Vacation!!

Hi Folks:

Vacation is here!!!! We're taking two weeks and going to PEI, which is our normal routine for summer vacation. It's been an intense season but this is drawing to a close and a new season is about to begin.

On July 29 our new senior pastor will begin and we're very much looking forward to this. A lot of things were put on hold in the interim time and so we'll be able to move ahead again.

In the meantime, we're going to get some rest. Paddle on the river, visit family, and do a lot of nothing, really. It will feel good.

When I return, I'm planning a new series for OnFire: "10 Verses Every Christian Should Know by Heart." I've got them lined up, but you may have some suggestions. Let me know.

Last week was Vacation Bible School at our church. For reaching a total attendance goal of 350 (70 avg), I let them slime me. There is a picture here and on the website, www.onfireletter.com

Blessings, and I'll be back in a few weeks.

Troy

OnFire #282 Fireworks, Facebook, and Faith

Onfire Encouragement Letter
OnFire #282 Fireworks, Facebook and Faith

Hi Folks:

What a great few weeks it has been. Our oldest, Ian, graduated from high school. What a proud moment it was to see him walk across the stage and to play drums in the grad song. He’s working for the summer picking orders at a  car parts distributor. The next milestone will be dropping him off at college in September.

Sunday we attended the 100th anniversary of Camp Wildwood, our local Christian camp (www.campwildwood.ca). I worked there one summer as a lifeguard and swimming instructor and so it was good to celebrate with them. 

The German student who has been living with us since January will leave for home tomorrow. He has been kind and helpful and we will miss him. We took him sightseeing at New Brunswick’s famous Hopewell Rocks (www.thehopewellrocks.ca) yesterday. While there we saw a nest of peregrine falcons being fed – what a neat experience that was.

That’s about all our news. Blessings

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sunday was July 1, Canada Day, and we celebrated as many did by going downtown to watch fireworks. The show here in Moncton started kind of low and slow, but then the big ones came out – the ones which start with a “whump” and streak high into air to explode with the biggest booms. We were treated once again to showers of burning white, red, green, and blue.

The real crowd-pleaser here this year was a kind of twice-exploding firework. Just when it looked like the last embers had burned out, it exploded with a larger burst than the first. All of us “ooo-ed” and “aaah-ed” at those big double-bangers. What a surprise it was to see another when we thought it was finished.

I left impressed with this firework I hadn’t seen before, so I was a little surprised when I saw comments in the “Twitter-Face” world about how lame the show was. Really? I thought it was pretty cool, especially the twice-exploding ones. How did we see the same thing and think about it so differently?

It took me a while to see the irony in the situation. Earlier in the show, I had almost convinced myself that it wasn’t going to be good. “Low and slow,” I thought. “Is this what our tax dollars paid for?” But then something in me suggested 1) that it was too soon to judge the whole show, and that 2) fireworks were cool in and of themselves, so I should stop complaining.

The experience was a good reminder that perspective makes a difference. I came out on top of this one, but only after squabbling with myself. I had to decide I was going to enjoy the show, to choose a different way of thinking about it.

This is not so different from faith. Faith means we decide to believe that things will not always be the way they appear to be right now. This is a matter of perspective, that we choose to look at things from a different angle in our way of thinking. The writer of Hebrews puts it this way: “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.”  (Heb 11:1)

Two people look at the same situation. The first person decides it is a lost cause. The person of faith looks at it differently and says, “It only looks lost. I know God has other things in store, so I choose to think differently.”

I hope this helps.  Be on fire.

Troy

OnFire is a bi-weekly letter on faith and character written by Troy Dennis. Troy is the Pastor of Family Ministries at Highfield Baptist Church, Moncton NB Canada. This letter published July 3, 2012. Scripture taken from New International Version, 1984. To subscribe or reply, email onfireletter@gmail.com. Archives are located at  www.onfireletter.com. Blog located at www.onfireletter.blogspot.com.

OnFire #281 Pumping the Bilge

OnFire Encouragement Letter
OnFire #281 Pumping the Bilge

Hi Folks:

It has been a good few weeks. I met with our incoming senior pastor and was very encouraged by this. The boys finished their exams. And Ian found a summer job just around the corner. That was an answer to prayer. In the middle of his exam schedule he went around the industrial park delivering resumes and had an interview on the spot at a local parts distributor. They called the next day with a job for him.

This coming week is especially exciting. This is grad week for Ian. Prom is Tuesday, and the graduation ceremony is Thursday. Many of our families are coming and we managed 10 tickets for the ceremony. We are very proud of both boys, and especially proud of Ian this week.

Blessings for your week.

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“I can’t believe you’ve seen our bilge.”

My aunt said these words one day last week as we worked on their sailboat to prepare it for the season. The bilge is the lowest point inside the boat where liquids collect so that they may be pumped overboard. I say liquids, because we’re not only talking about sea water. Even the most conscientious boater sometimes spills a little oil or fuel, which also finds its way to the bilge along with other dirt. Take that mix, let it sit around in the dark for a while, and voila! We have bilge water, a particularly foul substance which some suspect may actually be a form of hostile alien life.

All boats take on water and so the bilge must be pumped regularly. Many boats have automatic electric pumps to take care of this important task, with manual pumps for backup. In addition, the bilge must be kept clear of things like plastic bags which may easily damage or block the pump.

No one likes to show off the bilge. Usually it is hidden under a pretty hatch cover designed to match the deck. That’s why my aunt commented that I has seen the bilge. Here I was, looking in at the boat at its worst. I’m family, I’ve been aboard many times, and even helped with this part in the past. But it is a view not normally granted to outsiders.

We share a lot of similarities with a bilge. Only those closest to us actually see us for who we really are.  We are constantly at risk of taking on “water,” the worst of the culture which may sink us. And, we need to pay regular attention to critical areas of our soul in order to stay afloat.

We’re talking about holiness. Holiness is about cleaning out the bilge, allowing our hearts to be pumped clear of all that threatens the soul - negative character traits, worry, fear and anxiety, sin.

The apostle Peter talked about this. “Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled...  As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: ‘Be holy, because I am holy.’” ( 1 Peter 1:13-16*)

I hope this helps. Be on fire.

Troy

OnFire is a bi-weekly letter on faith and character written by Troy Dennis. Troy is the Pastor of Family Ministries at Highfield Baptist Church, Moncton NB Canada. This letter published June 18, 2012. Scripture taken from New International Version, 1984. To subscribe or reply, email onfireletter@gmail.com. Archives are located at  www.onfireletter.com. Blog located at www.onfireletter.blogspot.com.

OnFire #280 The Apple Doesn't Fall Far From the Tree

OnFire Encouragement Letter
OnFire #280 The Apple Doesn’t Fall Far from the Tree

We are well into gardening season and I hope that we’re not so different from others who feel like they’re falling behind on the yard work and weeding. It seems that we get one area done and then it is time to do another, and then  by the time we get that finished the lawn needs to be mowed, and more weeds have sprouted in the first place we worked.

It is interesting to think that we actually reflect the image of God when we garden. Genesis 1:26-27 tells us we were made in God’s image, so it only makes sense. “Like father, like son,” as the saying goes. “The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.” “A chip off the old block.”

So how is it we reflect God’s image when we garden? First, there is the urge to bring order from chaos. This is exactly what God did at the beginning when He created the heavens and the earth. We are reminded that the earth was formless and empty. God set about to bring order from the chaos - scheduling day and night, separating sky and sea, arranging plant and animal life. Gardening is nothing if not bringing order from the chaos.

There is the urge to create and to be creative. Before creation, nothing existed, but God called it all into being from His imagination. He made it new. He is Creator and creative. In the same way, we reflect the image of God in us when we look for new ways to do things. “Wouldn’t it be neat if...?” is the question of creativity. 

(On a side note, I think this issue of creativity is a possible solution to the “worship wars.” Often we turn the issue into one of new music VS old music, when the real issue is not music, but creativity. No one is asking (or allowed to ask?) the question, “Wouldn’t it be neat if ...?” Anyway, back to the main topic.)

No gardener will question that humanity’s first place to commune with God was in the garden. There is something about being in a garden which connects us to God and brings a sense of peace and calm. No wonder Jesus prayed in Gethsemane, a garden outside Jerusalem. I think this is all related to Romans 1:20, where we discover that nature reveals some of God’s character traits – power and divinity, for example. Not much wonder we feel closer to God outdoors.

While we have the image of God in us, Paul tells us that Jesus is the real thing. He is the “image of the invisible God.” (Colossians 1: 15) While activities like gardening show that we have some of God’s traits in us, Jesus fully glows in these things because He himself is God.  

Every time I look out the window, I am reminded of my shortcomings as a gardener. There is always more work to be done, something I could have done differently or better. I guess in this way gardening is a little like life. But I have One to look to, Jesus Christ, who isn’t hindered by imperfection. It gives me hope and direction, that I can look to Him as I face life’s troubles. 

I hope this helps. Be on fire.

Troy

OnFire is a bi-weekly letter on faith and character written by Troy Dennis. This letter published May 29, 2012.  To subscribe or reply, email onfireletter@gmail.com. Archives are located at  www.onfireletter.com. Blog located at www.onfireletter.blogspot.com.

OnFire #279 Squizzeled is Not All Bad

OnFire Encouragement Letter
OnFire #279 Squizzeled is Not All Bad
Squizzeled is the word some fishermen on the Bay of Fundy use to describe the appearance of lobster buoys which have been compressed after been driven underwater by the tide. Bay of Fundy tides produce strong currents which drag them down and in many places they only surface at slack tide, when the waters change direction.

I wouldn’t have believed it, but I’ve seen it for myself. The foam buoys start round when they are new, but over time the pressure of the deep water compresses them and they develop wrinkles – squizzeled. I guess the word is a combination of squished and wrinkled.

There are times when the demands and duration of stressful situations leave us feeling squizzeled. We have been submerged for so long that when we finally surface at the other side of a difficult season, we feel like those buoys - pressed in, squished, shrunken.

Our church has called a new senior pastor and he will begin during the last week of July. This is great news and already I can feel a burden lifting. For the last year I’ve been submerged in the details of trying to plug holes in our ministries, and now that our new pastor is coming I can relax a little, which is good, because I passed tired a long time ago and now I’m depleted and weakened. I’m feeling squizzeled.

As I have been thinking about this state I’m in, I see it is not all bad. I am tired, but I sense an opportunity now to remake my routines. I don’t want to fall blindly into some other numbing routine, but rather, I sense a chance to think about the things I need to put back into my life to regain some life balance and build up my spirit.

I plan to add back into my spiritual life the kinds of things I know rejuvenate me. I’ve kept up Bible reading and prayer, but I haven’t been able to journal or take personal spiritual retreats. In the past I have connected with God in powerful ways through these and I plan to add them back to my routine.

I know I need to reengage some of the important people in my life. My family has been understanding, but as I look back, I see that my busyness has risked something with them. Sometimes when we are submerged, people move on without us. I need to reengage them.

I need to reevaluate and reinvent my schedule. What are the important things I want to do? I’ve already talked about putting some spiritual disciplines and family time back in my routine. I need to determine what other major areas I will focus on. I will obviously need to work this out prayerfully and with our deacons and new pastor, but now is the time to consider these things. The hard part will be that some things won’t go back in the schedule and I’ll end up disappointing someone.

So, while squizzeled is uncomfortable, it is not all bad. It presents the opportunity to reevaluate and reconsider. We’ll all face difficult seasons at times, but when we resurface, we have the chance to remake our routines.

I hope this helps. Be onfire.
Troy

OnFire is a bi-weekly letter on faith and character written by Troy Dennis. Troy is the Pastor of Family Ministries at Highfield Baptist Church, Moncton NB Canada. This letter published May 17, 2012. To subscribe or reply, email onfireletter@gmail.com. Archives are located at www.onfireletter.com. Blog located at www.onfireletter.blogspot.com.

OnFire #278 We Are Not Guitars

OnFire Encouragement Letter
OnFire #278 We Are Not Guitars

It didn’t sound like it hit hard, but when a guitar falls off the stand it’s more about how it hits the ground than it is about how hard. Not long ago I knocked mine from the stand as I walked past. My hands were full, so I tried to catch it with my leg, perhaps to slow it down to minimize the damage.

The instrument pivoted around my knee and fell behind me so I didn’t actually see it land, but I knew it didn’t sound good. The strings rang twice as the back of the head hit first, followed by the body. Not good, I thought, but I hoped for the best. After all, it was not the first time it had fallen.

I picked it up gingerly, but it didn’t matter. The neck was broken where it joined the guitar. The foot joint, as it is called, was split.

The guitar was not an expensive one. I bought it used, not for its high quality, but because I loved its rich bass tones and comfortable action. It sounded better than its price tag, and felt good to play. Later I installed a pickup. A few people over the years have suggested it was time to upgrade because I’ve worn down the frets. I knew the time would eventually come, but in my mind, why upgrade when I loved the one I had?

It’s not worth fixing. I didn’t pay much for it, and it would take a lot of time at professional rates to repair and restore it. Perhaps if it had been better it might be worth it, but it’s not. I checked some friends who know about these things and it might be possible to glue and clamp it, but there is a problem with that, too. The broken joint isn’t wide enough to insert the glue. Too broken to play, not broken enough to fix.

Not worth fixing. There is something very depressing about that assessment. Not impossible to fix, but  not worth doing. How can that be? And yet it is, because of the simple economics. It would cost more than it is worth to fix it. I would never get my money back, and chances are it would never look or play the same again, either. Perhaps if there were some reason - historic or sentimental - I could justify it, but otherwise it is not worth fixing.

Life goes on and it is just a guitar, after all. But it made me think. I wonder if any of the angelic beings looked down at Jesus and questioned God for sending His Son. Did any of them suggest that the price to repair and restore humanity was too costly? Not worth fixing?

Sometimes we wonder. What about the times we blow it? How often is too often? How broken is too broken? Are we worth fixing? Is the cost too great?

It helps us realize God’s love for all of us. He sent Jesus for us. We must be worth it if he did not spare His own Son, as Paul reminds us in Romans 8:32.

We are not guitars, or cars, or something else that isn’t worth it to fix. God loves us. God’s economy is different from ours. We are not beyond repair. We are worth fixing, and he sent Jesus to do the job.

I hope this helps. Be on fire.

Troy

OnFire is a bi-weekly letter on faith and character written by Troy Dennis. This letter published Apr 26, 2012.  To subscribe or reply, email onfireletter@gmail.com. Archives are located at  www.onfireletter.com. Blog located at www.onfireletter.blogspot.com. Check out Troy's other blog at www.pastorofeverythingelse.blogspot.com

OnFire #277 Empty is Not Void

OnFire Encouragement Letter
OnFire #277 Empty is Not Void


Hi Folks:

When I think of the word “empty” my first thought is of disappointment. An empty plate in the fridge means the boys ate the leftover meatballs. When the needle of the gas gauge sits on E, I’ll have to make another trip to the pumps. However, an empty bank account may prevent me from filling the empty tank. An empty cupboard, so the nursery rhyme goes, frustrated Old Mother Hubbard. Empty words are broken promises.

“Hollow” is a related word with the same letdowns. A hollow potato is rotten in the centre. We gain nothing in a hollow victory. To be hollow-hearted is to be insincere.

That was the feeling I had as a child when I discovered that my Easter candy was hollow. What kind of sick joke was that, to build up my milk-chocolate hopes, only to have them crack like the sides of bunny under my teeth?

Empty and hollow are not always disappointing. I love finding empty parking spots. PEI, where I grew up, is covered with pretty farms located in hollows between the hills. I have secret compartments in my desk, small hollow spots perfect for hiding trinkets.

Empty was good on Easter Sunday. When the women first spotted the empty tomb, they didn’t yet know what it meant. Had someone removed Jesus’ body without telling them? It took a little while to understand that the empty tomb was a good thing. “He is not here; he has risen,” and angel said.

Imagine their joy as Mary, and Mary, and Peter and John, and soon all the others began to realize the empty tomb meant Jesus was alive. The impossible was possible with God. Empty was where hope began.

Genesis tells us that before creation the earth was without form and void, another way of saying it was empty. God took that emptiness and turned it into something. He brought order form the chaos and turned nothing into something. That’s what the resurrection was. The empty tomb was not void.

We tend to see empty as the end. We had something and now it is gone. But with God, empty is the beginning. This is the place where God can fill us up once again. I wish there were an easier way, but it seems we often don’t discover how powerful God is until we’re sucking the fumes of our empty. In this way empty is where hope begins.

May God fill your empty on this Easter Monday morning. Be on fire.

Troy

OnFire is a bi-weekly letter on faith and character written by Troy Dennis. Troy is the Pastor of Family Ministries at Highfield Baptist Church, Moncton NB Canada. This letter published Apr 9, 2012. To subscribe or reply, email onfireletter@gmail.com. Archives are located at www.onfireletter.com. Blog located at www.onfireletter.blogspot.com.