Jenna Bean

Je suis enfant unique

I am a unique child

This is how Jennifer Lynn Levy began her Facebook post on May 15th 2019 announcing her treatment plan- and she wasn't wrong. She was unique.

When I was 12 years old I met Jennifer Levy and (as with many of us) she saw my pain in insecurities and she loved me through them. She pushed people to consider what they believed and she pushed me to love Jesus and give my all to Him.

One day in her living room Jenn literally taught me the definition of eccentric -- someone whose behaviour is unusual or slightly strange-- it is fitting that it was Jennifer who taught me this word.


Jennifer Levy was a collector. She never carried a small purse, in fact, she usually had a large, bulky shoulder bag and a backpack filled to capacity (both of which Jon would graciously carry though out the day). A day out to the cottage would often require two cars filled with supplies for every possibility. They'd leave the house with cars filled and pick up whoever they could find along the way. A lot of people have been a benefactor of Jenn's stuff- showing up to the cotta at Baxter's Harbour and finding that there was always enough food, games, comics, activities, chairs, and entertainment to last- no matter the weather or how many people were there.

One of our friends, Geraldine, was telling me a story of being out and about with Jenn and declaring that she needed rope. Jenn responded "What kind?" and went to the trunk of the car to come back with five different kinds of rope- just in case. Jenn was a planner- but things never went to Jenn's plan.

Jenn was a collector of things she loved- wether it be Hardy Boys or Nancy Drew books, penguins, anything Muppet related, DVD's of TV shows she loved, board games, or crafting and scrapbooking supplies (it is only fitting that sitting on the land where she grew up is now a Michael's). Jenn collected these things- not just for herself- but for others. She loved introducing people to a new game she learned or a new TV show they'd never seen (mostly she loved watched our reactions... especially Holly's reaction... especially during Chuck).

Her collections of things were not just for her benefit, for her enjoyment. Just like Jenn's life- they were for others. She often would collect gifts for people- things she saw and just reminded her so powerfully of someone that she couldn't leave it on the shelf. I was the benefactor of these gifts. One time while exploring at Wheaton's I saw a sign that read:

"Dear Lord,
Please put your arm around my shoulder... 
and your hand over my mouth" 



We laughed and laughed and she couldn't leave it. That now hangs in my mud room- a little reminder before I leave home every day.


Jenn didn't just collect things- Jenn collected memories. 

It wasn't very often that Jenn was found without her camera- snapping photos of people she loved, moments she wanted to remember, a pretty door, or EVERY SINGLE SUNSET... ever. She would video various funny moments to look back on later and laugh. If Jen was there then you can be certain her camera was there with her. Even if there was a professional photographer hired. Jenn made sure the moments and memories of our lives- of her life- would be collected and kept.

I remember one of the MANY times that Jenn's laptop wasn't working well (because technology never worked for Jenn-- EVER-- it hated her as much as she hated it). Jenn's laptop wasn't working and so Jon took a look and she had FILLED it's storage to capacity in just a few months. So out came the external hard drive- and the computer was emptied. Just to be filled back up again. It wasn't odd for Jenn to have two computers on the go- just because one was always full.

Jenn collected memories- and we've all collected those memories along with her- road-trips, camping, drive in movie adventures, late night snack runs, grabbing a meal together, university fun, Kingswood adventures. No matter what our connection to Jenn, we have made memories with her and she would want us to be sharing them, laughing at he adventures, remembering the fun, growing from the wisdom.


Finally, Jenn collected people. 

Jenn didn't come from a big family- being the only child and only grandchild- but those that she had she loved. Her parents, Les and Carol were her world- she loved to play games with her mom or to listen to her dads latest stories- and when she was needed she gave up everything to help them. Jenn loved Jon- it wasn't often that you saw one without the other. Jon was a gift to Jenn and she appreciated everything he did for her (even if he didn't do it her way and she threatened divorce).

Jenn loved her in-laws, especially her three nieces, Sarah, Meghan, and Rebekah. She carved out as much individual time for each of them as she could- and often would update me on their lives and lamented about not having more time to spend with them.

As for the rest of us. Jenn collected us along the way and she accepted us immediately and made us feel like we were part of her family. She had a knack for finding those hurting and genuinely cared deeply for them- evidenced in many many lives but especially Alyssa and Holly.

In a conversation with Jenn you would feel like she genuinely knew you and cared- no matter how minuscule or catastrophic the event in your life. She would listen, give wise council, pick you up in your hurting, listen to your pain, find encouragement and hope, then she'd journey along with you for however long... until time or distance separated.

She loved deeply.
More than once have Jenn's shoulders been drenched and stained with tears of heartache- but she never gave up- she always loved. No matter where God led, no matter where you found yourself- Jenn loved and made every conversation about you. Everyone needs a Jenn


I want to finish with some wisdom from Jenn- a note she wrote in the Bible and the final words she wrote on her May 15th 2019 Facebook post.

First, the words in my Bible:
"Keep seeking God, study His truth, and follow Jesus. Stand Firm, pray, and share His peace and love to all you meet. Remember that no matter where God leads you, we love you and will be praying for you."

That was true for everyone- no matter where God led- Jenn loved you (and often complained that you weren't closer to her)

Finally, her words from May 15th:

"I don't know how my story here will end, but I know where my hope lives and what comes after all of this. I know who created me and when my time here is done who I will spend eternity with. I know the great physician and He has peace and love and provides healing for every spiritual, mental, emotional, and physical ailment, although often not in the ways our finite minds can imagine or ask for. I will continue to ask Him for a big miracle! I will continue to put my faith in Him and will embrace however he finishes my story, resting in his peace.
I'm sure it will be ..... unique (and it was) and I'm glad you are, and have been, a part of it."


Comment below your favourite memory, photo, collection, etc of Jennifer

Reflections (5 Ways to Experience Lent)

One of these images is upside down.

Reflection photography has always fascinated me. How something can look SO MUCH like the original, and yet, not be. The water reflects and copies every detail of the original creation, allowing humanity to admire and appreciate the original that much more. The perfect reflection photograph is one in which those looking can no longer tell which is the reflection- but can see every aspect of the original, of what it is that is being reflected.  Just as the disciple reflects the masters teachings.

 

(In no way do I claim to have taken these photos-they are taken by Kevin McNeil... here's an article about him: 

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2275537/The-perfect-locations-spot-reflection--Incredible-photographs-landscape-perfectly-mirrored-lakes.html)

Today is Pancake Tuesday
Tomorrow the season changes, and as I stare out the window at the snowbanks that reach higher than the window itself (some even higher than the roof) I can't help but wish that today marked the end of Winter. Tomorrow the season won't change to Spring but on the church calendar the season will change. From the season after Epiphany to the season of Lent.

Most people in the church tradition I grew up in and have since been ordained in wouldn't even realize that the church has a calendar or seasons outside of the four Sundays leading up to Christmas (the Advent Season). Many churches who consider themselves more mainline and less liturgical (structured in worship) have moved away from the church calendar- which is neither good nor bad. It simply is the way it is. Having grown up in a small Baptist Church in a non-religious family I had no exposure to the church calendar or the structure of it until I went off to Bible College and began to learn.

Essentially Lent is a season of reflection- for many it is a time of sacrifice or fasting just as Jesus fasted for 40 days in the desert after He was baptized and before He began public ministry. For us, this time of sacrifice runs for 46 days before Easter (40 days plus 6 Sundays) and serves as a time of reflection for us. Sacrifice allows us to realize what we have become dependent on, allows us to realize what we spend time on, what we value and why. More-so Lent serves as a time of reflection- not just on what we depend on but on the sacrifice that God gave by sending His Son, it allows us time to reflect on who Jesus is, who we are, how we are reflecting him.

To me, Lent is a yearly personal journey to reflect on Jesus Christ, the one to whom I owe my life. It is a time where I can reflect on my life and consider who and what it is that I value. It allows me time to consider the life of Jesus, what He taught, what He stood for, what He valued and to consider if those things align with what I teach, stand for and value. Essentially, Lent allows me time to reflect on who I am reflecting. Although I rarely sacrifice or fast from anything I always introduce more 'Jesus Time' as the season leads up to Easter, as I prepare to mourn and celebrate the greatest event in human history I make sure to spend time with the greatest Man in human history.


WAYS TO EXPERIENCE LENT: (don't do all of these.... pick one)

1. SPEND SOME TIME IN THE WORD
This is how I plan to spend my Lent season- reading daily the journey of Jesus- starting in the book or Luke (or Matthew, I haven't decided yet) and just reading what Jesus did, taught and experienced. This is a great practise for me over the next 40 days in preparation for Easter.

2. ATTEND CHURCH SERVICES
As much as reading God's word is important so is worshipping God and worshipping alongside other people. God calls us to journey together, to help each other, to walk with each other and that includes (in fact it often is accomplished through) worshipping Him together. Maybe you have stopped attending for some reason, maybe you've been afraid to go to church, maybe you don't go as often as you should. Take a chance and commit to attending church services this Lent Season.

3. GIVE UP SOMETHING AND SPEND THE TIME/MONEY ON JESUS
Sacrifice. God Sacrificed his Son. Jesus Sacrificed His heavenly home and his Earthly life. Sometimes we need to sacrifice. Give up what we think is important to realize that God is vitally important. Take the time you devout to something important for you and use that time to spend with God, stop buying things you don't need and give that money to a worthy cause, sacrifice something so that God can work in your life. People have been known to sacrifice: Coffee (ever notice how 'Roll Up The Rim or Dollar Coffee's are always in the late/winter early spring... right around Lent?), TV, Social Media, Certain Foods, Eating Out, Spending Money (seriously... a friend in college gave up spending ANY MONEY for Lent... I think that was more out of lack of money than anything though), Complaining...

Want a really fun list of stuff you can give up? https://lifeteen.com/blog/102-things-really-give-lent/

4. INTRODUCE/EXPAND ON YOUR DAILY PRAYER TIME
Maybe you read the Bible lots, maybe you go to church but you still are finding it hard to connect with God. Make a commitment during Lent to spend time in prayer- either through daily setting time throughout the day to pray or pausing throughout the day to pray. One way to accomplish this is to make a list of people and each day pray for a different person, you could even connect with them and find out what they really need prayer for. Ask your Pastor who in the church or community could use prayer, pray for your Pastor, ask God to reveal himself to you. Spend 40 days in prayer.


5. CHALLENGE YOURSELF
This is really part of each of the other aspects of ways to experience Lent- challenge yourself to read more, to go to church, to sacrifice, to pray. But when I say challenge yourself I mean examine yourself, consider what you are doing that you shouldn't be, or what you aren't doing that you should be and challenge yourself to give it up or input it into your life.
Confused yet?
Maybe you don't know your neighbours at all-- challenge yourself to get to know them, to love them.
Maybe you beat yourself up a lot-- challenge yourself to give yourself one compliment every day
Maybe you use apps or go to websites that you know you couldn't-- challenge yourself to avoid them for 40 days.
Maybe you have been meaning to do something for a long time--- make a plan and challenge yourself to fulfill that goal (with God's help)
Maybe you depend on yourself a lot-- challenge yourself to depend more on God
... get the idea now?



No matter where you find yourself on your spiritual journey this Pancake Tuesday I hope that you can spend some time in this next season, the Lent Season, growing closer to God and reflecting.
Reflecting on who He is.
Reflecting on who you are.
Reflecting on how you can better reflect Him and His love in this world.

Youth Leaders are ___________.

Last week I wrote about the importance of long term youth ministry- from the perspective of the youth pastor. Even as I wrote that blog I knew that this one would be coming- some of it is out of a place of sincere gratitude and some is out of a place of seeing what works best.


In any ministry- but especially youth and children's ministry leadership is VITAL to the sustaining, flourishing, and overall strength of the ministry. I don't mean leadership from the youth pastor- I mean leadership from within the church congregation. Having people who will plug into, connect with, and focus on children and youth throughout their lives is so much more important than a pastor. I grew up in a church without a youth pastor and if it wasn't for the congregation inviting me into their lives- taking me on fishing trips, having me over for supper, taking me camping, even asking me to join them in cleaning the chicken coop- then I wouldn't be the disciple that I am today. A pastor preaches and teaches, plans events, organizes drives, dreams of the next crazy event to entertain the youth but the volunteer leaders- they are key. I've listed some reasons below:



Deeper Relationships- 
One person (youth pastor) cannot possibly maintain deep connections with every single youth they encounter. Volunteer youth leaders are NECESSARY to carry out these deeper relationships, mentoring, and care- yes there are time that the youth needs to talk with a pastor (every Christian does). With strong, solid youth workers coming alongside a teenager and helping them to 'do life' it provides two key areas in God's Kingdom:
      A.  Community- We were not created to be separate from each other- God created us to be in community together and often times youth feel alone and segregated. Having leaders who are willing to join them in their life journey builds that community around them.
      B.  Use of Gifts- Not only is it good for the youth to have adults giving deeper relationships but it is important that ALL of God's people use the gifts that He has given them. Allowing leaders to develop relationships and serve God in youth ministry allows them to use their gifts - fulfilling the calling that God has given them.

Community Connections-  
This is different than the community listed above- above it referred more to the Christian community- here we are talking about when youth are in the community and they see their youth leader at the grocery store, at their job, walking their dog, coaching a basketball team, going through the Tim's drive thru (because that is the only drive thru in Florenceville). These community connections help youth to see what being a Christian looks like outside of the church walls- how we interact with other people and show love on a daily basis. Pastors- seek out youth leaders who are active and set a GOOD example in the community. Youth Leaders (and Christian's in general)- You are always being watched by someone- show God's love in every situation.

Breadth of Knowledge-
Pastors- if you are like me you might have education more than you know what to do with. You know what TULIP means or the difference between Martin Luther King Jr and Martin Luther, you probably even have a working understanding of the Pre-Frontal Cortex and know why teens make the ridiculous decisions they do.
Youth leaders- you are important because you keep us youth pastors grounded- we often talk about theological things that interest us but have no meaning to a 13 year old boy who just failed his Math class. Youth leaders are needed to guide and teach about what it is going to be like to go to a 'real' university or what working in the 'real' world with no other Christians in the company looks like.

We all have a testimony, we all have different life experiences, ALL of these are needed to help guide, direct, and encourage youth to serve God no matter where they are or where they are heading in life.... which leads me to the next point...

Intergenerational Importance-
(like what I did there.... two words that start with 'I')
What happens when a teenager suddenly graduates? They are no longer part of the Youth Ministry that has sustained them, encouraged them, pushed them through life. Sometimes their youth ministry has been a substitute for 'real church' - they are worshipping, learning, listening to God so what shouldn't it be that substitute?
Then they graduate and realize that their weekly connection with the church and with God is gone... so some make their way to 'real church' ... they walk in and the only person they recognize is the youth pastor (who might not even be there because they are busy running another service, children's ministry, or other event). This isn't the 'church' they have known for the past 6 years. Having youth leaders from the congregation is VITAL to connecting the Sunday Worship to the Mid-week programs and worship experience.
Youth leaders are not only important for the youth here and now but they are important for the youth five years from now or ten years from now- to see that worship alongside those that are in different life stages is vital to their growth.
(There is WAY WAY WAY more reasons for intergenerational ministry to be happening... but this blog post is ALREADY too long)


Conclusion
So- if you volunteer as a youth leader THANK YOU- you are doing more than preventing injury, playing dodgeball, and enforcing rules- you are building relationships that children and youth won't ever forget. You are making disciples of Jesus Christ, you are fulfilling the great commission.

And if you aren't a volunteer youth leader....
1. What kept you reading this post!?
2. Try to give your youth pastor (or head leader) a heart attack and make that offer! I can guarantee they could use all the help they can get! (and if God has given you those gifts you better use them!)



Final Question: What word(s) would you use to finish this blog title?
Youth Workers are _________.

Eight-teen (Four Benefits to Long Term Youth Ministry)

Today is March 1st 2016.

I realize that it has been almost an entire year since I updated here. But today I felt it necessary.

On September 1st 2014 I packed up my car, bought a Starbucks, and hit the highway for a 7 hour drive. A drive that would end at a small bachelor-type apartment (two old motel rooms converted into one apartment), a small community, and about an hour from Starbucks.

This was 18 months ago.

When I began as Pastor of Youth and Family Ministries at Florenceville Baptist Church it was general consensus that the average tenure for a youth pastor was 18 months. I was reading it everywhere- on blog posts, Facebook statuses, tweets, it seemed to be everywhere... even though I couldn't find out where this information originated from.

I still can't - in fact minds much greater than mine can't seem to find it either. It's an untraceable bit of information that has been floating around the inter webs and I for one am glad that this doesn't seem to be true and that it definitely isn't true in my case. (Or the case of my convention of churches... which is roughly average of 3.5 years)

I'm just getting started at this ministry- just starting to build relationships, just now making memories, finally building trust, and just now starting to see the fruits of the labour that has taken 18 months to build- I can't imagine turning around and leaving now... even for a closer Starbucks (and now with their new points system I wouldn't want to anyway).


I guess the rest of this blog is for those who are starting out or are going through a difficult season in their ministry. I am not an expert- I have only been here 18 months but I can already see the benefits to a long-term youth ministry.

1. Relationships. 

Youth are relational beings. No matter their situation in life they strive to feel wanted, accepted, loved, and cared for. Youth who come from 'good Christian homes' and youth who come from broken, destroyed, messy backgrounds all desire this. It was just after my 12 month milestone that one of my youth asked 'How long are you going to be here?' (meaning as their Youth Pastor) and I  sarcastically answered 'Well.... I still like you so I'm gonna stick around for a while'
I realize now that that wasn't a smart way to answer that question but it was how I was feeling- I was loving the youth, the community, the church, the ministry and so planned on sticking around.
They took that to say 'When I don't like you anymore I'm out of here'
.... again- I've only been doing this for 18 months.... I'm still learning, I make mistakes.
Building relationships takes time and to come in as a youth pastor, develop a relationships, and  build on them is longer than an 18 month process. Imagine the damage you are doing to a youth if they have a different youth pastor every 18 months- that would be 4 different youth pastors during their time in Middle and High School programs. By number 3 they are never going to open up... which leads me to the second reason for long term youth ministry positions.


2. Trust.

Trust is built. Youth are struggling through making their faith their own or developing a faith from scratch. They need someone with whom they can work out that faith with. Someone who can guide them through the tough questions, someone they can turn to when they feel far from God, someone who can assure them that God is with them when life gets messy. Someone they can talk about their messy life with. And no, this isn't always going to be the youth pastor (it's actually better if it isn't a youth pastor- hopefully it is another mentor, a neighbour, a family friend) but the youth pastor who knows the youth's past, who knows where they have been is going to be MUCH more trusted by a youth than one who knows nothing about them.


3. Development of Program.

It's true..... Churches don't like change. For any Pastor heading into their first church be ready.... churches take time to come around to new ideas, new ways of ministering, and letting go of the ways they have operated in the past. This is simply the fact of ANY group of people (have you seen the new way schools do math!? I don't understand it... I don't like it.... but someday I'm going to have to help my children learn it). In a church a youth pastor needs to be willing to go to bat for the youth. Needs to be willing to build trust with the adults of the church so they can try new things, reach new people, make youth programming more engaging and age appropriate for them.... and these programs take TIME to develop.... not only getting approval from adults BUT changing the minds and hearts of the youth from the old to the new AND building it to be what you dream and vision it to be.... don't give up after one failed attempt- perhaps the next will go better.


4. A Time For Everything. 

It's true- scripture says there is a time for every season under heaven. And one of the benefits of a long-term youth ministry is experiencing ALL of these seasons with youth, with their families, and with the church.
You will go to a board meeting and be questioned on the scratches on the hallway floor, the lack of Bible Study for High Schoolers, the board will hate your idea of painting the youth room (or creating a youth room). They will get mad at you when youth are distracting during the service or when the gym isn't cleaned up properly after a program and parent's will call you and ask why you haven't invited their child directly on the youth mission trip! You will get frustrated and angry at yourself when attendance is low, when nobody volunteers to help, when you run out of money in September. Somebody will comment about how messy your office is or as you "What do you do all week anyway"- these things will happen. (*This is all hypothetical of course*)
And then your youth will go through difficult times - a family member will die, depression and athletic and academic pressures will kick in. But they will also have celebrations, graduations, baptisms, newer and stronger relationships with Jesus, inviting friends to ministry events. Youth will work at camp, ask you if they can run a food drive, start their own Bible Study, suggest a youth oriented worship night. The board will celebrate the joys of new students in midweek programs, be overcome by the testimony of a youth before their baptism, you will have prayers answered with a new youth leader you didn't expect (okay.... maybe not). There is a time for everything.... and just because Ecclesiastes says 'a season for every activity' it doesn't mean it will all happen in our 4 seasons....
With the bad comes the good, the great. What I am trying to say here is don't become discouraged and leave your ministry because of a bad season.  Stick it out- your ministry will benefit from it in the long run. Celebrate the small wins and realize that God has called you to youth ministry- a ministry that thrives in longevity- not in short bursts.





Oh...... and if God hasn't called you to youth ministry but this is just a 'stepping stone' to the 'real thing' then get out of youth ministry and get where God has called you.

Up, Down, Over, Out....

The Saint John River Outside my house. In the winter if freezes but water continues to move under the ice, pushing the ice up on top of itself and causing ice dams in the river (and eventually flooding upriver). 

In my last post I talked about the similarities that exist between Florenceville (Rural) and Halifax (City). I am the type of person who can adapt and survive (and sometimes even thrive) nearly anywhere so seeing the similarities is pretty normal for me. As one who can adapt anywhere I try my best to quickly pick up on local cultural norms and adapt to them as well as I can (A good ministry trick that I learned through Dr. Peed and my Cultural Anthropology class).


Where do you live?

One of the first things one must do to 'fit in' is adjust dialect and so I set out to learn and the biggest adjustment (that didn't take all that long to adapt to) was directions. Nobody cares (or knows) what your house number is. What matters is how many telephone poles after the sharp turn or how many driveways before the bridge you are. What will work even better is if you know who lived in your house before you, people will immediately know where you live then (and it's even better if you were the only one to build a house on  your road in the past 10 years... like me).



You are somebody's child.... 

I grew up in the country and something I did NOT miss was introducing myself and having the question come back as "And whose son are  you now?"
Well... I am back in the country and I have heard that question multiple times, but not directed at me (Since people know I'm not from here). But when I am talking about someone (A new kid at youth group, a funny thing someone said, etc.) the first question I will get is "Now, whose child is that"

I DON'T KNOW! I didn't ask for a complete family history, physical, and report card the first time I met them. But, if I am talking to the right person it won't matter if I don't know the answer- they will fill me in (even through they are just spewing names of people I have never met or never will meet).




Directions... 

Finally, the easiest dialect change to make is geographical because it is all based on where you are and where you are heading in relation to the river.

Heading north? You're going "Up River"
South? "Down River"
Pretty much anything East is "Out Back"* 
Heading to Fredericton? Nope... you are "Goin' to the city"
Thinking about going to Maine to do some shopping? You are "Goin' over 'cross"

*"Out Back" is also used to refer to any place that is obscure and not well known. Example: "Coldstream is out back 'a Hartland"  or  "Ashland is out back 'a Coldstream"


I love it. Reminds me of home, reminds me of dad. I feel comfortable and I am sure that as we continue to work in the community we will discover more local dialect that makes this community and area so unique. (I am sure we will learn lots as Valerie works closely with farmers and tractor salesmen.... yes, tractor salesmen are a thing).

Where?

My last blog update was titled 'A place I never thought I'd be' and it was written a year ago- I feel like I could use that title all over again today. So where am I?

Florenceville-Bristol, NB.

Never heard of it? Don't worry- most people haven't.

*Note: I did not take this photo- I found it and don't know who did.

It is much different than my previous living accommodations of Halifax, Nova Scotia and it most certainly is a place I never thought that I would be. When I first started telling friend and family where I was moving most were very underwhelmed and after the initial "Where?" they began asking about what was there and how different it would be from living in the 'big city.'

Although there are differences there are also many similarities:

1. There are two bridges
Halifax has two bridges- the Old Bridge and the New Bridge (Or the MacDonald and the McKay for those of you not from the city). When talking to people about going from Dartmouth to Halifax or vice versa you are always asked which bridge you use and you plan your route depending on the bridge and the time of day.
Florenceville-Bristol also has two bridges. I have been calling them the Old Bridge and the New Bridge- but locals call them the Little Bridge and the Big Bridge. The little bridge is an old covered bridge that JUST BARELY allows two cars to squeeze by going 20km/h (Seriously, if you drive a truck you avoid the little bridge). The Big Bridge is part of the old TransCanada Highway and is larger, higher, stronger, and built for the load of trucks.

I used to hold my breath as a kid when we would cross the bridges in Halifax- when I moved to Florenceville-Bristol I would hold my breath when I passed another car on the little bridge. Then I would check my side mirror-- just to make sure it was still there.


2. The Airport is on the outskirts of the 'Municipality' 
That's right... Florenceville-Bristol has an airport.
What you may not know about Flroenceville-Bristol is that it is the home of the McCain Food's empire. (seriously, go to your freezer, pick up a McCain package and look at the address on it....)
Being a global business there is an airport to transport executives, farmers, and other employees to major cities for business adventures. I promise- it was quite a shock on my first day here when I saw an airplane going down into what looked like another potato field up on the hill.... turns out it was supposed to go there.


3. Avoid Main Street(s) at 5:00pm.
Seriously. In Halifax I would try leaving work early, staying late, or find side streets as much as possible. In Florenceville-Bristol there aren't any side streets so I just avoid the 'Rush Hour' time. Driving through 'town' when all the businesses (especially McCain employees) are trying to get out of their driveway's onto the main street is CRAZY. The two biggest differences between Florenceville-Bristol and Halifax is that in F-B rush hour really only lasts 15 minutes and there is no side streets to avoid the rush.

*Another similarity that is connected to this one is that many people commute from outlying communities to work in the 'city centre' 

OH! And don't be fooled at ANY point you can get held up in a traffic jam. In Halifax all it would take is one car accident. In Florenceville-Bristol all it takes is a tractor moving from one potato field to another.


4. Finally, it takes 20 minutes to get anywhere. 
In Halifax my wife and I had a joke that we lived in the perfect spot because every time somebody outside the city asked how far it took us to get from home to _________ (pick a place) we would always answer '20 minutes'.... always.
Since moving to Florenceville we discovered that it takes 20 minutes (well... 15) to get anywhere. The difference is that in Halifax you passed 6 coffee shops before you got to the one you wanted. Here you get one option and 5 minutes of your 15 minute drive is waiting to get to the drivethru speaker, or talking to someone you know that you ran into in the parking lot.

---
Yep, they may be very different geographically and population-wise (1,600 vs. 375,000)but Florenceville-Bristol and Halifax have a lot more in common than you may think.
Don't believe me? Come visit- I'll give you the tour, but warning: It takes a while... since everything is 15 minutes away.

...a place I never thought I'd be.

It may be February but I am an excellent procrastinator and as such I am just now getting around to reflecting on the last year. I experienced a lot in 2013, most of which I never expected to experience. If you had told me a few years ago I would have been hiking in the Bulgarian mountains looking for the home of a Bulgarian Orthodox Saint who died nearly 1100 years ago I would have asked you "What's Bulgaria?"

In May I was doing just that. Saint John of Rila lived in 900AD and he retreated to the Rila mountains, living in the caves after accepting the life of a monk. He dedicated his life to serving God, to seeking after him and retreating from the pressures and difficulties of the sinful world. John was so dedicated to the Lord that people sought after him. He was a sense of peace in difficult times. People came to him, to be blessed by him, to be prayed for by him and healed. He gave his life for others but was humble and avoided situations which might cause vanity. (Such as denying a visit by the Tsar of the time and gifts of gold from the man stating that they needed to be given to the poor [says the man living in a cave])

The picture above are letters from people who drive hours, hike miles, and write their prayers down in hopes of them being answered. They also drink from a stream of water in hopes that the ground remains holy and holds the healing properties necessary to heal them and answer prayers. They take it even further to keep Saint John's body in a nearby monastery to be kissed and pray to him.

The Bulgarian people have put a lot of faith in this one man, depending on him for the answers to their prayers. They see him as much more than a man, but a saint who has brought favour from God to the people of Bulgaria.

.... But it makes me wonder, how dedicated am I to God? Am I Saint John of Rila dedicated?
And
What will I be  remembered for and as in 1000 years? What legacy am I leaving? Will I be remembered for my faith, love, and dedication to God as John was?

"You're Doing It Wrong"

You're doing it wrong. 

It is a funny way people have been using to tell others that they are using a basic tool or doing a menial task incorrectly. As I reflect lately on the church, it's place in society, the effectiveness of it's programming, and its purpose I can't help but imagine God looking down from above chuckling and saying "You're doing it wrong"

I have become convinced that the church was never meant for the unbeliever.

At times we tend to glorify 'seeker services' or make it important that visitors feel comfortable and that they will return. Even leaders of our services say that Sunday morning (for most services) are meant to be a time of celebration of what God has done throughout the week and recharging and re energising before another week of serving Him.


Yet- do our services, our mindset about the church as a whole reflect that?

When I visited China the church was different than our North American churches (imagine that eh?). The people who attended these churches had heard about Jesus throughout the week- they had been told by a friend, had been attending small group gatherings for weeks or months. In China the church is persecuted. You only enter the church if you want to worship God- if you fully believe in Jesus and are willing to put your reputation, your freedom, your everything on the line.

The church meeting in China was a time of celebrating what God had done, a time of preparing for the coming week, a time of worship- the focus was not on those who were 'wishy washy.' The believers interacted with them throughout the week and challenged them in their beliefs and thoughts Monday-Saturday. Sunday is for the believers- Sunday is to worship, Sunday is to come together as a family. Churches need to stop caring about brining non-believers into their fellowship on Sunday morning and care more about helping people believe throughout the week.

Chaos

Today I have been enjoying a relaxing day, a day not plagued with pressures and deadlines or with the thoughts of what my wife might think if she comes home and finds me still in my pyjamas. My morning has been blissful, relaxing with God, reading His word, learning more about Him and it hit me, in the chaos of my life I tend to avoid the bliss of relaxation. 

This has been the state of my desk for the past few weeks. It could be because I am messy (as my wife would say). I say it is because I am so busy that I have not had time to clean and I have not seen the point since I have been using these books forever!

Our world, our society, does not value relaxation. We need to constantly be busy, doing 'stuff' working towards a goal, striving for a new endeavours. Somehow if we are not working towards bettering our society or our own lives through work than we are not doing what God has intended. Where did this idea come from? When did this happen?

I have been busy this semester, 6 courses, newly-wed  church work, it began to take over and today I took a break, relaxing on my own and you know? I have felt closer to God than at any point in my 'busyness'

Are we striving for growth with God or growth in our personal and professional lives? Is our goal to be more like Christ by filling our schedules to the brim? When did more work become the desire of our hearts?

Reading with Power

This semester I have been challenged. I have realized the POWER of scripture.

It IS the Word of God.
It IS relevant.
It IS living
It IS active
It IS salvation
It IS important
It IS able to do so much more than we can imagine


Reading scripture out loud is something that happens every Sunday at thousands upon thousands of church around the world, and yet the word is not read out loud as it were living and active in out lives. It is read as though it is just an old fairy tale that has been told over and over again. As if people should know it and that it is not actually being listened to. Well, when it is read as such it will be listened to in the same way.

The Word of God is Him speaking directly to His people!
Why is it spoken in a monotone voice, with a voice of timidity, or stumbled through.

I am a firm believer that we need to learn how to read scripture.It has a lot of emotion, a lot of power, a lot of authority and needs to be given the power that is due it. Practise it, see the emotion, the setting, the true actual people who were living that story.

Sheet music tells a musician when the song is to rise and fall, when to be powerful and when to be soft. When to pause, the tempo to enter into, each note has a speed to follow. (I am not a musician by any means and am simply remembering my into to music class in my undergrad so forgive me for the wrong terms). Scripture does not have all of these same notations, but we need to include them when reading it. This is powerful stuff and often we set up our pastor for failure before he even gets up to preach simply by reading the Scripture in a way that does not engage people. They are not listening before the sermon even begins.

Allow the word to be living and active.          
                                                 Not only on Sunday morning but in your own devotional time as well.

"For the Word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword"

                                                                                         -Hebrews 4:12

"So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the Word of Christ" 

                                                                                        -Romans 10:17

"No Scooting in the Sanctuary"

Throughout my education (and even now as I continue it) I have been taught (all to many times, in nearly every youth ministry class) that we, as youth workers, need to keep culturally and socially aware of what our youth are dealing with. This means no only looking at media and music but at fads as well. I feel like this is the hardest thing to keep caught up on, like last week I found myself in shock by the latest fad....

Scooters!

Like, the nerdy thing that people who couldn't ride skateboards used to ride around on. The things that were silver with a handle. They are no longer just silver with a handle. Two of the youth showed up on Wednesday with scooters, they were 'tricked out' with the latest deck, the cool design, wheels, everything was custom. One of them even had pegs on the wheels!? That means they are doing tricks on these scooters!? Really!? This would have been unheard of 5 years ago.

Not only are these scooters custom but they are expensive! I just decided to do a quick google search and the first site I looked at had is $330 (I HOPE that is not the price my youth paid!)
http://www.jibsactionsports.com/index.php/pro-scooters/complete-scooters/lucky-strata-pro-scooter.html

I am opening myself to a whole new world here and it excites me, but it meant we had to implement a new rule at youth group: "No Scooting in the Sanctuary"

Now our church is not one to see the building as sacred or worry about the sanctuary or walls or care about such things. We haven't had rules at youth group (other than to show respect), but with such a 'cool' new toy with a limited supply for the number of youth, as well as the damage that tricks and flying metal pieces might do to the building but also the other youth we have told the youth..... "No Scooting in the Sanctuary". 

Imagine- I never would have thought.... what is next? I am excited to find out.

Vanilla Coke....

This past week I have REALLY missed Vanilla Coke. Growing up I drank the stuff like there was no tomorrow, and then one day there wasn't. One day Vanilla Coke suffered the ill fate that so many others have suffered, it was pulled off the shelf. Gone.

As time went on I grew older and had moved on from the delicious nectar, found other loves (coffee soon became my new addiction). Then, when I was out to celebrate my dear friends birthday last month I decided I would treat myself to a sugary drink (usually I order water). To my surprise the particular restaurant we were dining at had Vanilla Coke! At long last, we had been re-united.

Sadly the drink at said restaurant is $4.00 for a glass. Over the last month and I have thought "going and ordering just a glass of pop wouldn't be that bad, would it?" I never did return, but when my wife brought home cans of coke today I had to give it a try and I added vanilla extract to my glass of Coke. It tastes quite wonderful, a sweetness overload, but I think I put in too much vanilla.
An hour and a half later my glass still sits half full, or half empty.

 ...I guess it's true what they say, Too Much Of A Good Thing....

Harry, Ron, and Hermione meet Aibileen Clark

Just A Little bit of something I made today.

Why I'm Dreading Dying

Many people do not think about death.
Especially many people like me.
22 years old, perfectly healthy, sleep lots, eat well, work out a few times a week, studying and building up a future for myself.

I have plans and dreams for the future but then I think...
"What if I die?"

You know the first thing that comes to my mind?
It isn't, how will my loved ones feel?
It isn't, what will heaven be like?
It isn't, will everyone be okay?
It isn't, who will get my stuff?

My thought is... Will I actually die?

Today people are not actually dying, they still live, their friends never grieve, never say goodbye. I do not want this I want to die but I fear that my Facebook Profile will keep me alive way past my earthly death.

I think it is safe to say now that we all have had Facebook friends who have passed away. Year after year their profile remains as a reminder to their 'friends' that they once existed, the new timeline now even allows us to go back and look at their life in a quick click, looking at all the times you may have shared with them, all the conversations you had with them online can be relived again and again.

I fear that when I die people will not actually say goodbye to me but they will remain 'friends' with a dead person. I even have friends who, every time they upload a status they add a tag RIP *insert friends name* This isn't allowing the person to rest peacefully, this is keeping them alive online and in the minds and hearts of not only the person posting the status but all the people who read it as well. The person is not really resting, not in our lives- they are still living.



So please, when I die, let me die.

Kill me off.

Destroy me.

Let Me Rest.

Move On and Forget me. Please. I will worshiping my Creator and honestly, not thinking about you, so you should rest in peace and allow me to die. Even on the internet.