Lately I've really been wrestling.  In fact, ever since I came home from Encounter in Saskatchewan I've been really fighting with my self, my sin, my weakness.  It's been a reminder that our enemy is as real as our saviour, and that he's committed to destroying the very things God is working in our lives.  I've been thinking often of this reminder found in 1 Peter 5:

Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.  Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.  Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings.

There's so much in these 3 verses.  Encouragement, warning, instruction… ultimately I find it a very sobering reality check for me today.  I am reminded too of Paul's instruction, in Ephesians 6, to "put on the full armor of God."  I find such freedom in the reminder that "our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms."  Freedom not because this fight is an easy one, but because faced with it's intensity I'm quick to realize that the fight is not ultimately mine.  I'm released from trying to defeat those things that continually beat me down, and able in the same moment to surrender them to God.

My prayers have been very candid and real, as they often are in midst of a fight.  The wrestle has awakened me yet again to the incredibly real need I have for a saviour.  I've captured that desperate heart of prayer in a song during these past few weeks, and am incredibly grateful for the countless times it has facilitated the pouring out of my heart over the past couple weeks.  I pray it can be a song of honesty and one that allows many to "cast all anxiety on Him".  A song that might help us as we commit to "stand our ground, and after we have done everything, to stand."

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Devil Down by Chad Block c2008 joseph creative 

1 Peter 5.7-9 

Ephesians 6.11-13

special thanks to Adam L for leaving a guitar lying around in a weird tuning! 

A couple years ago I was in a prayer room with some friends.  We gathered there to spend some time praying together, and in the midst of our prayers came this song.  My friend Paul was praying through Psalm 61, and the chorus became a real declaration.  "You are my refuge, You are my shelter, You are my Sanctuary, You are… Everything."  The song has since become a real declaration of my heart, and has given words to a multitude of situations and circumstance.  I pray it continues to fuel very real and potent times of intimacy in prayer.

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Psalm 61

For the choir director: A psalm of David, to be accompanied by stringed instruments. 1 O God, listen to my cry!

      Hear my prayer!
 2 From the ends of the earth,
      I cry to you for help
      when my heart is overwhelmed.
   Lead me to the towering rock of safety,
    3 for you are my safe refuge,
      a fortress where my enemies cannot reach me.
 4 Let me live forever in your sanctuary,
      safe beneath the shelter of your wings!
                         Interlude

 5 For you have heard my vows, O God.
      You have given me an inheritance reserved for those who fear your name.
 6 Add many years to the life of the king!
      May his years span the generations!
 7 May he reign under God’s protection forever.
      May your unfailing love and faithfulness watch over him.
 8 Then I will sing praises to your name forever
      as I fulfill my vows each day.

This is the second recording that I've done since I moved to the Island.  It is a song that I wrote last year, and it has really been a bit of an anthem for Janna and I over the course of this journey.  Psalm 27.8 says

My heart has heard You say, 'Come and talk with me.'  And my heart responds, 'Lord, I am coming.'

This verse paints a vivid picture for me in the midst of worship.  As I live my life I do so with the understanding that I am constantly invited to live in the presence of God.  More and more I am learning to lay down my life and respond to this invitation.  I pray this song is a blessing, and that it can be a part of your hearts expression as well.

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This week was a heavy one in some respects.  I heard from a number of friends and family members about life situations that have deeply moved me to pray.  My heart goes out to the Dueck family, the Maier family, the Westby's, my Mom and Dad, and Janna's family.  This week has been a potent example of the co-existence of joy and sorrow in this life.  On the one hand there is the obvious sorrow of sickness, loss, and death, yet on the other there is the incredible joy of friendship, family, and knowing that this life is shared.

In the midst of my prayers I was prompted to record a song that very clearly captures what God has been laying on my heart.  This song was first written back in September while praying for a friend.  Since then it's grown into a deep cry for God's Kingdom power.  I believe that God can heal.  I believe that He speaks.  And I believe that He can bring freedom (not only to the physical but also to the our minds, our souls, and ultimately our spirits.)  I invite you to download, copy, email, and use this song to facilitate prayer in your own lives and situations.  One thing is sure, we need a saviour, and this week that has become increasingly evident to me.

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Restore by Chad Block

'Recorded on a day when our need for Christ's Kingdom was especially evident'

We pray Lord Your Freedom

We pray Lord Your blood

We pray Lord Your healing

In the name of Your son

---

We pray for revival, Let it start in me

Break down these prison walls, I will run free

Come to dry places, With Your life and breathe

Wind of the Spirit, Come blow over me

c2007 cbmusic

I've been running into a word/concept lately that has really helped me understand a problem many of us face daily.  I see and have talked with many people who feel lost, and who are having a very hard time finding answers questions like "Who Am I?" and "Why Am I Here?".  This dilema leaves many of us confused, tired, lathargic, and disconected from life.  I'm begining to see that the inability to find our place or a sense of purpose has many of us stuck in a vicious cirlce of self-doubt, self-evaluation, and self-condemnation.  Our lack of connection to history (our past, heritage, legacy, etc), the future (generations to come, the state of the Earth environmentaly, politicaly, etc), and the ever changing present (our familiies, jobs, churches, neighbourhoods, etc), is a major source of depression, crippling fear, and an ever growing loss of purpose/meaning.

To this realization has come the idea of 'Transendance'.  It's becoming so clear to me that in order to fully live, we must trancend our own small worlds.  We need to begin to both recognize and value the connectedness we have to others.  To explore the impact our lives have, and the ability we possess, to influence the world that surrounds us (AIDS in Africa, Persecution of the Church in Aisa, Incredible poverty in our own cities and abroad.)  We need to embrace the importance that family plays in our lives.  The fact that we come from a heritage and will leave a legacy for future generations, coupled with the incredible impact our families (Grand parents, parents, wives, children, and siblings) have on our day to day lives, should bring hope, joy, love, and a belief that life is about more than we may realize otherwise.

Ultimately, I'm beginning to appreciate the importance of realities that trancend our own little worlds.  Our love for others, interaction with the poor,  the comrodery of a sports team, or the interaction of husband and wife, are all but a few examples of trancendance.  We are not alone, and our lives are not as 'individual' as we have come to believe.  What we do, who we are, how we live impacts and is impacted by the world around us.  Tancendance allows us to look beyond our selves, and to find purpose, excitment, and hope.

The greatest opportunity for transendance lies in our ability to see our lives in relationship with God.  We are created for, loved by, and called to a life that is fully weaved together with the heart of God.  Jesus has made it possible to walk in relationship with our creator, and that is where life finds real meaning, direction, and hope.  As Christ is allowed to live in us, our lives become about more than our own situation, our failures, our victories, our feelings, etc.  Ironicaly, it is as we allow life to reach beyond the reality of 'self', that we find our true identity.  Community… relationship… the interaction of love both with God and with others allows us to see better who we were created to be.

I pray that god opens our eyes to see.  I pray that in our times of intimacy and self evaluation (which are incredibly valid and necessary) we are able to see that we are not alone.  I pray that as we connect with others (friends, family, the poor, co-workers, neighbours, and beyond) we will come to know 'life to the full'.  Most of all I pray that we will be raised up to know Christ's heart, and a personal relationship with the one who loves us more than we could ever know.

Community is a real buzz word in the church today, and I'm glad that it is.  Over the past 3-4 years, God has taught Janna and I so much about living in community.  As we begin life on the Island our prayer is that God will not limit community to a concept or topic for philosophical debate, but that we will have incredible opportunities to live it out.  While I have to admit I love the idea, I have to also say that the trouble with truly living life "in community" (Acts 3.43-47 is a great example of what I'm talking about)  is also it's greatest joy… Other People!  That may sound harsh, but you have to admit that there are times when life seems safer and easier to control when we don't have to share it with others.

Friends, family, spouses, children, employers, our church bodies…  Other people often complicate life.  Their words, opposing ideas, loving attempts to offer advice, etc.  With some (often those we love the most) it's the simple fact that they exist and have an opinion that can make life tricky.  Our inability to escape certain relationships can truly intensify what it means to live in community. The reality of life however, is that the sacrifice and vulnerability needed to 'share life' are worth every terrifying moment.  We need each other! 

While it's hard to find people who disagree with the need for community, it is equally as hard to find those that are willing to "lay down their lives for their friends".  There are a million ways that we make community hard for each other, and I'd say one of the biggest is our inability to both give and receive forgiveness. 

Lately I've been thinking a lot about what it takes to really share life.  Ultimately, the most intense and unchanging environment in my life is that of family.  I have awesome family, and love them dearly.  This past couple years have overflowed with both joy and sorrow for much of my immediate family.  MS, Cancer, the loss of my beloved Grandma…   I can't think of a better example of community from my own experience than the journey that my family has shared in the past couple years.  The intensity of this journey has been incredible, and while we have really learned to share life in a deeper way through it all, it hasn't come without it's challenges.  

One of the lessons that I've learned from my family, is the power of forgiveness.  Understandably, there have been many moments where the intensity of our lives caused us to interact with each other in less than admirable ways.  In other words, we messed up.  The note worth truth of our story isn't how we handled relationships and situations at every turn.  It is however, the power of forgiveness in both the big and the small.  Rather than give up on relationship (as many do in times of crisis) we found deeper places of life together by way of forgiveness.

Henri Nouwen said that we need to "forgive each other for not being God".  I truly believe that in order for the church to live life together, we need God to teach us the art of forgiveness.  I pray that we have the continued strength and humility to both ask for and give it extravagantly.  Community is more than a buzz word, it is Christ's desire for the His church.  It will cost us everything, and it's worth every penny.

A couple years ago, while in a 24-7 prayer room, I was overcome with a desire to connect with God’s heart for Africa. It was an intense experience that lead me into a time of passionate prayer. Since that night I have read a number of articles, talked with a couple of friends who have spent time in Africa, and recently read a couple of book about the continent that has grabbed hold of my heart in such a mysterious way. My interactions over the past couple years have lead me to a simple conclusion; the incredible injustice in Africa causes God much sorrow. Everything from the AIDS epidemic, to government corruption, to the recruitment of child soldiers leads me to believe that God must cry for this hurting continent and it’s people. To acknowledge the problems and suffering in Africa is merely the tip of the iceberg in my opinion. We need to ask ourselves what we should be doing to impact the situation?

Having never stepped foot on African soil, my understanding of the issues is limited to books and the stories of others who have. Perhaps that is why I find this constant nagging inside me to be so moving. Lately, not many days go by where I don’t think and pray for Africa. I am overwhelmed by every story, picture, and article that I encounter. Truthfully, my spirit is so engaged at moments that I am moved to tears.

Daily, parents are dying in alarming numbers due to the AIDS virus, war, and needless hunger. The death of so many parents has left millions of children without the care and guidance that most of us took for granted growing up. All over Africa children take care of younger brothers and sisters, and the "lucky ones" find themselves in orphanages with no hope of their situation ever changing. It’s impossible to imagine what it’s like, but I do feel that God is allowing me to connect with this troubled part of our world. One day I hope to go and meet the people that God has laid so deeply on my heart. I believe that this connection has and will continue to expose me to God’s heart for justice.

As days go by, I’ve made a commitment to cultivate the awareness that grows with every book, story, and leading of the spirit. I want to share some of these things via this blog in hope that you too can connect with God’s heart for so many… hurting and dying. I’ll start with this video, taken from the website of a true modern day hero Stephen Lewis.

This file is kind of big, so it may take a minute to load before it plays. Don’t worry, it’s worth the wait.