Reflect: How can we be surrounded by people, yet feel so alone?

I was standing in a sea of people. Some walked with purpose, having somewhere to be; others meadered by, taking in the bright colours and the sounds. Still others chatted excitedly with a friends as they moved away from me. None of them even looked my way.

I was alone in a world full of people.

The Coming Fall...

Another September is upon us. As the weather cools, many find life heating up as they head off to another year of school, some heading to college or university for the first time. It is an exciting time of new beginnings. With new beginnings, a flood of questions rumble deep within:

What will the new year bring? Will I know anyone, or will I end up being alone? Will I like my classes? Will I have enough money to get by? Will I get along with my roommate? Will what I learn here really prepare me for life beyond the classroom? Do I have what it takes? Will I find love?

For others, the questions don’t revolve around the new semester; they are buckling down for another long year of the day-in, day-out working world. They look ahead toward some unseen destination, hoping it is still out there. They glance behind at the forgettable past, filled with unfulfilled hopes and dreams. With the monotony of the present, a flood of questions rumble deep within:

What will the new year bring? Will I connect with my coworkers, or will I be alone? Will I find enjoyment, satisfaction and fulfillment from my work? Will the money last until the next paycheck? Do my friends really care about me? Is there more to life than this? Am I making any difference at all? Will I ever find love?

Different circumstances, yet often similar questions resound within. Sometimes it is hard to find answers to these questions. The Young Adult community here at Bethany strives to provide an environment for people to develop an ever-deepening love for God and an ever-broadening love for others. In this, we look to walk this rugged path of life side by side, encouraging, challenging, lifting up and loving each other no matter what circumstances we find ourselves in.
If you are out of high school and looking to get connected to the YA Community here at Bethany, join us on Monday nights, 7 PM at the church as we dialogue to further discover what it means to follow Jesus in the crazy world we live in.

**New this Fall**
If you are interested in joining a small group of your peers, there are a few options for you. 1) A service group – these are groups that gather regularly to meet specific needs in the community. We rally around a cause for the purpose of seeing that cause through. 2) A study group – these are groups that gather regularly to go deeper. We long to know Jesus more. 3) A couples group –these are groups for young married couples who want to go deeper.

If you have any questions, please contact Jon Warner.
Email: jon@bethanycc.ca
Phone: (905) 937-5300 (ext. 212)

The YA Camping Trip, 2007…

This weekend saw a group of Young Adults travel to Valen's Conservation Area.

We arrived late on Friday night and scrambled to get our tents set up before the rain totally soaked everything. Everyone worked hard to help each other get their tents ready to go. Once camp was set and everyone had a place to sleep, we were able to settle down and enjoy great conversation.

The morning brought a bright sun and blue sky, it was a truly glorious morning. After breakfast, we headed down to the beach for hours of sun-filled, fun. It was here, during the second game of high intensity euchre match that Allison Norg and Joanna Shantz toppled the previously undefeated Chris Vrolijk and Jon Warner. And the people mourned...

The evening saw a crowd of latecomers join the fray as the number of young adults staying on Pine Grove doubled. The new bunch added a great new dynamic to the weekend and we were able to experience more great conversation.

With darkness setting in and the fire blazing high, the crowd of young adults gathered around the fire pit had the opportunity to worship with the worship band, Called 2 One. The singing was interrupted abruptly by park security asking us to stop. Singing turned to talking, as we stayed grouped around the fire. We received a second warning from the park superintendent as our conversation around the fire grew to a crescendo. We moved to quieter interaction around the fire, and eventually, sleep found each of us.

It was another great morning as we packed up and headed home, the weekend drawing to a close. And the people mourned…

Thank you to everyone who helped make this weekend a great success. We close the books on the YA Camping Trip, 2007, and look forward to another great year.

Back from camp...

Hey guys, just wanted to share a few of my thoughts with you.

I just returned (along with Mark and Lindsay W) from counselling at Galilee Bible Camp near Renfrew. It was time well spent (10 days for one camp, longer than usual). We ended up there because my brother in law was the program director for boys camp and needed counsellors.

Many great memories were made but I would like to share more of what it made me think about in my own life, what the Lord put on my heart.

Some of you will recall a while ago in YA we were talking about how Bethany measures up in certain areas, and we felt that as a church we were on the right track at least in a number of areas. I certainly feel the same way, but I was convicted this week in an area where we could be doing much better.

Galilee is a camp run by the Brethren Assemblies, and while I do not wish to get into the demoninational pros and cons, I truly admire their emphasis on knowing Scripture. To clarify, I do not believe we at Bethany lack knowledge or sound teaching of the Scriptures at the leadership level. However, I think as members of the church we could be doing much better.

I'm not just talking about knowing what the Bible has to say about this or that issue. I'm talking about a comprehensive knowledge of how the Scriptures fit together, the harmony between the Old and New Testaments and how God's redemptive plan has been established from the beginning. In Hebrews 5 Paul vents his frustration with believers who continue to feed on spiritual "milk" and not "solid food". Let us also desire to consume solid spiritual food.

Another truth that we all know but perhaps dont always experience was evident to me today. I was back up at Brock and I was going through a bit of the post-camp crash. I know it is common for us to talk about spiritual highs when we go away, etc, and I believe these can be worrisome when professions of faith are based upon these. However, as a believer it is wonderful to spend time with the people of God. Praying together, laughing together, facing difficulties together... etc. Community. And back at school, few people share my beliefs, few people can I really talk to about the things on my heart. And I was struggling with this feeling until I realized...it's because I'm not at home. The Bible says that as a believer I am "not of this world". This was very real to me this afternoon, and as difficult as it can be sometimes, I hope I don't lose this feeling.

On Worship...

The word “worship” drums up many different images and definitions for anyone that cares to think about it for any length of time. For me, the most basic way of describing worship is a love response to God.

The Westminster Catechism responds to the question, “What is the chief and highest end of man?” with “Man's chief and highest end is to glorify God, and fully to enjoy him forever.”

In a way, it seems like another way of saying a love response to God…

Do I truly believe that my chief and highest end—my very reason for being is to glorify God, and fully enjoy him forever; to respond in love to Him? Do I wake from sleep each morning with a burning passion to live life to the glory of God? Is God’s glory the goal that is the driving force behind every word that I say, every thought that I think, and every decision that I make?

Sometimes.

Sometimes there are even whole seasons where I live life in this place.

In Mark we are met with a surprising image of worship, an outpouring of love that doesn’t seem to make a lot of sense.

It is the week leading up to the cross. Jerusalem is packed, and Jesus is there surrounded by harsh, negative attitudes and awaiting betrayal, the pressure intensified every day. Yet in the midst of it all…

Jesus was in the home of a man called Simon, when suddenly a woman carrying a jar of perfume entered the room. Without any explanation, she broke the top and unashamedly poured the whole jar of perfume over the head of Jesus. It was a crazy thing to do, and everyone there knew it. For one thing, it was an extravagant waste of money. This perfume was meant to be measured out drop by drop, not used all at once. But Jesus didn’t see it that way: He said, “She has done a beautiful thing to me” (Mark 14:6)

For Jesus, it was a well-timed act of devotion—unexpected, unusual and yet so meaningful to Him.

This woman was responding in a way that showed she had not been tamed by cynical religious attitudes. It was the worship of a woman who didn’t know the rules…an unpredictable, untamed heart on a quest to see Jesus glorified.

In our contemporary context, worship has been hammered down to a fine art. We have domesticated worship, discovered the secrets and even patented them…

It has resulted in a tamed worship. We have confined it to set times and places and activities. Singing songs to God on Sunday morning is clearly seen as a time of worship…but sitting down at our desk at the beginning of our Wednesday morning work day is just life…its not worship.

What would it mean to tap into the deep parts of ourselves that long to worship God with every ounce of our being in an untamed, unplanned, unpredictable manner…like the woman with the perfume…

When untamed response meets tamed worship, a disconnect takes place.

Tamed worship is civilized and sophisticated. Untamed worship is raw and innocent. I’ve often seen tamed worshippers attempt to help the untamed worshippers gain their learned civility and sophistication…

The disciples and other onlookers responded harshly and negatively to the woman’s generous response to Jesus, because...well, she should have known better, right? They were the sophisticated and civilized informing the raw and innocent of her obscene waste, resulting in squelching the bubbling love that was the root of her untamed response.

And Jesus said, “She has done a beautiful thing to me” (Mark 14:6).

May we be worshippers with untamed hearts—responding to Jesus with ridiculous offerings, spontaneous and reckless sacrifices all because we are head over heels in love with our Savior.

May our lives kindle the words, “you have done a beautiful thing to me.”

The Amazing Race...

After a hard fought battle that brought them through confusion and traffic, that saw them accomplish task after task; I want to congratulate Monique Vrolijk, Jarrett Brown, Josh Brown, and Danny Oppenlaender for a well earned victory.

Does anyone have any stories from any point during the amazing race event? Should we try an event like this again?

What does baptism have to do with following Jesus...?

This past weekend saw a number of people baptized. Let's have some discussion around this whole baptism thing.

For someone not associated to the church in any way, how would the baptism service be seen? What do you guys think about baptism? Why have you been baptized? Why havent you been baptized yet? How would you respond to someone who says, "I was baptized as a baby, so I dont need to be baptized at Bethany." How about someone who says, "I was baptized when I was a teenager, but I didnt really mean it then. Does that mean I need to be baptized again?"

Lets talk! Feel free to comment on all or one of these questions.

Thoughts from another time...

I was reading an old journal that I had and came upon this entry from May 11/2002.

Philippians 4:8 - "Finally, brothers, whatever is noble, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable - if anything is excellent or praiseworthy - think about suck things"

There is so much in this world to draw our minds away from righteousness. Sin and impurtiy flood the media as rain does a storm drain after a heavy rainfall. But the Christian is called to dwell on the noble, the lovely, the excellent, pure, praiseworthy; not the sesspool of filth that bombards our minds each day. Sometimes I think that the life of a monk - seclusion and isolation - is a better way to go, it would be so much easier...

Then reality hits me in the face. True Christianity is not hidden behind the walls of a monastary, but lived in the streets of our cities. It is part of the real world. With seclusion not an option, the Christian needs to take care each day to watch what he or she puts into his mind; intentionally choose what they dwell on, choose what they talk about, choose the words they speak. They need to search after righteousness with all of their being.

Funny when I wrote this I was thinking about true Christianity being outside the walls of the monastary and in the city streets... Have our churches become monastaries where we can live our faith secluded and isolated from "the world"...true Christian belongs outside the walls of the monastary and in the city streets.

No Guts, No Glory

This post is a little late, but I really enjoyed the worship time we had last Monday, and your talk, Jon. The whole thing was well thought out, but one phrase you used stuck out to me: "No Guts, No Glory". Most of us have probably heard this term used in a different context (some sort of sports apparel with the words plastered on in a menacing appearance), but the truth you illustrated stuck with me. If we are unwilling to take risks and do anything extraordinary in our lives, we deprive God the glory of Him coming through big-time in our extraordinary circumstances. This is so true in my own life. My daily life is littered with "No way, I can't do that" and the like. The funny thing is, that is exactly what the Lord is getting at: You're right, you can't do that, so when you do, people will know it was me.

No Guts, No Glory.

Reflection...

Children: So innocent...so impressionable.

Yet Jesus says, "I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven." (Matthew 18:3) What does He mean by becoming like little children? How does that play out in our lives?

Ride out with me...

I love to read. This past week while reading I came upon this passage.

There is something about it that strikes a chord deep within me. It taps into my desire to do something, to make a difference, to get beyond myself to a place where I don’t care whether I live or die but whether I am loving God and loving people in a way that brings glory to the Most High.

Since I love the movie referred to, and the thought communicated is one that has been reverberating in my skull for some time, I thought I would post the passage.

In the film The Lord of the Rings, Peter Jackson creates a beautiful depiction of J.R.R. Tolkien’s world of Middle Earth. This is a fictional place full of wizards, elves, dwarves, dragons, ogres, and goblins. There is also a race of simple, rural people who are very small; they are known as Hobbits. Sauron, the dark lord of evil in this world, centuries earlier created a ring of power that holds much of his evil influence. The ring was lost and somehow found its way into the possession of a Hobbit named Frodo Baggins. The Lord of the Rings is an epic story of a small band of characters from the free peoples of Middle Earth who face enemies in staggering numbers and overwhelming odds. They set out on a quest to destroy this ring of power and thus defeat the growing influence of Sauron.

In the second movie, The Two Towers, we find that the good guys join up with the nation of Rohan, who are world-renowned as horsemen with agile and brave horses. They face the advances of an evil army of Goblins, bent on the total destruction of all the people.

They find themselves in the throne room of Theoden, king of Rohan. When the king comes to the realization that the enemy is on the move and bent on destroying his kingdom, he is faced with tough choices. The counsel is to “ride out and meet them.” But the king is concerned for the welfare of his people. War is ugly and always accompanied by great loss. In the past, they found safety behind the walls of a fortified castle known as Helm’s Deep. With his shepherd’s heart and desire to protect those for whom he is responsible, Theoden announces, “I’ll not risk open war with my people.” Aragorn, a warrior with the true heart of a king, responds, “Open war is upon you whether you would risk it or not.”

These are true words today. We face an encroaching evil that would destroy the world of men. Our enemy, Satan, is on the move and taking ground daily. Christian leaders, like Theoden, face a similar crisis and must make choices for the good of their people.

Theoden chose the mirage of safety in that fortress called Helm’s Deep. From that decision on, the film portrays men losing ground to the advance of evil. Once in the fortress, the men feel a

sense of security, but the walls are breached, so they retreat

further to the keep. Eventually the throngs of the enemy seize the entire fortress except for a small room with a barricaded door.

With the pounding of a battering ram against this last door separating the men from their annihilation, in helplessness King Theoden cries out, “What can men do against such reckless hate?” Aragorn once again gives Theoden the answer he had brushed aside in earlier counsel: “Ride out with me.”

With backs against the wall, no way out, and no hope of victory against an army of ten thousand, this suggestion now comes across as only a way to die in a blaze of glory. Theoden says, “Yes, for death and glory!” Aragorn corrects him: “For your people.” Theoden responds with passion, “Let this be the hour when we draw swords together!” They mount up and charge the enemy on horseback, becoming the warriors they were always meant to be. They meet the enemy head on. As the plunge forward in reckless abandon, the enemy surprisingly falters at their boldness and stumbles back. At that moment, reinforcements return to assist, and in the end the battle is won. Evil is sent running, and victory belongs with the brave heroes who, against all odds, rode out to meet the enemy head on.

This is a parable for our churches today. Under the good intentions of well-meaning leaders, the church has fallen back on its heels in a defensive posture, seeking refuge in its own fortresses of buildings, programs, and “Christian” businesses, schools, and ministries. Trying to avoid the threat we were always meant to thwart, we have lost ground over and over again until at last we have nowhere left to go, surrounded by wickedness. We are now seen as an impotent and frightened group that hides from the world and the reality that faces us. We have allowed the enemy to take over the culture and society, and we complain from the safety of our fortified so-called Christian strongholds."

This passage has been taken from Organic Church, by Neil Cole (San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2005.)

What thoughts went through your mind as you read through the book quotation?

Ephesians 6:12 reads: “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” If it is true that our battle is not against flesh and blood, how do we wage this war? What could it mean to “Ride out” in our context?

Wheat and Weeds...

Matthew 13
24Jesus told them another parable: "The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. 25But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away. 26When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds also appeared.
27"The owner's servants came to him and said, 'Sir, didn't you sow good seed in your field? Where then did the weeds come from?'
28" 'An enemy did this,' he replied. "The servants asked him, 'Do you want us to go and pull them up?'
29" 'No,' he answered, 'because while you are pulling the weeds, you may root up the wheat with them. 30Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn.' "
AND THEN…
36Then he left the crowd and went into the house. His disciples came to him and said, "Explain to us the parable of the weeds in the field."
37He answered, "The one who sowed the good seed is the Son of Man. 38The field is the world, and the good seed stands for the sons of the kingdom. The weeds are the sons of the evil one, 39and the enemy who sows them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels.
40"As the weeds are pulled up and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the age. 41The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil. 42They will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 43Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear.

Jesus was a master storyteller. He weaved together tales with depths of meaning using language and illustrations that the people could readily identify with. What makes him a master is that His stories continue to speak to our contemporary situation.

The context:
A story of a landowner and his field would be something known and understood by all living in an agrarian society. For them, farming was life. A good harvest meant a good year—lots of money, lots of food, lots of comfort. The flip side is that a bad harvest meant a bad year—little money, little food, little comfort.
All who were listening to Jesus tell the story would have been able to get in the shoes of the owner and his workers. They would have been able to identify with the frustration and anger of a harvest being sabotaged by an enemy.

The field in question was a wheat field. Since bread was the most basic staple of the Palestinian diet (staple of the ancient diet in general), the wheat fields were critical. I can imagine the emotions surrounding intentional interference of a community’s most basic food source.

So, with the context of story was understood, we begin to peel back the layers…

In the second part of the passage, Jesus explains the first part. In His explanation, we see that each and every plant represents PEOPLE; people with feelings and emotions—each one with a story that fits into the larger story of life. All of a sudden, concern over the prospect of accidentally destroying a good plant while weeding out the bad plants makes sense.

So the two grew together until the harvest…The plants were given the chance to experience and live out the life cycle of a plant. The wheat and the weeds both experienced sunny days, and rainy days. Both were blown to and fro by the winds sweeping across the fields. They grew and grew until they were large enough to bear fruit. The weeds that were sown in the field were kind of poisonous ryegrass known as darnel (translated “tares”). These tares looked like wheat throughout the early stages of growth and could only be distinguished when the fruit appeared. It was the wheat’s fruit that allowed the harvesters to separate the wheat from the weeds.

What if an over zealous field hand decided to do the owner a favour by going through and weeding the field? The weeds were taking nutrients and water from the earth that should be solely going to the wheat. The added root stems were crowding the growing space under the ground and were hindering the wheat’s growth potential. The added weed sprouts cast shadows on the wheat disturbing the rays beaming down from the sun.
It made complete sense, and besides, he would be saving the owner time when harvest came.

This field hand would inevitably uproot some wheat as he was weeding out the tares. He would destroy lives as he prematurely separated what he thought was the good from what he thought was the bad.

In Jesus day, there were various subgroups within Judaism. One of these groups, the Essenes, withdrew from the rest of Judaism in order to pursue a higher level of purity. It reminds me of the many Christians that have withdrawn from normal society out of fear of being tainted by the world. They cast judgement on various people, choosing to prematurely separate themselves rather than grow and develop beside one who they perceive to be a weed.

So many plants have been destroyed as a result of this premature separation. So many good lives that could have produced fruit uprooted and cast aside. The owner does not desire to lose any of the harvest.

I imagine harsh disciple for that overzealous farm hand.

The reality of any field is that there is potential for wheat and potential for weeds. Some people are wheat, and some are weeds. Some grow, develop and bear fruit, others don’t. This parable reveals that it is NOT our job to determine whether another person is wheat or a weed.
We are called to love. We are called to be salt and light wherever we find ourselves growing. Salt is only flavourful when mixed with that which is not salty. Light is only bright when it illuminates darkness. Rather than separating ourselves, gathering all the salt into the shaker, or bringing all of the lanterns into an already lit room, we need to be mixed with others that are different than ourselves. We need to grow and be what God intended us to be wherever we are planted. As we allow every plant a fair opportunity to grow and experience the love of Christ, to experience all that may play out during a life cycle, we will be amazed at the plants that turn our to be wheat and we will be even more amazed at the plants that will turn out to be weeds.

Reflection...

Life is a journey. Each decision you make impacts that journey as it infuences the path you walk. Think about the path you are on, look ahead of you... where is it leading? Where are you heading?

The beginnings...

Welcome to Bethany YA online.

This is a place to learn and discuss using Jon's ramblings and thoughts as a spring board for dialogue. Please feel free to comment on anything that is posted. This forum is primarily for those connected in some way to Bethany Community Church, but all are welcome.

As time goes on, check out the sidebar for updated information about groups that are happening, links to check out, or thoughts to reflect on. Please feel free to comment with suggestions and feedback regarding what this site should include and what it should remove.