becoming

A great conferences that you should pay attention to.

I was there last year. Man, you have to hear him speaks! This is the kind of conference that will ignite your passion of reading the Bible all over again! Trust me, you won’t regret it!

Let me know if you are interested.

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Thy Kingdom Come
on Earth as it is in Heaven

Exploring the Bible Conference with Ray Vanderlaan

Think Hebrew.
The language of the Bible comes from a culture, time and place much different from our own.

This conference seeks to present God’s Word in its Jewish context in order to make the Bible intensely relevant and our calling to be Jesus’ disciples more urgent.

February 13 – 14 2009
Bethel Christian Reformed Church
Waterdown, Ontario

Ray Vanderlaan, best known as the host of the seven-part video series “That the World May Know,” has been intrigued with the meaning and message of Jesus Christ since childhood. Since he received his Master of Divinity from Westminster Seminary in 1976, he has been actively involved with studying and teaching Jewish culture using the methods of Jewish education.

“My life goal is to be of unique service in the kingdom of Jesus Christ,” he states, “by sharing my knowledge of the Jewish context of the Bible. I have a special interest in using my teaching ability and background to encourage young people to confront our culture with the message of God. That message is most clearly seen in its original Jewish context.”

VanderLaan received his Bachelors’ degree from Dordt College and his Masters from Westminster Seminary. He has been a teacher for 30 years and is currently a religion instructor at Holland Christian Schools in Michigan. He is also an ordained minister in the Christian Reformed Church.

[Conference details]

話說，教會周三祈禱會，開始前，見英文部那邊，在房門前，一堆人在議論紛紛…

一於少理，直至粵語這邊的祈禱會完畢。

走過去看看，房裡人影都唔見，只有門上一張紙，寫著：Do not open！

莫名其妙，回到自己的office，預備執o野走人。

門是關上的，不知從何而來，一隻黑卒卒的東西突然在房裡飛來飛去！

嘩！是蝙蝠！

仲要係一隻超低飛的蝙蝠！！

救命呀！

正當小弟動彈不得之際，同工開門進房，我也不知怎樣反應，口擘擘的，說「呀…呀…蝙蝠呀…」

終於知道之前那個Do not open 是甚麼意思。

可惜寫的人不知道蝙蝠不會，亦不需要等你開門；教會的ventilation氣喉，牠一樣可以穿梭無阻…

嘩！有「救主」就知嗟，乜教會都有「蝙蝠俠」！

走呀！

給美麗徑的家人：

認識我的人會知道，當我帶學員上「不再一樣」的課時，必定會提到，要認識神從你生命由開始至今，讓你經歷過的人與事。這是人與事，不論是好、是壞；是快樂，還是困難的，都是神留下的一個記號。當我們將生命中的一點一滴，被神這條主線，一個一個的連起來。慢慢的，你會看見一幅圖畫，一條的路線。神正在向你作甚麼的邀請？希望你怎樣配合在祂的計劃中？

我不是單單教弟兄姊妹這樣做。我自己也是這樣作。

所以，差不多一年前，一個的邀請來到，我不敢掉以輕心。經過差不多大半年時間，和太太的禱告，並多次跟屬靈的牧長們傾談，我和太太相信神正邀請我們踏出新的一步，以經歷祂更多。我們仍然會留在多倫多，但會加入一個開荒（建立新教會）的計劃。雖然我們對開荒並非有太多經驗，但我們都盼望看見更多人能認識耶穌，而我們相信這個計劃將會是履行祂的使命一個很好的機會。

而當我回想過去神帶我走過的每一步——從我生於一個基督教的家庭起，到我能帶著禮儀教會（家裡3代）的背景，在這所無宗派的福音堂會接受裝備、事奉；我就越看見在我生命裡，有一個獨特的計劃、路線和心意。

而已，這一切的了解卻沒有將我要作的決定變得輕易丁點。

我是在1993年加西冬令會，作全時間事奉獻身的。這個決定比我和我太太談戀愛，還要早！經過神學的訓練、經過在社會上的工作；由單身、至結婚；由新婚，到有Jocelyn，12年的時間，2006年，神才讓我真正踏上這條全職事奉的路。

是在這你們，讓我開始全時間事奉的路。

我和太太，自我們踏足這所教會開始，直到現在到認定這個地方是我們屬靈的家。

是在這裡，祂給我機會加入這個和我過去的教會生活截然不同的大家庭。神亦為我和太太，預備一班個關心我們，並願意一同學習的肢體。

是在這裡，我能夠接觸和參與從前未有想過的海外宣教。

是在這這，因為我和太太可以真正享受一個關心我們並願意一同學習的以諾團契。

是在這裡，我們將女兒交在黃牧師的手中，在弟兄姊妹的見證下，奉獻給神。

是在這裡，我們認識到「一個教會」的信念確實是切合聖經的事奉原則和方向。

…這一切，都是恩主藉你們教導我的。

這個離開的決定，對我和思詩，甚至Jocelyn都不容易。但我們亦相信，我們的神是引領我們，並應許永不撇下我們的那位。我可以滿有信心地說：若然神要帶領我和家人參與祂那全新和美好的計劃時，相同的邀請也必然向你們敞開。若恩主準備要以新的召命，來讓我和思詩享受與神同工的快樂時，我深信神，同樣的邀請，已經在你們中間展開了。

這是一個謙卑自己的經驗。我要學習，神行先，自己的感受、自己的喜歡與否是其次。我說過，當我們看見神在自己身上這幅圖畫是怎樣畫的時候，我們往後人生的優先次序必定會改寫。當神讓你看見你生命中的路線，我們亦明白往後的路要怎樣走下去。這往往不是我們所預期，但我們必須要相信，若然我們願意配合神的邀請，這定必是祂對我們最好的安排。

弟兄姊妹，我們需要你們的禱告。對我和思詩來說，實在很不捨得你們。也請你為Jocelyn禱告，盼望她日後能明白爸爸媽媽作這樣的決定是為了甚麼。也請你為她的成長，特別是屬靈的成長祈禱。

作為結束，讓我跟你們分享這段經文：

弟兄（姊妹）們，我們勸你們敬重那在你們中間勞苦的人，就是在主裡面治理你們、勸戒你們的。又因他們所做的工，用愛心格外尊重他們。你們也要彼此和睦。我們又勸弟兄（姊妹）們，要警戒不守規矩的人，勉勵灰心的人，扶助軟弱的人，也要向眾人忍耐。你們要謹慎，無論是誰都不可以惡報惡；或是彼此相待，或是待眾人，常要追求良善。要常常喜樂，不住的禱告，凡事謝恩；因為這是神在基督耶穌裡向你們所定的旨意。（帖前5.12-18）

我們也會為你們祈禱。或者一些弟兄姊妹會為我的離開，作出沒有必要的猜測。但請你相信我，我不是個轉彎抹角之人，說出來的，就是我們離開的原因。事實上，能否在同一所建築物內事奉神並不是最重要，重要的是我們怎樣忠於上主對我們每個人的托付，好好演活這個獨特的、「和好使者」的角色。

我為你們每一位而感謝神，你們不單是我的弟兄姊妹，你們都是我的家人。

Anglican Leaders Begin Forming New Church in North America

WHEATON, Ill., Dec. 3, 2008 – Bishops, clergy and lay leaders from the United States and Canada unveiled a provisional constitution and the first set of canons for the new Anglican Church in North America at a news conference and worship service Wednesday at Wheaton Evangelical Free Church in suburban Chicago.

The movement unites 700 orthodox Anglican congregations, representing roughly 100,000 people, in an organization that members believe will be recognized as a province – the Anglican term for the church’s largest regional jurisdictions – by many of the world’s Anglican leaders

Read it all here.

1. Provisional Constitution
2. Provisional Canons

AnglicanTV will be live streaming the historic December 3rd worship service in Wheaton, IL, at which the Common Cause Partnership will make public the draft constitution of an emerging Anglican Church in North America and officially endorse the statement of the Global Anglican Future Conference (GAFCON) and the Jerusalem Declaration. The service will begin at 7:30 p.m CST at the Wheaton Evangelical Free Church, 520 E. Roosevelt Road.

Learn a new word from James Spinti today — Theosis. It is actually the title of a recent theological monograph from Princeton. Here is the blurb of the book, as well as an explanation of the word:

‘Deification’ refers to the transformation of believers into the likeness of God. Of course, Christian monotheism goes against any literal ‘god making’ of believers. Rather, the NT speaks of a transformation of mind, a metamorphosis of character, a redefinition of selfhood, and an imitation of God. Most of these passages are tantalizingly brief, and none spells out the concept in detail. “Deification was an important idea in the early church, though it took a long time for one term to emerge as the standard label for the process. That term was theosis, coined by the great fourth-century theologian, Gregory of Nazianzus. Theologians now use theosis to designate all instances where any idea of taking on God’s character or being “divinized” (made divine) occurs, even when the term theosis is not used. And of course, different Christian authors understood deification differently.

[HT: Idle musings of a bookseller]

Let’s remember how Small Talks are necessary in our pastoral work, and what kind of theology are we living if we are to undermine them.

Art is involved here. Art means that we give ourselves to the encounter, to the occasion, not condescendingly and not grudgingly but creatively. We’re not trying to make something happen but to be part of what is happening — without being in control of it and without it being up to the dignity of our office.

Such art develops better when we are convinced that the Holy Spirit is “beforehand” in all our meetings and conversations. I don’t think it is stertching things to see Jesus — who embraced little children, which so surprised and scandalized his followers — also embracing our little conversations.

Eugene Peterson, The Gift — Reflections on Christian Ministry, p.115-6.