give Us Rest does uniquely extend all gratitude by offering a compilation of 34 tracks on two discs. The first single “Let Me Feel You Shine” is an introduction to what is an epic and triumphant collection of songs illustrating that in the end there is a new beginning. The band’s unique style stays true to the very end with touches of pop, rock, bluegrass and electronic vibes.

Rend Collective Experiment Homemade Worship by Handmade People Liturgical post-rock meets uppity folk Northern Ireland January 10, 2012 Recorded in a castle in a small town in Northern Ireland, the second album from a big circle of friends called Rend Collective Experiment (six official members who tour joined occasionally by an additional 10), are people of praise known to favor faith over fame and originality over the ordinary. Their lyrics and sounds are organic and tend to linger with you track by track. They are also supported by a persistent gang of brass and percussions that give ears melodious consistency. There’s a force the album sways us into that is hypnotic and equivalent to what it might feel like to be breathing in the spirit of something beautiful and majestic — perhaps like standing by a castle in Ireland.

Bethel Music The Loft Sessions Worship Alternative-acoustic California January 24, 2012 Bethel Music is unique in that their music ministry also mixes and produces a number of other artists under the umbrella of the “Bethel Music” label. Hailing from Bethel Church, these folks bring anything but 'small' to their first official self-titled (non-live) album, The Loft Sessions. The first song off the record is a beautifully softer and soothing remake of “One Thing Remains.” The album has a tinge of winter holiday feel and is entirely too easy to enjoy. The Loft Sessions will corral a community through a symphony of songs that make the inside feel pure and well. With the unique male/female lead vocals staggered throughout the tracks, the variety of praise leads one to simply “draw near” and dwell.

HAVE YOU READ? The Cost of Community Jamie Arpin-Ricci, C.J.

From the hills of Assisi to the inner city streets of Winnipeg, the reader is invited into the heart of Jesus' most famous and powerful sermon.

The Resignation of Eve Jim Henderson

Ingrid Michaelson Human Again Indie-pop Staten Island, New York January 24, 2012

Dr. Dog Be The Void Psychedelic Rock West Grove, Pennsylvania February 7, 2012

In her achingly beautiful lead single “Ghost,” Ingrid Michaelson, (best known for her unique shade of red hair, glasses, and songs deemed catchy and adorable) shows us growth in her songwriting skills and ability to write tracks far superior to the typical uppity and cheery love songs that flood the mainstream music scene. In Human Again listeners can expect a more raw and darker sound to be represented by this velvety voiced musician, especially with lyrics like “And I’m lost and I’m broken down the middle of my heart, heart . . . you know you make me a ghost.” The song “Ghost” gives a touching yet eerie introduction to Human Again, but knowing Ingrid and her quality of connecting with hearts, this album is sure to bring light to even such darkness.

Indie roots band Dr. Dog will be returning this year with new bells and whistles.

Their February release titled, Be The Void will erupt eardrums with the familiar twang and symphonic pop most fans are acquainted with, but there is a greater emphasis on guitar strings that really deliver a liberating rock ‘n’ roll album.

Their seventh album intentionally hits the beats harder (the guitar is much louder) while maintaining the band’s signature enthusiasm and feel-good energy. This is definitely evident in their single, “That Old Black Hole.”

The author explores why there is an onslaught of devoted but discouraged Christian women turning away from their faith.

1Q84

Haruki Murakami Neither (yet also) a love, mystery, fantasy or selfdiscovery story, 1Q84 throws the reader into a bizzare, winding world.

The Art of Fielding Chad Harbach

Baseball star Henry Skrimshander is destined for the big leagues until a throw goes off course, affecting the fate of five lives.

The Cat's Table Michael Ondaatje

A spellbinding story of an 11-year-old boy's journey aboard a ship bound for England.

l ast word

A

number of my friends have recently gone through the adoption process. Some of their children have come from overseas and some from just a few cities away. Each couple that has adopted went through a very significant time of longing, waiting, preparing, and anxiety about whether or not the adoption would actually be finalized. Likewise, each birth mom and child went through their own significant time of waiting. How difficult it must be to wonder if you will ever have a family, your own bed, and a place to belong. How agonizing it must be not to know if the child you hope to adopt will be provided for in the meantime. How hard it must be to anticipate the possibility of becoming the mother or father of a little life that needs you! Everyone involved in the adoption process is carrying a significant burden as they wait, wait, and wait.

Any season of waiting can unravel our heartstrings. Our greatest doubts and fears surface as we sit, out-of-control, wondering if our vulnerable desires are being played with. Some days of waiting are filled with hopeful songs upon good news from the frontlines. Some days, we are tempted to resign ourselves to the disappointment that we feel is sure to come. And sometimes, we resolve the tension prematurely by deciding how things will turn out, even though doing so requires shutting off from the full reality of the situation.

Sometimes, we bargain with God: “If you give me this, then I will know you love me.” Or, “If you come through here, I will trust you.” Or, “If you provide in the way I want you to, I will never ever doubt you again, Lord!” We try to create leverage that would make God responsible for providing for us in a specific way. And while God understands, knows, and cares about our deep desires, He’s not a compulsive giver, who reacts with the instinct of a people-pleaser. He’s too wise, patient, and loving to respond in this way.

Many of us have heard the phrase, “God is never late, but He’s always on time.” While these words can be frustrating to hear, they are also very true. Thankfully so! We do not want shortlived satiation — we want life-changing, heart-altering, personforming provision. But our hearts must be prepared to hold this kind of provision from God. Seasons of waiting are those seasons that enable us to actually receive the gift when it is given.

Raw desire is a good place to start, but desire alone won’t make us good parents, spouses, artists, or leaders. As we allow ourselves to be formed more and more by the waiting process, we gain a wiser, wide-lens perspective that helps us see our specific desires as examples of our deepest desires: to be loved, to be fulfilled, to give, to receive, to make a difference, to be known.

Our specific desires provide God physical forms through which to fill our deepest desires, but they are not the source of fulfillment in and of themselves. Therefore, we can never hold them responsible for giving us what we fully want and need. And here is where I have had powerful “come to Jesus” moments that have changed my life, set me free, and allowed me to ultimately say, “may Your will be done!” as my eyes have been taken from the gift and set on the Giver, the only true source of my deepest desires.

So how do we begin to experience our seasons of waiting as seasons of preparation? Fear by fear, desire by desire, hope by hope, we begin to lay each piece of our burden before God. We are reassured by God’s loving presence, immeasurable knowledge of our truest selves, and great hope for the renewal of all things, which includes our hearts. Alone and with others, we continue to listen for how God is speaking as we wait. And without resolving the unresolvable tension, we learn what it means to trust this God who gave us desires in the first place and seeks to bring fulfillment in perfect timing. ­—By Michelle Sudduth

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