My brothers want an update
Supposedly my brothers have been complaining that this site doesn’t tell them much about what’s going on in my life lately. I always aim to please my brothers, so here is a brief update – although you could have called, you know!
Vacation – We’re counting down the days to a vacation in Cape Cod this Friday, followed by a trip through the Maritimes and back home through Quebec. We’re going to be gone for three weeks. I hope to blog at least part of the time through this trip, although Internet access may be sketchy. I’m really looking forward to the time off this summer. I’m especially looking forward to time with my family, and to going somewhere in Canada I’ve never been before.
Life – Life has been busy but very settled for a long time now. Kids are great as they get older. Charlene mentioned the other day that she loves what Richview has become and is becoming, and I agree. We are seeing things happen that we wouldn’t have if we hadn’t stayed this long, although there is much more we’d like to see. I’m doing more writing and enjoying that, although I hope to get serious about a book sometime soon. We’ll see.
Shift – I get interesting comments occasionally about some of the shifts in my thinking. I thought of this yesterday as I read more of Iain Murray’s biography of Martyn Lloyd-Jones. So many of the issues that are in play now were also issues back then. A lot of people argued that the church in that day needed to become more contemporary and relevant so that it would appeal to people. Lloyd-Jones wasn’t against addressing people’s issues, but he believed that the cure for the church lay in the other direction: in returning to its first love, rediscovering the gospel, and relying on the Spirit rather than on our plans and strategies.
For a long time I focused my energies on becoming more relevant and making things more appealing. While this isn’t all bad, I increasingly realize how important it is to focus on gospel, Spirit, and prayer. Those are much more relevant than relevance. I’m grateful for some who have modeled this for me. I hope to explore this theme more in the future.
Buddy – No brief update would be complete without a bit on our dog. We walked Buddy in High Park the very day that a number of dogs were poisoned in the leash free area a few weeks back. Looks like Buddy escaped another close call. I’m sure his adventures will continue.
If my brothers want to find out more, I’ll tell them – but they’re going to have to call. Or ask me on our vacation next week.
