New Faces, New City, Same Jesus

So I'm living in Fredericton NB, I'm working in a totally different type of ministry then I was when I was living in Hamilton Ont. but when it's all said and done there is one consistentcy in my life that hasn't changed but remained faithful and that's who Jesus is, what He has done for me and what he is doing today in my life and the lives of those around me.

I work for Bridges of Canada at their Victory Center, it's an addictions center found here in the Maritimes. I live and work at the center, mainly doing the night shift so it's living in community again. It's funny how God keeps bringing me into places of Community, and since it's community with Christ at it's center, you could almost say it's church.

So basically I'm here to help organize supper, facilitate evening courses, be an example of what it is to live for Christ, and to make sure people follow the rules. Sometimes this goes smoothly, but many times there are all kinds of speed bumps, a rocky road which has God's Grace in each moment of every day. It isn't anything like working with kids, and there is more then one day a week I really miss what I was doing in Hamilton, but God put me here, I was called here, and this is where I have to focus so it's been difficult but most change is difficult.

That's why i'm really thankful for Jesus and the fact that he's the same today, yesterday and tomorrow. So, if you think of me, pray for the changes going on in my life, pray for the people I interact with and pray for God's Footprints to be in our lives.

who do i think Jesus is?

So it's been a long while since i posted anything, and mainly that's because of Facebook, but it's also because i've been busy living and working within a congregation setting. Which is interesting cause i tried to get them involved in what I believed was ways to connect and build community. I realized that there were alot of people with ideas, but no one wanted to step out of the boat, well almost no one. Basically, i also came to see that if we get busy with stuff, or if we focus on the issues and not on Jesus, then it doesn't matter what we do cause if we don't have love in it, we don't have Jesus at the center then it's not worth doing.
I no longer work in a congregation setting and really i'm looking for where I belong in the body. I know what i'm called to do, and I know Jesus and who he is to me as Salvation, As King, as Redeemer, as Servant Leader, but when it comes to friend , well that's still a work in progress, and a big part of that is what i define as church; not just the body on whole but the part of the body where I feel safe to worship, the place where I feel safe to share, the place where I feel safe to live my life in my relationship with Jesus but also with those walking beside me and with me.
I don't think that's the church setting of mainline church, mainline religion, I believe it's more organic and much simpler and more community based then sitting in pews and all looking forward . I think its more about sitting in a circle or better yet a living room, or much better yet, sitting around a table sharing a meal, bread, wine, and meat while laughing , crying and sharing about the real meat The Word of God and how He lives in our lives.

Who is Jesus to me? Jesus is my friend, he's my neighbour, he's the people I grow to love through the hardship of building relationships and sharing what life is. Jesus is my God, but he's more then that, he's a part of me and he's a part of what i want to become.
He's the process in my life that shines, and he's growing in me more everyday , which takes work , sweat, tears, and time alone praying as well as time in the midst of struggling with daily life.
I'm learning each day what that means; Who is Jesus to me?

City Kidz

okay, so I have been a volunteer with City Kidz (CK) since last Sept, and I began my time on Carrey Gillard's bus , bus 82. I will miss the kids on this bus, but I've been transfered over to bus 72 which is the bus that picks up kids in the neighbourhood adjacent to the church that I work at as an evangelist and youth pastor. So, knowing the way God works, this is truly a blessing. Today , while waiting to register for the team meeting, this lady named Gaberial joins the line behind me and asks what bus I'm on, when i share its 72, well she's the new bus captain and again, in a God instance I've met my new Bus Captain. As we the day goes on , I found out she know's Carrey and after sharing for awhile, she asks if I will be her Co-Captain. Again , God is working to bring connections for our church and the community around us. I'm always amazed in the details he brings in his plans, as long as we are willing to listen he will direct us on a really cool journey.
2 weeks till CK starts back up, whoohoo!!!

My Appartment, my home, my life

Okay, its like been along while since i've posted, I appologize. So I live in Hamilton, Ont now, and I work for the Church of St Peter as their outreach/youth co-ordinator. Basically I help lead youth group and I create opportunities to do outreach with the church in the surrounding community.
I also network through a number of other parachurch programs and part of that is by volunteering time at some of them. The 2 major ones are City Kidz www.citykidz.ca and through an emergency food bank and clothing store www.thehamiltondreamcenter.org
Both are great ways to connect with the community, and are worth the time and effort put out to be there.
The video I'm loading describes my home, my appartment, and its warm and cozy , a nice place to come home to after along day.
Also , another benefit to being here is that I'm now really close to my cottage, it is only a couple of hours north of here and I'm hoping to get some quality time up there this summer. OPC is also not far away, and after Christmas I will be going up for a visit as well as taking my youth up to the camp during March Break.
Hope all are well, I miss people from down east , yet I know God's got me here doing some building for His Kingdom and that fills my heart.
Hope you enjoy the video!
technical problems uploading,

Hamilton

Okay, I haven't got my camera hooked up or even unpacked yet, and I'm still working on having internet so it might be abit before I can put up any pics, but i'm in Hamilton, I've got a place on Barnesdale and Somerset and I start moving in tomorrow. First I have a men's Breakfast at Joshua Center to go to and then begin with a new home.
Hamilton has changed alot over the last 20 years, not the same town I visited when I was a kid, I'm excited to see what God's doing here, what I've seen so far in street ministries and kids ministries in the city , it's looking to be awesome.

Who is Responsible?

The week before Labourday weekend, I was at a camp over on Deer Island, New Brunswick and I couldn't believe all the garbage that was washed up on the shore and floating out in the bay. It was the remains of a Salmon Farm that looks to have gone Belly up. The pictures above are not that farm, unfortunately I didn't have my Camera with me to take photo's. But I was shocked that no one has cleaned the site up, it has been there since the winter, and when I looked into it I found out that this isn't uncommon. I haven't any problem with Aquaculture but I do have a problem with the fact that no one seems to have responsibilities to clean up there crap. I used to work in the forest industry and there are now stiff fines if you leave anything at the sight after your done logging. So who's Responsible for cleaning up and why isn't the Government doing anything about it?

The Link above is to fisheries, and you can email the fisheries minister and voice your concerns about this.

The Garden: a place of growth and a place of peace

So the above pictures are from our garden at McKim House. Last fall Zerox came in and redid our garden beds and then in the fall, on what semi cool Saturday we the house went out and planted about 12 boxes of bulbs and wham, all these flowers bloomed in late May. It was great cause it was a labour of love, done in love, with the help of love, it was so a reminder of how good God is in our lives. I like gardening, its peaceful and it gets you out of the house, and with alot of nuturing and tenderness you can get results that show that the love works. Just like our house, McKim house and L'Arche for that matter are all about God's Love and with alot of sweat and tears you see results that bring more tears and an inner-joy.

I've started a tiny vegetable garden in our yard, and Pat has agreed to water it twice a week, so hopefully we will get eatens in the fall from it. Did I mention that we love to have people over to visit for a cup of java, a tea or a cool drink. We are thinking about doing a couple of community bbq's and open house, cause we want to get to know our outer community better.

Drop me a line and we will work out a time to come visit , maybe we can have a garden party, I know Debbie would love the chance to share tea and bisquits with you.