Fort George Canyon Provincial Park
June 20th, 2012
Eskers Provincial Park
May 21st, 2012
On Saturday we went out to Eskers Provincial Park, which is about a half hour from Prince George. It's a gorgeous place, and we enjoyed a beautiful afternoon. Nallely and I have been posting a lot more to Facebook, so I haven't put a lot of stuff up on the blog, but I'll try to rectify that for those of you who are still checking in here.
So, for your enjoyment and to celebrate the beauty of Northern B.C. (and to lure you to consider Prince George as a great place to live!), here are some pictures...
So, for your enjoyment and to celebrate the beauty of Northern B.C. (and to lure you to consider Prince George as a great place to live!), here are some pictures...
Sunday's Sermon: Proverbs 10
March 30th, 2012
I've been away this week, so I haven't had a chance to upload last Sunday's sermon until today. Here it is:
http://archive.org/details/SermonProverbs10
And while I'm here, here's what I've been up to this week! I travelled down to the Fraser Valley on Monday. On Tuesday I attended the meeting of Classis Pacific West in Cloverdale. One of the items on the agenda was an opportunity for the churches in our classis to report on what's happening in each of our congregations in the area of evangelism and missions. It was great to have the opportunity to speak about the mission in Prince George, and it was even better to hear about all the things that are going on in the churches.
Mission work in Brazil, mission work among Chinese people in the Lower Mainland, local initiatives and opportunities, and some exciting new developments - there's a lot going on in our churches, and it's a joy to hear about everything that's happening, and the way our faithful God is blessing the efforts that He has initiated.
Then on Wednesday evening, I was able to give a presentation to a good-sized group of people in the Willoughby Heights Canadian Reformed Church, and also to hear a presentation by Justin Roukema, who has been assisting in the work that's being done in Brampton, Ontario to spread the good news in the Greater Toronto Area. In Brampton, they have begun to work on a Reformed Study Centre, and they've developed a website. It's an exciting initiative, so check out their website:
www.wordandspirit.ca
http://archive.org/details/SermonProverbs10
And while I'm here, here's what I've been up to this week! I travelled down to the Fraser Valley on Monday. On Tuesday I attended the meeting of Classis Pacific West in Cloverdale. One of the items on the agenda was an opportunity for the churches in our classis to report on what's happening in each of our congregations in the area of evangelism and missions. It was great to have the opportunity to speak about the mission in Prince George, and it was even better to hear about all the things that are going on in the churches.
Mission work in Brazil, mission work among Chinese people in the Lower Mainland, local initiatives and opportunities, and some exciting new developments - there's a lot going on in our churches, and it's a joy to hear about everything that's happening, and the way our faithful God is blessing the efforts that He has initiated.
Then on Wednesday evening, I was able to give a presentation to a good-sized group of people in the Willoughby Heights Canadian Reformed Church, and also to hear a presentation by Justin Roukema, who has been assisting in the work that's being done in Brampton, Ontario to spread the good news in the Greater Toronto Area. In Brampton, they have begun to work on a Reformed Study Centre, and they've developed a website. It's an exciting initiative, so check out their website:
www.wordandspirit.ca
Update
February 17th, 2012
Once again it's been a while since my last update, and I didn't post my weekly sermon this week, since I was away preaching in Vernon. I was invited to Vernon to meet with the Canadian Reformed Church's evangelism committee and to give a presentation to the congregation there about our evangelistic calling, as well as to lead the worship services there.
It was a busy weekend (driving down on Saturday, driving back here to P.G. on Monday), but it was really a blessing to be able to spend time with the church there, and to speak about the work in Prince George, as well as how we as congregations can reach out in our communities.
I recently received a whole whack of material from an Australian organization, called Matthias Media. They've done a great job of producing materials that can help us speak about the gospel to our friends and neighbours. One of the programs they've developed is called "Two Ways to Live" - it's a seven-week course meant to equip believers to speak about their faith with clarity and confidence. I've been going over the material this week, and I'm looking forward to beginning the program with our mission congregation next week.
I think a lot of times we have the desire to speak out about the gospel more than we do, but our fears get in the way - will I have the right answer? Will I make a fool of myself? Will I present the message properly? I'm hoping and praying that using this "Two Ways to Live" program will be a big help for all of us, myself included, in giving us a bit more confidence to speak about the things that really matter!
I'll be writing more about the course as we go through it, and also reviewing some of the books, pamphlets, and courses that Matthias Media has put out. So, watch this space, and I hope you'll hear more than the sound of crickets...
It was a busy weekend (driving down on Saturday, driving back here to P.G. on Monday), but it was really a blessing to be able to spend time with the church there, and to speak about the work in Prince George, as well as how we as congregations can reach out in our communities.
I recently received a whole whack of material from an Australian organization, called Matthias Media. They've done a great job of producing materials that can help us speak about the gospel to our friends and neighbours. One of the programs they've developed is called "Two Ways to Live" - it's a seven-week course meant to equip believers to speak about their faith with clarity and confidence. I've been going over the material this week, and I'm looking forward to beginning the program with our mission congregation next week.
I think a lot of times we have the desire to speak out about the gospel more than we do, but our fears get in the way - will I have the right answer? Will I make a fool of myself? Will I present the message properly? I'm hoping and praying that using this "Two Ways to Live" program will be a big help for all of us, myself included, in giving us a bit more confidence to speak about the things that really matter!
I'll be writing more about the course as we go through it, and also reviewing some of the books, pamphlets, and courses that Matthias Media has put out. So, watch this space, and I hope you'll hear more than the sound of crickets...
Back in the deep freeze
January 17th, 2012
Last night I returned from balmy Hamilton, Ontario, where I spent the last few days participating in a conference at our seminary, on evangelism and church planting.
When I arrived in Hamilton, it was actually raining; but as I write this, it's -23 in Prince George, and we're looking at lows of -37 over the next three days. It's on days like today that I'm particularly thankful for the practicalities of my work - mainly the fact that it takes place, for the most part, indoors!
The conference was excellent. There were over 120 registered participants, and we got to hear some great presentations by Rev. Henk Drost, who works as a missionary in Ukraine; by Rev. Ted Van Raalte, who is part of a group that is working on developing ideas for a church plant in the Greater Vancouver area; and by Rev. Ross W. Graham, who is the general secretary for the Committee on Home Missions and Church Extension in the Orthodox Presbyterian Church.
On Saturday, we broke into smaller groups, and four concurrent sessions were held, dealing with different issues in evangelism and church planting. I hosted two presentations on our work in Prince George, which was a lot of fun, but which also meant that I unfortunately couldn't participate in the other sessions, which I did hear very good things about.
All in all, the conference was great. I got to meet a number of people I haven't seen in a while, as well as several whom I hadn't met before, and we had time to share notes and learn from one another, and just to enjoy some good conversation.
It was encouraging and exciting to see the level of interest and commitment that our churches have for outreach. We may have our struggles, and we will face difficulties, but there was a great deal of enthusiasm and willingness to learn how we can best go about spreading the Good News faithfully. It is a blessing for all of us to have been entrusted with the task of working as God's ambassadors in a world that desperately needs what we too often take for granted - the good news of Jesus Christ!
I was also able to go back to the church where we worshipped for a year while living in Hamilton - Streetlight Christian Church in downtown Hamilton. It was great to see a lot of familiar faces, and it's always a joy to be able to participate in this important work of outreach in one of Canada's most needy neighbourhoods.
But after a few days away, it's great to be home. I had wonderful hosts in Hamilton, but there really is no place like home!
When I arrived in Hamilton, it was actually raining; but as I write this, it's -23 in Prince George, and we're looking at lows of -37 over the next three days. It's on days like today that I'm particularly thankful for the practicalities of my work - mainly the fact that it takes place, for the most part, indoors!
The conference was excellent. There were over 120 registered participants, and we got to hear some great presentations by Rev. Henk Drost, who works as a missionary in Ukraine; by Rev. Ted Van Raalte, who is part of a group that is working on developing ideas for a church plant in the Greater Vancouver area; and by Rev. Ross W. Graham, who is the general secretary for the Committee on Home Missions and Church Extension in the Orthodox Presbyterian Church.
On Saturday, we broke into smaller groups, and four concurrent sessions were held, dealing with different issues in evangelism and church planting. I hosted two presentations on our work in Prince George, which was a lot of fun, but which also meant that I unfortunately couldn't participate in the other sessions, which I did hear very good things about.
All in all, the conference was great. I got to meet a number of people I haven't seen in a while, as well as several whom I hadn't met before, and we had time to share notes and learn from one another, and just to enjoy some good conversation.
It was encouraging and exciting to see the level of interest and commitment that our churches have for outreach. We may have our struggles, and we will face difficulties, but there was a great deal of enthusiasm and willingness to learn how we can best go about spreading the Good News faithfully. It is a blessing for all of us to have been entrusted with the task of working as God's ambassadors in a world that desperately needs what we too often take for granted - the good news of Jesus Christ!
I was also able to go back to the church where we worshipped for a year while living in Hamilton - Streetlight Christian Church in downtown Hamilton. It was great to see a lot of familiar faces, and it's always a joy to be able to participate in this important work of outreach in one of Canada's most needy neighbourhoods.
But after a few days away, it's great to be home. I had wonderful hosts in Hamilton, but there really is no place like home!
Off to Smithers today
November 16th, 2011
Every November, the Smithers home mission board holds a combined meeting with the council of the Smithers church to discuss and review the progress of our home mission work. This is the fourth annual review I've taken part in - time flies! It was forty-five months ago that we arrived in Prince George. Our mission congregation now has 35 members - 17 communicant members, and 18 non-communicant members - along with several regular participants and prospective members. We're very thankful for the Lord's continued blessing on our little mission congregation, and I wanted to take this opportunity to ask readers to pray for the home mission work.
Tonight at the meeting I will be reading from Ephesians 6, and one verse in particular:
"For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places" (Ephesians 6:12).
We always need to be reminded of the fact that we are involved in a struggle, and that struggle is a spiritual one. The "spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places" do not want mission works to succeed, and we have seen and experienced this spiritual opposition in action. I've seen the struggles of new and prospective church members after they've made the decision to unite themselves to the body of Christ, and I can only attribute this to the spiritual warfare that we are engaged in.
So I ask for your prayers - for our fledgling congregation, for new believers, for those who are struggling, for those who have not yet come to faith. As a missionary, I'm no Apostle Paul (and I'm not an "ambassador in chains," so I'll use a ... in the following quotation), but reasoning from the greater to the lesser, I also want to ask for the same thing that he asked of his readers - that you pray "also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel... that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak" (Ephesians 6:19-20).
The great thing is that we can know that the victory belongs to the Lord. Trials and struggles may come, but we know that with God on our side, nothing can prevail against us!
Tonight at the meeting I will be reading from Ephesians 6, and one verse in particular:
"For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places" (Ephesians 6:12).
We always need to be reminded of the fact that we are involved in a struggle, and that struggle is a spiritual one. The "spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places" do not want mission works to succeed, and we have seen and experienced this spiritual opposition in action. I've seen the struggles of new and prospective church members after they've made the decision to unite themselves to the body of Christ, and I can only attribute this to the spiritual warfare that we are engaged in.
So I ask for your prayers - for our fledgling congregation, for new believers, for those who are struggling, for those who have not yet come to faith. As a missionary, I'm no Apostle Paul (and I'm not an "ambassador in chains," so I'll use a ... in the following quotation), but reasoning from the greater to the lesser, I also want to ask for the same thing that he asked of his readers - that you pray "also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel... that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak" (Ephesians 6:19-20).
The great thing is that we can know that the victory belongs to the Lord. Trials and struggles may come, but we know that with God on our side, nothing can prevail against us!
Back from vacation!
September 23rd, 2011
And you never even knew I was gone!
I should have posted something before we left, but you know how things go...
Be that as it may, the reason why things have been unusually quiet on this page for the past couple of weeks is that we've been away! We got back to P.G. last night, after spending a week in Abbotsford at my parents' place, and a week in the States. McKinley and I travelled as far as the Redwoods in Northern California, and travelled back north along the Oregon Coast. It was a very enjoyable trip, a refreshing time away, but it's good to be back home!
And this coming Sunday is a very special one, as we welcome a new member into the fold. On Sunday, September 25th, Jordan Killam will publicly profess his faith, and will become a member of our mission congregation. And to top it off, we'll also be celebrating the Lord's Supper, so we'll be dining at the Lord's table with our brother for the first time.
I'll be sure to post some photos here and on Facebook after the event.
And now, it's time to get back into the swing of things!
I should have posted something before we left, but you know how things go...
Be that as it may, the reason why things have been unusually quiet on this page for the past couple of weeks is that we've been away! We got back to P.G. last night, after spending a week in Abbotsford at my parents' place, and a week in the States. McKinley and I travelled as far as the Redwoods in Northern California, and travelled back north along the Oregon Coast. It was a very enjoyable trip, a refreshing time away, but it's good to be back home!
And this coming Sunday is a very special one, as we welcome a new member into the fold. On Sunday, September 25th, Jordan Killam will publicly profess his faith, and will become a member of our mission congregation. And to top it off, we'll also be celebrating the Lord's Supper, so we'll be dining at the Lord's table with our brother for the first time.
I'll be sure to post some photos here and on Facebook after the event.
And now, it's time to get back into the swing of things!
Blog Silence
February 21st, 2011
Well, it's been a while since I've posted anything, but there are reasons, I assure you! First of all, last week Sunday I neglected to take my little recorder along to the worship service, so the sermon wasn't recorded, and therefore (obviously) not posted!
And last Monday evening I flew to beautiful Winnipeg, Manitoba, where I stayed until Friday. While in Winnipeg, I spoke at Redeemer Canadian Reformed Church, on the topic, "Fear of Man and our Evangelistic Calling," and I met with the Winnipeg mission board to discuss their plans for a mission work in Winnipeg or one of the surrounding communities.
I was also scheduled to speak in Carman on Thursday night, but a blizzard kept me from getting from Winnipeg to Carman, so, unfortunately, that evening had to be cancelled. The weather also led to flight problems, so my flight from Winnipeg to Vancouver on Friday morning was delayed by three hours, and then the flight from Vancouver to Prince George was cancelled, so I didn't get home until Friday evening...
Despite the problems it was still a blessing to be able to meet with brothers and sisters in Southern Manitoba. Thanks to Rolf and Liz DenHollander for their hospitality, and to the evangelism committee folks who set everything up for the trip (and provided me with a roaring Mini Cooper to get lost in Winnipeg in!)
But is it ever nice to be home!!!
And last Monday evening I flew to beautiful Winnipeg, Manitoba, where I stayed until Friday. While in Winnipeg, I spoke at Redeemer Canadian Reformed Church, on the topic, "Fear of Man and our Evangelistic Calling," and I met with the Winnipeg mission board to discuss their plans for a mission work in Winnipeg or one of the surrounding communities.
I was also scheduled to speak in Carman on Thursday night, but a blizzard kept me from getting from Winnipeg to Carman, so, unfortunately, that evening had to be cancelled. The weather also led to flight problems, so my flight from Winnipeg to Vancouver on Friday morning was delayed by three hours, and then the flight from Vancouver to Prince George was cancelled, so I didn't get home until Friday evening...
Despite the problems it was still a blessing to be able to meet with brothers and sisters in Southern Manitoba. Thanks to Rolf and Liz DenHollander for their hospitality, and to the evangelism committee folks who set everything up for the trip (and provided me with a roaring Mini Cooper to get lost in Winnipeg in!)
But is it ever nice to be home!!!
Another song from Sudan
January 26th, 2011
This is Peter Gatwiech, singing "Jesus Christ, the Son of Man, Was Born." This one, like the previous one I posted, is in the Nuer language.
Southern Sudan
January 25th, 2011
In the summer of 2006, I spent a couple of months in Lokichoggio, Kenya, teaching pastors and elders, mainly from Southern Sudan. While I was there, I recorded a number of songs, sung by students in their own languages. This one is sung by Peter Gatwiech and James Wany, and it's called "God Has Saved Southern Sudan."
Southern Sudan has recently held a referendum to become an independent nation, and according to the accounts I've seen, the results have been overwhelmingly in favour of Southern Sudan (which is largely Christian) becoming independent from the largely Muslim north.
I thought posting this song would be an appropriate tribute to events in Sudan at this time. Please remember our Sudanese brothers and sisters in your prayers!
Southern Sudan has recently held a referendum to become an independent nation, and according to the accounts I've seen, the results have been overwhelmingly in favour of Southern Sudan (which is largely Christian) becoming independent from the largely Muslim north.
I thought posting this song would be an appropriate tribute to events in Sudan at this time. Please remember our Sudanese brothers and sisters in your prayers!