Return 2 Simplicity

Arrival in Canada on a BAOC 707.

10 March, marks the 43′rd anniversary of my family of origin’s arrival in the great land that is Canada. It took me quite literally 25 years to become a citizen. It is kind of ironic too, in that I was able to enlist in the Canadian Forces as a British Subject (now British Citizen) and swear allegiance to the Queen in the defense of Canada, and yet not be a citizen of this great land.  I was but nine years of age when I came to Canada, flying out of Belfast, to Prestwick Airport in Scotland, for the transatlantic flight on a BOAC 707. The pilot had been an RAF pilot which fascinated me as I had at one time dreams of being a pilot myself. The dream began to diminish when I got airsick on this flight and had to use the “barf bag” in my seat!  Another memorable thing on that flight, was that no matter how many times my Dad reminded me to not forget my new camera, an expensive German camera, I left it in the plane and was never able to recover it.

St. Die, Vosges, France.

I remember my Dad and my Mom being all excited about coming to this country.  We had left France where my family had ministered since 1954 in the fall of 1966, leaving everything behind, giving many of our possessions to the Canadian family that was taking over the pastoring of the church which my parents had planted in St. Die, in the Vosges mountains in eastern France. This was a most difficult time for me as an eight year old.  I had to give my bike away, and my motor car race track too! I only took a few Dinky toy cars, which I still own, a bag of marbles, my six colour ball point pen, and my Sandy teddy bear which I had since I was born. That was the extent of my possessions. Not much to remember France by. I remember having to say good bye to my friends Tony and Nicole.  That was really difficult. I remember looking behind out of the car window, with a longing look at my friends who were waving good bye, wondering if I would ever see them again.  That was 1966, and I have never seen them. I don’t even know if they are alive. Forty three years ago, but I remember it like it was yesterday.

The Queen City of Belfast.

It seemed odd to me that my parents were leaving France.  It was the only home I had known, other than a couple of furloughs that they had taken during the dozen years in France, when they had returned home to Belfast, and one of those furloughs was for my birth.  They went to that trouble because at the time the UK was not part of the EU and to have me born in France was a huge expense.  It was cheaper to actually make the journey from France to Northern Ireland, and be born under the British universal health care system, than to remain there in France.  My siblings, Paul, Jacqueline and Stephen were all very fortunate to have been born in France.  They did not have to suffer the same identity crisis which I had to subsequently endure.

My parents had become more French than the French. For all I knew, we were French.  It was not until we actually moved to Canada that I discovered that I was British. Here all along, my  childhood heroes had been Joan of Arc, Napoleon, and General De Gaulle. Upon the discovery and my questioning of my father as to my true nationality, my Dad simply replied, “Look at it this way.  You did not lose the Battle of Waterloo. You won!” That was his way of dismissing what I thought was an important question concerning my identity and my origins!

Jacqueline, Santa, me, Belfast, 1966.

My Dad took us to Belfast in the fall of 1966, before the Troubles started in 1968, and then remained for but a few weeks, as he was going to go to Canada on a five month mission, preaching and teaching, and searching as to what would be God’s plan for our family in this new land.  His being bilingual and a seasoned missionary in France, made the choice almost academic. The province of Quebec would be our new home. Coming to Canada and to Quebec at this time opened up a whole new world to me. So Dad came home to Belfast, his and my home town, in February 1967, just in time for my birthday. We barely had a couple of weeks before having to pack up and move to Canada.  We had several trunks with all our worldly possessions, plus several suit cases for all our clothing.  The trunks had to be sent as quickly as possible because they were going by ship, out of Belfast harbour, bound for Montreal, Canada.

Montreal 1967

So we landed in Montreal, at Dorval Airport.  I was flabbergasted by what I saw upon my arrival! I could not believe the snow! It was a record breaking storm, the worst in  over eighty years! I looked at my Dad and I said, “I want to go home!”  He lovingly looked at me and calmly said, “Sam, this is your new home!” I looked around and I said, “Where are the cowboys and Indians?” He looked at me and laughed, “Son, that is history! But there are many Indians all over Canada, who are just like you and I. There are a lot of cowboys too, but they have not only horses but lorries (trucks) too!”  I was perplexed. He had gotten me on the plane by telling I was coming to the land of cowboys and Indians. I had been all excited, and now I was finding out that they were just like me, and that they had motor vehicles and lived in normal houses too! I felt cheated!

Yvan Cournoyer - A Hab from Drummondville!

We were met at the airport by a contingent from the PAOC (Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada) who took us to the campus of the bible college in Montreal where we were going to be based until we could go to our new city.  A month later we would be in Drummondville, Quebec, where my mother and father would plant a Pentecostal Church which flourishes to this day. That congregation was formed consisting of our family and a single convert and his family.  We met in our home. My Dad received a minimal salary through the PAOC Home Missions Department, and worked on the side, first selling fruit, and then by teaching French at an English high school, and later he also tutored in French in our home for extra cash to make ends meet, and forced me to be one of his students!

As our family was Protestant and the laws of the land in Quebec had not changed (they would in 1972), I was forced to go to an English school! Imagine! Me, fully immersed in French language and culture, had to learn the foreign tongue of English (even though I was born British)! So, not only did I have to go to an English school, but they had to set me back a grade to assist me in my assimilation, as the Grade 3 teacher was also the French teacher, and she was from Wales too! Talk about a weird world. That was Mrs. Nodwell, who is now retired and lives in Ottawa.

The sad thing here as well was that when my parents witnessed to people and they were converted, their kids would be kicked out of the Roman Catholic parish and all its cultural supports as well as the out of the French educational system.  These kids became some of my better friends, for they totally understood having to deal with a foreign language and culture, English! Regrettably some of them became Separatists, and I would challenge them that it was the provincial law at the time that did this to them, expelling them from their culture and language, yet they were more comfortable blaming the Federal government.

My parents also planted sister churches in Sorel with the assistance from the Pentecostal church in St. Hyacinth.  I have fond memories of my time in Quebec.  My parents moved to Montreal in 1969 and remained there until October 1970, the height of the October Crisis with the FLQ.  I became a big Montreal Canadiens fan, as well as a fan of the Expos, and the Alouettes. I am still a fan to this day, although I no longer support any Major League Baseball, since the Expos left Montreal and were renamed the Washington Nationals.

Forty three years and counting. Wow! The memories.  I love Canada. It is my home. Canadians who were born here really cannot fully appreciate what they have. I am thankful that my Dad and my Mom brought me here. Each time I look at my wife and my daughters, I am thankful. I am truly blessed.

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Bob Rolston

Today marks the birthday of one the humblest and most Christ-like men I have known.  While it would be strange to use the word “great” to describe someone who sought no attention for himself, Bob Rolston was a great man, a great man of faith in God, a great servant of Christ and His Kingdom, a great friend, who also happened to be my father-in-law, and a great father figure in my life. He left a rich legacy and heritage to his children, which includes me, and my daughters.  We are truly blessed to have known Bob.

Bob Rolston

Bob did not have an easy life, far from it really.  He was left fatherless in his early years.  His dad was killed by a drunk driver. It was a hit and run accident, and this was in the 1930’s, so you can well imagine how difficult life was for a single mother with five kids, to make ends meet and raise the kids as best she knew how.  Bob’s mother remarried eventually, and became known as Grandma Wallace.  She died before I ever had the opportunity to meet her. But I soon discovered her reputation was legend, and I often reminisce by recalling the stories that Lori, and her Dad, Bob, would tell over and over again, regaling all the while, and crying tears of laughter at some of the most hysterical stories. That is how I remember Bob.

Bob with Carragh.

I remember his story telling.  In many ways he was more than equal to the task of my own father’s story telling. Both Bob and my own Dad, as pastors, developed the art of story telling that always enhanced their sermons. That was one of the funniest parts of their own relationship.  They both loved to tell stories, and both got along so well.  Now that they are gone, I must say I do miss both of them a lot these days. As I get older, I come to realize just how important a Dad is to a man (and his daughters).  Funny how the years just make you appreciate what you took for granted, or what you simply could not appreciate at the time. Time and age gives one a perspective on life that eludes us when we are young.

Brad Rolston.

Last November, we lost Brad, Lori’s brother, to a very sudden unknown condition. It was only before the funeral that the pathology report revealed that Brad had a benign brain tumor that had grown, some think that this was growing over a ten to fifteen year span to time.  Brad did not show the normal signs that accompany even a benign brain tumor. He literally died in his sleep, last November, at peace with God and at peace with where he was at in his life.  He had much disappointment in his life and he struggled, but in the end, he had peace with God, which does bring comfort to us all.

Christmas 1990.

Brad was not unlike his father, Bob.  Both had a great sense of humour and love to tell jokes and carry on with great stories.  Back in the mid 1990’s, the family lost many of it’s patriarchs; Uncle Dave, Uncle Alf, and Bob, and it was all within a year and half span of time. All three of these men had a great ability to spin yards, play tricks and tell wonderful stories and jokes. Brad would come along and tell stories with the best of them. They would howl for hours on end at family and extended family get togethers.  We had for the longest time a yearly family reunion and met at Bethany Evangelical Missionary Church. Family would come from miles around, as far as Meaford, Stratford, Niagara, Listowel and KW.  The highlight was usually to story telling that took place between all these men, along with Uncle Harold, and Brad. We sure enjoyed each others company. I miss them all today and think fondly of them.

Bob, Lori, Carragh.

I remember when Bob had his liver transplant in London, and we took our first born, Carragh down to see him. She was just starting to walk.  She would put herself against the clear glass of his isolation room and stare at her grandpa. He would beam a huge smile back at her.  A few years later it would be reversed when Carragh was diagnosed with cancer at age two and a half.  Her diagnosis and adversity over a seven year span took its toll on Bob. He really ached at seeing his granddaughter battle for her life on several occasions, finally succumbing to the dreadful disease four days before Christmas 1993. Bob was devastated, as if it was his own child. He wept with me, and all he could do was look at me with those eyes filled with heart ache and cry with me and try to console me. He kept telling me, “I cannot imagine what this does to a father. It is killing me, and I am the grandfather.” He loved Carragh so much. He loved all of us with all that he had.

Rob, Erinn and Bob.

Bob pastored for almost five decades. He loved proclaiming the Kingdom of God. He believed and taught divine healing and miracles. He constantly prayed for people, and many had dramatic healings. Yet, he himself never was healed. I often wonder why, but I don’t dwell there.  My Calvinist views on the sovereignty of God is such that I believe that God heals and restores, but I also know that our days are numbered and are in His hands.  God is always sovereign and we never rise above what His will is for our lives.  We simply need to continually rest in God, put our faith in the finished work of the cross which includes healing, miracles, signs and wonders, and just call on God to do what only He can do. As long as we have breath, we continue to call on God and proclaim healing for others and for ourselves.  Bob demonstrated absolute trust in God and was faithful to the end.

He was delighted when I received my ordination in 1994. He constantly affirmed me and through the years, from the time I was in Bible College until he finished pastoring full time, he would call on me to preach regularly.  I was always honoured and preferred by him. He treated me like I was flesh and blood, and not simply an “import” on the family “team”!

Carragh, Bob, Erinn.

When Bob retired from full time ministry he became as busy as he had always been. He relocated from Meaford where he had pastored in the Nazarene Church there, to Kitchener.  He became a volunteer chaplain at Grand River Hospital. He never stopped. He visited the sick, and prayed for them and gave them comfort. Some were healed physically, and all were strengthened spiritually. He did pulpit fill in on a regular basis during those years in the early 1990’s, in churches that either needed someone on short notice, or to do special meetings.  He just loved to teach and preach the word of God and so much wanted to serve God with everything that was within him.

The best part about Bob and Joyce moving to Kitchener, is that our family living in Waterloo, got to spend a lot of time with them, and they with us.  Our daughters were truly blessed by their Grandpa Bob and Grandma Joyce, and for that we will always be grateful. What a great blessing and legacy was passed on to our girls, through Bob’s devotion to God and family.  We got to be even closer in those days, and I am thankful that he treated me and respected me like I was his son.  When Bob was struggling with his health in 1997 he told me just how much I had come to mean to him, and how much he appreciated how I loved and cherished his daughter, my dear wife, Lori-Anne. He cried at the table at the Old English Parlour, in Waterloo, as we were eating fish and chips, as he told me how much he loved me. I cried as well and reciprocated the feelings of love and companionship we shared.  He loved me so much that when it came to his funeral, I was asked to give his eulogy. I was honoured and I was deeply moved to be so accepted by this man as one of his sons.

Dave & Doran.

Today, I remember Bob Rolston. He was the son of a Northern Irish Protestant immigrant from County Armagh (I am from County Antrim). He loved God passionately and wanting nothing more in life than to serve Jesus with all that he had, which he did, through sickness unto death.  The day before he died, he preached in the morning, and did a baby dedication in the afternoon, and preached at night! Little did we know that in less than twenty four hours, Bob would graduate to glory to be with Jesus, Carragh, my Dad, Uncle Alf, Uncle Ron, Uncle Dave, his mother, and all those who died in Christ before him. When he died, I felt the prayer covering which had been over me for nearly a fifteen years disappear.  That is how much this man cared for me and prayed for me constantly. He is absent in body but he is present with the Lord.

The wonderful thing I cling to, is that as a believer, death is but a door way into the presence of God where true abundant life is experienced.  We have no idea this side of heaven just how alive our departed brothers and sisters in Christ are. They are more alive than we could ever dream or imaging.

The Rolstons & Buicks.

“Bob, I know you loved cake and ice cream on your birthday and loved to tell jokes to cheer us all up. Today, for just a moment, I want to say “thank you” for loving me as a son, and for all that you poured into my life. I cherish all the memories, and I rejoice that your legacy as a graduate of Emmanuel Bible College, not only went to Lori (one semester) and to myself (B.Th., 1987), but to your granddaughter Erinn, who is currently a student there. You would be so proud of Caitlin and Erinn. They are just like their mom, your awesome daughter Lori whom I love and treasure. Thank you for sharing your whole life with me. I am so thankful for you and all that you were and are in my life. One day I will see you again, and I hope to hear one of those funny stories again, face to face, with you, Brad, Uncle Alf, Uncle Dave, Uncle Ken and all the others who are waiting for me up there. I miss you Bob.”

Forever in Christ Jesus,
Sam, your son-in-law

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The multiplication of housechurch networks is a worldwide phenomena.

I have come to a cross roads of sorts when I come to the “rapid multiplication of house churches and house church networks.”  I am not only cynical, but I do not believe that this can be done rapidly and last. Relationships take time, and foundations must be laid. That being said, we can at once say that once a believer has been discipled (in northern India it is usually a three month period of discipleship and then the disciple becomes engaged in evangelism and church planting), then the disciple will carry on in advancing the Kingdom of God in a functional and missional manner.

The multiplication of housechurches.

I was part of this “house church movement” that embraced this form of church life as the best and fastest way to expand the Kingdom of God.  Now I still believe it is more New Testament than traditional forms of church, but to do so in such a quick manner is a time reference that God has not placed on it, but it has been placed by church growth experts who are driven by their understanding of the “great commission” and their various views on eschatology and the finalization of things. I am not bound by their understanding and personally find it flawed biblically, historically and logically.  This became all the more clear to me as I read a blog post today on the CO2 phenomena, that seeks to combine the elements that Neil Cole emphasizes in his accountability groups, and combines them with Mark Virkler.  It is the convenient marriage between discipleship accountability groups, or as Neil Cole calls them, Life Transformation Groups (LTG), with Virkler’s teaching on “hearing God.”  These CO2 groups are groups where two people connect relationally and hear each others journey with God this week, and then they listen and hear God together. But here is the clincher, they have the audacity to call this “church”!

Life Transformation Groups

Before I go any further here, I want to be sure that people understand that this is a “critique” and I am not being critical of the men and women who embrace the CO2, the Life Transformation Groups, or the House Church Movement. I am declaring here that I have been very blessed through the writings, teachings, and attending and participating in workshops led by men such as Neil Cole, Mark Virkler, John White, Wolfgang Simson, Tony and Felicity Dale. I consider them friends and allies in the Kingdom of God.  I am in no way criticizing these brothers and sisters, but I am biblically critiquing how they understand and view the church, and how their views are largely clouded by church growth vision, definitions and terminology as well as their eschatology, which do a disservice to the true definition and nature of New Testament ekklesia. We ought to be able to critique biblically each others’ views and convictions in love and in faith building dialogue that seeks biblical truth and not our opinions to rise to the forefront. Debate is good, but tearing down people is neither good nor biblical. That being said, let us press on.

For the time being I want to address the movement where it has embraced the “lowest common denominator” possible as to what they believe constitutes “church”, the gatherings of two or three people as mentioned in Matthew 18:20.

I have to confess here that I was once “one of those people” that bought into the line that “where two or three are gathered in Jesus name”  that is the most basic expression of what we call “church”.  Nothing could be further from the truth! Exegetically speaking, the very context of this verse in Matthew 18:20 is about discipline, and not church life!  The NIV states it this way, with a subtitle of “A Brother Who Sins Against You”.  This hardly seems to convey anything about the basic definition of church and church life, which is what we are addressing here. Within the very context of the flow of the verses we read the following:

Search the Scriptures.

A Brother Who Sins Against You

¹⁵“If your brother sins against you, go and show him his fault, just between the two of you. If he listens to you, you have won your brother over. ¹⁶But if he will not listen, take one or two others along, so that ‘every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.’ ¹⁷If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, treat him as you would a pagan or a tax collector.

¹⁸“I tell you the truth, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.

¹⁹“Again, I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. ²⁰For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them.”

What do we find in the context of this passage?

1. Verse 15 states emphatically “If a brother sins against you…” The issue, the very context is sin between individual believers.  Notice “individual” and not communal.  Church, or ekklesia is a communal assembly of “called out ones” who gather around Jesus.  “Two or three” does not constitute an ekklesia.
2. Verse 15 states a procedure to follow when a brother sins.  It is to confront the issue at hand, one on one.  Again this is a relational approach to dealing with issues, and does not constitute what it means to be the ekklesia.
3. Verse 16 states if the brother does not listen, you are to go to another brother and confront the issue again, this time with support from another person that you are in relationship with, “…take on or two others along so that every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses”. Again this is a relational confrontation on issues of sin, not Christian community around the person of Christ.
4. Verse 17 is the clincher of it all. It settles the context completely! “If he refuses to listen to them, then tell it to the church; and if then he refuses to listen even to the church, treat him as you would a pagan or a tax collector.” This is the context for discipline, not the ekklesia gathered around Christ.  What you see here is the process of confrontation of sin within an ekklesia, and how members of the body ought to conduct themselves in seeking to have relationships restored over sin issues between brothers in the faith.  This is not the basic church unit, but simply how individual believers ought to conduct themselves in confronting sin issues between believers who are part of the same ekklesia.
5. Verses 18-20 are simply the declaration and the confirmation of the authority placed in the church, not the “two or three” apart from the church. Where two or three are part of the ekklesia, the context is as part of that Kingdom community, whatever the two or three agree together on, on the matter of church discipline, then the binding and loosing that is done, that is decreed, is done so in agreement with heaven and the gathered ekklesia. That is a huge distinction.

So here we are with this new novel take off on Neal Cole’s accountability relationships which Neal has promoted over the past decade, where these relational groups that meet one on one, and no more than three people, in order to assist each person in the LTG, in accountability and in living the Christian life.

Neal Cole of CMA.

Neal himself states in his book Organic Church, “The basic unit of Kingdom life is a follower of Christ in relationship with another follower of Christ. The micro form of church life is a unit of two or three believers in relationship.  This is where we must begin to see the multiplication occur. Let’s face it: if we can’t multiply a group of two or three, then we should forget multiplying a group of fifteen or twenty.”

Read that definition again, slowly.

“The basic unit of Kingdom life is a follower of Christ in relationship with another follower of Christ. The micro form of church life is a unit of two or three believers in relationship.  This is where we must begin to see the multiplication occur. Let’s face it: if we can’t multiply a group of two or three, then we should forget multiplying a group of fifteen or twenty.”

Let’s take it apart for a few moments and follow the logic sequentially.

• “The basic unit of Kingdom life is a follower of Christ in relationship with another follower of Christ.

This basic unit is a relationship between Christ and another disciple of Christ.  This is just that, a discipleship and mentoring, iron sharpening iron relationship, where each believer is “part” of the ekklesia, but itself is not the ekklesia.

• The micro form of church life is a unit of two or three believers in relationship.

This is a misleading statement, and context brings about definition. Two people relating together as Christians are no more the church in micro form, than two Christians shooting pool in the pool parlour are “being church” together! It is no more being church, than two women having tea together as Christians and sharing their lives together, even praying for each other, and their kids and their husbands.  That is not “church”, but simply two Christian women growing in relationship together.

I have gathered for years with men, regularly during the week, one on one, and at times three or four of us together.  That was never the “church” or even truly a “micro form of church life”.  What it was and is, is a group of Christian men who gather regularly for accountability relationship and deepening and strengthening friendship. It is nothing more and nothing less, and it certainly is not the ekklesia, the assembly of called out  ones who gather as relational missional Kingdom community!

• This is where we must begin to see the multiplication occur.
  

OK, listen to those words.  It becomes an issue of discipleship and personal growth, within a context of the individual Christian life.  This is not the “church”, but rather how Christians should look to grow, by being in relationships with other Christians.  We cannot be the “church” without being part of something bigger than ourselves, both in quantity and in quality.  There has to be more than “two or three” people to truly constitute a biblical New Testament ekklesia.

• Let’s face it: if we can’t multiply a group of two or three, then we should forget multiplying a group of fifteen or twenty.”

Here we have the rabbit out of the hat.  Discipleship and mentoring language being applied as a church growth strategy. The truth is out. Right here in front of us.

First we distort what the true New Testament definition of “church” is by a reductionist approach that applies the language of discipleship and mentoring to being the “micro form of church life” when in fact it is nothing of the kind.

Second, we rip the whole Matthew 18 passage from it’s exegetical context and frame work, which has to do with sins done against another brother, and the reconciliation process a person ought to pursue in order to truly restore the relationship.

Third, the only time the reference is made to “church” is when a brother who sins refuses to deal with the issues involved after two attempts, an individual one on one between the two parties, and when that does not work, the grieved party going with two or three other people to confront the sin issue and hear both sides of the issues and bear witness to the testimony.  After, these two do not work, then, the grieved party is to go to the church, who will then confront the brother, and if he does not repent, they will discipline the brother and put him out of the assembly (ekklesia – the church).

The question is, how can “two or three” be the “church” when in fact, the two or three are to go to the church when reconciliation fails?  They both cannot be the “church”. Therefore, while the two or three constitute members of a church assembly, apart from their being within the larger assembly, they are nothing more than two or three Christians gathered in relationship, and that is not New Testament ekklesia.

CO2 ~ Church of Two

Those within the CO2 movement plainly state, “The church of two” is a basic building block for all larger expressions of church”. That may be true, but only in the sense outlined above, where two or three people are part of a larger fellowship gathered around the person of Christ in relational, missional Kingdom community.  It does a disservice to the Kingdom of God and to the true nature of what is ekklesia when the New Testament definition of “church” is diluted from it’s true sense and meaning. CO2 is nothing more than another discipleship mentoring approach to personal discipleship, and nothing more. It is in no way, shape or form a “church”!

The Lord is building His church, and they are not discipleship groups of two or three.

Read the CO2 PDF and visit the blog.

Cheers,
Sam

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IT CAN HAPPEN TO YOU!

I've been attacked! I've been hacked!

They say there is no feeling like success and achievement, especially in learning new things. Well how about learning new things from lousy experiences, or from circumstances where you always thought it would happen to someone else, but never happen to you?  I believe today I am living a paradox of sorts. I have discovered this in the realm of internet security, and in particular, password security.  I woke up early this morning, and I mean “early” like 2:40 on the AM side of things, simply because I had a scratchy dry throat.  So I got up for some water, and a spoonful of honey.  I decided while I was trying to relax, that I would go online. So like I always do I logged on to my MacBook Pro, just to take a look see at my emails, and to check on Facebook, where I found an interesting link that stimulated my thoughts for a new post. So off I went to my site, only to find that I had been hacked! Yes, me, hacked! Of all people, I was hacked! My WordPress blog is on my own domain, and someone had hacked into my WordPress admin and taken over my blog.  Three of my postings had been hacked and modified, as was the name on the blog.

START TODAY – MODIFY YOUR PASSWORDS!

Passwords can cause panic attacks!

I just want to take the time today, at 4:09 EST, to tell you, guard your passwords, and change them, and don’t make them all the same. There are plenty of password generators out there, that are multi-platform, for both Mac & Windoze (my pun!). Don’t let your guard down, and protect your information, especially if you do a lot of things online in the first place.  I am revamping my online security protocols. I know, I know, it sounds like I am the freakin’ CIA, but you have no idea how violated I feel right now.  Someone has taken advantage of me, my information, my site where I exchange ideas and thoughts with all of you, the place where I interact with everyone in cyberspace.

DEAL WITH THE EMOTIONS & ACT RATIONALLY – CHANGE YOUR BEHAVIOURS – THAT MEANS “PASSWORDS”!

Shush! Don't share your passwords!

It is a weird and very strange feeling, a feeling had once before in my life, when someone broke into my van and tried to steal it.  At one time I worked with young offenders as an assistant program supervisor, and had to deal with young teens that had done multiple break-ins, and had to go to court with them as they faced charges, and heard witness statements.  I remember hearing one woman stating that the emotional feelings she felt when she returned home late one night to find her home had been violated through an act of breaking in and entering and theft had been the very same kinds of feelings that had occurred a decade earlier, when she had in fact been sexually assaulted! She said it had stirred up all the emotions associated with the rape she had suffered.  I remembered that when my van was broken into, and it did indeed feel like my person, my right to myself, my right to security of person and property had been violated.  I could understand her and the emotions she described in court that day twenty-two years ago.  That feeling at seeing my van in the state that it was in after the attempted theft, was a sickening feeling that never went away, until we sold the van.  I can’t do anything quite like that to remedy the feelings I have right now, although I felt like rebuilding a whole new WordPress blog this morning.  But I was able to correct and make changes and use the emergency.php script which is a handy script to keep in a secure place if you ever need an emergency login to your WordPress blog.  I highly recommend it to anyone out there who has a WordPress blog on their own domain.

LISTEN TO YOUR MOTHER – CHANGE YOUR PASSWORD LIKE YOU CHANGE YOUR UNDERWEAR!

Remember how mom used to say, "Before you go out, change your underwear! You might get into an accident!" Good advice!

So be forewarned. Make sure you have secure passwords, and change them once in a while, or invest in a password generator.

For Mac: Mac Version Tracker Site – Password Generator

For WIndoze: Windows Version Tracker Site – Passoword Generator

You don’t have any idea how I don’t want you to experience the sense of violation and defilement and the loss of control over who I am and what I do online that I have experienced today. I am thankful for my faith in God, and that God even cares about what I do online, and about what is important to me as a person.  This has helped me deal with the emotions that have surfaced today. My only concern is for anyone out there that loves using the Internet, and in particular if you have children that use it, or if you do business, or banking online, or if you just social network or blog, is that it be a secure and enjoyable and profitable experience for you.  Changing your password regularly will be one of the sure things you can do for yourself that will give you peace of mind, and there is nothing like having peace of mind!

Enjoy the cyber life and all it has to offer, from all the social networking online, to doing business, from blogging and building sites to your heart’s content, but be safe! Use a password generator!

I have learned a very important lesson here.

Cheers,
Sam

PS: Don’t you just love cartoons that are funny but make a point, sort of a great irony that hits the funny bone and gives you a quick dose of reality, just when you need it most.  I found a great cartoon, and Dilbert always seems to do that for me, gives me a giggle with sobriety! Well, here is a Dilbert cartoon that stresses the point!

Create a secure password!

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So here we are. People devoted to pray throughout this day, for the believers in the twin cities of Kitchener and Waterloo.

KW Day of Prayer

People from all over the world, from many city and regional “houses of prayer” and other intercession networks, spreading the word, to pray for Kitchener Waterloo. It seems rather staggering that we have reached this point. It seems like just weeks ago that this vision for a day devoted to prayer for Kitchener Waterloo and its inhabitants came into being, but it was back in early November last year, when four people gathered in their housechurch and prayed and sought the Lord together. Out of hunger for the Lord, and a desperate cry for the needs of the twin cities of Kitchener Waterloo, the KW Day of Prayer was born. And here we are, the 13th of February 2010, participating in the KW Day of Prayer, and thousands are praying right now for this region, in their homes, in coffee shops, while walking, in fellowships. They are meeting in twos and threes, as congregations, or simply as individuals, praying throughout the day. Something is going on here.

Since that time Marc, the founder of the Christian Link, has called 176 churches in the area, as well as the aforementioned houses of prayer from around the word, from Europe, the UK, Africa and the Far East, as well as across Canada and the United States, and South America. Many of these have indicated that through intercession, the Lord has indicated that “It is time!” for Kitchener Waterloo to experience spiritual transformation. I could not agree more. Within the last 15 years alone, there have been nine prophetic words given to the effect that there would be a great move of God that would affect Canada “and” the nations!

The expectation and desperation level has intensified over the last few decades. I have spoken with intercessory prayer groups that have been praying weekly and fasting and praying regularly for a major move of God in this region since 1981, the same year that I first came to and moved to the city of Waterloo. This is a move that has all the hallmarks of being birthed by the Spirit of God. The people of God, the body of Christ, in Waterloo Region have cried out for decades for a move of this kind, and their cries and their hunger for God is being heard, not only by the Lord Himself, but by countless thousands of intercessors around the country and around the world.

For years intercessors in this Region of Waterloo have prayed for Christians around the world and for revival and missions in diverse regions. But to know that now, at this very house, these areas of the world that have received the benefits of Spirit led intercession through the prayer warriors in this Region, is all so awe inspiring and humbling all at once. To know that this is a season for this Region, and that many believers are standing in the gap for Kitchener Waterloo, from all the regions of the earth is strengthening and encouraging the body of Christ in Waterloo Region to truly seek the Lord for a mighty move of God, where there will be an open heaven and a breakout of the life of Christ, and signs and wonders and miracles that will transform the region and affect the nations.

One large church in Waterloo already began in anticipation of today with several weeks of prayer and fasting. Another church in north Waterloo began prayer meetings that have lasted into the early hours of the morning several months ago. People started praying on a Sunday evening, and did not feel released to go home. The initial meeting lasted until 1:30 in the morning! Something is going on here.

There is a shift in the spiritual realm taking place, right here, right now. Are you up for it? Are ready? Are you primed to move at the leading and prompting of the Spirit?

Over the last six months there has been an increased intensity in circles of believers to make things right between the Lord and themselves, as well as with previously broken relationships with other believers. This brokenness before the Lord is a sign of renewal and revival, of taking God and His word seriously, of taking issues such as holiness and righteousness seriously. Only good things can come from this.

There is an accelerated expectation and desperation that has come since the New Year in this Region. All you have to do is take the time to listen to people, as they speak of change and speak of a hunger for God they have not known before. People speak of their need for quiet and for prayer, a time set apart for God they have not experienced before. Something is going on here.

Partnership Ministries

The Lord by His Spirit has made it possible for Marc and the Christian Link to network and partner with two Canadian ministries, Alistair Petrie from Partnership Ministries and Brian Warren from Canada in Prayer are coming together in a joint venture, the KW Prayer Summit, on March 26-28, in Kitchener. It will be held at the Holiday Inn in Kitchener. Details will follow. Incredibly this is all coming together as the Lord by His Spirit is knitting hearts together for the purposes of God. Please continue to pray for what God is about to do in this Region.

Canada in Prayer

You can start by praying throughout the day today, the 13th of February, the KW Day of Prayer. Pray for those the Lord places on your heart. Just ask Him what to pray for, and He will lead you into that. Pray for the Kingdom of God to come and to bring the fullness of the Kingdom, with salvation, healing, miracles and signs and wonders. Pray for the unity of the body of Christ in the Region, and for transformation of the entire Region.

God bless you as you pray!

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I received an email today from a friend of mine who lives just outside of KW.  He is in town all the time.  He wanted to know if I was busy.  The email was a forward from one of the city’s many housechurches (not my own), that are gathering tonight.  Many housechurches gather on Friday evenings over a shared meal, the Lord’s Table, fellowship, prayer and worship, as well as ministry time.  This email was advising me that this group is gathering to pray for the KW Day of Prayer.

This is one of many such emails and phone calls and face to face confirmations of such gatherings for prayer that are taking place all over Kitchener Waterloo.

God is up to something…

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The Christian Link is sponsoring a prayer summit following the KW Day of Prayer.

The Lord has made it possible for Alistair Petrie and Kathryn Marquis to come to Kitchener Waterloo on the dates of 26-27 March 2010 for the first KW Prayer Summit. Here is a little bit about Alistair Petrie and Partnership Ministries as well as Kathryn Marquis.

Partnership Ministries Vision

Partnership Ministries is an enabling and servant ministry to the wider church, local, national and international, offering programs in spiritual warfare, community diagnostics, intercessory prayer, healing and reconciliation in Christ.

The staff and Board of Partnership Ministries are evenly balanced between evangelical mainline and charismatic expressions. Our theological worldview is perhaps best defined as “conservative charismatic.” We believe that God has released his gifts and power on the earth today, but we also believe there must be accountability to God’s Word and His church. We are convinced that prayer and spiritual warfare are an essential part of our mission to extend Christ’s kingdom on the earth, but we also know that these practices can only remain healthy and effective if they are exercised in a spirit of wisdom and humility.

Our Purpose is to promote transformation of communities, cities, and nations. This is done by holding seminars, teaching sessions, conferences, and schools, for the purpose of training church and marketplace leadership in the methods they can use to see their community as it really is, in order that they might pray effectively and experience effective evangelism.

Partnership Ministries is connected and working with several national and international ministries including Global Harvest Ministries, Every Home for Christ, Generals of Intercession, YWAM (Youth With A Mission), the Wagner Leadership Institute, Ellel Ministries International, the ICCC (International Christian Chamber of Commerce). We provide ministry to the church, Christian businesses and the larger Christian community both nationally and internationally.We offer training schools, seminars, and conferences to both individuals and leadership groups. We also offer a variety of resources including Books, Workbooks, Manuals, and Teaching Cassette Tapes.

Partnership Ministries is supported by prayer, and is funded through individual donors, mission giving from churches, seminar and conference training fees. We are a Canadian incorporated ministry with charitable tax status in both Canada and the United States.

Rev. Dr. Alistair P. Petrie

For many years in both the United Kingdom and Canada, Alistair served as senior pastor in diverse city church settings. With that experience and his earlier years spent in professional broadcasting, he now serves as the Executive Director of Partnership Ministries, a global ministry that teaches the principles and relevance of the Gospel and its relationship to the Marketplace. Partnership Ministries is positioned as a ministry for the 21st Century Church and combines prayer and research in order to prepare Communities, Cities, Nations, and the Marketplace for lasting revival, authentic transformation and the release of Kingdom culture. In doing so, Alistair consults regularly with church, business, and business leaders helping them in applying the principles of Transformation in their workplace environment – and explains how this releases cities and nations into their respective destinies. Alistair travels extensively to many nations researching and teaching these transformation principles, and each year in Scotland offers a one week Marketplace School. Obtaining his Doctorate through Fuller Seminary, he has been a guest lecturer at the Seminary, and also teaches regularly for the Wagner Leadership Institute as well as several other schools of ministry. In constant demand as an International speaker, he is the author of several books, and along with his ministry team has produced an informative DVD teaching series. He is married to Marie and along with their two sons, Mike and Richard, their entire family serve the wider church and the Marketplace in the global arena.

Kathryn Marquis

Keep your calendar open for 26-27 March 2010.

Kathryn Marquis’s ministry has been birthed out of the inevitable God-lover’s journey through the soul’s dark night and learning to worship in the secret place. An anointed psalmist, worship leader and prophetic voice.

Here are two videos of Kathryn and her music ministry.

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You may not have noticed too many of the commercials during the Super Bowl, or maybe that is the only reason you watch the biggest sporting event on the planet. Whatever your reason for watching (for me it was seeing the Saints win against Manning and the Colts), the landscape of commercials during the Super Bowl has been altered forever. That’s right, changed forever.

Tim Tebow - Star college QB & passionate follower of Jesus Christ.

In a nation that celebrates celebrity and hype like no other nation, the cultural taboo for over forty years has been no public discourse about morality, religion or issues such as the sacredness of human life or abortion. That was a “no go” zone in the past. Well, as of Sunday night’s Super Bowl, that is no longer the case. Tim Tebow and his mother, were part of a commercial that aired during the Super Bowl, sponsored by Focus on The Family. This ad did not only make history, but it has altered the cultural landscape in a huge way. Now it is out in the open, sending an important message to citizens, that issues such as the sacredness of life, family and abortion, need to be discussed in the open, and not be left in the realm of hyperactive social activists, or the lobbyists and their respective agendas. Such important issues cannot be left to the elitists to decide, and every facet of the debate needs to be opened up to the general public and needs to be allowed and encouraged to breathe the air of open and frank discourse that addresses a key moral and ethical concern.

No one can deny the importance of human life, and debating when it begins is not even the point. The point is that a child is conceived and the woman bearing the child should have every means of support available to have and raise the child in safety and security, and if she cannot or does not want to do so, she should still receive the support she needs to bring the child into the world, and give the child up for adoption to a loving and caring family that can raise that child. This is what should be normal and should be discussed openly.

This commercial, which you can view here below, has now opened the door wide open. Now is a time for continued prayer. A movement of prayer opened the way for this commercial to be made. A movement of prayer compelled a gifted athlete that loves God, to team up with his mother and Focus on The Family, and to make a bold statement to the culture in which he lives. And a movement of prayer will continue to open doors for discussion and reflection and debate, as we continue to press into God and His purposes in the earth. The door may be opened just a hair, but now, it is in public view. Prayer moved by the heartbeat of God and His provoking love, set in motion what took place on Sunday.

Can you imagine, what prayer will do on the KW Day of Prayer in the Region of Waterloo? What cultural change will take place, when the people of God seek His face continually on behalf of Kitchener Waterloo? I can only imagine!

Featured article on Tim Tebow and his mother.

Commercial that aired on the Super Bowl.

Ephesians 2: 8-10 – the reference written on the anti glare face paint on Tim Tebow’s cheeks in the above picture, reads:

⁸ For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— ⁹ not by works, so that no one can boast. ¹⁰ For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

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I recently listened to George Otis Jr., of the Transformation videos fame. He was addressing the common factors that were the reality on the ground, for those people in the cities where city wide and regional spiritual transformation took place. Otis addressed two important factors, one, desperation, and two, expectation.

Otis went on to explain that the results speak for themselves, that when people abandon themselves to God and search their own hearts and do so relentlessly that nothing else mattered, that in every case, there has been a breakout of the Kingdom of God in that city or region. These people took God at His word, and sought His face continually, and repented of things as these things were revealed to them, they sought forgiveness not only from God, but from others, and relationships were restored and reestablished which in turn cleared the way for God to build His Kingdom.

They dealt with issues of the heart, relationship issues, and all things that God revealed and exposed. In most cases this lasted 18 months. Then they fasted for two weeks expecting God to breakthrough in their community, which He did, in every case.

This is holy desperation combined with expectation. A covenant keeping God has decreed our obligations, and His responsibilities. He honours those who honour Him. When we honour God and do the right things the right way, He does not withhold Himself from us. This is what takes place across the board, no matter what kind of church, no matter what the credal statements are, no matter who the leaders are. When people get so fed up with the status quo, and come to God on God’s terms, He delivers His people. This is what it will take for the twin cities to truly experience spiritual transformation. It will take a united cry from the people who are so desperate for God and who will do whatever it takes for God to move into their city and transform every sector of daily life.

I am left with one nagging question, and it is for all of us, myself included.

Are well willing to pay the price, and how desperate are we anyway?

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Here we are some 9 days to go before the Day of Prayer where Christians in KW will be praying for the body of Christ in the twin cities of Kitchener Waterloo. People are going to be praying in their homes, walking and praying on the streets, in coffee shops, in church facilities, and in other places all over the twin cities. This is a prayer movement that knows no denominational boundaries, and it is driven by ordinary Christians who want the Kingdom of God to come forth and manifest in the every facet of life in the twin cities, affecting and effecting spiritual transformation to every sector of society.

As a reminder, here are video clips from the Transformations’ videos:

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