Archive for the 'Thoughts' Category

It’s quite likely that everyone is too busy to read a blog during the Christmas season and that’s okay. I’ve found myself too busy to write one, most of the time. We’ve been here in Adelaide since the 3rd of December;staying with the Perkins and visiting a few other friends in the area. We spent a couple days as guests of Kingsley and Glenda Purdie in Port Elliot on the southern coast of SA, just an hour’s drive from Adelaide. We were treated very graciously and thoroughly enjoyed their beautiful home and stunning view out over the crashing surf! June Lawrence (Glenda’s stepmom) sends here greetings to all in BV who remember her and her visits to Calgary. We caught up with Denny and Lorna Poitras and their family just before they left Adelaide for Christmas in Canada. (they were part of our Cambrian Hts phase and Lorna is Brent Williams sister) So as you can tell we’ve been busy, just like you!

It’s hard to adjust our thinking to Christmas when the temps have fluctuated between +22 and +40 the last few days. However, a visit to the mall and 15 minutes driving around to find a parking spot reminded us that we really were ramping up for Christmas. There is no snow and ice to battle in the parking lot but remembering to keep to the left and the very tight lanes and roadways here do keep one on their toes.

A week ago we ventured over to Kangaroo Island with the Perkins and spent 5 days exploring the unique setting. It was all quite rural with lighthouses…fishing villages…sheep dairies…lavender and honey farms…kangaroos loping around…crashing surf…incredible rock formations…seals lolling on the rocks and fairy penquin colonies. Only our fishing adventures (John & me) proved frutiless…a bit like fishing with Mike on the Bow I might add! We did have an up close and personal encounter with a wallaby while I was driving home in the dark. It was a brief and brutal meeting…the Wallaby likely has no recollection but we remember every day as we view the bent licence plate and broken front bumper! Fortunately a couple kms later we had a similar meeting with a full grown kangaroo which ended much happier. I swerved and braked as he/she stood on the center lane confused about whether he/she was coming or going. We watched it bounce off in our headlites in much better shape than it’s cousin who lay peacefully in the ditch a few kms back.

In a few days we’ll be celebrating Christmas (a day ahead of you Calgarians) with the folks at Aberfoyle Uniting Church. They cancel their wk’d services and put on “The Road to Christmas” which is a walk-thu Bethlehem experience for the community. They considered casting me as Herod but decided against type-casting Canadian pastors! Their services and community are very similar to BV so we’re feeling right at home and yet…we’re ready for home and looking forward to our return in just 10 days now.

Our travels have caused me to reflect on the biblical reference and song lyrics that remind us that this world is not our home…we’re just passing through. In reference to being away from home for this amount of time we do indeed feel like we are strangers (especially when the major sports of this area are cricket and Aussie Rules Football) and the longer we are away the more we begin to long for home. Such a great analogy for our time here on earth…the longer we live the more we long for our heavenly home.
This is my last blog and I thank all of you who bothered to keep up with it. I anticipate preparing Sunday messages once again and sharing them face to face instead of writing blind to whomever takes the time to open them up.

Merry Christmas to each one of you. Take time to revel in the amazing details of the God who loved us enough to leave his home and become a sojourner amongst us for the purpose of bringing us all safely home. -Rick

“How ya going mates?”
It’s probably long past time to add another chapter to this “sabbatical report”. Debbie and I are currently enjoying the warm weather, beautiful beaches and kind hospitality of Australia. We landed in Sydney just over 2 weeks ago and after a few days in that large but charming city we rented a car and took a 4 day journey up the eastern coast stopping in quaint ocean-side towns to wander around and sample the sights and tastes. Almost a week ago now we stopped in Coolangatta for a one week stay on the Gold Coast. What we didn’t know when we booked this place months ago, was that the latter weeks of November are known as “schoolies week”. This is when the graduating seniors from high school celebrate the end of their school year by partying for a week, non-stop!!! They come from all over Australia and land on the beaches of the Gold Coast where they commit themselves to 24 hour partying. Fortunately, our accommodation is on the south end of the Coast and the epi-centre is 30 kms north of here…so we’ve been spared the rowdiness.

So far, we’ve visited quite a few folks that we know from Calgary…Chris Perkins and his girl-friend Sarah toured us around Sydney one day; John & Sylvia Nowlan who once worked with Wycliffe in Calgary and were our neighbors in Sandstone took us to Hillsong Church for a Sunday evening service; the Sbrocchi’s (Libby Moore’s parents) hosted us one evening and overnight in Terrigal; we dropped in for coffee on the Denne’s (friends of Jody Elliott) while in Brisbane and Glen and Glori Gill, who attended BVCC and whose son played hockey with Ryan,fed us, showed us around and put us up for the night at their place in the Glass House Mts! So we’ve enjoyed a nice mix of touring on our own and meeting old friends.

Tomorrow we leave Coolangatta and fly up to Cairns for a few days around the Great Barrier Reef and then we’ll head down to Adelaide where we’ll spend the remainder of our time, staying with John and Wendy Perkins and visiting more friends and seeing more of this beautiful country.

Just a few random observations…driving on the left-hand side of the road has been a “sharpening experience”. It really sharpens your attention and you find yourself glancing in the wrong mirror and feeling very awkward when backing up, turning corners, passing on the highway and just about everything else, including trying to get into the wrong side of the car on occasion. But we’re adapting. It reminds me a little about any kind of change that gets introduced into our world…it takes some getting used to and while one could complain all the time about how it shouldn’t have to be this way…it is…so pay attention…change your behavior and get used to it!
When one travels you discover that there are a lot of little things that are different from home. Again, you can complain and gripe and question why all the time or you can enjoy the difference…appreciate the variations and realize that if everything was the same as home there would be no use leaving! It’s the differences that make travel fun and exciting and also help you either appreciate the familiarity of home or evaluate what should be changed when you get back there.
I must say that the plethora of flowering trees and the beautiful birds over here leave me feeling a little blue about returning to the bleakness of winter and the long wait for Calgary’s spring-time. But by the end of December I think I’ll be prepared even for that.

We miss each one of you and despite visiting a different church every Sunday, I must say, that BV is tops! I’ll tell you more about that when I return. We trust you’re all “going well” and we’ll see you in a few weeks! -Rick

Not all learning comes from books. I’ve been learning some things from my granddaughters. As a parent I soon came to realize that God teaches up plenty from our kids and as a husband it didn’t take me too long to realize that God had plenty to teach me through my wife and the journey of marriage. But grandkids have caught me a bit off guard. I guess I presumed that because we had raised our own children and arrived at the point where they had left the nest and were soaring well on their own that our days of learning much from children was over. But then came Kaiya and more recently Rylee and a whole new era of learning has commenced!

The learning I’m referring to isn’t about new toys or the most recent kid’s TV programs or how to employ an improved diapering system. It isn’t even about mastering the technology of “skype” so we can see them while we talk with them. No…the real learning, the important learning is about how they affect our hearts.

During these “sabbatical days” I’ve had more time to spend with them which means of course that I have gotten more attached to them. In the days leading up to their move to Vancouver they lived with us for a week and as a result saying “goodbye” became that much harder. The house is now so much quieter…the toys are never underfoot and the tupperware cupboard stays neat and organized behind the door instead of all over the floor…I can actually get things done without interruption…when I leave to go somewhere no one cries because they can’t come with me and I can actually read the paper instead of The Barnyard Dance when I sit down. But…there are no squeals of joy…no cries of “Bampa”…no lifted arms…no one crawling into bed with us in the morning or peeking out from around the corner while playing a game of “boo”.

So as I sit in my quiet and well ordered room and write this blog I’m reminded of a few things that this “refresher course” is teaching me. I’m reminded of how important children were to Jesus and of his warning that unless we become like these little ones…these vulnerable, dependant, exuberant kids…we cannot get into his Father’s Kingdom. How is that when we are so smart, so savvy, so well experienced, so cosmopolitan? I’m reminded of how they love to be held and cuddled and played with and how much we grandparents love those moments and I think about how much God longs to take our hand during a walk, have us sit on his lap while he reads us some story that is far below his IQ level. That closeness that develops between grandparent and grandchild is a reflection of the closeness that God desires with us! And the joy at watching them learn to walk and talk and master all kinds of new skills…I’m sure that God has those same moments of joy as he watches you and I make progress in our efforts to become just like him.

More painful insights came when Kelly and Sarrah moved to Vancouver a couple weeks ago. And while they moved for good reasons, to work with a new church plant there, the geographical distance reminds me of another painful reality. What must it be like for God when his kids move away from him? How does he feel when the ones he has loved, the ones who have professed their love and commitment to him choose to put distance between themselves and him? Perhaps we would like to believe that God is somehow devoid of such trivial emotions but if he indeed created us in his own image I think he must feel some of the pain that such separation inevitably brings…a similar sadness and longing to that which we have felt these last few days since our granddaughters moved away.

These “grandkid lessons” have also taught me more about empathy. I resonate with those grandparents who have experienced these exact same feelings. I hurt more deeply for parents who have lost custody of their children or even more dramatically those who have lost a child or children to death in some manner. Compared to these “tearings” my lessons have been slight and temporary but non-the-less my empathy has been sharpened.

So we look forward to a few more trips to Vancouver and becoming much more proficient at skyping and God willing, perhaps even a few more grandchildren in the years ahead! And I’ll try to remember that God is always willing to teach me new lessons, even in the midst of disappointment and painful separations.

It’s past time that I up-date this rather erratic commentary on my Sabbatical! Despite the very drastic change to my routine, life seems to continue at a breakneck pace. Our family dynamics have completely changed (no, Deb has not left me) with Lane and Chantelle moving to Toronto so Lane can pursue his Masters at Wycliffe Seminary on the UofT campus. They’ve settled in nicely and we’re hoping to check up on them in the not-too distant future! Now Kelly and Sarrah and our two grand-daughters are getting ready to move to Vancouver! We’re still negotiating on whether Kaiya and Rylee should be allowed out of the province! Seriously, we’re excited for them as they make plans to join Keith and Maureen in their church planting venture in Vancouver. But we’ve had so much fun with Kaiya this past year and now we’re just getting acquainted with Rylee so it’s difficult to realize that we’re going to miss significant pieces in those early years of change and discovery! We’re glad that Ryan and Jani are still here in Calgary and we’re trying not to pressure them too much to do their part in replacing Kaiya and Rylee.

My personal focus during these past weeks has been to visit with a number of pastors around the country as well as attending some of their churches and reflect on some of the possible next steps for BVCC. I’ve also experimented with golf courses as a place to reflect and think but I find that I’m much too distracted with my erratic game. Perhaps God is trying to convince me that I should give it up and concentrate on something more predictable like playing the lottery. Last week Debbie and I enjoyed a week of vacation out in Courtney/Comox. This is area where Deb went to High School so we spent considerable time re-connecting with some of her friends and memories, trying new restaurants, and exploring the countryside.

Pretty much everywhere I go people ask me how the Sabbatical is going so let me share my stock answer with all of you who may read this…I tell them that during July and August it just felt like vacation but now that September has arrived it feels really strange to know that everything is ramping up at BV and I’m not there in the middle of it! These next four months will be the hardest as I find myself without my usual routine and focus but still attempting to use my time intentionally.

I have really appreciated the opportunity to re-establish some spiritual disciplines and to read and think. I’m praying that God will use these weeks of “non-productivity” to enrich my soul and rekindle my passion. We continue to pray for the church as the fall begins to unfold…for the staff as they direct the various ministries…for the line-up of speakers, that you would be blessed by their messages…for financial stability going forward, and for an on-going outreach with the good news! -Rick

My week in Vancouver was enjoyable and informative on many levels! I visited Willingdon Church which is an exciting example of an ethnically diverse congregation and one that we have learned from in the past. They have 4 weekend services and the 11:30am service that I attended was jammed on this late July wk’d. It was fun to worship with such an international community. Unfortunately, their International Pastor, Darryl Kroeker was away for the entire summer so I didn’t get a chance to catch up with him but I came away inspired by all that they are doing for the Kingdom and hoping that we can continue to emulate their ministry here in Calgary.
During my week of classes at Regent College I stayed with Keith and Maureen Shields and had a chance to worship with their house church and get acquainted with the people involved. We had a number of intriguing conversations and I appreciated becoming better acqauinted with their vision for what is a challenging and exciting community of condos and Olympic housing.
The classes at Regent were for the most part stimulating and thought provoking. I chose to merely audit, so I was free of writing papers etc. and chose only to do some of the reading. One class was entitled, Understanding Emerging Evangelical Media and the other was The Ethics of Filmmaking. It was great to have Cal taking that class as well and he and Heather and I caught up a bit during the week.
The temperatures in Vancouver during that week broke all records so there were a few days that I wished I was on the beach instead of in the classroom. I also had the opportunity to visit with Cam Roxborough who is pastoring a Multi-Site Church in Vancouver and pick his brain a bit about what it’s like to have four different sites that are all part of the same church. It was a great week and I followed it up by joining all our family in Invermere for a week of R&R…family style!

Debbie and I just returned from an incredible week in El Salvador with Compassion Canada. We joined 16 others from Toronto, Vancouver and here in Calgary…pastors, musicians and spouses. It turned out to be a terrific group with lots of synergy and energy! As guests of Compassion we visited 6 different “projects” in El Salvador and interacted with the staff and children. Children who are sponsored are connected to a “project” with a local church acting as the hub. There they are loved and helped in their education, health, social and spiritual development. Each “project” has a minimum of 150 kids and many have over 300. Altogether, Compassion is currently working with more than 35,000 children just in El Salvador. We were so impressed with the calibre of the organization and the people. From the office personel to the pastors and project directors they were so committed and sacrificial and the kids stole our hearts. The poverty depressed us but the hearts of the people and the work of Compassion inspired us! It was an amazing and deeply emotional experience that has impacted us deeply. We look forward to sharing more of it with you in the future!

Every once in a while I intend to check in and share a brief snapshot of what I’m up to during my Sabbatical.  It’s a way for any of our church family to stay connected with a bit of the journey.  It won’t be exhaustive and I make no promises to up-date it weekly but I’ll try and keep you posted on the highlights.  Monday evening Debbie and I will head off to Louisville, Kentucky for the North American Christian Convention where we’ll join Jim and Linda Anderson who are already there.