This is the SPN. The RPN. Or whatever name you want to give.
Area pastors of the Alliance are off for a short one day retreat to North Battleford (noon today until 3:00 tomorrow). We will gather from North Battleford, Meadow Lake, Luseland, Kindersley, Rosetown, Milden, Outlook and Elrose. Two new pastors join the group — they’ve started their ministries this fall.
And!! We are trying out the Zip Line — supposedly the longest in the world!
The official deed is done.
For a number of years I met with an Anglican minister for encouragement, prayer and accounability. It took me a while to get used to a number of terms that the church uses. There is a strong heirarchy within the church, based on an episcopal model. There is a richness to such structure!
Yesterday that structure was opened for examination by the whole world.
Through a democratic process, a female primate (the head Anglican in a “province” — generally understood as a country) was elected and now installed. That she is female is in itself contentious in the world wide Anglican communion. But further, she believes in same sex blessings.
In case you have missed it, the Anglican Communion worldwide has been struggling. One upfront issue is the matter of same sex blessings. The deeper issue is the place of Scripture. The possibility of a split is there.
So, I was led to an article in the Telegraph newspaper from the UK — the birthplace of Anglicanism (the newspaper is not the birthplace — Britain is!!). A farily short article without a lot of rhetoric. Worth a quick glance.
Today, I’m sitting at my office desk, taking a break. I started off the day approving some advertizing, visiting another pastor as we deal with pastoral “things” in Kindersley. Then I arrived at the church as Dan Driedger set up for personal interviews on finances (see my previous entry on our weekend financial seminars). Now, I’ve just cleaned up some administration and it’s already 11:25 in the morning.
This 15 minute break is just a time to sit down and reflect. I’ve been preaching full-time at Kindersley for the last year and a bit. Sunday I heard two or three people mention things that they remember from sermons I have preached. This is humbling — of course, every once in a while I get those who disagree with me which is humbling in a different way!!
My wife says I look at things in different ways and my hope is that I can portray that in such a way that people will understand. I do not want to be heretical — or seen to be heretical because people don’t understand what I am saying. My prayer is often — “God, give me words so others will understand what I think I see clearly.”
I remember sitting at my brother’s bed a few months before he died from cancer. I made a remark that I thought was fairly clear. Even at that point my brother didn’t understand what I was saying. His comment was that I had made comments most of my life that people didn’t understand even though I understood them! That started me on a renewed emphasis to say what I mean in such a way that others will know what I mean –do you know what I mean??
Today Dan Driedger came to present some financial seminars. Jill and I sat in on the retirement planning. Very well presented — discipline is a big factor.
Tomorrow we head into two further sessions — one on estates and wills and the other on growing your money without selling your soul!
Never knew money could be such fun! I’m not a subscriber to “prosperity gospel”, but I am a subscriber to a God for whom the prosperity of my soul is a primary concern. I’m “rich in faith and hope and love” as an older but still popular Gaitherish song goes!