Humiliation
Posted by Pastor Tim on December 21, 2011
Dear Family,
This time of year brings so many thoughts to my mind about Christ and His coming — and all of them end in my own humiliation as I contemplate His. I have often thought about the passage that John wrote after seeing Jesus (John 3:30). I think about how radical Christianity is and only in that reality is it a much greater thing for us to decrease (and how damaging and dangerous it is for us to increase in any form). Only here, in the Christian faith is it better to be in the back, to be last. Humility in royalty really is radical. Being a brother with the King of Kings! In most every earthly understanding we would see people balk at having to always be in the "shadow" of their more "famous" brother. But not here. Humility is actually better as we adequately see in Philippians 2. Can you tell I have been thinking of the kenosis lately :) Humility in the Christian experience is a glorifying prospect — not just needed, but enjoyed. It is amazing to consider the "babe" wrapped in dusty rags when we consider how He was not forced to be humbled, but humbled Himself. Wow! There is so much to learn from Christ (and so much still to learn about how much we are still not like Him)! Thank God that He has promised us sanctification!
The Two Adams
Posted by Pastor Tim on September 7, 2011
Dear Family,
Have you considered lately what really took place when Christ (the second Adam) came to redeem Adam's race (the first Adam)? The Bible talks of there being two Adams. Adam the first has been created in fellowship with God in His image.
Genesis 1 reveals to us that God, the Great King, made man as His living, breathing, moving, like-Himself image. God gave Adam the first dominion. He was to rule over the animate world. In the context of his fellowship with God in Eden, he also was called to turn the whole earth into the garden of God. In amazing and imaginative love, God fashioned a creature that, in miniature, could experience creativity and dominion, and so have real fellowship with Him. Here lay the serpent's subtlety - "You will be like God" (Gen 3:5), he intoned salaciously when he tempted the woman. He blinded her to the cardinal truth: Adam and Eve already were like God; They were His image! So Adam the first fell, and with him the cosmos.
Delight in Prayer
Posted by Pastor Tim on August 18, 2011
Dear Family,
It is good to finally be back! We really missed you all. A lot can happen in 5 weeks and believe me it did. The 6 churches that we visited I believe have a better idea how to pray now and we thank our God that we had the opportunity to tell them of what God has been doing here in Edmonton. Because we have been gone and because of the busyness of pre-trip preparation, we haven't seen some of you and haven't been able to communicate with many of you for some time now. Please know that it was not for lack of desire.
Tragedy and Theology
Posted by Pastor Tim on June 30, 2011
Dear Family,
If you watch the news or read the paper, most of you would know already that we lost a very dear friend in the gospel this last weekend. Jonathan Andre was killed when he was struck by a car around 11:30 PM Sunday night (June 26) in the northeast side of the city. May and some people from the band will be in Edmonton tomorrow making arrangements for Jonathan to be transported back to Fort McPhearson. We would like to donate a wreath or spray of some kind to be shipped with Jonathan. Carolyn is looking into the details of that. If you would like to donate to this then please contact Carolyn about this.
Are we Doing our Mission?
Posted by Pastor Tim on May 19, 2011
Dear Friends in the Gospel,
As the years grow further and further away from Pentecost (the inception of the church), the question of our mission seems to be be further mitigated and blurred to the point that if you were to walk up to the average Christian today in the average western church and ask the question, "What is our mission?", you would get a surplus of ideas and answers -- and my guess is that that they would not all harmonize into the commission that God gave the church in Matthew 28.
