If you had been there?

With the Season of Christmas now upon us, many are busy getting ready. There's cleaning, cooking, baking, shopping, wrapping, shipping, giving, receiving, many events to attend, and of course the eating.

But before we get lost in all the events and stuff of Christmas, take a few moments and in your thoughts come back with me to that first Christmas.

Remember the “Predictions of Promise” that are recorded in scriptures by men like Isaiah who wrote:
“All right then, the Lord himself will choose the sign. Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son and will call him Immanuel--`God is with us.'”(Isaiah 7:14, NLT)

And, “For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. And the government will rest on his shoulders. These will be his royal titles: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”(Isaiah 9:6,
NLT)

There was also Micah who was the one who wrote:
"But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times."(Micah 5:2, NIV)

Remarkable words, recorded over 700 years before the event took place.

Come back with me to the night when God's Promise arrived, His Son, Jesus, coming as a baby, was born as it had been previously foretold in Bethlehem, to a virgin and laid in a manger.

His birth heralded by Angels to Shepherds, who upon hearing this news responded with obedience and travelled to Bethlehem to find "The Promised One." And when they did, scripture tells us "they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child" (Luke 2:17b).

The Wisemen, or Magi, travelled a great distance to Bethlehem based solely on the appearance of the star and a prophecy of scripture. When they found Him, we’re told "… they fell down before him and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasure chests and gave him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.” (Matthew 2:11, NLT)

Think about how ten kilometres away from Bethlehem, in Jerusalem we find King Herod. Herod was so wrapped up in the fear of losing his position as king that he became obsessed with protecting his throne at all cost. It was that fear which led to mass murder. The Bible states that: “Herod was furious when he learned that the wise men had outwitted him. He sent soldiers to kill all the boys in and around Bethlehem who were two years old and under, because the wise men had told him the star first appeared to them about two years earlier.” (Matthew 2:16, NLT)

Then there was the Innkeeper, whose name is not even mentioned in scripture, but we presume there must have been one, as someone had to make the manger available to Mary and Joseph. And so the Innkeeper is cast as an individual that was so busy that he misses both the miracle and his part in it, which took place a short distance away (perhaps only mere feet).

And let us not forget Mary and Joseph. From scripture we learn that they were God followers. Mary was greeted by an angel as one "who was highly favored," and Joseph we're told "was a righteous man." In spite the odds, and the likely negative public opinion they submitted their wills to God. The result - the arrival of Jesus - the greatest Christmas present ever!

Various players took part in this first Christmas, some named, some not. The rich, the poor and those in between. Each had the same opportunity, but had different responses.

Here's the thought I leave you with to ponder. If you had been there, if you were one of the "major" players we often see portrayed in Nativity scenes, "WHO WOULD YOU HAVE BEEN?" And perhaps the bigger question, "WHO DO YOU DESIRE TO BE?"

This Christmas may we seek after the answer to that second question, and in so doing, share the greatest gift of Christmas with others.

May the presence of Christ in your life, enrich this Christmas for you and for others.

“But when the right time came, God sent his Son, born of a woman, subject to the law. God sent him to buy freedom for us who were slaves to the law, so that he could adopt us as his very own children” (Galatians 4:4-5, NLT).

Rev. Will Keller is Senior Pastor of Harrowsmith Free Methodist Church.

A Great Light has entered the world

Why would God give the gift of His son to me? That is the question I ask myself most at Christmas time. What makes Almighty God decide to come to earth in our form – be born in cold and stark surroundings and live among his creation? Perfect love – that’s what. God’s love for us is intense, passionate, without conditions . . . simply perfect.

Perfect love, it sounds too good to be true – and that is what we tell ourselves, isn’t it? We live in a world filled with conditions that we understand because we see them functioning all around us. However, God operates differently and demonstrates this by freely giving his son to us – no strings attached – no ‘ands’ or ‘buts’ – we are perfectly love – period.

A few year’s ago the song, “How great is your love” was released and sung in many of our churches. The chorus asks, “How high and how wide. How deep and how long. How sweet and how strong is your love. How lavish your grace. How faithful your ways. How great is your love, oh Lord?” I remember singing this song and feeling overwhelmed by God’s incredible love for me.

This is undoubtedly a busy time of the year. With long shopping lists, office parties, family gatherings, decorating and cooking it is easy to become distracted from what is really important.

This is the true meaning of Christmas for me: here, lying in a stable surrounded by animals and straw, is our Promise. All we could ever hope for or imagine, he is. All the wisdom, power and virtue of God contained in this baby. And so now, we are all invited to gather around the manger and witness once again this perfect love that has entered the world to redeem us.

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. [Isaiah 9:6]

Lisa Howden
Communications Coordinator for
The Free Methodist Church in Canada

My Sri lanka experience — a time of personal discovery

Encounter Sri Lanka 2007 will be marked as an incredible milestone in my Christian walk. I knew this trip was going to be different right from the start. Unlike the Sri Lanka trip I had taken the summer before, Encounter Sri Lanka 2007 was wrought with obstacles, difficulties and sometimes indecision. For starters I found myself severely cash strapped, struggling to recover from my trip expenditures the year before. I weighed the decision whether to go, and decided if God wanted me to be a part of the team carrying out the job before us, he would make a way.

And make a way he did. I miraculously received a $500 cheque return from the purchase of my home 2 years ago the week of the required $500 deposit for the trip. One month before stepping on the plane Onika Brown (another member of the team from Wesley Chapel) and myself set out to plan and deliver a fundraising dinner and auction, all while getting ready to end the school year as professional teachers. Family and friends rallied to help us and at the end of the night we had raised the targeted $2000 and served a fine meal of food that came mostly from the generosity of saints. It was beginning to be clear that God wanted me on the Encounter Sri Lanka team.

The days leading up to the actual departure were fun-filled though not necessarily stress free. We would spend many hours into the night planning and re-planning the many activities and lessons that would make up the children’s camp that the Sri Lankan pastors had requested — as well as the first ever teacher training sessions. I was tired and looking forward to the long flight so I could catch up on my sleep. But God had something else in store.

During the two day cultural sensitivity training at the national ministry centre of the FMCiC I felt God calling me to go deeper; things I had seen and heard before were taking on new shape and meaning. I started seeing and learning things about myself and life that were incredible. God had me reading scripture late at night or writing thoughts in what seemed like never-ending streams, frequently throughout those two preparatory days. This pattern continued during the trip, with periods of self-exploration being triggered by almost anything, from our daily devotions, to the unsuspecting words of a fellow team member.

In the end it became clear that God’s will would be done, whether I wanted to be a willing part of the process or not. We are called to be his instruments but if we are stubborn and refuse he will find another way to achieve HIS goal and we are the ones that will be left without the blessing of the experience. That realization made me think about my life at home. How business had often times kept me from truly enjoying a close relationship with God. How often I had taken matters into my own hands and tried to get things "fixed" instead of seeking HIM first and ended up with more stress on my plate. It is funny, I left my home to meet and share with my Sri Lankan friends this summer, and little did I know how much personal receiving I would be doing along with the planned sessions of teaching.

The school year has started, and though I had a week’s break to get over my jet lag it seems like I stepped right off the plane and into my first parent-teacher interview. But God reminded me through the wisdom of scripture and friends – it’s not about me. I need to seek him first and get ready for the wonderful year of discovery that is ahead.

Sheryl Murray attends Wesley Chapel in Toronto, one of the partner churches for FM ministry in Sri Lanka. Sheryl is a teacher at Crescent School and has served on the Official Board of Wesley Chapel. These are her reflections on her recent ministry trip to Sri Lanka with our Encounter team. [pictured on the far right in the image above]

An Attitude of Sabbath

Without a doubt, this has been the busiest summer of my life...
The first two weeks were filled from morning to night as I taught the Disciples in Training Course at Circle Square Ranch in Arden, Ontario. Then, without a day to recoup, I headed off to Sherbrooke, Quebec for a five day Vacation Bible School [VBS] Missions Trip. After arriving home on Thursday, I managed to squeeze in a counselling session for a couple I was to marry, a birthday supper for my sister, lunch with another youth pastor, Sunday Worship, and I convinced one of my teens to help me with the final details for Mission Rochester, which started on Tuesday. Tuesday came and I packed up four teens and myself and headed to Trulls Road FMC to meet up with the rest of the team who were joining us. Six days later, after an amazing experience of God’s faithfulness, I arrived home to prepare for the wedding I was performing on Saturday and to get ready for my vacation, which started on Sunday. Vacation this year included whipping around in a boat at a friend’s cottage, house swapping with my cousin, four days in New York City with my mom and watching Phantom of the Opera at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa.

Three days after I came home from vacation I headed off to Echo Lake Camp for a week of teen camp. To finish things off, I took a busload of teens to Canada’s Wonderland to help get them plugged back into the youth program, which was scheduled to start in two weeks.

I’m sure you might be thinking that I might have packed a little too much into my summer … but I have a secret, it’s called "Sabbath". Sabbath is a concept that is repeated throughout the Scriptures: from the very beginning in Genesis 2:2 when God rested from all his labours to Revelation 14:13 when we are told that those who die in the Lord will rest from their labour. We also know, that in Mark 2:27, Jesus taught how the Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. So, it would seem to me, that since the Sabbath concept runs throughout Scripture, it must be important!

I believe that God has given us the concept of Sabbath in order that we would have the strength to do all that He has called us to do in this life. Isaiah 30:15-16 (RSV), says, "For thus says the LORD God, the Holy One of Israel, ‘In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and in trust shall be your strength.’" The secret to my sanity was keeping God first, and I did this by maintaining an attitude of Sabbath. So, even though I was crazy busy, I made sure to meet with the Lord every day and rest whenever possible. Each morning, time was spent in prayer, re-dedicating my thoughts, words, actions and heart to the Lord and His purposes - every morning. Each day, I read from the Word - each day as the bible says, "Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God." (Matt 4:4 NIV)By making Scripture a priority, I managed to read through: Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations and Ezekiel. The Lord taught me so much this summer about praise, wisdom, the unbelievable life of His prophets as well as how He speaks to us through pain. Daily devotions were key to making sure that I remained focussed over the last two months. I knew that if I went without praying or reading Scripture - even for one day, I would feel as if I was missing out on something that God wanted to tell me - like I was starving myself spiritually. Not only were prayer and Scripture reading a priority, so was rest. When I talk of rest, I’m not just talking about having a nap - even though that was a very key part. I’m talking about taking a break from the normal schedule of life in order to connect with God and to renew my strength. Psalm 23:2 says, "He makes me lie down in green pastures, and leads me beside quiet waters, he restores my soul." I knew that if I wanted to restore my soul, I needed to be still. So, whenever there was a break from the craziness of ministry I would rest. I would often take time to be alone at Circle Square and Echo Lake Camps instead of hanging out with people all the time. In Sherbrooke, we made a mandatory rest hour each afternoon to refuel ourselves for the evening events. During Mission Rochester, we would stop for half hour each afternoon after VBS for an ice cream break in the Rose Garden so we could collect our thoughts and gain some energy before heading to Hope Initiatives for the afternoon. In New York City, there were also moments when I caught some rest. A bird on the bush beside me reminded me that if God sees this little sparrow, then He sees me too! Even at Canada’s Wonderland, amid all the noise of the rides, I managed to find a green spot, lie down and focus on the Lord - who at that point reminded me that He knows all about the Fall program and He would let me in on it when I was ready.

It wasn’t just Scripture, prayer and brief periods of rest that sustained me. I also made the most of my days off. These days were often spent quietly, focussing on prayer, fasting, meditation, naps, spiritual reading and simply being with the Lord. James 4:8 in the NKJV says, "Draw near to God, He will draw near to you."

This summer, it was confirmed, time and time again, that when I spent time with the Lord, the Lord drew near to me. The Lord restored me, He refreshed me, He renewed me and He reminded me that He saw me, knew what I needed and promised to provide it. As a result, I was more patient and rarely overreacted when things didn’t go my way. I could see the Lord’s hand in several situations that came up and I had a sense of peace, which I knew could only come from the Lord.

By making Scripture, prayer and rest a priority in my life, I was able to carry out the ministry that I felt that God called me to do this summer.

Jennifer Wagar is the Youth Pastor at Verona Free Methodist Church [Ontario].

What's your mentality? Moving from scarcity to abundance

When I worked in the field of fundraising I attended conferences to develop my skills and abilities. At every conference I went to, I remember presenters focused on the fact that there are a limited number of people with a limited number of dollars willing to donate to charities. So as a fundraiser, you have be the best at finding those people with those dollars. You have to be the best at communicating your message to those potential donors so that you would receive those dollars to allow you to do what you want to do.

Steven Covey calls this a scarcity mentality. He contends that people with a scarcity mentality tend to see everything in terms of win-lose. There is only so much; and if someone else has it, that means there will be less for me.

People with a scarcity mentality have difficulty sharing recognition, credit, power, or profit. They also have a tough time being genuinely happy for the success of other people. It’s almost as if something were being taken from them when someone else receives special recognition or success.

People with a scarcity mentality either hoard their money because they are afraid of what will happen to them in the future, or they spend now because if they don’t they might not have another opportunity to make that purchase. They tend to be stingy – with their time, their money and themselves.

A church with a scarcity mentality sees itself as competing with other churches for people and other ministries for money. If there is a budget surplus the first reaction would be to hold onto the money because you just never know if you might need it in the future.

But there is an alternative – abundance mentality. Biblical Stewardship is consistent with an abundance mentality. Our God is a God of abundance. He is the creator, the owner, the provider. Philippians 4:19 says, "My God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus."

People with an abundance mentality celebrate the success of others. They are truly happy when someone else receives recognition. They don’t see themselves in competition with others. They prefer collaboration. tThey understand there is enough… enough for everyone. They rest on the Sabbath because they believe God has provided them with enough time. And people with an abundance mentality are generous.

Churches with an abundance mentality are generous. They are pleased to see other churches growing. They trust that God will direct people to their church and when they arrive, they look after them well. They seek out opportunities to meet needs in their communities and beyond.
So how do we move from a scarcity mentality to an abundance mentality? First, we need to deepen our understanding of God. We tend to shrink him down and box him in, but as we get to know him, we begin to catch a glimpse of just how big God is.

Secondly – We need to give as God directs. The act of giving in obedience to God sets a number of things in motion – good things. As we give, our faith in God is deepened. Matthew 6:21 comes to life for us: "For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." We begin to care more about meeting the needs of others rather than fulfilling our own desires.

Thirdly – We need to broaden our worldview. Rather than comparing ourselves and our own situation to others in North America, let’s compare ourselves to the rest of the world.

• If your income is $25,000 Canadian or more you are in the top 10.64% of the richest people in the world

• Only 8% of the people in the world own cars

• Almost two in three people lacking access to clean water survive on less than $2 a day, with one in three living on less than $1 a day.
A simple change in focus can be powerfully effective. Canadians in general are a very blessed people. I’m not saying there isn’t economic disparity in Canada – there is. And those of us who have been blessed need to respond to decrease the gap between the rich and the poor – in Canada and around the world.

"What I’m trying to do here is get you to relax, not be so preoccupied with getting so you can respond to God’s giving. People who don’t know God and the way he works fuss over these things, but you know both God and how he works. Steep yourself in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. You’ll find all your everyday human concerns will be met. Don’t be afraid of missing out. You’re my dearest friends! The Father wants to give you the very kingdom itself."
Luke 12;29-32 The Message

Joanne Bell is the Stewardship Development Director for The Free Methodist Church in Canada. Please contact her at bellj@fmc-canada.org or visit the website:
http://www.generoussteward.org/

Counselling for Pastors

Tiger Woods hires the best coach in the world, Butch Harmon, to ensure that his swing is working well. Why? Because he wants to be the best golfer that he can be.

The largest companies in Canada hire the best consultants in the country to help them do Strategic Planning and to solve their business problems. As proud as executives can be, they still know that it pays to hire professional help because they want to win at the game of business.

The richest families in Canada hire the best Financial Advisors in the country to help them manage their wealth so that it keeps growing. They know that wealth management is a difficult job, so they rely on the experts.

These people and organizations also pay the highest fees to receive the help they need because they understand the benefits of good help.
What about pastors?

Isn’t it interesting then, that pastors, who I believe have the most difficult and demanding job in the world, seldom turn to others for help. In the Free Methodist denomination, Bishop Keith Elford advises me that there is funding available for professional counselling, but it is one of the most underutilized programs in the area of pastoral benefits.

Is a pastor’s job tough?
It sure is. Show me an occupation that has the range of responsibilities and demands that are regularly experienced by a pastor. Pastors not only spend copious hours researching and preparing excellent sermons for preaching on Sunday mornings, but they also lead their staff as head of the team. They are expected to shepherd their congregants, responding on short notice to handle emotional crises, including funerals. They get involved in the preparation and marrying of church members, and they need to encourage in the touchy area of financial giving so that the bills can be paid. They need to be visionaries, understanding the trends in society to ensure that the church remains relevant. They need to plan events, provide good administration of church affairs, be accountable for everything that happens at the church, while smoothly working with difficult people, handling criticism and inspiring those around them.

In addition to all the time consuming work, the pastor has the task of dealing with unrealistic expectations. In business there is a rule that you learn and I learned it the hard way. Never work for two bosses. Experience shows that each boss will expect you to give 100% and as a result neither boss will be happy. Well pastors are in the impossible situation of having more than two bosses. They have expectations coming from the Board, the key families in the congregation, the denomination hierarchy, the public in the community around them, the elderly, the youth, the singles, the staff and this does not even take into account the important expectations of family, including spouse and children. If a pastor has never learned the skill of managing boundaries, then the job can be overwhelming.

Given the reality of a pastor’s life, it is truly remarkable that more pastors are not burning out. Maybe the truth is that more pastors burn out than churches realize and maybe more pastors are burned out and they don’t realize it themselves.

Life at the top
When I worked in the business world (28 years), I noticed an interesting phenomenon. An organization would figure out that their people were in need of learning certain skills or new ways of doing business. Management would then mandate a training program to help their staff to become competent in this new skill or ability. A consultant would be hired to teach and train the group. The staff would go away to a resort or hotel to learn the latest about customer service, teamwork, quality control or whatever the felt need was at the time. Invariably the staff would dutifully attend and there would be good things to learn. The interesting observation is that the person who seldom attended these seminars or training sessions was the boss. It seemed like the boss knew what was good for others, but somehow did not need the training for him/herself. I always wondered what the logic was behind the absence of the senior person. Is the President too busy for this training? Is the executive already knowledgeable in this area and does not need to waste time with such basic material? Would the boss’s attendance signal a deficiency that would somehow diminish the image of the executive? Is the word boss or superior indicative of a "pride" that inhibits the participation of the person in the activity? In other words, are they above it? Or is it the job of the person at the top to tell others what to do and therefore they are excluded because they are the ones giving the orders? I do not know which is the right explanations. Maybe it varied in each situation. But I do know that the people at the top did not attend the training sessions.

The Pastor’s Life At The Top
I am wondering if there is a variation of this syndrome in churches where the pastor is expected to be at the top of the chain of helping others and therefore is above needing help him/herself. In fact, in a church, the culture may have an even stronger influence than in business. If the pastor preaches all the wise words on Sunday, he or she must know all about humility, love, gentleness, kindness, serving and joy. As the spiritual leaders, pastors must be the most saved, transformed, whole, pure and holy of the flock. In most churches, the congregation wants this to be true. Also, it is easy for the pastor to buy into the belief that he/she must provide the example of being a new creation who is experiencing the joy of God’s salvation by smiling and happily helping. Either way, the pressure is there for the pastor to be perfect. While grace can be a wonderful thing, often pastors do not receive grace when they make mistakes. The expectations on a pastor are so high that a pastor may just find it easier to hide personal imperfections instead of dealing with them. What happens if members of the congregation find out that their pastor is not the epitome of love? Will they give less financially? Will they volunteer less? Will running the church be more difficult if people find out that the pastor is not perfect? What church wants a grouchy pastor? Aren’t pastors supposed to lead their flock to the promised land of freedom and ecstatic joy?

This problem doesn’t just exist for pastors. One of the challenges of the church is authenticity. How is it that people at church dress well, smile nicely, greet each other with enthusiasm week after week and tell each other that everything is going well, and yet, behind the scenes there are all kinds of problems. There is a tension between God being the solution, bringing joy and happiness, and the problems of daily life. If church is just a twelve step program where everybody is hanging out all their dirty laundry, where would the attraction be to draw new members? So the question is "How is one to be authentic and honest and still demonstrate the full life that Jesus wants us to experience?"

The Pastor’s Dilemma
If the pastor has a personal problem and the focus of the church shifts to dealing with the pastor’s problem, then everything is turned upside down. The church is then taking care of the pastor instead of the pastor taking care of the church. When a pastor shares personally from his/her life experience, it is therefore more beneficial to provide an example where God has helped the pastor overcome an issue in the past and now life is full and abundant as God has promised. Sharing in this way provides an opportunity to be both authentic and to also prove the benefits of Jesus’ amazing love. The pastor can share that there was a problem in the past, and now the problem is gone so the congregation does not need to concern itself with the pastor being broken. Sharing past issues can be great opportunities for demonstrating God’s love. Sharing current problems can become problematic.

The Confidentiality of Counselling
Guess what? Pastors are human beings just like everybody else. Pastors experience grief when there is a loss, pain when there is a hurt, resentment and anger when they are frustrated and spurned, anxiety when overwhelmed and worry when things are not going well. Pastors are not perfect people. They are people. And like any other person they need help from time to time. The key to pastor help is confidentiality. It is not helpful for the congregation to be regularly focusing on helping the pastor. The congregation really does need the pastor to be the positive, enthusiastic, happy, spiritual leader who demonstrates the benefits of Jesus transforming love. So, pastors need a safe, confidential place to go and deal with their very real human issues. That is one of the benefits of professional counselling. It is totally confidential. Any issue can be discussed and it will not get back to the congregation. Is this being authentic? Maybe not, but it is realistic.

Secrecy
One of the problems that pastors experience is dealing with issues on their own. Pastors learn to be strong. They learn to cope and continue to fight the good fight. The truth is that when a person keeps a problem to his/herself, the problem only gets worse. If a person keeps a secret, Jesus is not invited into that room in the mind and then Satan is able to bring more darkness and help make the problem worse. An example is pornography. Some denominations have research showing that 35% of the pastors are addicted to pornography. My theory is that pastors are under a lot of stress. They are trying to carry a big load on their shoulders. When the problems become too much, one solution is to find a little pleasure or reward to take away some of the pain of life. Pornography is one way of escaping into what is initially believed to be pleasure. Of course, any Christian who looks at pornography is committing the sins of adultery and lustful thinking. Along with pornography comes guilt because the viewing is always done in private and in secrecy. Ted Haggart is an example of how keeping a secret can feed the addiction. Since pastors are supposed to be holy, once pornography has been viewed, Satan helps lure the individual into the guilty pleasure again and again until eventually it is a big hidden secret.

The Benefit of Counselling
One of the main ways of dealing with sin is confession. A Christian counsellor is an ideal person to use as your confession partner because of the confidentiality of the relationship. Once confession has occurred, it is no longer a secret. Confession brings the sin out into the light where Jesus can help. Secrecy and confidentiality are different. Secrecy means that nobody knows. One of my clients held on to a secret for 25 years and when he shared it with me the relief of getting it out was real. A load was lifted. We then went to the Lord in prayer and found out that the words in his head had been a lie and he had been living with the consequences of that lie for 25 years. In trying to deal with the issue in the privacy of his own mind, the man was blinded to truth. He could not think clearly and the actions that flowed from the thinking negatively affected his life and his marriage.

Other Ways of Using A Counsellor
Christian counsellors can fulfill many functions. One way I work with pastors is as a spiritual director. One pastor comes for a regular spiritual checkup. We are able to pray together. Did you know that psychologists are not allowed to pray with their clients? An associate of mine gave up her PHD in psychology, went back to seminary and became a spiritual director. Spiritual directors help their clients to read and meditate on scripture. They encourage the person to listen to the still small voice of God and they pray together. The emphasis is on allowing the Holy Spirit to be involved in the process.

Another way of working with a Christian counsellor is to use the counsellor as a mentor. It is an opportunity for the pastor to ask questions and hear another opinion about issues. In the past, the image of visiting a therapist was a negative thing. A person who needed to see a therapist was seen as "sick" and it was a terribly serious thing to be "sick". Today seeing a counsellor is a normal thing to do. I have one business man who uses me as his Board of Directors. He regularly bounces ideas off me and I mentor him based on my experience.

Another way of using a Christian counsellor is as a coach. A coach is different from a mentor in that a coach is an accountability partner. The coach will help you set goals and then hold you to them. The coach will help you plan, manage your time effectively, help you evaluate the results and then encourage you to reorganize to do it better the next time. A coach never goes on the playing field. The pastor is the one who is in the field and from time to time needs to leave the game and talk with someone who is objectively viewing from the sidelines. One of the dilemmas of being alone in your head is that you can lose objectivity. It can be very helpful to just talk with another person who is not inside your head. The old expressions that more heads are better than one is true. Your coach is there on your side to help you win. His sole function is to help you be better and to help you see options and alternatives that you might never have considered.

As a Certified Marriage and Family Therapist, one of my roles is to help advise about marriages and relationships. Many people come to talk to a counsellor because it is beneficial to work through issues related to the marriage relationship. Did you know that you go through at least six different marriages with your same spouse over a lifetime? Each stage requires change, learning and growth. How you cope with each stage will affect the marriage relationship

Stages of Marriage
1) marriage as a free young couple unencumbered with children
2) marriage coping with no sleep and bringing up young children
3) marriage dealing with teenagers
4) marriage of the empty nest as the children leave
5) marriage when retirement occurs
6) marriage when one partner is ill

If you are stuck at any of these stages, it would be helpful for you to talk to a trained marriage counsellor.

Yet another role that a Christian counsellor can play is that of assisting in what I call Inner Freedom. Whenever a person experiences emotional pain of any sort, it is possible to go back to memories that are the root of the feeling and Jesus can transform the memory. When Jesus brings his truth, whether past memories or current thinking, his truth will set you free. I do a lot of this type of one-on-one work. Pastors need to do this work too, just like everybody else.
Whenever you are frustrated, hurting, overwhelmed, grieving, or just in need of talking to a safe caring friend, think about calling a professional Christian counsellor. They are there waiting to help you and you have every right in the world to receive that help.

Conclusion
There is no obligation for you to be alone in dealing with your life issues. Other people turn to the best professional help and it is OK. We have come a long way from the days when seeing a therapist meant that you were "sick". Today, receiving professional help is not only normal, but wise. Turn to those safe, confidential support people around you to help you be the best you can be as you do your work in the Kingdom for God.

Alfred C.W. Davis (MBA, M.Div) has a Christian counselling practice based in Oakville, Ontario [Agape Healing International Inc.] and is the author of two books Free to Be Me and The Training Manual for Christian Counseling and Christ-Centred Transformation and Inner Healing. He holds a Master of Divinity degree majoring in Counselling [Tyndale Seminary].

Past, present and future

Glenn Gibson, my coach in the early days of my current ministry once said, that time orientation has everything to do with church health. Churches tend to focus on either the past, the present or the future. Churches focused on the past are seeking to recover the glory days. Churches focused on the present are often "so busy mopping the floor, they don’t have time to turn off the tap". Churches focused on the future are convinced that God has placed their best days ahead of them. Since the major currency in any church is hope ("for in this hope we were saved." Romans 8:20) a healthy future orientation is a more positive and healthy stance. As leaders it is our responsibility to preserve and grow our congregation’s hope in God. No matter what direction your congregation is facing… past, present or future… we can help them find hope.

Hope in my past…
If your church is looking back to the glory days there are lots of things we can do to preserve and grow hope for our future. To do this you will have to explore and honour the past. First ask yourselves what was so glorious about the glory days? What were we doing back then? What were we focused on? What did we believe in? What were we passionate about? What were we willing to sacrifice and fight for? The past, if the days truly were glorious is an amazing resource for generating hope in a congregation’s future. Once you have a picture of the past, begin to ask how those passions, attitudes, self-sacrifice, and unity of purpose would look like in your church if they were evident today. What are you willing to do, change, or challenge to make all of this your current reality?

We stand on the shoulders of giants. Those that have gone before us are the inspiration (not the mold) for our present and future selves. Those that have gone before us are now "the great cloud of witnesses" that cheer us on to victory. We have no need to fight the past. The past can be a boundless source of encouragement and strength and most importantly hope. Hope, however, cannot live in the past, hope belongs in the future.

Hope for today…

If your church is overly focused on the present there are important choices we can make to preserve and grow future hope. It can seem counter-intuitive, even irresponsible when there are so many fires burning to take time to get some perspective. Getting stuck in the moment can rob us of our energy and eventually our hope. We can begin to believe that this is just the way this church always was, always is, and always will be. However, that kind of thinking does not mesh well with God’s plan for his church. So how do you get perspective? Well begin by asking each other questions like, "What is the purpose of all of this activity?" "What is all of this leading toward?" "What is God’s plan for this church in the future?" "Who are we becoming?" The present is the only time that exists, therefore, it is only in the present that we can make our hope for the future take shape. Churches that have a present, pointing toward God’s future for them, are healthy and robust. They may not be any less busy than a present focused church, but their hope rests in what lies ahead.

Back to the future…
If your church is focused on the future there are important things you can do to ensure you continue to preserve and grow hope.

1. Be transparent. Avoid projecting that your present is better than it actually is. The mistakes you are making and problems that you currently have can prompt recurring discussions about God’s future for you.

2. Keep it simple. Keep your church structures as simple and pliable as possible. This helps you stay on target: focused on God’s future.

3. Take the time to celebrate. Make sure that you celebrate and mark the important moments that come your way as you follow God. This can be honouring the past. Celebrating what’s going on right now. Or pre-celebrating the future that God has in store.

Jared Siebert is the Director of Growth Ministries for The Free Methodist Church in Canada. For more information on church planting and current projects visit the http://www.lifecycleproject.org/.

Do any of us have the option NOT to be in Mission?

How are you, really?" I’ve been asked this by empathetic friends and people wishing me well. I’m a little surprised by the question until I remember that Bishop Keith said "health reasons" have brought me to announce my retirement as Director of Personnel, December 31, 2007. In February 2007 I discovered I am a Type II diabetic. I try to stay humorous about this. I probably should join a support group: "Hi, my name is Alan and I’m a diabetic. I’ve been off ‘Sour Kids’ for six months." Then I could confess sins of gluttony of glucose. "I fell off the wagon when I had a waffle cone with one scoop of Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough that was virtually a pint of ice cream."

I’ve agonized over the decision to go into transition. When I left my work as a pastor in 1992 I agonized over that as well. This is major stuff. The call of God is not to be taken lightly at any stage in life. I looked for a new challenge from God in 1992 when I left pastoral ministry. As well, in 1999 when I agonized over leaving medical social work to serve the FMCiC. There was a similar "ring" each time that God graciously granted through the affirmation of the Holy Spirit, my wife, and trusted friends. This time there is something different going on, something added to all the above in this transtion:

The need for replenishment. I preach this to my Bishop who is also my friend. I want it for him as much as I need it for myself. Though replenishment is needed for anyone working passionately in a very high calling, I have found it harder at my age) to get replenished. The passion is there, but it’s like my passion is running on ahead, then turning around, to see my body lagging behind.
We can’t live in the margins all the time without some consequences. Signs started showing up, emotionally (like, free floating anxiety, sleep disruption) and physically that I have not listened to well. The type II diabetes scared me. The day before flying to Calgary for the Pastor’s Conference, I buried a family member who had undetected diabetes at age 55, and suffered a long cognitive and physical decline to age 70. He was a devoted uncle to our daughters when they were very young, a man I respected highly, and I grieve the loss of him. I did not want to repeat his path.

It takes longer to recover than it did even two years ago. This position, like most of yours, requires high energy and resiliency. I could do that but now not as easily. Normally, I see my attitude as, "bring it on, hit me with another challenge or problem to solve." I still love that kind of life! Yet, I am not getting recovered as quickly, I can get feelings of panic (and I don’t think I have space to describe that feeling. The attitude of "bring it on," has often become, "stop, that’s enough!"
I like what I do. I feel called to this work, or work similar to it. I heard a person say about slowing down, "even Nolan Ryan’s fast ball lost a few KPH after he hit forty." Roger Clemons’ fast ball has slowed down a bit as well, but enough with the sports analogies. Abraham slowed down…uh, I can’t go there. I am aware, I’m slowing down, I’m sixty. BUT:

What is God up to now? I don’t have an option, NOT to be in mission. I don’t mean Mission, British Columbia, as nice as it is there. My call is to my friend, Jesus.

I have loved my work in the FMCiC. I have loved working on this National Leadership Team. Bishop Keith is the best boss I’ve ever had. WE are very fortunate to have him. Dan Sheffiled and I have worked together in Niagara Falls in the 1990’s. Jared is a breath of fresh air. Norm Bull kept me accountable and now Mark is doing the same. But it’s a full time job needing full time energy. I’ve sensed a release, but it’s a very difficult decision. I’m giving up something very good.

I have some FMCiC work lined up. So you may see me around. Bishop Keith wants me to help make General Conference plans with the National Ministerial Guidance and Placement Committee (NMEGaP) in February 2008.

Dan Sheffield has asked me to go with the Sri Lanka Team in February, 2008 as well, which I have done for 5 years now. I hope to serve the FMCiC part time, and I am not looking outside the FMCiC for other part time ministry.

I anticipate that the FMCiC part time work will, "dry up," after General Conference and the new Director of Personnel is oriented. If there is more, that would be fine, but I don’t have that expectation. I will trust Jesus for the next steps. I know what I can handle and what I can’t, now.

I am open to how Jesus will lead. That may sound like a platitude, cheap language. For me it means asking: "What is God up to now in my life?" "Who and what will God bring into my life that I may not have earlier paid attention to?"

I had an opportunity to go sailing for three days with four other guys from Niagara Falls, Ontario. The friend who invited me told the others he had invited, "a pastor." So at first I think they wondered what I might do if they used swear words. Maybe walk on water to scare them? I don’t know. I felt like these guys were brothers after three days. I had conversations with one of them about Donald Miller’s book, Blue Like Jazz. I started finding things in common with them, besides living in the same city. They are not my project but that is mission at it’s best.

My wife Ellen and I have found friends through her teaching connection. I started going fishing with the husband of Ellen’s teaching friend. Ellen has started a group in our home for this guy’s wife and some neighbors. We are making plans to take a Spring Break together to go see their son pitch. He’s been signed by the Seattle Mariners. I feel God is opening new relationships. These new friends are teaching me something about relationship—I see God in them already.

In Gordon Mac Donald’s, The Resilient Life, he writes about having a vital Christian walk throughout the whole span of life. Gordon is about 66, much older than I! (Smile.) He made a projection that is etched in my heart. He said, "I believe that my most significant ministry may be in my 60’s." I resonate with that projection. This may be the most significant ministry that is yet uncharted ahead, diabetes and all. Taking more time to replenish and not doing everything I use to do will be no deterrent.

I came across Matthew 5:9, "You’re blessed when you can show people how to cooperate instead of compete or fight. That’s when you discover who you really are, and your place in God’s family." That is going to be my verse for the decade of my 60’s. Cooperating with God’s mission. Look at the big result: you will discover who you really are and where you fit best. For me, this describes a great mission!

Alan Retzman is the Director of Personnel for The Free Methodist Church in Canada

It's healthy to clean up your thoughts

Recently, as part of a prayer exercise, I spent a whole day keeping track of the conversations I had. I wrote down everything that I said and everything I thought for the entire day. There’s something about having to write down your conversations and your personal mind-ramblings that makes you more accountable than you would normally be.

One of the things that really struck me when I read through the notes I had made about my day was how negative my thinking could be at times. Instead of keeping my eyes fixed on Jesus and allowing my faith to grow, I was letting my mind wander through all the possible ways things could fall apart and not work out. It worked subtly in my mind until, overtime, like a wagon travelling over the same path – grooves formed and it became an established way of thinking for me. Now, before I go any further, let me assure you that I’m not speaking of anything sinister – these are struggles that I am sure we can all relate to and have at some point had to overcome.

Can I say that to some extent, the way you feel is dictated by the way you think, without someone assuming that I’m trying to write my own chapter of "The Secret"? Because we are fooling ourselves if we believe that the way we think does not impact our spiritual, physical and mental health. I’m sure we could all relay personal stories of negative or anxious thoughts affecting our feelings, our mood, causing headaches, etc . . . not to mention the spiritual repercussions.

Once I acknowledge that my mind needs to be constantly renewed by Christ it becomes a question of discipline and re-training. I have to be honest, at times it feels as if I’m completely at the mercy of my thoughts (or more correctly, my un-Christlike patterns of thinking) – getting the wheel out of the groove is hard work – but it’s not impossible!

None of us will ever be able to say that "we’ve arrived" – that our thoughts are always centered on Christ and His desires for our lives. But perhaps that’s not such a bad thing. It keeps us dependent on Jesus, accountable to each other and humble, knowing that we don’t have it all figured out. Let me finish with this scripture which has lately become quite meaningful to me;

Summing it all up, friends, I’d say you’ll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious—the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse. Put into practice what you learned from me, what you heard and saw and realized. Do that, and God, who makes everything work together, will work you into his most excellent harmonies. Philippians 4:8 (The Message)

Lisa Howden
Managing Editor

What is it like to be healthy?

When I was in either Grade nine or ten at Uxbridge Secondary, I signed up for a First Aid course with Mr. Cascomb, one the gym teachers at our high school. We learned a lot about ways to treat injuries and even save lives. Yet, the one thing that I remember most is where he started out in the training. It wasn’t with a long list of the things that could happen that would cause pain, disability or even death; it was a definition of physical fitness.

Here’s what he came up with: "A person is physically fit when he/she is able to care for all the responsibilities of his/her day and have some reserves of strength left for emergencies." As an adolescent with boundless energy, I didn’t really grasp the implications of what he was he was saying, but 40 years later, I think I get it.

He may have been just talking about rest and exercise, but now we think about health in a wholistic

way. We have to talk about living with healthy habits and wise boundaries so that the reserves of all the dimensions of our lives (physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, relational) are continually being replenished and there are at least modest margins of surplus most of the time. Though stress and conflict and hard work are part of life, we were not created to live in exhaustion and depletion.
This is especially important in the life of spiritual leaders. In this edition, we are talking about Clergy health. If we are going to have healthy churches, they must be led by healthy leaders. So where do we go to find out how to live a godly, balanced life on this planet? I suspect that the reason that Jesus took on human form and walked among us, is to give us some understanding as to how to live the "Great Commandment" to love the Lord our God first with all our being and then others as ourselves.

Early in my ministry, I embraced the notion that the way to JOY was Jesus first, Others second and Yourself last. But, though self-denial and self-giving sacrifice is a central part of the life the scriptures teach, if we watch closely, the definition of JOY would be more like Jesus first, Others and Yourself second.

The key to healthy living is balance. This is how the reserves of our lives are replenished. And this doesn’t happen without us taking responsibility for ourselves and paying attention. If we drive a car without paying attention, we run out of gas, the oil light comes on and the engine burns out, we crash into others, we take curves too quickly and roll over – you get the picture don’t you? And not just about driving!

As I meet people who seem to be healthy, I notice two things: First, they have a quality of healthy adaptability that enables them to shift and adapt to maintain margins in their lives and after seasons of high pressure, to re-gain them.

For example, because he knew that both are necessary parts of life, Jesus experienced both life draining stress (butting heads with the Pharisees and responding to the human need around him that drained life out of him) and life replenishing solitude (the times alone when they had to go looking to find him, the pause to sit on the well alone while the disciples went into town for groceries).

The second thing I have noticed about people who seem to be healthy is that they are not in deep conflict with their life situation. (Naturally, they encounter conflicts and frustrations, but these are taken in stride, because these individuals live with a sense that they are where they are supposed to be, doing what they are supposed to be doing. They keep focused on what Jesus taught as important, shake off distractions, and steer around activities, unhealthy relational expectations, temptations and life habits that entrap and bind.) I’ve noticed the following about people who are in harmony with their life context:

• Physically, they are not in conflict with excess weight and fatigue because they maintain a realistic level of physical fitness and self control.

• Financially, they are not in conflict with their lifestyle and when they make financial mistakes or face reverses, they can get back on track because they live by a plan that is shaped by what they understand as their life priorities.

• Emotionally, they live in calm most of the time and are rewiring their "hot buttons" with a healthy sense of humour. This is because they have made the effort to understand where they have come from and they have come to terms with wounds from their past.

• Mentally, they are not intimidated by the more "gifted" nor "annoyed" by the "less insightful" because they understand their own capabilities and are open to both humbly learn from and graciously coach others.

• Relationally, they are not conflicted by the expectations of others. While they are respectful and kind to all, they understand their relational capacities (how many close friends they can keep up with), their relational makeup - whether being with people energizes them (meet the extroverts) or drains them (meet the introverts) and they understand how to set and graciously maintain boundaries.

• Spiritually, they are at peace with God and have an integrated, spiritual graciousness about them that is deeper than good manners and expected piety. They are spiritually disciplined without being dogmatic or legalistic. They are sacrificial without complaining or expecting commendation. They take responsibility to build a deepening relationship with Jesus. They understand the importance of centering during the daily "pause" in his presence, of rest and re-orientation in a weekly sabbath, and of spiritual renewal several times a year through lingering with him in solitude for a whole day.

My deep desire is to see this kind of wholistic health among God’s people and especially among those called to guide his people to holy, wholesome maturity. At the same time, I need to be honest and paraphrase the Apostle Paul’s words and confess that I have not already obtained this life of integrated maturity nor have I already reached the goal, but I press on…..

Rev. Keith Elford is Bishop of The Free Methodist Church in Canada.

To learn more visit the "WHO WE ARE" section of the website.

Honouring Lois Meredith, Missionary to Africa

Lois is one of the most organized and efficient people I have ever met. She gets things done! She gave of herself and her means, often personally meeting people’s expenses or giving them something extra, because she knew they ‘needed’ it. She genuinely loved and lived out her love in her own way. And, the people knew it. The kingdom is better off in Africa, Lois, because you have been there.
Henry Church, Africa Area Director, FMWM

Lois Meredith has served Free Methodist World Missions for 37 years, primarily in Christian education and bookkeeping in Burundi, Rwanda, and most recently, Kenya. Throughout her ministry, Lois has endeavored to help equip people to better serve God, which she’s carried out through training national bookkeepers and Sunday school teachers. She officially retired as a long-term missionary, May 31, 2007.

Lois grew up near Wallaceburg, in southwestern Ontario, on the farm of her parents, Don and Eva Meredith. She attended a one room school with her siblings, Betty, Bill and Donna. Their whole family attended the Charlemont Free Methodist Church.

In 1959 Lois graduated from London Teacher’s College and accepted a teaching position at an elementary school in Brantford, Ontario. While living in Brantford she attended North Park Free Methodist Church (now Freedom Christian Community) where she taught Sunday School. Lois still has her membership at Freedom and she has maintained connections there over many years.

Lois began her missionary work under the VISA program in 1969 when she served as teacher of missionary children, in addition to bookkeeper, in Burundi. After three years in Africa she returned to Canada and taught in London, Ontario. During that year, however, she realized her calling was not to teach privileged children in Canada, so in 1973 she returned to Central Africa as a long-term missionary.

Over the years Lois has assumed various areas of responsibility, caring for mission visitors and
personnel, women’s ministry, bookkeeping, auditing financial records, arranging conferences, mentoring indigenous leaders, and so on.

In 1994, Lois was living in Rwanda when the genocide took place. She lost everything but her life. After this she moved to serve in Kenya, based in Nairobi, a city of 4 million people.
Although retiring from career missionary service, she is not retiring from God’s work. Lois has plans to serve as a short-term missionary in Ethiopia, helping with International Child Care Ministries.

written by Betty Humphrey and Dan Sheffield

Discovering the joy in sharing your faith

"I’ll tell the world how great and good you are, I’ll shout Hallelujah all day, every day." Psalm 35:28 [The Message]

One of my favourite elements of the Methodist ethos is that we have a passion for evangelism. John Wesley exemplified what it meant to possess a zeal for saving the lost. He boldly preached "The Good News" unashamedly wherever he went. Sharing our faith is essential.

Charles Spurgeon in answering a student’s question, ‘Will the heathen who have not heard the Gospel be saved?’ remarked " It is more a question with me whether we, who have the Gospel and fail to give it to those who have not, can be saved." This is true and yet evangelism shouldn’t be something that we do begrudgingly out of divine obligation. Instead it should flow from our experience of having met Jesus.

One of my best-loved biblical pictures is that of the formerly demon-possessed man turned evangelist. Following his encounter with Jesus he is charged with the following task: "Return home and tell how much God has done for you." And so we are told, that this is what he did.

"The man went away and told all over town how much Jesus had done for him." Luke 8:39 (NIV) Scripture doesn’t tell us how much God accomplished through the testimony of this man, but I can imagine that it was significant.

May we likewise be prepared to joyfully tell how much God has done for us.

Andrew Brown, Student Ministries Director andrew@fmdog.ca www.fmdog.ca

______________________________________________

In my Christian life, I have always felt a bit different. Ever since I first became a follower of Christ at the age of 12, I had this huge passion to share Jesus with everyone I met so that they could experience the fullness of knowing Him too. It did not matter where I was or even if I knew the person or not. It was effortless and easy to talk to people about Jesus. For years I never fully understood the depth of my passion and the intensity that drove my desires to share the Gospel. About fourteen years ago I completed a spiritual gift assessment offered through my church. Through this assessment, I discovered that one of my strongest spiritual gifts was evangelism. This totally put things into perspective for me. I now understood that this was a gift from God and He wired me up to share Jesus with everyone. It was in His plan all along and I played one small part in this master plan. This plan included the body of believers as a whole; a team united together, each using their individual spiritual gifts to complement each other to bring glory to God and further His kingdom.

A few years ago, I remember sitting in a hospital waiting room — my husband’s grandmother was passing away after devoting a long and faithful life to our Father. While I was in the waiting room, I noticed this woman sitting alone and quite distressed. I remember praying to God asking Him to use me in any way to help her. Before I knew it, I was sitting beside her; praying with her and seeing her accept Jesus back into her life. Over the next few months that followed, I thought about her and prayed for her many times, really wishing I would have gotten her telephone number so I could follow up with her to see how she was doing. As time went on, a close friend of mine was shopping at a grocery store and was waiting in line to pay for her purchases. A woman standing in line behind started a conversation with her. She commented on the unique cross necklace my friend was wearing. She then asked my friend if she knew of a church called Northview and if she knew a woman named Belinda. My friend said that she attended Northview and that Belinda was a friend of hers. It turns out that this woman was the person I had a conversation with many months ago in that hospital waiting room. As a result of that conversation, she became on fire again for God, went back to her home church and was living a life that glorified God. I was blessed to get a glimpse of how God used me in His overall plan. One of my favorite verses I love is from Matthew 7:7-8 "ASK and it will be given to you; SEEK and you will find; KNOCK and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, The Door Will Be Opened" Matthew 7:7-8

My journey today has taken me into the role of Pastor of Young People at our church. For quite a few years, we have hosted annual ‘all-nighter’ events at our church that are an outreach to the youth of our church and surrounding neighborhoods This year’s event theme was called ‘MySpace’ which by the end of the night turned into ‘GodSpace’. There were approximately 68 teens attending and by the next morning, eight teens gave their lives to Christ (one of them being a former Jehovah’s Witness). One boy, who is in my son’s grade eight class at school, attended this event. He comes from a dysfunctional home life which lacks direction. That night, he gave his life to Christ while talking and praying with one of the youth leaders. He later asked if I could pray with him in the Prayer Room, which I did. When I finished praying, he immediately prayed for me. The following week, we presented him with a Bible.

God is at work in my life daily. Understanding how He has wired me up has changed me. My desire is not only to see people come to Christ, but I want them to get hooked up with Him for the rest of their lives.

Belinda Leibel, Pastor of Young People
Northview Community Church, Regina, SK

Finding the right funding partner

Have you ever wanted to start a new ministry or expand an existing one but have been limited due to lack of finances? I think I just heard a very loud collective "yes" across our movement. Every church has faced this situation, for some perhaps many times.

New and expanded ministries usually require additional funds. To increase the possibility of funding opportunities, The Free Methodist Church in Canada has purchased a subscription that provides us access to thousands of Canadian foundations. Through this subscription we are able to conduct searches of over 9,000 foundations that may be interested in providing funding to your project.

Obtaining a grant from a foundation is not an easy process – it requires time to find the right foundation, research the foundation, develop a proposal and a relationship with the foundation. While we can’t help with every step of the process, we can certainly help at the critical point of identifying which foundations would be most receptive to your proposal.

When we receive a Search Request Form from a church, we are provided with details about the project that enable us to narrow our focus and exclude foundations that don’t make a good match with the project. The criteria we look for includes:

• Geography – where does the foundation provide funding?
  If a project is located in Saskatchewan but the foundation only funds projects in British Columbia, they are excluded
  Many foundations fund projects across Canada
  
• Funding Interests – what types of projects does the foundation fund?
  If a project is focused on meeting the needs of children, then foundations that don’t fund projects for children will be excluded
  
• Application Guidelines – is the foundation accepting proposals?
  Some foundations do not accept proposals and therefore would be excluded
  
• Funding History – what has the foundation done in the past?
  We examine what organizations have received funding in the past, how much have they received and when?
  If a foundation has not given grants to similar organizations we may exclude them
  If a foundation has not given out grants in recent years, they may be excluded
  If the grant sizes are not close to what the project requires, the foundation may be excluded

Our goal is to provide you with the best possible chance at success in approaching foundations that will be receptive to your project. The more detail you can give us about your project, the better the information we provide to you.

I want to encourage each church to consider taking advantage of this service. For more information about the foundation search service and to obtain a request form, visit the generous stewards website at www.generoussteward.org. Click on the Leaders link and then go to Project Funding.

Joanne Bell, Stewardship
Development Director
bellj@fmc-canada.org

Seeing the world through a Wesleyan lens

How do Christians see the world? With what lens?
"I see the world biblically," some will say. "I have a Christian worldview."
But "Christian" worldviews vary widely. Not all lenses are the same. Some are clearer than others; some distort more than others; some block out part of the biblical vision, filtering out part of the spectrum.

There is a particularly Wesleyan way of looking at the world and everything in it. The strength of the Wesleyan lens is its comprehensiveness.

Seven aspects of Wesley’s wide-angle way of seeing the world are especially important. Together they give us a broad biblical view of the world—a more comprehensive view than we commonly find today. Wesley no doubt had his blind spots, but his large vision was remarkable.

Several unique advantages elevated Wesley’s vision beyond that of most figures in Christian history. John Wesley was blessed with a well-informed Christian upbringing, especially with a wise mother who helped him think deeply. He had a both/and rather than an either/or mind, both rational and poetic, fascinated by language, alert to metaphor and paradox, yet interested in logic and in scientific discovery (both right-brained and left-brained, we would say today). He was a voracious reader with broad and eclectic tastes. His grounding in the Anglican via media of Scripture, reason, and tradition, gave him historical and theological breadth. He studied at Oxford during the rediscovery of early Christian sources. He lived at the height of the Age of Reason, but also at the beginning of new interest in human experience and emotion or "enthusiasm." He read of the discoveries coming from the "New World" and England’s far-flung empire. He experienced the Industrial Revolution. Through the influence of the Pietist Movement, particularly the Moravian Brethren, his heart was "strangely warmed" by God, igniting a deeper spirituality and a new passion for evangelism and church renewal. Finally, Wesley was physically vigorous and lived a long life (1703 to 1791), his mind alert, inquiring, and deeply devout to his last hours.

This rare combination is found in no one else in church history. Wesley viewed these advantages as testimony to the active providence of God.

For all these reasons, Wesley’s way of looking at the world, and God’s purposes within it, has lasting significance. So we examine the Wesleyan way of looking at the world, highlighting especially his accents on Scripture, the image of God, the wisdom of God in creation, salvation as renewal of God’s image, audacious hope, a renewed church, and the restoration of all things.

I. The Lens of Scripture
John Wesley was, famously, "a man of one book." Of course he was a man of thousands of books, not to mention newspapers, journals, and pamphlets. But he was clear about biblical authority.
For Wesley, the Bible was the touchstone of authority on all matters of faith and practice. It was in fact his lens for viewing reality; his worldview (as we would say today); the revealed, authoritative narrative of what God had accomplished, promised to accomplish, and surely would yet accomplish. This is absolutely key, and we misunderstand Wesley if we fail to grasp this. We may debate Wesley’s interpretations on specific points, but his conviction and intent were clear.

Wesley viewed and used Scripture in a particular way. The Bible is the authoritative narrative of salvation. It is not primarily a compendium of doctrine but the story of creation, sin, and redemption through Jesus Christ.

Wesley said the Bible should be interpreted according to the "analogy of faith" (Rom. 12:6), comparing Scripture with Scripture. This was Wesley’s key principle—"the agreement of every part of [Scripture] with every other," as he put it (Sermon 62, "The End of Christ’s Coming," III.5). Grasping this overall biblical "agreement" requires, of course, a master narrative—a story line by which every passage is interpreted. Wesley was increasingly clear throughout his life as to that story line: God in Jesus Christ through the Holy Spirit is reconciling the world to himself, restoring "all things."

Wesley’s sermons illustrate this. His 151 published sermons often don’t exposit Scripture systematically, but typically a third or more of a Wesley sermon is either paraphrase or direct quotation from Scripture.

Seeing the world through a Wesleyan lens means seeing everything—our lives, the church, and God’s kingdom plan—through the authoritative lens of Scripture, interpreted in the light of God’s redemptive work in Jesus Christ.

II. Seeing the Image of God
Viewing the world in a Wesleyan way means seeing the image of God in every person. The Wesleyan worldview is marked by this positive note: Every human being, man or woman, is God-imaged, a God-bearer.

Wesley saw how defaced the image of God had become in human beings and society because of sin. But for Wesley, sin has neither the first nor the last word. Wesley’s sermons "On the Fall of Man" and "The Mystery of Iniquity" detail the disfiguring effects of sin. But Wesley believed also in "God’s Approbation of His Works" in creation, a "General Deliverance," and "The New Creation" (to cite some key sermon titles).

The Wesleyan lens starts with good news: A good God created good people in a total creation that God pronounced "very good." In the Wesleyan telling, the gospel story moves from the good news of creation in God’s image, to the bad news of sin and distortion, to the even better news of redemption and new creation through Jesus Christ by the power of the Spirit.

This is not uniquely Wesleyan, of course. It is biblical and should be true of all faithful Christianity. In the Wesleyan understanding, however, three points are especially important:

First, creation in God’s image means that all people reflect God’s character and human capacity for goodness, wisdom, creativity, justice, and holy love. This is why bad people can sometimes do good things; why parents, though "evil, know how to give good gifts to [their] children" (Mt. 7:11).

All human beings bear something of the character of God. This is our glory; our potential; the inherent possibility that God’s grace grasps when we turn to Jesus Christ and by the Spirit open ourselves to God’s transforming power.

Second, this is a social image. God is Trinity, and humankind is compatibly male and female, made for family and community. We don’t find our true identity as isolated "individuals" any more than Jesus Christ found his true identity separate from the Father and the Spirit. To be God-imaged is to be social, communal. The person and character of God is Triune. Sociality and community form the nature of personhood—first in God, and hence in humankind.

Third, in Wesley’s view the image of God connects us to, rather than separates us from, the rest of creation. Here the Wesleyan view clashes with much popular Christianity.

It is important to understand Wesley here, because his comprehensive view of salvation hinges upon it. Creation in the image of God means we are both like and unlike God, and it means we are both like and unlike the rest of creation. God is infinite; we are not, and we have been marred by sin. Like God’s other earthly creatures, we are finite and we exist in a space-time world, this good earth. Like other creatures, we are dependent on food, water, air, and earth. God made us this way: Interdependent, all sharing the same earth ecology.

Wesley understood this. That’s partly why he was so interested in gardens, all earth’s creatures, and in how we treat animals.

Wesley saw human beings as reflecting God’s image in a primary sense, and all creation as reflecting God in a secondary sense. Humans are unique because of their unique capacity to respond to God self-consciously, willingly, and responsibly. Therefore they have a unique calling as stewards of all creation. Men and women are "capable of God" (as both Wesleys said) in ways that God’s other earthly creatures are not. Yet the horse, the dog, the bird, the tree, the flower, even rocks of the field and pebbles of the seashore reflect the image of God in a more remote sense. They depend upon God for their existence and preservation. Their design, order, intricacy, and interdependence all reveal something of God. All fits into the larger ecology of God’s creative and redemptive work.

Like his contemporaries, John Wesley used the ancient idea of a "great chain of being" descending in near-infinite gradation from God to the minutest particle to express this interconnectedness. But Wesley understood this "chain" biblically, not philosophically. He was clear about God’s sovereignty, human uniqueness and sinfulness, and the need for redemption through the blood of Jesus Christ. He saw the whole scheme of salvation, however, in this interconnected way. God will redeem the whole creation, not only the human part of it, because God has vested interest in the whole creation.

Seeing the world through a Wesleyan lens, then, means seeing every person and the whole creation as bearing, in appropriate degree, the image of God.

III. The Wisdom of God in Creation
Wesley liked the phrase "the wisdom of God in creation" so much that he issued a whole book on the subject, A Survey of the Wisdom of God in Creation (abridged from another author). God’s wisdom in creation has practical meaning: Worship, certainly, but also moral instruction and the call to stewardship. Wesley said in one sermon, "God is in all things, and . . . we are to see the Creator in the glass of every creature; . . . we should use and look upon nothing as separate from God, which indeed is a kind of practical atheism; but with a true magnificence of thought survey heaven and earth and all that is therein as contained by God in the hollow of his hand, who by his intimate presence holds them all in being, who pervades and actuates the whole created frame, and is in a true sense the soul of the universe" (Sermon 23, "Upon our Lord’s Sermon on the Mount, Discourse III," I.11).

In his Survey Wesley wrote, "Life subsisting in millions of different forms, shows the vast diffusion of [God’s] animating power, and death the infinite disproportion between him and every living thing. . . . Even the actions of animals are an eloquent and a pathetic language. . . . Thus it is, that every part of nature directs us to nature’s God."

God’s image in human beings, and more remotely in the whole creation, displays his wisdom in creation and so lays the basis for God’s wisdom in redemption and new creation. It is all of one piece, one story, for Wesley.

Seeing the wisdom God in creation moves us not only to praise but also to care and to understand God’s intent and the breathtaking breadth of redemption. In keeping with the Great Tradition of Christian teaching, Wesley affirmed that what God had created, preserves, and cares for is being redeemed through Jesus Christ whom God has "appointed heir of all things" (Heb. 1:2).

IV. Salvation as the Restoration of God’s Image
Jesus Christ is the perfect living, loving image of God, and salvation is the restoration of that image. This was a consistent and insistent theme in Wesley’s approach. Through Jesus Christ Christians are "restored to the image of God" (Sermon 85, "On Working Out Our Own Salvation," II.1).

Wesley described "true Christianity" as having the mind of Christ, being renewed after Christ’s image, and walking as Jesus walked. Real Christianity is practical Christlikeness enabled by the Holy Spirit. Wesley preached justification by faith and the necessity of the new birth. But the goal of salvation is more than justification; it is sanctification—thorough transformation into the image and mind of Christ.

So the new birth is entrance into a new, relational way of living. It establishes a new love relationship with God the Trinity; with the Christian family, the church; with our neighbors, near and far; and in fact with all creation. Growth in holiness is growth in Christlikeness, not only individually but together in community as the whole church grows up into the "fullness of Christ" (Eph. 4:12–16).
This is hugely practical. Wesley understood that believers can help each other come to know Jesus Christ deeply through the infilling of the Spirit and through life together in Christian community. This is the spring then for redemptive, Christ-like mission in the world. Wesley spoke of "all inward and outward holiness"—loving God with heart, strength, soul, and mind, and our neighbors (near and far) as ourselves.

Since the image of God is social and relational, salvation means the restoration of true community. Wesley called this "social Christianity" or "social holiness." He meant not primarily social justice but rather that salvation itself is social. True faith is social because God is Trinity, because his image in humankind is social, and because God’s plan is the restoration of healthy community, shalom, throughout his whole creation.

The image of God uniquely present in humankind but also more remotely present in all creation gives Wesley the theological basis for salvation as the "restitution" (KJV) or "restoration" of all things (cf. Mt. 17:11, Acts 3:21). Salvation through the blood of Jesus Christ, and especially through his resurrection, means that God is creating a new heaven and earth. God is bringing a total restoration of creation that is more glorious and flourishing than the original prototype.

For Wesley, this is a present reality and a present mission, not just a future expectation. Restorative salvation means that men and women can now, by the Spirit, fulfill their original calling as stewards. In "The Good Steward" Wesley wrote, "no character more exactly agrees with the present state of man than that of a steward... This appellation is exactly expressive of his situation in the present world, specifying the kind of servant he is to God, and what kind of service his divine master expects of him."

If salvation means "walking as Jesus walked," this has immense ethical meaning for our discipleship. God’s people are not only the recipients of God’s restoration but also, joined to Jesus by the Spirit in his body, the agents of this restoration, this plan of God to "reconcile . . . all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven" (Col. 1:20).

V. Audacious, Gracious Hope
John Wesley’s understanding of what God is up to in the world is thus audaciously optimistic. Albert Outler spoke of Wesley’s "optimism of grace." Commenting on Wesley’s sermon "The New Creation," Outler cites Wesley’s "unfaltering optimism, . . . an optimism of grace rather than of nature."
Wesleyan theology is saturated with hope, expectancy, optimism of grace and the grace of optimism. This hope is based not on human intelligence or technology but on Jesus’ resurrection, God’s promise, and the present work of the Spirit.

In Wesley’s view, God’s "economy" of salvation is rooted in the personal, loving character of God and in the correspondence between the divine nature, human nature, and the created order. In contrast to Augustine and Calvin, Wesley balanced the emphasis on original sin with a dynamic optimism about the possibilities of God’s loving grace in human experience and in society.

Perhaps the frequent failure of the church to transform the world through the power of Jesus’ gospel is above all a failure of hope—a failure really to believe that God will keep his promises and thus a failure to act in hope so that God’s will may be done on earth as in heaven.

Romans 8:20-21 reminds us that "The creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God." If "the creation waits in eager expectation" (Rom. 8:19), so should we. If Satan convinces us the world is hopeless, we become hopeless in our witness and ministry. Or we reduce hope unbiblically, expecting only the salvation of souls for a disembodied eternity in heaven. We forget God’s plan through Jesus Christ "to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross" (Col. 1:20).

That divine plan defines our mission. And that mission is irrepressibly one of hope—the audacious, gracious hope that comes not from self-confidence or technology or money but from God’s promises.
Here Wesleyan theology clashes sharply with contemporary North American (or at least U.S.) evangelicalism. The optimism of grace gets undermined in two ways: By a discontinuous, disjunctive eschatology that makes too sharp a break between this age and the age to come (the kingdom of God in its fullness), and by a dualistic worldview. Many Christians see life on earth as an inferior, lower plane, and view disembodied spiritual existence on a higher, totally other plane. They see no real link between the two except through prayer and occasional miracles (or through tongues-speaking, if one is Pentecostal or charismatic).

This was not Wesley’s view. It isn’t the biblical view. "All things . . . in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible" (Col. 1:16), things present and things to come (Rom. 8:38, 1 Cor. 3:22), are part of the one world (and one worldview) that the Bible reveals and describes. This one God-created world is the stage upon which God is bringing to fulfillment the great drama of redemption and new creation.

If we don’t believe—don’t have the audacious hope—that God’s will really can be done on earth as it is in heaven in all dimensions of life, society, and culture, we won’t act with the audacious hope that God uses as a key means in fulfilling Jesus’ prayer, "may your kingdom come" on earth now. And so we will fail to see, at least in our time and place, the visible realization of God’s "intent . . . that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenlies" (Eph. 3:10). For lack of faith we fail effectively to be God’s mission in the world.
Seeing the world through a Wesleyan lens and acting in the world in a Wesleyan way means living the audacious, gracious hope that we experience through the powerful resurrection of Jesus Christ (Eph. 1:18-23).

VI. A Renewed, Missional Church
Methodists trace their beginnings to John Wesley’s heart-warming experience at Aldersgate on May 24, 1738. But long before Aldersgate, Wesley yearned for the renewal of the church. The question was how. Touched by God’s Spirit at Aldersgate, Wesley found the power, and then the vital means, for the renewal he had long envisioned.

Wesley saw the depths into which much of his beloved Church of England had fallen. He longed to see it become vital and missional (as we say today), a church that would transform England and then the world. Wesley’s intent was always church renewal for the sake of mission. He saw Methodism itself as a renewal movement. The mission of Methodism was to be God’s instrument for returning the church to the vitality God intended—the vitality of earliest Christianity.

Seeing the world through a Wesleyan lens means a vision for church renewal; an expectancy for a vital, missional church. In the Wesleyan perspective, virtually no church is beyond hope for renewal. God intends to renew his church—from the local congregation to denominations everywhere; the whole people of God worldwide.

Wesley believed a renewed church is more than a congregation where people have faith and live pious lives. A renewed church is marked by a potent combination of worship, evangelism, loving discipleship, and a witness of justice and mercy in the world. A renewed church is God’s instrument for renewing society. A renewed church is a vital community that practices the New Testament "one another" passages, building up one another, encouraging and equipping one another, and growing up into Jesus (Eph. 4:11-16). It is a discipling community that by the Spirit exhibits and practices a range of spiritual gifts through which the church fulfills its mission of justice, mercy, and peace in the world.

Seeing the world through a Wesleyan lens means never giving up on the church. We know that dry bones can live again; that resurrection is possible; that even the deadest-looking tree trunk may still have life deep in its roots. Renewal can come if people return to their first love and center their lives and witness in Jesus Christ and the power of the Spirit.

VII. The Restoration of All Creation
Seeing the world through a Wesleyan lens means seeing the New Creation that God is bringing through Jesus Christ.

God’s promise to "restore everything" was a key element of John Wesley’s theology. Wesley’s hopeful certainty was based not on a few scattered biblical references but on the whole thrust of the biblical story, beginning to end. His sermons "The New Creation," "The General Deliverance," and "The General Spread of the Gospel" highlight key Scriptures: Romans 8:19-22 on the liberation of the whole creation being from its "bondage to decay," Isaiah 11:9 on the earth being full of the knowledge of the Lord, and Revelation 21:5, "Behold, I make all things new."

For Wesley, salvation was all about restoration. Salvation is healing from the disease of sin. The true "religion of Jesus Christ" is "God’s method of healing a soul" that is diseased by sin. "Hereby the great Physician of souls applies medicines to heal this sickness, to restore human nature, totally corrupted in all its faculties" (Sermon 44, "Original Sin," III.3). As he grew older, Wesley increasingly emphasized salvation as the healing of the whole created order.

Seeing the world through a Wesleyan lens means seeing the New Creation now, through eyes of faith, based on Holy Scripture, through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. "Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see" (Heb. 11:1). By the eyes of faith, we see "a new heaven and a new earth." We foresee the fulfillment of the promise, "God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God" (Rev. 21:1-3). By faith we now see, anticipate, and hope for the New Creation, the "reconciliation of all things." And we have now received the Holy Spirit, the anticipatory present experience of the final new creation (Eph. 1:13-14). When we come to know God through Jesus Christ, we experience the firstfruits of that total restoration that Paul describes in Romans 8, Isaiah pictures, and that the Book of Revelation shows us so movingly.

Conclusion
Our television and computer screens, our billboards and newspapers, our movie theatres and magazines incessantly offer us ways of viewing the world. They present a vision of reality. But it is distorted reality; a twisted worldview and a suicidal narrative, "the path that leads to destruction."
Seeing the world through a Wesleyan lens means an expansive, audacious vision. More than a worldview, this is a way of living out God’s plan in the world and engaging in the mission of the one who said, "As the Father has sent me, so I am sending you" (John 20:21).

A Wesleyan worldview means living in "eager expectation" of God’s full salvation, the time of "general restoration," the time when all things are brought to fulfillment and the Triune God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, is glorified in all things forever. With that vision and expectation, we seek to "live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God" (Col. 1:10). Filled with the Spirit, we become agents of the reality we see through the gift of faith.

Dr. Howard A. Snyder serves as the Chair of Wesley Studies at Tyndale Seminary. Visit his website at wineskins.net