Brethren Hang Loose

This is an excerpt from Bob Girard's Brethren Hang Loose, which was a book that I found by "accident" when I was 21 years old, and which first put into language the things that I was seeing around me in the church at large. Although this book was written 35 years ago, it could have been penned just recently (aside from the very 70's title artwork). It was comforting to know, in the summer of '83 (just a year before I first met George Mercado), that I wasn't the only one thinking these kind of thoughts.

"'New Testament life can't happen within the organized church,' I concluded. 'There is too much against it!'

"Too many "barnacles" from the past still cling to the old institutional church concept.

"Too much emphasis on building and budgets. Too much money needed just to keep the machine running. Too much pastoral and lay effort spent on oiling the gears of the organization. Too much energy expended keeping touchy members happy because you can't afford to lose them.

"Too much dependence on the pastor -- and no way to change that.

"Too many comfortable pews all facing the front so no-one has to relate to anyone else. Too easy for Christians to sit-listen-leave-and-forget without anything really happening in their lives.

"Too much holding one another at arm's length. Too little real fellowship -- gut-level fellowship -- inner circle fellowship. Nothing provided in the church to make it happen at that level.

"Too many rules. Too much government. Too many man-made standards. Too many reports to fill out.

"Too little time to enjoy life.

"Too little time with the family.

"Too little time to get to know God. Too little time to pray.

"There seems to be no way for peple to get free from the notion that Christianity is activity in an organization that owns a building someplace. There is no thought of finding one's own ministry under the personal leadership of the Holy Spirit. Christians can never get that free from 'the Church'."

Bob Girard 1970

The End is in Sight

No, this isn't going to be a "turn or burn", scare-the-heaven-into-you post about the end times. (Sorry if that disappoints anyone!)

The end that is in sight refers to my many months of research and writing on "Post-Charismatics". It was sometime in the summer of 2004 that Maggi Dawn first suggested (or challenged) that I put some of my thoughts of what it means to be post-charismatic into writing. Since then, others have also contacted me to encourage me to start writing on it. So, in late January of this year, I started researching. Because of the sheer number of people that I personally know (or have come to know in recent months) who would identify themselves as post-charismatic, I wanted to do a really thorough and thoughtful piece of work.

Originally, I thought I would entitle the whole thing as "Post-Hype", but the more I thought about it, talked to others, and re-read a lot of books from a charismatic perspective, I realized that it goes far beyond the hype of charismania. The reasons people have been rejecting charismatic expressions of worship, spiritual gifts, etc. usually has as much to do with cultural aspects of the charismatic movement as it does with some of the theology.

A very real danger, IMO, that post-charismatics run is that we will reject the charismania aspects and "throw the baby out with the bathwater", and end up attempting to build a community of faith on our own strength and ingenuity. As Bob Girard wrote 35 years ago (nothing new under the sun, eh?):

"The idea persisted that much about (our church) with all its early marks of success was no miracle at all! It wasn't Acts. It was a monument to the kind of good things men can do... all by themselves. (emphasis in original)

My personal contention is that we dare not be post-Holy Spirit in our emerging, deconstructing communities of faith. What needs to happen is a careful re-examination, de- and re-construction, and re-imagining of our understanding of:

1. A biblical view of authority and the five-fold ministry that is not hierarchical and controlling
   
2. A view of spiritual formation (oldskewl: discipleship) that goes beyond the typical weekly crisis-event of "ministry time" but without eshewing genuine Spirit-initiated crisis-events
   
3. The role of spiritual gifts -- including the more upfront (and often abused) gifts -- in the gathered Body
   
4. The role of faith, and what it means to be living by faith; to be people characterized by faith
   
5. Anything else that God brings to mind as I start working on the (final) section of a Reconstructed Praxis!

I received a couple of emails just this morning from other bloggers wondering if I had forgotten or given up on this project. I haven't! Lord willing, it'll all be online as a subsection of this website within just a few more weeks.

Thanks should also go to Brother Maynard, an old friend in the analog and digital world, who has been proofing, critiquing, and fish-slapping encouraging me to finish.

The End is in Sight!

Laughing @ Ourselves: Part 2

Part One was quite a while ago, but you can find it here if you're interested)

Ya gotta admit -- these are pretty creative! However nasty some of the anti-emerging websites can be, at least they're still capable of having some fun.

And it's always good to have a chuckle at our own expense, every now and then. Keeps us from getting too serious, and also from taking ourselves too seriously.

If anyone is interested in making their own, the artiste who created these got the original artwork from this web site. Apparently it's not a violation of copyright if you use them for satire.

Times of Refreshing

This afternoon, as Wendy & I enjoyed a long walk on the waterfront with Len & Betty Hjalmarson, this verse came to mind:

I always thank my God as I remember you in my prayers, because I hear about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints. (Philemon 1:4-5)

We have quite a few friends from our days at Winnipeg Centre Vineyard who are now in Kelowna as part of the new Vineyard church plant here, and it's been great to re-connect with them once again. The Hjalmarson's, on the other hand, we'd only known in the online world before arriving in Kelowna five weeks ago. During these past few weeks, Len & Betty have gone out of their way numerous times to connect with us, and we have really felt a true comradeship and connection with them in the "analog" world.
There is something very special about spending time with other believers, enjoying the beauty of God's creation all around our new home of Kelowna, and having a time of prayer together in a local coffeeshop down by the waterfront. In all, an afternoon and early evening of being encouraged by simply "being the Body" together as friends. The prayer time at the "Bean Scene", which may have perplexed some of the other patrons present in the coffeehouse, was the perfect conclusion to our time together.

Church @ St. Arbucks

Actually, perhaps the title should read "Church AS St. Arbucks..." I went through my "barista" bar training last night, which translates to five hours of drinking from a fire hydrant of knowledge from one of our store's "Coffee Masters".

Brother Maynard has been teasing me (online and in emails) about Starbucks and church, and in a recent post entitled Church Size: Tall, Venti, Grande? took on the question that the Winnipeg Beer-drinking Emerging Cohort (not their official title, but aptly descriptive, anyway) was discussing: when is a church too large?

During my barista bar training shift last night, here's some of the mentoring/coaching/discipling dynamics that went on, which I think could be easily translated to the question of church size & effectiveness:

• Accurate information was given to me in a helpful, informative, and friendly way (sort of like teaching on spiritual gifts)
  
  
• In an atmosphere that was at once "under pressure" (I was serving real, live customers throughout), the coach was able to create an atmosphere of being relaxed, positive, and encouraging
  
  
• I was able to concentrate on learning the skills and practicing as I went (sounds sort of like Jesus and the disciples, don't it?), without my coach hovering over my shoulder to micro-manage my every step
  
  
• On the other hand, the coach was nearby performing other tasks, and would immediately answer any questions I had, or come over to talk me through certain steps for the more complex drink combinations
  
  
• At no time did the coach take over for me, or make me feel like I was failing or inadequate; I felt affirmed and encouraged even during the most high-pressure times
  
  
• The under-girding atmosphere could be described as: "We know you can do this; but we're here to help, if you ask us to."

At the end of my shift, I thanked my coach for the whole training evening. I learned tons, and honestly came away feeling physically tired and also encouraged and supported.

It seems to me that this is what "discipling" should look like. And therefore, a church is only effective to the extent that:

1. It can effectively walk alongside apprentices of Jesus and equip them, and
   
2. It honestly has opportunities for these apprentices to do hands-on ministry. There's nothing that causes disillusionment faster than gifted, trained people who have no outlet for hands-on ministry in the church because only a select few actually get to "do the stuff".

In other words, the actual numerical number of "what makes a church too big" isn't the issue, it's the ability of that church to functionally equip and release people into ministry.

So, Brother Maynard, in that respect, maybe our churches should model themselves after Starbucks, eh?

What do you make of this?

Someone sent me this link recently -- De-Institutionalized Christians -- it's about reaching out to de-churched Christians, so that your own ministry could be increased. Part of the reasoning for trying to re-connect with de-churched Christians, according to this website, is:

1. "Would it make more sense to first become the kind of church that is highly effective in reaching the Dechurched?
   
2. "What we can learn from the Dechurched, may be more important than what they can learn from us.
   
3. "Collaboration, rather than assimilation, may be a more appropriate goal to set with regard to the Dechurched.
   
4. "This collaboration, done right, could produce the most transformational impact on your ministry and your community of any program presently in place."

---

The Resonate.ca discussion list has had some great discussion on "church marketing" recently, which is one of the reasons that this website -- a part of C. Peter Wagner's "New Apostolic Network" -- has me uneasy. Check this out (from the same linked page above):

"With a little openness and creativity put into it, what could an intelligent 'withreach' strategy that effectively connected with them mean to your church, and in turn, what impact it could have on your city?

"I have more ideas on this, some practical steps and strategies, and maybe even a synergistic marketing strategy that would reach them...

"I've included two additional articles on the Dechurched below (brace yourself, you may not agree with them but it's important to understand the Dechurched perspective)."

"Detoxing From Church http://www.robbymac.org/detox.html
Churchless Faith http://www.faithworks.com/articles1.htm"

And that's the second reason why I'm uneasy -- they're using one of MY articles to market their ministry. Although I had to smile when they told people to "brace themselves" before reading it. So, what do you make of this?

New Bloggers, New Series

Two bloggers that I have recently added to the "Journeymates" list are Run With It (written by Cindy Bryan), and Emerging Grace, who blogs under a pseudonym much as Brother Maynard does (and for similar reasons).

Cindy is just beginning a series on Idolatry in the church, which I'm looking forward to reading as it's developed. Check out the Introduction to her series. It looks like it will be an interesting one.

Emerging Grace has been posting a series about spiritual abuse, how to define/recognize it, its effects on those who have been abused, and some concrete steps to healing and forgiveness.

Both of these women are gifted, thoughtful writers, and I'm glad to have met them in the comments here, and then found the rich resources that their own blogs represent.

Emerging Grace's posts can be read sequentially:

1. Shattered Illusions
   
2. Spiritual Abuse: Defined and Described
   
3. Betrayal: When It Gets Personal
   
4. Leaving
   
5. Grieving
   
6. Healing
   
7. Unhealthy Body

Another good resource is David Johnson & Jeff Vanvonderen's The Subtle Power of Spiritual Abuse. This book is one of the best I've found that deals with this topic, and it's worth getting because you'll end up lending it to many people, long after it's been helpful to you. Jeff Vanvonderen also has an online presence at Spiritual Abuse Recovery.

Postmodern Apologetics (Scratching the Surface)

From the Resonate.ca forum, a new friend named Jonathan and I were talking about a class at Providence Seminary that he's enrolled in, that I'd just taken myself a couple of years ago: "Apologetics & Evangelism". My answer to Jonathan's question(s) got so long-winded (surprise, surprise, eh?) that I elected to make it into a long-winded blog post instead.

Here's a snippet of Jonathan's email:

"Yeah, we're still using McLaren's More Ready Than You Realize. What's your take on it? Judging by the cover (which everyone keeps warning me against these days...), it seems to be more about evangelism than apologetics...

"Reading about different apologetic methodologies leaves me feeling a little bit out of the loop. It sounds as if these apologists are out there delivering their apologias to the skeptical masses, trying to answer their perceived questions according to their chosen method. In thinking about that, I keep coming back to the notion that at some point, apologetics always comes down to a person, who is asking certain questions, and (just as importantly) NOT asking certain other questions (I say this only to underline the fact that too often Christians are answering questions nobody is asking)."

Jonathan,

I enjoyed McLaren's "More Ready..." but it's didn't impact me as much as A New Kind of Christian, for example. Still, a good read.

Are you referring to the Five Views of Apologetics book that I seem to recall was also required reading? I found that book to be brilliant in many ways, and not helpful at the same time. I'll get to that later.

Which leads to your question about apologetics in a postmodern context. These are very much embryonic, work-in-progress thoughts, so hopefully the rest of the crew at Resonate and this blog can help both of us out.

Your comment about "More ready..." appearing to be more about evangelism than apologetics is a good insight, and a good starting point.

Apologetics has usually been defined as "the defending of the Christian faith" -- which tells us something about why it even exists: people felt that the faith was under attack (and it was), so they developed a robust system of apologetics to answer peoples' questions about Christianity's truth claims. Josh McDowell's Evidence That Demands A Verdict would be a popular example of the kind of apologetic material being produced.

People in the postmodern context that we find ourselves in aren't so much scientifically attacking the veracity of Christianity -- they're mostly unaware that Christianity even exists, aside from the occasional media feeding frenzy over some televangelist's latest screw-up, or possibly something that Pat Robertson or Jerry Falwell said that they probably shouldn't have. Either way, they mostly see Christianity as irrelevent, if they think about it at all, or they're reacting to a fundamentalist caricature.

One comment I've heard a few times from friends who are into various forms of the New Age (check out The Making of the New Spirituality, another book I would recommend) could be summed up this way: "Well, if I ever met a 'real' Christian who actually lived like Jesus did, maybe then I'd take Christianity seriously."

Old-skewl apologists would immediately try and argue with this person that their worldview is inadequate, that there's some kind of logical fallacy to their reasoning, etc. in an attempt to argue them into adjusting their perception of Christianity. My personal opinion is that this approach rarely worked even back in the early 80's when Brother Maynard and I were still in high school. It's even more ineffective now -- actually, it's probably more damaging than anything else.

The phrase that I heard someone say once (anyone remember who?) was that we need to learn how to do "incarnational apologetics", instead of acting like we're a bad-tempered debating team of attack-trained penguins.

Larry Norman said it really well back in the mid-80's. He was speaking of music and evangelism, but the same application applies. Larry said,

"Too many bands are objectifying the message, and lobbing out 'gospel grenades' at who they think their audience may be, to answer questions that they think (but don't really know) that their audience is asking. I don't think most Christian music is mentally engaging enough to make any impact on unbelievers. They need to stop tossing out the message from behind their safe little walls and learn how to get inside the message, and BE the message."

This really sums up what I mean by "incarnational apologetics". Jonathan, you've hit on a very key element of 21st century apologetics: there is no "one size fits all" methodology that works for everyone; we have to get to know people -- build relationships -- in order to even discover what questions people have (assuming that it's questions that are keeping them from coming to Jesus in the first place).

Another wise observation that you made is that McLaren's book seems to be more about evangelism than apologetics. You're right, and I think that's part of the answer of how to approach apologetics in the postmodern era: apologetics is less about protecting/defending the faith, and more about living and sharing the faith, as we live and share our lives. It becomes more about explaining the faith to our friends, rather than defending the faith from our adversaries.

Note that I'm not suggesting that the Christian faith isn't under attack; we do need people who are gifted and called by God to explain and defend an orthodox understandng of the faith -- but if we accept that evangelism is incarnational apologetics, then we're talking in this context about conversations with friends.

It also means that we'll be listening to their stories, as we "earn the right to be heard" (one of my favourite gems of wisdom from George Mercado), in order to share our story. And in that relational setting, we'll learn what questions they're really asking, and then we can tailor our answers appropriately.

This is barely scratching the surface, I know... This will likely turn into a series of posts. Thanks for stoking the fires on this one, Jonathan!

Psychotic Penguins & Apologetics

1 Peter 3:15 says, in part : "Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have."

Whenever I think of how I've seen a few people approach this verse, I am reminded of the penguins from Madagascar ("the penguins are psychotic..." said Alex the Lion). Most take the posture of the three peripheral penguins: they're on guard, waiting in almost paranoid anticipation of the dreaded "question that we don't know the answer to", and are always ready to attack the perceived enemies of the faith.
A smaller number assume the posture of the penguin in the middle: cocky, self-assured, and smugly confident that they can adequately argue into submission anyone who dares to challenge the veracity of their truth claims.

When I say that 1 Peter 3:15 was "in part", most would assume that I'm referring to the opening phrase about setting Christ apart as Lord. Actually, I was thinking of the end of verse 15, and hoping to dive right into verse 16 as well:

"Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander." (1 Peter 3:15-16 NIV) emphasis added

Being "ready to give an answer" should never be equated with a posture of either attack-ready paranoia nor one of cocky more-apologetic-than-thou. Some of the most fruitful discussions I've had with people have resulted from doing what this verse actually says (God wants us to get it, so He's made it easy): gentleness, respect, and with a clear conscience (that we weren't offensive, probably).

Verbally beating people into intellectual/spiritual submission through apologetics -- even emergent apologetics (the writings of McLaren, Sweet or even Derrida) -- should never happen among those who claim to be imitators (apprentices) of Jesus. Yes, the Gospel of Jesus Christ is offensive to some, a stumbling block perhaps, but that's different than if WE are offensive in our attitude, actions, and words.

(And it was fun to find a spiritual use for the penguins from Madagascar.)

---

UPDATE

For Len & Cindy...

Missional Building Blocks

Okay, let's keep all the links straight...

Andrew Jones (the Tall Skinny Kiwi) posted a link to Thoughts From the Cheap Seats, where Adam (the Cheap Seat's creator) had posted some excellent graphic depictions of the Traditional church model and the Missional church model. Adam in turn gives credit for his post to Dan Kimball, whose book Emerging Worship inspired the graphic in the first place.

Whew!

(Click on the graphic to see both Traditional & Missional graphics)

Once you've had a chance to look at these two graphics, here's a couple of questions that occurred to me as Wendy and I were discussing them:

Once a church/community of faith reaches the corporate worship gathering phase of its existence,

1. How will it keep itself from inverting the pyramid and having the corporate gathering "take over" the future investment(s) of time, energy and money?
   
   
2. The "original" members of the community, who were there as each stage is realized, will certainly "get" the vision and the mission of the community. For those who are attracted to this community -- say, two or three years down the line -- but who didn't share in the early ground-breaking days, how will they likewise "own" the process and values of this community?

As an aside, I've always appreciated Dan Kimball's writing and thoughts in this whole conversation. In addition to his Emerging Worship book, I would highly recommend Dan's The Emerging Church -- it's an excellent resource, and serves as a continual reminder that the emerging church is missional, not reactionary, in focus and intent.

Four-way Blog Test

Mike McLoughlin, who blogs at Faith at Work, has published an excellent summary of how bloggers can disagree with each other, and at the same time be biblically-based, and remain Christ-like in their attitudes and blogs.

I highly recommend to anyone who finds themselves in the occasional debate with people who are employing less-than-stellar tactics in criticizing other Christians, please give Applying the Four-Way Test to Christian Blogging a close read.

I think this may be one of those definitive posts that sets the standard for appropriate blog conduct.

---

BTW, I'm really enjoying my new job at Starbucks, or as some have come to call it, "St. Arbucks". I like the "Saint" version, myself. The learning curve is pretty steep at the beginning, but the staff are great, and it's a good place to work.

Plus you get to meet all kinds of interesting people, including one of Len Hjalmarson's friends who showed up and ordered fourteen (14) pounds of goat's milk. I informed him that goat's milk doesn't come in pounds.

Proud of my wife

Everyone who knows Wendy and I, knows that we try to take the advice given to us at our wedding by Pastor Dave Grant seriously. Pastor Dave told us during our wedding ceremony:

"I want you guys to be each other's biggest fan. Be proud of each other's accomplishments. Cheer each other on."

Wendy is an amazing photographer. These are two fine art pieces she was working on just yesterday.

Wow. Is Wendy a photographic artiste, or what?

You know you're Canadian...

Dan-D from Canada, who blogs over at Grey Owl: This Great Argument, wrote a really funny post recently that has generated a lot of creativity and entertainment in the comments. Becoming An Honourary Canadian, and the comments that it generated, are a lot of fun, north of the 49th style.

It was so much fun over at Dan-D's blog, that I had to dig around my digital archives and post the following:

You know you're Canadian when:

1. You're not offended by the term "HOMO MILK".
   
2. You understand the phrase "Could you pass me a serviette."
   
3. You understand the phrase "I just spilled my poutine".
   
4. You eat chocolate bars not candy bars.
   
5. You drink POP not SODA.
   
6. You know that a mickey and two-four's mean "party at the camp, eh!"
   
7. You don't understand what all the fuss is with Cuba; it's a cheap place to travel with good cigars.
   
8. Pike is a type of fish, not part of a highway.
   
9. You know where you were when Paul Henderson scored that goal in 1972.
   
10. You drive on a highway, not a freeway.
    
11. You have Canadian Tire money in your kitchen drawers.
    
12. You know that Casey and Finnigan are not part of a Celtic Musical Group.
    
13. You are excited whenever an American television show mentions Canada.
    
14. You know what a toque is.
    
15. You design your Halloween costume to fit over a snowsuit.
    
16. You feel like you know Bob & Doug McKenzie and Red Green like they were, like, related to you or something.
    
17. You live in a house with no front step but yet the door is one meter from the ground.
    
18. Your local paper covers the national news on 2 pages but requires 6 pages for hockey.
    
19. You know four seasons: winter, almost winter, still winter, and construction.
    
20. The Molson's "Joe Canadian" commercial sends you into a patriotic fever, and you've secretly sung along with the I Am Canadian song.
    
21. You stand at attention when you hear the theme song from Hockey Night in Canada.
    
22. You are in grade 12 not the 12th grade.
    
23. "EH" is a very important part of your vocabulary.
    
24. You think the words "cheque, centre, & colour" look perfectly normal.
    
25. You know EXACTLY what is meant by "double-double at Tim's, eh?"

The Edge of Discipleship

I am such a book nerd. I read all kinds of theology, church history, and practical theology books for my own understanding and research, and when I want to relax, one of my favourite things is... reading a book (often from my Bloom County collection).

One of my favourite diversionary writers is Michael Crichton, and I found a great quote in The Lost World (the sequel to Jurrasic Park) regarding chaos theory that I thought would fit into our larger discussion of discipleship, the shepherding movement, etc. (Yes, even when reading a science fiction novel for recreation, ideas surrounding leadership surface.)

Here's the quote:

"Complex systems tend to locate themselves at a place we call 'the edge of chaos'. We imagine the edge of chaos as a place where there is enough innovation to keep a living system vibrant, and enough stability to keep it from collapsing into anarchy.

"It is a zone of conflict and upheaval, where the old and the new are constantly at war.

"Finding the balance point must be delicate -- if a living system drifts too close, it risks falling over into incoherence and dissolution; but if the system moves too far away from the edge, it becomes rigid, frozen, totalitarian. Both conditions lead to extinction.

"Too much change is as destructive as too little. Only at the edge of chaos can complex systems flourish." (emphasis added)

Well? Am I nuts, or can anyone else see parallels to our current situation(s), as the journey of detoxing from church continues?

Remembering Elmer

In the fall after I finished high school, I was enrolled in the Radio, Television & Journalism program at Lambton College in Sarnia, Ontario. A family I had known as a kid, Elmer & Betty Johnson, invited me to rent a room in their basement, and I soon arrived in my rusty '73 Corolla, ready to start life as semi-independent young adult.

When I arrived at the college, I ran into some friends I had known in elementary school, and discovered that we had all become aspiring musicians. And most significantly, they had a working band that was in need of a bass player.

I had been playing bass for almost two years at this point, so I was reasonably confident that I could pass muster, but the bigger question (in 1981) was the fact that I was a Christian, and this was a "secular" band that played at dances and nightclubs (a big no-no in those days, when most churches -- including mine -- still thought Keith Green was too worldly for using drums and electric guitars).

As far-fetched as that sounds now, it was a legitimate struggle for me at the time; how could I possibly justify playing in such a band, and still call myself a Christian? I would read the Gospel of John and see repeated examples of Jesus going to all the wrong places and hanging out with the wrong people, and I started to wonder why more Christians weren't doing the same thing.

The elders at my church had no struggle at all: they condemned the idea and later instructed the youth at our church to shun me until I "saw the light". When I brought two of my bandmates to our youth group, they were treated so judgmentally that they never returned.

In the midst of my own wrestling with this question, there was a knock on the door of my basement bedroom in the Johnson house. It was Elmer, with Betty hovering just behind him.

In his usual soft-spoken, but very direct way, Elmer cut to the chase: "Rob, do you really believe that God has called you to join a band that plays at dances and in bars?"

Weary from the repeated arguments I'd been getting from well-intentioned people at church, I replied, "Yes, believe it or not, I'm pretty sure God is calling me to this."

Locking his gaze to mine, Elmer emphatically said, "Then go do it. And don't worry about what other people say about you. You have to obey what you believe God is speaking to you."

Betty chimed in, "If you'd like, we can ask you the day after any gigs you have, how you conducted yourself, if that would be helpful to you." (Anyone who has met Betty knows that it's virtually impossible to lie to her.)

I felt such a sense of relief and support from both of them. "Yes, I'd like that. Please feel free to ask me any questions at all; I'd really appreciate it." And thus began the first of many ventures into being salt and light in the musical subculture.

---

When we were travelling through Winnipeg a couple of weeks ago, I received an email from Elmer's son, Brett, who informed me that Elmer had passed away due to post-surgery complications. We were, of course, unable to attend the funeral, and so I was unable to share any stories about Elmer at that time.

I was really touched by the wisdom and helpfulness of Elmer and Betty during that turbulent time in my late teens, and am still very grateful for their input and example to me during that year at Lambton College. Like all of us, Elmer was "stumbling heavenward" as the old song says, and I'm sure he has just recently heard the words "well done, good and faithful servant... Come and share your Master's happiness." (Matthew 25:21)

---

On the note of honouring those who have carried the torch before us, I have updated and expanded my earlier post about George Mercado, the man who was a mentor and spiritual father to Wendy and I. The link is found in the "Drydock" section, entitled In Honour of a Brother and a Mentor. I pray that George's story, like Elmer's, will be an encouragement to those who read it.

But snakes are no big deal...

What Classic Movie Are You? personality tests by similarminds.com

Hat Tip to Brother Maynard for finding another way of distracting me. I like the risk-taking, adventurous part, but for the record, I do not share Indy's fear of snakes, although if I ever found myself surrounded by several hundred of them, I might reconsider my position.

The inaugural Resonate Journal has also gone online today. Have a read and see what's brewing in the emerging Canadian conversation!