Fun with the Puppy

As the weeks go by, and they seem to go by way to fast, we are learning more and more how fun it is to have a puppy. We also learn the frustrations as well. But we are having fun seeing how she plays. Last night we found out something that was quite hilarious. We have been given a lot of carrots from people in our church. So as we were having some the other night, we thought, let's see how Pepper likes these, so we gave her a piece. She played with it like it was a toy. It was quite fun to watch. So, to keep her entertained for a while, we would give her some pieces of carrot. They now work as a great substitute for treats. It is quite amusing sometimes what she does.

Happy Thanksgiving

As was suggested, here is the article I wrote for the local press. I think it is appropriate since today is Thanksgiving here in Canada.

Time to be Thankful

At this time of year we are reminded to be thankful. In the coming week we will be celebrating Thanksgiving Day. For many people Thanksgiving Day is just another day off. However it is one day set aside to help us to remember to be thankful. Living in Canada we have a lot to be thankful for. We enjoy a lot of freedoms in this country that many people around the world do not have. We are greatly blessed to live in such a place.

At this time of year we are reminded to be thankful to the One who has blessed us with so much. We thank God for all his many blessings. Psalm 136 reminds us that we are to “Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good.” In this Psalm there is a line that is repeated after each phrase. That line is, “His love endures forever.” The Psalm begins by saying, “Give thanks to the Lord for he is good. His love endures forever. Give thanks to the God of gods. His love endures forever. Give thanks to the Lord of lords. His love endures forever…” The repetition of the phrase “His love endures forever” reminds us of why we are to give thanks.

We give thanks most of all because God’s love endures forever. No matter what you are faced with, “His love endures forever.” If you have cancer and don’t have a good prognosis, even in the midst of that “His love endures forever.” If you are struggling financially, even in the midst of that, “His love endures forever.”

If you are doing really well, and have many good things happening in your life, “His love endures forever.” We need to remember that all good things come from the one whose “love endures forever.” We are reminded to give thanks. Paul reminds us in his letter to the Thessalonians, “Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” (I Thess. 5:16-18) Paul of all people knew what it was like to suffer. He was persecuted, beaten, imprisoned, yet he still urges everyone to give thanks in all circumstances.

Some might wonder how can you be thankful when things are going wrong in my life? We can do this because we have confidence in the great creator. As Psalm 136 continues to remind us to give thanks “to him who alone does great wonders, who by his understanding made the heavens, who spread out the earth upon the waters, who made the great lights.” Why? Because “His love endures forever.”

His love does endure forever. He sent his son Jesus Christ to die on the cross to save us from our sin. Through his son, his love continues on, it endures forever. It is because of his great love for us, we are saved from our sins. In this time of year we have one day that is set aside for the main reason of giving thanks. To give thanks in good times and in bad. We can give thanks to “the God of heaven. His love endures forever.”

Frustrating

Why is it that sometimes the smallest things will frustrate us? In ministry there are a lot of things that can get under our skin, that is if we let them. But it seems as if sometimes the smallest things will affect us more than other things. Sometimes it is easier to let some things go in one ear and out the other. Other times, a small, minor comment might stick with us for hours or days.

For example: Where I live we have a fairly active ministerial. A ministerial is the group of pastors from all the area churches that get together and plan activities or just get together for coffee. Anyway, in this particular ministerial we are asked to write an article for the local paper. Last week it was my turn to write the article. I tend to find this very difficult to do. It is completely wide open and there is no guidance given. Coming up with a topic is sometimes hard to do. But, I figured the paper would be coming out the Wednesday before Thanksgiving so something on Thanksgiving would be appropriate. I spent the time writing the article. Submitted it, and even had the editor tell me he received it. Then when the paper came out, it wasn't in the paper, and someone else had written an article.

I dont know why this bothers me so much. Maybe because I do find them difficult to write and when you take the time to do it in an already busy week, it is frustrating that they disregard it and dont even use it. Maybe this is a small thing, I just found it frustrating. Thanks for letting me get that off my chest.

Child of God?

I have been thinking a lot about baptism lately. For a few reasons: First, I have been able to baptize 3 infants in the first 10 months of ministry. Second, I have started a new tradition in our church by introducing the baby after I have baptized it. When I do so, I say "(Child's name) is a child of God..." As a result of that I have had some interesting conversations about baptism with someone. Third, as I go through the Heidelberg Catechism, I have reached the discussion on sacraments and especially baptism. Finally, even before I received it in the mail, the Calvin Theological Seminary Forum has the entire issue dealing with baptism. To read this go here: http://calvinseminary.edu/pubs/forum/08fall.pdf

I find it interesting that all of these things have come together in the past few months. The main thing that has caused me to think so much about baptism, and infant baptism in particular is the discussion I had. In this discussion, the person was challenging me on what I meant when I said the baby was a "Child of God." In this discussion this person wanted to know if I meant they were physically a child of God, or spiritually. I agreed with this person that physically everyone is a child of God, since God created everyone. But for this person to be a spiritual child of God meant you were saved.

It is at this point we disagree. We agreed that baptism itself does not save the child. So, for this person, the child cannot be a spiritual child of God. For this person, they feel that a child of believing parents is blessed to be born into a home of believing parents, but would not consider them to be a spiritual child of God. In our conversation, it really seemed to hinge on this person's definition of a child of God.

We agreed on a lot of things. This person did not want to give any false assurance to parents, I agree. This person felt that baptism is a sign, not an actual saving element, I agree. But for this person, only those who are saved should be called children of God.

For this person then, Baptism should only be given to those who have a personal relationship with God. That is why I think the Forum article is so timely for me. It reaffirms everything I said to this person about infant baptism. It isn't about the person's choice to choose God. In infant baptism, God is the one choosing the child. As a community we also make promises to do our part in raising this child in the covenant.

I think that is what makes infant baptism so special. It is God who is doing the action. God alone is saying that this child is a child of his. That he loves this child so much, that he sent his son to die on the cross for him or her, even before they were born. The thing that made this whole discussion so challenging is the person's view on what is a Child of God. I couldn't fully agree with this person's definition because I know that baptism doesn't automatically save the child. But yet, God is separating the child and calling it to be his own, so I am still confident in saying at an infant baptism, "This is a child of God."

Immigration

Immigrating to a new place is not the easiest thing to do. Even though I am married to a Canadian citizen; even though I have a job in Canada; even though it is a job that doesn't need a work visa - it is still challenging. Everything is affected by my temporary status. I can't import fully until I have my permanent residency. I cant get an Alberta License until I get my permanent residency. I couldn't even get financed for our car because I might skip the country soon.

It is a bit frustrating all the things that you have to do. Today I went for my medical exam for immigration. Well, it was basically a joke. Sure it didnt take that long, but the Doctor seemed more interested in talking to me about other people who have gone through this, or other people who havent showed up for their appointments. He told me stories about people who have medical history that is a lot worse then mine, yet they are allowed in. So, I was thinking, if they allow people in with such conditions in a social health care system, why do they put us through these hoops?

Is it a cash grab or what? The visit lasted less than an hour. I paid 186 dollars for this. He listened to my heart. Asked me some questions, hit each knee. Then sent me for an x-ray. Tomorrow I have to go back and get some lab work done, which I think I have to pay for that too.

I guess it is frustrating that you pay so much for the doctor to ask you questions you could have answered on your own. I could have weighed myself and checked my height. It seems a bit much if they accept people with worse anyway? What's the point?