everyday faith...

WHY I DO THIS

2009-12-18T10:38:00.004-08:00

I got a Christmas card last night from one of my middle school students. (CLICK CARD TO ENLARGE) I'm going to keep it anonymous, but WOW, this card nearly brought Charity & I to tears as we read it last night!

Being in ministry can be one of the most thankless jobs--but in all the darkness of choosing a vocation that puts me right in the thick of the sin, brokenness, hurt, and crap that students deal with on a daily basis...there will always be a light--the light of Jesus--that pierces through the darkness and brings an overwhelming feeling of hope!

This card was that light! This card was that hope! Thank you Jesus for calling me into Youth Ministry.

-Ty

Jesus is God's Gift for the Naughty

2009-12-17T15:12:00.004-08:00

Sorry for the lack of blogging this past month. Welcome to the Christmas season in the life of a Pastor! This is "go-time" for my life and my job. I preached on 1st advent which was an incredible experience!

You can download the sermon here: or you can search "Eagle Ridge Bible Fellowship" at the iTunes store and subscribe to our sermon podcast.

A few weeks ago our Sr. Pastor shared a devotional that really spoke to me and has challenged me ever since hearing it.

"Jesus is God's Gift for the Naughty" (Matt. 21:23-32)

One of the worst Christmas traditions I know is Santa's naughty and nice lists. As the tradition goes, Santa gives presents to good boys & girls on his "nice list" and leaves lumps of coal in the stockings of the bad boys & girls on his "naughty list".

Parents use this tradition to compel their children into behaving in the weeks before Christmas, though I have never known one who has followed through on this threat! Still it has its effect and most children who, when threatened with a lump of coal from Santa, respond by acting nicely in order to get what they want on the big day.

Is anyone fooled?

After Jesus' authority was questioned in our text in Matthew, he told his listeners a parable about two sons--one "naughty" and one "nice"--that turned the lists around. The "nice" son was naughty at first when he refused his father's request. Later he repented and went to work in his father's field. the "naughty" son was nice enough to agree to this father's request though he never did what he was asked to do. The "naughty" one turned out to be the nice one, and the "nice" one naughty.

This season is a good time to remind ourselves and our children that no one is nice enough to deserve God's gift of salvation through faith in his Son. God sent his best gift, Jesus, for the naughty. This season is also a good time to remember that being a Christian isn't just about being nice. Jesus threw the moneychangers out of the temple, after all! Being a Christian goes beyond believing to yielding our lives to Jesus and to his authority, doing what God asks us to do.

True Christian faith is to be lived, not just believed.

Mark Issac, MDiv
Director of Advancement and Constituency Relations
MB Biblical Seminary, Fresno Campus

So I hope you take away from this message the same challenge that I did. Christmas is about Jesus...a gift that God sent us that we were not, and are still not worthy of....but yet he gave it freely to us! WOW. How amazing is that!

-Ty

Fat Pastor (update #3)

2009-11-26T17:19:00.004-08:00

No I am not going to Wyoming. Yes my "weigh-in" this morning has me at 1 pound shy of my goal of 190 lbs. This means I have lost 34 lbs since starting this whole process back in late September.

-Ty

This made me laugh!

2009-11-25T12:44:00.002-08:00

thanks to Kelsey Hagglund

So my wife told me I should update my blog...

2009-11-19T13:18:00.005-08:00

Firstly I apologize to all (likely 2-3 max) my readers for the absence of blog postings this past month.

This month has been a month of re-focus & re-alignment of priorities in my life. So this blog post will look more like a shotgun blast of point-form ramblings, rather than a well crafted & thoughftul piece of prose.

1) I'm loosing weight: Yup...as of this morning I'm coming in at 193 lbs. That's 32 lbs lost since I began my "fat pastor" weight loss plan back in late September. The amazing thing has been going shopping in MY OWN CLOSET for clothes that I haven't fit into for a long time! I am so thankful to my amazing wife who has been such an incredible source of encouragement and strength through this all. The other day when I tried on a 32x32 pair of pants I nearly passed out (not because they were so tight & I couldn't breathe...but because I actually fit into that small of a waist!) This has been a significant undertaking in my own life to change the way I eat, and to constantly stay motivated to spend 1.5 hrs three days a week at the gym. BUT IT'S WORTH IT!

2) Becoming a Godly Father: This certainly has been a steep learning curve for me over this past month as Noah continues to grow and becomes more aware of his surroundings. I have seen my own selfishness smack me across my face as some moments I'd rather do what I WANT TO DO, rather than what NOAH NEEDS ME TO DO. Taking 30 minutes after bath time to read him Bible Stories has now become such an enjoyable part of our pre-bed time routine! Noah needs a dad who loves Jesus, and who will model that love for Jesus to him. It's a very serious role that I have...and only recently have I begun (with much grace from my wife) to see how much Noah needs me to be a Godly Father....as I point him & his life towards his Heavenly Father.

3) Up-coming Canadian Youth Workers Conference: I am VERY excited about this conference coming up in early December. I see that as a Pastor I NEED times to get away and to be refreshed. What's even more exciting is that I get to spend the weekend hanging out and sharing a hotel room with 3 buddies who like me, are in the trenches of youth ministry. Oddly enough, they all have blogs and to give them some props, I'll post them here (click on their names for the hyper-link):

1) Matt Prior
2) Andrew Haak
3) Ryan Cardinal

There will certainly be many more friends of mine that will be there at the conference, but I am especially looking forward to just a few days to be filled, challenged, inspired, etc... I'm staying at the Sheraton Wall-Centre where the conference is taking place...so I don't have to walk a few km's to my hotel like 2 years ago! Not that I'm a wuss, but these conferences hook you up with tons of free stuff, and to not have to lug that around ALL DAY will be a blessing.

4) Christmas in Lethbridge: Yup, it's our turn this year to fly out to the flat-land of Alberta and spend time with Charity's family for Christmas. We're gone for 12 days this year and I'm looking forward to hanging out with some good friends & family out there who I rarely get to see! Obviously the real reason we're going out there is for Charity's family to see Noah. But since he can't fly on his own...they kindly extended the invitation to us as well! (lol).

So there ya go. My blog is officially updated! Hopefully I won't be such a slacker over the next month! If you feel that my postings aren't coming often enough...just fire my wife a message and she'll gladly spur me on in my blogging journey...that you can be sure of.

-Ty

loosing weight: there's an app for that!

2009-10-27T12:08:00.002-07:00

In response to Ashley's comment on my previous post, I thought I would share a bit into how I've been loosing weight this past month.

Truth be told, it's been kind of fun...and the process for loosing weight has been solely based on 3 iPhone app's that I downloaded.

App #1: iFitness - a great app that allows you to scroll through numerous work out routines, specific exercises for targeting muscle groups, and even allows you to track your entire progress. It's a decent app that only costs $1.99 in the app store.

App #2: Loose It - this FREE app has been at the heart of my entire weight loss program. What I've done is simple.
Part 1: Input current weight, height, age
Part 2: Input desired weight
Part 3: Input time frame to achieve desired weight

The program does the rest. It computes how many calories you can eat per day, provides you with a very thorough database for selecting the foods you ate and adding them to your "calorie count" for the day. It also provides you with the ability to select what exercise you've done and adds that to your daily "log".

I am currently on an 1,834 calorie a day budget. What I eat to meet my budget is solely up to me. It has been quite a learning experience to see before this how many calories of food I would eat in a "normal" day. It was anywhere from 3,000-4,000! No wonder I was getting "husky".

App #3: Restaurants: This free app provides a fairly detailed list of mostly fast-food restaurants that we all tend to frequent. It allows you to quickly look up what the calorie count is that you're about to consume....and then allows you to possibly make a more healthier choice.

I still eat 3 meals a day. I do snack in between those meals....but I am FAR SMARTER, about what foods I do eat, and what foods I've cut out of my life all together: foods such as all Pop (diet & regular), High Fat/Sugar snacks, High Calorie Starbucks beverages (mocha's, latte's) etc...

It's been a sobering experience to actually read the "nutritional label" on some of the foods that I frequently consumed only to be horrified with how fatty & high calorie they are!

I've also made exercise a very regular part of my life-routine. I am at the gym for 1.5 hrs 3 times a week (Monday, Thursday & Saturday mornings). This takes a great deal of discipline, and was REALLY HARD for the first few weeks, when I could barely do anything for more than a few minutes. Now that I can (PHYSICALLY SEE & FEEL) the difference it makes it so worth while...and so much easier to keep going back to the gym. I even when out and purchased an iPod shuffle so that I could have my tunes with me the entire time ('cause I almost shattered my iPhone one day on the treadmill!) Anything technological seems to really help me!

So there you go. That's how I've been doing this for the past month. I'm still only 1/3 of the way through my 3 month process. I would encourage any & all of my "20 something" friends/blog readers to take seriously their health and fitness. Our metabolism's are NOT THAT of what they were when we were in our teens'/early 20's.

The best part about loosing 18 pounds so far--CLOTHES FIT AGAIN! I don't even really need to go out and spend money on clothes....'cause old clothes that I barely wore before I packed on the pounds now fit again! WOO HOO.

-Ty

Fat Pastor (update)

2009-10-22T14:47:00.004-07:00

Yup....

I figured it would be a good idea to give you a quick update as to where I'm at with this journey. Well today I jumped on the scale before heading to the gym...

and that's what it said back to me! 206lbs. WOO HOO. That means I've lost 19 pounds since starting this journey back in early October. And I can really see the difference!

So that's where I'm at.

-Ty

a song...

2009-10-14T09:24:00.003-07:00

this song by Shawn McDonald echoes my heart today...

Pour out your water, that I might take a sip
Your love consumes me, every drip
It is like honey on my lips
So pour out your water, that I might take a sip

And your words are a lamp unto my feet
And I walk down these dark and lonely streets
You are all I need

Pour out your mercy, and clear this busy mind
Your love is like eating a slice of apple pie
It is like sugar on my tongue
So pour out your mercy, clear my busy mind

And your words are a lamp unto my feet
And I walk down these dark and lonely streets
You are all I need

Your words are a lamp unto my feet
When I walk down these dark and lonely streets
You are all, You are all, You are all,
You are all, You are all, You are all, You're all I need

-Ty

Fat Pastor!

2009-10-07T16:39:00.002-07:00

If you say it fast enough, my blog title kinda sounds like some other "not-so-nice" word! That's kinda funny. This in fact is round #2 of what I call "Fat-Pastor". My first attempt at this was way back in February 2006. You can see my original plan of attack here:

Needless to say that didn't turn out that great. :-( I ended up getting to 203lbs but never did see myself reach my goal.

Well this time around I've come to a rather honest conclusion that the nickname that my high school students use to refer to me as (XL) has really given me motivation to turn Xtra Large into Xtra Lean! I started this journey back in late September after my gym called to ask if I was still alive! When you get a phone call like that you know you've been away a little too long.

They offered me a FREE 1 hour personal trainer session to get me back into the gym. After much fussing and grunting, I went in. I tipped the scales at a WHOPPING 225 lbs. YIKES!

When I spoke with my personal trainer she asked me what my goal was. I said I'd like to go from 225lbs to 195 lbs. That's a 30 lbs goal. She said then that I'd need to go onto a 1,943 calorie per day intake.

So far I have gone from 225lbs to 218lbs since first beginning. I've got a long way to go...but I'm determined to loose the weight. It's an incredibly eye-opening experience to track your calories every day. I love the fact that there's a great iPhone app called "Loose It" that's totally free, and works incredibly to help me do this!

So that's what I've been up to lately. Sorry for not posting anything for quite a while. Getting to the gym 3 days a week has taken up quite a bit of my free time.

So there you go. Nothing significant to read. But an open and honest look into what's really going on in my life right now. Stay tuned for updates and info from this journey.

-Ty

What do you do?

2009-08-28T09:56:00.007-07:00

In a facebook status of mine the other day I mentioned I was out having coffee with a potential youth leader for our student ministry, and lunch with a mentor/friend. I received comments (obviously sarcastic and said in jest) making reference to every time I update my status it often involved things such as coffee, lunch, slacking. Yes, for me this is part of my job. Yes for me, taking kids to the beach, or camping for a week, or out for coffee is part of my job.

HOWEVER...

If I wrote of all the heartache & heartbreak that I experience being a Youth Pastor...seeing students turn their backs on Jesus and walk away from their faith...I wonder if anyone would ever want to do what I do? (my exact facebook status)

This is the other side of what I do. This is the side of my job that deals 100% with student's messy & broken lives. At lunch yesterday with Ron (my mentor/friend) we talked about five years ago when he taught me "Career Youth Ministry" while at Briercrest. We laughed at the fact that all the other 1st, 2nd, and 3rd year students who were taking the course were asking such naive and foolish questions about what it would be like to be a Youth Pastor.

- How much will I make?
- How many hours will I work?
- Do I get an expense account?

I was there taking the course already having spent 6 months in the trenches of Youth Ministry. So before and after class Ron and I met to talk about my reality, and what I was dealing with as I journeyed through life with my students.

The life of a Youth Pastor isn't all slurpees and dodgeball. It won't ever be...because lives aren't ever that simple. And for some reason God has chosen a screw-up like me to help students recognize that even if they screw-up...that God has an incredible plan for them, that he loves them, and wants to them to live their lives for Him. But even that isn't that simple to get across.

David Sawler--a Canadian, and author of a book called "Goodbye Generation" says the following ...
"I am convinced that being a minister of youth is one of the emotionally draining jobs in the world. There are extreme highs and extreme lows. Nothing will bring you as much joy as working with this age group, and nothing will bring you more pain."

Yup. You sure got that right David. I couldn't say it any better myself.

1st Thessalonians 2:8 says "We loved you so much that we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well, because you had become so dear to us."

I share my life daily with my students. I need to live a life marked by honesty, integrity, vulnerability, passion, prayer, and the ongoing pursuit of becoming more and more like Jesus.

I can only pray that the students that I share my life with will make that same decision. It's not an easy decision to make. But it's the most important decision anyone can ever make.

-Tyler

God's Chisel

2009-08-14T10:06:00.002-07:00

thanks Derian for this one!

Noah's Alberta Trip pt.2 (family)

2009-08-10T10:00:00.011-07:00

Like I promised, here are some pictures from our trip to Alberta. Noah got to meet a lot of family that he'd never met before.

Hanging out with Grandma & Grandpa Smart

Waving "hello" with Great-Grandma From

Getting to know Great-Grandpa From

"4 Generations"

Another pictures with Great Grandma & Great Grandpa

Noah misses his family already, but the great thing is that he will get to see many of them again in September when we all meet up at Jesse's wedding in Idaho.

Noah's Alberta Trip

2009-08-08T23:05:00.003-07:00

For the past 3 weeks Noah got to travel out to Lethbridge to visit family. We were SO proud that he was a very good boy on both of his flights. A lot of the time spent was meeting family, and visiting with his mommy's friends.

Of course I wasn't with them for the first 2 weeks. But I did get to join them for the past week. Once I had arrived out there we got ready to travel up to Red Deer to visit Noah's Great-Grandma & Great-Grandpa...as well as many aunts and uncles. On our way up to Red Deer Noah went to the Calgary Zoo on his mommy & daddy's 5 year wedding anniversary. He had a fun day...but I think we'll have to take him back again soon when he can really experience all the animals!

Here are some pictures from the trip:

I will do another post soon with all the pictures of Noah visiting with his family.

-Tyler

what spiritual life really is...

2009-08-07T10:29:00.004-07:00

I received this great quote today and I just had to pass it on...

Then we discover what the spiritual life really is. It is not a matter of doing one good thing rather than another, of praying in one way rather than in another. It is not a matter of any special psychological effect in our own soul. It is the silence of our whole being in compunction and adoration before God, in the habitual realization that He is everything and we are nothing, that He is the Center to which all things tend, and to Whom all our actions must be directed. That our life and strength proceed from Him, that both in life and in death we depend entirely on Him, that the whole course of our life is foreknown by Him and falls into the plan of His wise and merciful Providence; that it is absurd to live as though without Him, for ourselves, by ourselves; that all our plans and spiritual ambitions are useless unless they come from Him and that, in the end, the only thing that matters is His glory.

Thomas Merton

I hope it was as encouraging to you as it was to me.

-Ty

Josiah's gone to be with Jesus

2009-08-03T21:16:00.003-07:00

My heart ache's tonight. As I sat and read Andrew & Marie's blog telling the story of how their son Josiah has gone to be with Jesus, I could somewhat--as a father myself--understand how deep the pain of this loss would be for them. Yet I know that I could not even begin to "feel" what they are feeling as I type this.

Josiah was an amazing boy. I have known this little guy since he came into the world. I have followed his progress and set backs, and have seen how his life has impacted so many people. Just recently Andrew and I have had the chance to grab coffee and have "dad chats". I loved being able to talk with him about each of being proud daddy's to our sons.

Please pray for Andrew and Marie. I know that they have hope because they know Josiah is now with Jesus--free from the physical limitations he experienced on earth. But please pray for each of them as they walk these next few days on this journey.

-Tyler

Meeting Uncle Corey!

2009-07-13T20:14:00.002-07:00

Today Noah got to meet his Uncle Corey. Noah was very excited, and even gave a little smile! What's even more exciting is that Corey and his wife Erin are having twins in November, so Noah will have some close-in-age playmates!

4 weeks old

2009-07-09T23:09:00.006-07:00

Noah is 4 weeks old today! The crazy thing is we're really beginning to see him pack on the pounds! His face is quite a bit "plumper" and is really starting to fill out (his weight) and fill out (his diapers!)

Noah's begun to receive mail (in his name) which is really kind of funny. We've received his birth certificate so he's now officially a "person"! We've had some fun this past week: here's a re-cap of what we've been up to.

Meeting Uncle Jason & Auntie Kristin & Landon:

Naps have been a regular routine here in the Hagan-house. Daddy & Noah had a nap the other day and mommy snuck some pictures of Noah holding daddy's hand while they slept.

We also took Noah to get his Passport this past Monday. Let me tell you that getting a Passport picture for a baby is ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE. The rules are retarded for what is allowed/not allowed, and it took nearly an hour to get ONE GOOD PICTURE! Thankfully his photo was approved and we'll receive the passport in about 3-4 weeks.

Noah and mommy will be flying to Lethbridge in a few days. I'll be joining them 10 days later...but I'm sure going to miss them both. Here are a few new pictures of Noah...'cause he's so darn cute!!!

Lots of love,

Ty

Noah's Photo Shoot

2009-06-30T16:11:00.003-07:00

Hey Everyone,

So here's the link to some of Noah's pictures from our photo shoot we did a few weeks ago. They are simply amazing...and these are only a few of our photographer's favourites. LOTS more to come.

I would highly recommend Carmen for any photo shoots you need done. She was amazing, worked so well with Noah, and really has a great eye for some fantastic pictures!

Noah's Photo Shoot: http://carmenvandyckphotography.com/blog/noah/

-Ty

In response to Michael Jackson's death

2009-06-25T16:41:00.002-07:00

I haven't yet seen one person's twitter feed, facebook status that doesn't speak to today's shocking news. Oh, wait...mine.

Yes, it's true I'm blogging about it, but what breaks my heart more, is still the fact that one man's death (albeit a significant man in pop culture) seems to attract so much attention! However still every day approximately 24,000 people die from hunger or hunger-related causes and in the words of Tony Campolo..."we don't give a SH*T".

This is the main reason why I have sponsored a child since 2001. One person can make a difference. So maybe, just maybe for a minute we stop putting all the focus on one man's death, and focus on life...giving life to thousands who without our help won't live past today. Sad, but true.

There are SO MANY organizations that rally around this cause. I don't care which one you choose... just choose one! Choose one organization, choose one kid. But regardless.... PLEASE MAKE A CHOICE.

1) Compassion Canada

2) World Vision Canada

3) Christian Children's Fund Canada

I do ask as well that my brothers and sisters in Christ pray for Michael's family. This is a tragic loss, and one that will affect many people's lives. Our God is a God of love, peace and comfort. Three things that Michael's family clearly needs at this time.

But above all of this...CHOOSE LIFE.

-Tyler

Noah update

2009-06-22T10:30:00.003-07:00

Well we had a great past few days with Noah. His auntie-Danielle has come to visit for the next few days which is exciting! Noah is happy to meet new family members.

Noah traveled all the way to Richmond on Friday night to help his Grand (my mom) celebrate her retirement from teaching. It was a really fun party and there were tons of people who were excited to meet Noah. He pretty much stole the show...but no one seemed to mind.

Yesterday Noah had another busy day. He went to church in the morning, and then went out to Papa & Grand's house to help celebrate Father's Day. Noah was excited to finally spend quality time with his Grantie-Rie (my aunt).

Today we're going out to the Strawberry Field in Langley to get some fresh strawberries. WOO HOO. Here are some pictures from the past few days.

Happy Father's Day

2009-06-21T08:20:00.002-07:00

The 4 Hagan men! (left to right): my bro Terry, who will be a Dad in mid-September. Me & my boy Noah (celebrating my 1st Fathers day) & my Dad (now called Papa...well at least to Noah).

We have a HUGE family dinner tonight to celebrate my birthday, which was June 16th, and to celebrate Fathers Day.

-Ty

5 days with Noah...

2009-06-16T22:10:00.006-07:00

Well it's been 5 days now with Noah and boy has it been amazing! Noah arrived home late in the afternoon on Thursday June 11th, and has been exploring the world around him ever since.

Noah got the chance to meet his grandparents on his daddy's side on Thursday and was so happy to spend time with Papa & Grand (my dad & mom). He also got the chance to meet his Auntie Alisha & Uncle Terry. Noah is also very excited to meet his cousin who will arrive sometime around September 16th!

These past few days Noah has gone to the grocery store, to Costco, out to lunch at East Side Mario's and even went to church on Sunday! The whole church was SOOOOO excited to meet this little guy. He was spoiled with some amazing presents (not like he noticed though!) But mom & dad sure do appreciate the gifts! We are so blessed to be a part of such a great community and to have so many people who are praying for this little guy, and who will be a support network to Charity and I as we learn how to be parents!

Noah has gone for his first stroller ride around Pitt Meadows, and has enjoyed splashing around in his bath. After we bathe him he gets his rub-down with Olive Oil. It's all natural, and helps relive his dry skin. It's kind of like basting a turkey! And if you ever feel like sucking on his toes, you get a tasty treat!

Today Noah helped celebrate his daddy's 28th birthday. Daddy was spoiled a few days ago with a brand new Digital SLR camera to take photo's of Noah (and really Noah himself was the best birthday present I could have ever asked for.)

So that's an update as to what's been going on with Noah. Here are a few pictures to capture the past few days of this little guys life.

Noah McKenzie Hagan

2009-06-12T11:07:00.003-07:00

Noah McKenzie Hagan
Born: June 11 2009 @ 12:54am
Weight: 6 lbs, 11 ozs.

I'd like you to meet my SON! Yup, I am now a proud daddy! Charity and I are SO EXCITED to welcome this little bundle of joy into the world! Mom is doing well, and is enjoying these next few days of bed-rest of simply bond with Noah, and recover from her labour. I am so stinking proud of her...she pushed this guy out with NO DRUGS! My wife is awesome.

Grandma Smart is here with Charity until the 24th so it allows me to get back to the church and get some much needed work done. It's so great having Grandma here with us so help Charity and to be another set of eyes, ears and arms!

Noah met his Pappa & Grand (my dad & mom) last night along with his Uncle Terry & Auntie Alisha (my brother and sister-in-law). It was so great to have the family here. These next few weeks will be filled with many more visitors I am sure.

About NOAH...
Genesis 6:8 "But Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD."
Genesis 6:9 "Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked with God."
2nd Peter 2:5 - "Noah, a preacher of righteousness"

When I got a few minutes alone with Noah as Charity was being attended to by the nurses I got to pray over my son. This was such a special moment for me. What I said will forever remain between me and my son, but my prayer now is that Noah will grow up to be strong in his faith, and to follow in the footsteps of Jesus. That he will find favour in the eyes of the LORD, and that he will be a preacher of righteousness...maybe even walk in his daddy's footsteps and become a pastor one day! How sweet would that be!

So that's a little update about my life. More pictures will come in the next few days/weeks/months. This blog will likely take a dramatic shift towards focusing on life with Noah, but I am sure that you--my readers--won't object.

Much Love,

Ty

who Jesus came for

2009-05-12T15:46:00.002-07:00

Jesus came for the chewed up, crossed off, crying out

The dropped out, edged out, fizzled out, and freaked out

The have nots, the held back, hung over, and knocked around

He came for the left out, the loaded down, and looked over,

The locked up, led astray, laid off, and let down

The messed up and the mixed up

He came for the passed over, the picked on, put down, pinned down and pushed around

The ripped off, the run down and the run over

Jesus came for people who are screwed up and the shrugged off,

The shut in and shut out

The smashed up, the stacked against, and strung out

Our Savior came for the torn up, thrown away, and the turned off

Those who used up and walked over,

The washed out, the worn out, the wiped out, and the written off

He came for you. And me.

source: morethandodgeball.com

church

2009-05-08T15:49:00.003-07:00

I posted this comment on my facebook site earlier in the day...
"What's the difference between saying your a Christian and acting like one?"

Then my good buddy Nate followed that up with what I think is an even better statement...

"likely similar to going to church and [vs] being the Church..."

Apparently a few people clicked on the "like" button on facebook about this status. I guess that's a good thing. What I'd like more is that we all wouldn't simply "like" this quote but rather that we'd "live out" this quote.

I seem to wrestle with this whole concept more and more now about "going to church" vs "being the church". Throughout most of the mid 1900's people often "went to church." It was the socially accepted thing to do. To get dressed in your "Sunday Best" and to head off to the local church...then to go back home and resume your "non-Sunday Best-church" life for the next 6 days.

Things have changed since 1950-2000...less people are regularly going to church. While this statistic somewhat saddens me, what also can be seen from this, is that those who go to church do so because they're not solely go to church, they recognize that the way they live on Sunday's is NO DIFFERENT than the way they live the other 6 days of the week: they are being the church.

So what does it mean to "be the church"? The best example of what "being the church" is really all about is shown to us by the early church written about in the book of Acts.

"They devoted themselves to the apostle's teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and sings performed by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favour of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved." (Acts 2:42-47)

They had no building, no worship centre, no gym, no youth room etc... but what they did was lived out what the church was supposed to be like...

...it was EVERYDAY FAITH. Hmmm...sound familiar?

Now do we do this still? Do we live out the good news of Jesus? Do we not only say we're a Christian but act like one too?

Somewhere early on in my faith journey I remember hearing this quote:

"just because you go to McDonald's, it doesn't make you a cheeseburger"

Enough Said.

-Ty

"Ex" Series T-Shirts

2009-05-01T10:54:00.006-07:00

WOW. I'm still not 100% sure what to think about these t-shirts being being put out by "The Passion 4 Christ Movement"

Here's a quote from their site:

"Yeah we said it….Nobody talks about it, but most people have done it or are still doing it. It's seems to be a rite of passage for both girls and guys into the world of sex. Some say masturbation is not a sin, some say that it is. But is it really okay in the eyes of God?"

Two Questions:

1) Would you dare to wear one of these shirts? (hey that rhymed)

2) Does this only spur on the "I think I'm better than you" mentality of so many Christians?

Either way...I've seen my fair share of cheezy Christian t-shirts before. Too many to be honest with you. Just one trip to Creation Fest every year and my eyes have seen enough for another year.

On a more serious note: if you are struggling with masturbation, find an ADULT to talk with. (since a friend is likely struggling with this too). Pretty much like 95% of teens/young adults struggle with this...you ARE NOT ALONE. TRUST ME.

-Ty

(ht to Marko for this)

what an unbelieving world simply finds unbelievable...

2009-04-30T16:16:00.004-07:00

''The greatest single cause of atheism in the world today is Christians who acknowledge Jesus with their lips then walk out the door and deny him by their lifestyle. That is what an unbelieving world simply find unbelievable.'' (''What If I Stumble'' by dcTalk)

This quote has been weighing heavy on my heart lately. Much of the reasoning behind it is simply because of what I do. Being a Youth Pastor can be the most rewarding and frustrating job at the same time. My ''job'' is to share the life changing message--the good news--of Jesus, and to hope and pray that students ''get it'' and instead of simply hearing the message they embrace it and live it out in their own lives.

The reality of this is that I cannot, and will not force Jesus down anyone's throat. I recognize that even though I had my ''a-ha'' moment when I was 16 and decided that day at camp that I wasn't going to live for myself any longer, but would choose that day to live my life for Jesus, the reality is that this won't be the case for every students that I connect with.

The reality of being a follower of Jesus is that we are called to be ''Set Apart''. We are supposed to be different...
- In our actions
- In our attitudes
- In our morals
- In our speech
- In our whole lives...

The challenge is that this world, this culture, that we live in is so enticing--so attractive--so sexy--so flashy. There is so much that pulls us apart from the intimacy that Jesus so longs for with us.

Galatians 1:6-8 says ''I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel—which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ.''

Paul writes to the church in Galatia that they are being so easily distracted by a message that is so enticing--so attractive--so sexy--so flashy...but here's the main point: IT'S NOT THE GOSPEL. (the good news of Jesus)

And I think that so many of us--and myself included--we are so easily drawn to what's ''more fun'' or ''sexier'' or ''enticing''. Yet we forget, that these things are only temporary. They WON'T LAST. Jesus will.

I can remember the first time someone said to me ''You're a Christian?'' Ever had someone say that to you before? Makes you think doesn't it? Am I different...
- In my actions
- In my attitude
- In my morals
- In my speech
- In my whole life...?

John 10:10 says ''The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I (Jesus) have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.''

2 Corinthians 2:15 says ''For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing.''

I absolutely love 2 Corinthians 2:15....and how it says that we are to be the aroma of Christ. God wants our lives to be so similar to that of Jesus that we are even like the aroma of Christ! That we SMELL LIKE JESUS!

Do you smell like Jesus?

-Ty

Middle School Mayhem!

2009-04-24T11:12:00.003-07:00

This weekend myself and two other leaders are taking 9 of our middle school students up to Camp Stillwood near Cultus Lake, BC. So this morning I quickly packed my suitcase and proceeded to Costco...the sources of all good things...

24 pack of Jones Soda: Check
Extra Large pack of Twizzlers: Check
2 Tubs of Gummie Worms: Check

And we are all ready to go! First stop on our way to camp is McDonalds for that all important Grease-Bomb called Dinner, then off to a crazy weekend of caffeine, sugar, crazy games, more sugar and some sugar. Oh it's gonna be awesome!

The guest speaker this weekend is an old friend of mine: Jon Imbeau. Back in my Ladner days he was the Youth Pastor at a church in Tsawassen (the town just south of Ladner). I am stoked to hear what he will challenge our students with.

Your prayers are appreacited, and will be needed.

-Ty

6 weeks...

2009-04-23T14:26:00.003-07:00

Did someone tape down the Fast Forward button on my freaking life?

6 weeks until my life changes forever, until I become a daddy, until I become the godly example that my kid will look to, until I become the ally that my wife will always look to for support...

Until...

There isn't a whole lot to still prep as we get closer to this kid arriving. I guess there are advantages to husband & wife both being (first born-type a) personalities. The exciting thing is we have finally figured out our boys name (NO WE WON'T TELL YOU!) So now we have a girl & boy name...depending on the gender test doctors do at birth...I even hear they have a 100% accuracy rate!

I think some of the most important life lessons I've been learning lately are:

1) Pray for this child. "Pray continuously"...as it says in 1st Thessalonians 5:17
2) READ BOOKS: Books are good...and if you have the mindset that you don't need to read, you're gonna get a swift kick in the rear when this baby arrives!
3) Support Group: Get in contact with others who are expecting/new parents. Seems like MANY of our friends are in this faze of life right now, and that's super exciting.

Oh, and I'm still looking for a store where I can purchase the "iPOOD" baby onesie. So if you know where I can get one...let me know! I think I'll wait until after the kid is born so then I can specifically get a blue/pink one.

Lastly...I think my wife is incredibly beautiful! And I am kinda jealous that she gets to be the one to "feel" all these amazing sensations of having a baby in her. Oh, though that whole "labour" part, yeah...Thanks God for making me a guy! lol.

-Ty

I'm Just a Teenager, But I'm the Church

2009-04-21T12:01:00.000-07:00

Loved this!

We Are the Church from Southeast Student Ministry on Vimeo.

-Ty

Maybe not what Jesus meant...

2009-04-09T12:45:00.004-07:00

Jesus in John 10:27 says "My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me."

This might not have been what Jesus had in mind...

-Ty

Boy or Girl?

2009-04-07T17:01:00.001-07:00

I've gone and added a straight forward poll on the sidebar of my blog.

Will "Baby-Hagan" be a boy or a girl?

TAKE YOUR BEST GUESS!

Poll ends June 1st @ 11:59pm.

-Ty

9 weeks...

2009-04-04T08:49:00.005-07:00

Charity told me this morning that I racked up over $50 dollars in coffee purchases this last month at Tim Hortons! My only excuse was trying to win us the Toyota Venza in the RRROL UP THE RIM contest. Since I think I'm only 3/20 something I decided to grab a coffee at Starbucks today which cost me NOTHING since I had my gift card! (no that helps with the budget!)

I love you babe!

So I'm sitting here in Starbucks sipping on my Venti Vanilla Americano Misto, and realizing even more that in only 9 weeks I'm going to be a daddy. There have been thousands of thoughts that have gone through my head recently....so I decided that I should share some with you.

1) Strollers DO cost more than your car. This is an unavoidable fact made strikingly clearer by that recent McDonald's commercial. We purchased a Phil&Ted's Sport. (black & charcoal colour)

2) If you think the expenses stop at the stroller you are sorely mistaken! Babies aren't cheap (even while they're still in the womb).

3) Read Books! Since babies apparently don't come with an owners manual, invest in some quality books. Here are a few that I have found helpful. (titles hyperlink to Amazon.com)

-"Be Prepared" This book is THE BOOK for soon-to-be-dad's who have NO CLUE what they are getting into. Thanks Matt for sending me a copy!

- "Rookie Dad" This book reads more like a journal of a first-time dad. Written by David Jacobsen while he was a student at Vancouver's Regent College.

- "Becoming a Dad" Written by Stephen James & David Thomas--ok...I haven't read this one yet. It's sitting on my night-stand waiting in line to be read...soon...I keep saying to myself!

There are many more...too many in fact. Just find ones that you gravitate towards. Read Amazon's free chapter preview available on their site....and figure out if it's your style. Just whatever you do...READ!

4) Pray! I was approached by a man in my church the day he found out Charity and I were expecting and said "the most important thing you can do before this baby is born is pray for it." Those words were such an encouragement to me! So I pray for my un-born baby...knowing that God is already active in it's precious life...

Psalm 139:13-14 "For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well"

5) Love your wife: She is obviously "growing" but even moreso she is "growing in beauty". I will admit I am jealous of what my wife get's to experience with that baby inside of her. But what's most important is to love her. Spend time together, go on dates (before it costs you for a baby-sitter), and enjoy peace & quiet--apparently that dissapears once baby arrives!

6) Recognize that EVERYONE thinks they have some 6th-sense in discerning if you're having a boy or girl (we aren't going to find out the sex). And recognize that EVERYONE will expect you to listen to their scientifically proven methodology of figuring this out!

7) There aren't words to express the joy I am feeling for becoming a daddy! 9 weeks until my life is forever changed. I can't wait!

That's enough for now...I expect this blog to take on a somewhat different flavour once this child arrives into the world. But until then...

-Ty

Selling my Coldplay Tickets

2009-03-23T22:17:00.002-07:00

Yup...some of you might think I'm crazy...but with baby-hagan due on June 6th and the concert on June 20th I just don't think it's the best idea.

So here's the scoop:

I bought these 2 tickets as "singles" but they are basically right next to each other:

Sec. 111 / Row 7 / Seat 10
Sec. 111 / Row 8 / Seat 12

Tickets face value is $115. I'm not looking to make money...just to find someone who wants to go.
Let me know if you are interested.

-Ty

Youth Pastor Rock Star

2009-03-18T09:40:00.001-07:00

Sorry for a bit of over-kill with all the videos this week...but I had to post this one!

Ignatius from travis hawkins on Vimeo.

To all of you who love students in Jesus' name...Thank You!

-Tyler

Happy St. Patrick's Day

2009-03-17T14:07:00.001-07:00

This just amazed me...and it's NOT A HOAX!

-ty

my next day off...

2009-03-05T12:59:00.001-08:00

A great idea for how to spend my next day off!

Care to join me?

-Ty

What happened to February?

2009-03-04T13:09:00.004-08:00

Hmmm, it appears that I missed the entire month of February. Oh well, I have good reasons for doing so.

COSTA RICA!!!

Yup, for almost 2 weeks in February Charity and I got to spend time with her family since they had rented a house in a beach town called Jaco for the entire month! It was certainly the most relaxing vacation we have ever taken.

We got to do some really fun activities while we were down there. We all went on a crocodile boat tour, where we saw huge crocodiles...and our boat driver got out twice onto the river shore to feed the crocodiles! Yup....with raw chicken in hand...he enticed the croc to come our of the water and eat the meat! Freaking Awesome!

We also got to do a jungle zipline trek. 13 ziplines through the Costa Rican jungle. It had some of the most amazing views of the pacific coast while flying through the trees.

We were able to go to church on the two Sunday's that we were there. It was an english speaking church called Calvary Christian Fellowship: Jaco . Charity's sister and her husband (my brother-in-law) who came down on vacation for the 2nd Sunday...he and I got to lead worship! It was so great to bless their church, and serve them in this way. Their pastor is great and we enojyed chatting for a few hours on Saturday as we prepared for the service.

The rest of the time was simply spent laying by the pool trying to tan my pasty-white body. It worked! Tan lines are pretty much a guarentee when it's 40 celcius at 7am and stays hot and sunny all day! Having the pool in our house was awesome to simply jump in to cool off when it got too warm.

I loaded up on many quality exports from Costa Rica to take home...but wish I had more suitcase space that's for sure. It's a country that I would realy love to go back to.

So that's a re-cap of my vacation.

-Ty

arms wide open

2009-01-31T15:08:00.004-08:00

Last night was one of those night's where God continues to confirm in my life the calling of caring for and shepherding teens. Last night at missions fest, those who were youth pastors & youth leaders were asked to stand, and then have those around them pray over them.

I was then blessed by one of the most spiritually moving experiences ever. My students who were there sitting with me--as I extended my arms wide open--laid hands on me and prayed over me. Hearing those prayers...knowing the power in those words spoken to God about ME, was truly incredible.

Thank you God for last night. For those students. May you continue to reveal to me the calling to which you have called me to...

-Tyler

Pick Me

2009-01-30T13:33:00.002-08:00

In honour of the Super Bowl this weekend (GO CARDINALS), here's a great post that's gonna leave you saying to yourself "that's incredible!"

-Ty

Kung-Fu Baby!

2009-01-27T11:14:00.003-08:00

Late on Saturday evening I felt my baby kick for the first time. This was AWESOME! That little bugger has been kicking up a storm these past few days...

We also assembled the kids crib this weekend. After having to send the crib back because of some defective craftsmanship, Babies R' Us sent us a new one (same day!), and after some more grunting the thing is assembled. It looks awesome, and we're now on the hunt for a crib mattress.

The nursery is coming together, and continues to be filled with Winnie-The-Pooh stuffed animals, blankets, murals, and pretty much anything you can imagine!

Baby comes in a few months...at least we get a lovely vacation to Costa Rica in a few weeks to relax before the chaos begins!

and it continues to snow...!!!!

-Tyler

Middle School Hockey Game

2009-01-23T15:32:00.004-08:00

Tonight our middle school ministry is heading down to watch the Vancouver Giants vs. Kamloops Blazers. It's a yearly tradition that I take my youth down for Giants' games. I am excited to start this new tradition with my new church tonight.

This is also the 2nd installment in our "family"nights that I have very much enjoyed this year. Rather than simply taking students out for events, I have come to enjoy inviting their parents/guardians & even other siblings to come along.

Spending time getting to know more parents, and enjoying a game of hockey together is awesome. Ultimately student ministry is all about partnering with parents to raise their students. Oh...and who can argue about attending hockey games as a part of their "job description".

Tough life eh?

-Tyler

My Kid!

2009-01-15T14:16:00.002-08:00

They are not the greatest quality...but this is my kid! Say hello to baby-hagan! For whatever reason our Ultrasound-tech said their company doesn't email you a digital copy of the pictures they take!

Hello? Are we not in a digital age? My dentist even email's me pictures of all my cavities! And then writes nasty comments like how I should floss more!

Oh well, Charity and I are so exited to begin our lives as parents! I know that this blog will soon begin to morph into a place for me to share my thoughts/hopes/dreams/frustrations etc... about being a daddy!

It all begins sometime around June 6th...

-Tyler

A New Year.

2009-01-01T20:06:00.005-08:00

2009 is going to change my life. Literally. There is so much that I look forward to with great anticipation. So much that I look forward to with a healthy amount of fear.

"No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him" (1st Cor. 2:9)

This verse has incredible significance for my life right now, and will be a verse that I will keep coming back to this coming year. Here are a few of the things that I am looking forward to in 2009.

1) Costa Rica Vacation: In February for 10 days Charity and I are meeting up with her parents in Jaco, Costa Rica! Her parents have rented a house for the entire month, and we are incredibly excited to get to visit them!

2) June 6th is my baby's due date! This single event is going to change my world forever! I am excited, nervous, freaked out, elated, joyful, and a myriad of other emotions when I consider the shear fact that I'm going to be a daddy.

3) 1 year at Eagle Ridge Bible Fellowship: I can't believe that May will mark me being at ERBF for an entire year already.

4) My Wife on Mat-Leave: Can anyone say home-cooked meals! Ok, maybe this is a bit of a stretch, since she'll be home taking care of our child...but just the thought of walking in the front door to a home-cooked meal gets me excited.

5) Reading More: I have a ton of books that I would love to read this year. Somehow I am going to be more diligent with my time, and attempt to read 1 book per month. That's my goal.

6) ________________________________________

Truth is, that I leave number 6 blank because this list isn't finished. There will certainly be more events that will come to fruition this year that I'll be incredibly excited to experience. Reality is, if and when these events happen...chances are I'll blog about them.

Happy New Year,

Tyler

Merry Christmas

2008-12-25T12:10:00.002-08:00

"For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace." (Isaiah 9:6)

These prophetic words spoken by the prophet Isaiah foretold the coming birth of Jesus, and the incredible significance that this birth would have in the course of human history.

Today as you celebrate Christmas with your family and friends, I pray that with all the chaos of opening presents, and turkey dinners, and eating WAY TOO MUCH STUFFING, that you remember Jesus, his birth, and the incredible significance that this birth still has today.

So how will you celebrate the birth of Jesus today? How will your Christmas celebrations give glory to Jesus? How will his life and message change your heart this Christmas?

Wishing All Of You A Very Merry Christmas,

Pastor Tyler

with child

2008-12-23T09:57:00.003-08:00

Christmas is soon upon us. And being on staff at my church does help awaken my heart to the what Christmas is all about. Perhaps it's all the "Christmas-y events" that we plan: Community Christmas Cafe, Caroling, Christmas Eve Service etc... or perhaps it's the fact that being a pastor almost forces me to come face-to-face every year with the true reason for the season.

It’s not hard to read a verse like Luke 1:31 “You[Mary] will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus” and not get excited about the significance of the birth of Jesus. Personally this verse rings so true in my life since Charity is with child and we anticipate the arrival of our first born together in June 2009. There is great hope, great peace, great comfort and great joy all pieced together like a glorious mosaic when we come to celebrate the arrival of Emmanuel—God with us.

And I think that last sentence is what really gets me excited this year. There was so much excitement with the prophesied arrival of the new-born King. The whole notion of Emmanuel—God with us, has truly spoken to my heart this year. There is nothing that I look forward to more for this up-coming year then for the birth of my child! Likewise, there was no greater excitement 2,000 years ago then from the birth of Jesus--born to Joseph & Mary (who was a virgin!)

This is where the mystery of Christmas still exists. Born of a virgin? Is that possible? Many doubt it...many refuse to believe such a miracle could even be possible. Even Mary herself had difficulty grasping at such a notion!

"How will this be," Mary asked the angel, "since I am a virgin?" The angel answered, "The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God...For nothing is impossible with God" (Luke 1:34-35, 37)

Nothing is impossible with God! Not even Mary being with child and giving birth to Jesus--Emmanuel, God with Us. The baby Jesus, born in a manger...was God in human flesh! The image of the invisible God! What a great joy that was to those who knew the prophesy's, and who know believed--with all their hearts!

My prayer for you this Christmas is that you breath deep the comforting smells of Christmas, open your eyes to the beautiful lights that brighten up our cities, and pause—if even for just a few moments—and come to a place of peace where the significance of Christmas becomes strikingly apparent: that baby Jesus born in a manger would change the course of history...and change many lives forever...mine and yours included!

Merry Christmas,

Tyler

Due Date: June 6th

2008-12-04T13:37:00.002-08:00

Yup...for those of you who watched my "Town Home Renovations" video you were some of the first to find out that--indeed Charity is "with child" (kind of a great Christmas(ish) reference there!)

We're going to be parents! And we are now broadcasting this to the world!

Thank you to all who have left comments and have been overwhelmingly encouraging!

Our bundle of joy is schedule to arrive on June 6th...just in time for Father's Day!

-Ty

Town Home Renovation Video - After

2008-12-03T12:26:00.001-08:00

So here it is...the long awaited "after" video of our townhome renovations that we did over the past few months...

Enjoy,

-Ty

middle school students can change the world!

2008-11-25T12:13:00.007-08:00

I am now convinced that middle school students can change the world!

I say this, because this past week I was completely humbled by an experience that I had at an event called "collide". This was a gathering of Coquitlam area middle school youth groups--the first of its kind.

The challenge myself and other youth pastors gave was for middle school kids to bring as much "stuff" to fill 25 boxes for Operation Christmas Child. So I admit, in my disbelief that this could even be done...I went out and purchased some "back up supplies" like pens, paper, crayons, socks, toys so that if we didn't have enough then at least the boxes wouldn't be totally empty and lame.

As middle school students began pouring into the church foyer, I noticed something. Bags and bags and bags of stuff! Yup...this was where God decided to slap me upside the head, and simultaneously kick me in the butt.

I gave a short challenge to students about their ability to make a change, to do something bigger than themselves...and even had a middle school student walk up to me afterward and complemented me on my message (does that really happen?) Yup it did...and it rocked my world!

Needless to say, students began filling boxes...even boxes that they brought! In total, that night we filled 40 boxes! But had so much stuff left over that there was enough to fill another 18 boxes. (which was done today by some great volunteers!)

That's 58 boxes! WOW.

I am now convinced that middle school students can change their world! They are a power to be reckoned with! They have all the energy in the world...and if more of us would realize their passion to rally around a cause bigger than themselves...we will stand in awe with what they can do.

It was truly an awesome night! look out world...

What if...

2008-11-06T12:17:00.004-08:00

What if Starbucks marketed themselves like the church?

Comments? Thoughts? Reactions?

-Ty

ht to Andrew for the email

OOOOOOBAMA.

2008-11-05T12:44:00.003-08:00

The people have spoken. Change will "officially" happen on January 20th 2009 when Barack Obama gets sworn in as the 44th President of the USA.

Funny how parties were thrown, massive news coverage was given, t-shirts were worn, buttons adorned, and this was all in Canada. Oddly enough, I think I remember voting for our current prime-minister a few weeks ago...but not to the fanfare that this decision invoked.

History was made last night...and whether you voted Red or Blue...this change will affect everyone...even us Red & White folk "up north."

I am curious to see how Obama will bring about this "change" that was so clearly marketed through his entire election campaign. Sadly...through much of this fanfare, my neighbours to the south (Washington state) voted to approve Initiative 1000 "death with dignity" a.k.a. doctor assisted suicide by a margin of 59% to 41% making them the second state to allow this.

Change is coming...but at what cost? Lives?

-Ty

World Series Celebration

2008-10-30T12:14:00.006-07:00

I can remember the riot's of '94 when the Canucks lost in game 7 vs. the Rangers. I have seen many more since then...but last night one incident stood out above them all.

This HAD TO HURT!

-Ty

Nova Experience

2008-10-23T09:44:00.002-07:00

Today I leave with the other 3 staff members from my church for 3 days to attend The Nova Experience in Kelowna. I am excited about the 4 hour drive there and back and for all the conversations that will take place...good and/or bad! And hey...we save the church $20 bucks since there aren't any tolls on the Coquihalla Hwy anymore!

What sucks is that I have to leave my wifey again this weekend! Thankfully I'll be home Saturday night, and that still leaves us Sunday/Monday to spend together.

I'll blog more possibly from the conference depending if they have accessible wi-fi. Otherwise I'll post something when I return.

-Ty

Stories from Squamish

2008-10-22T10:13:00.012-07:00

Well it's been a few days since going up to Squamish, and wow...what an incredible weekend. We started off by driving up the notorious Sea-To-Sky Highway in low visibility and pouring rain! Even with their "improvements" the whole highway is freaking retarded still!

Friday night my buddy Matt Davies and his dad Glenn who are planting a church in Squamish welcomed us and shared their vision for why they're planting a church in the city of Squamish. Later on that night Matt shared from God's word and helped us become better listeners to God's voice. This was preparing us for what was coming up on Saturday morning.

Saturday morning we woke up (only getting about 4-5 hrs of sleep), and went out in two groups to pray over the city of Squamish. For three hours the two groups prayed over areas in the city like Quest University, the downtown core, various businesses etc... This was an amazing experience and many of the students shared afterward that this was an incredible opportunity for them to live out their faith.

The rest of the afternoon we spent time sightseeing at Shannon Falls and it was a beautiful sunny day. That night we had a great dinner at McDonalds, went swimming, and then learned that there is a cost in following Jesus. But the hope we have is that whatever the cost is... Jesus gave his life for us...and paid the ultimate cost for our freedom.

Sunday morning we joined Squamish Baptist Church during their morning service and were treated to a potluck lunch after. I don't think they were expecting 14 students to be eating all that food...so we gave them our lunch supplies that we had left to ensure everyone got something.

During that lunch I was introduced to three African girls who moved to Squamish to attend Quest University. What was amazing was on Saturday morning we prayed over that campus and asked God to raise up leaders on that campus to be a light. Getting to tell those 3 girls that we prayed for them just blew them away! I've already gotten an email from them saying how blessed they are to know complete strangers are praying for them!

Truth is this couldn't be a youth group missions trip without something crazy happening. This trip's "crazy" moment was how the Suburban I was driving was nicknamed the "Flaming Turd". I don't know this happened, but we drove around Squamish all weekend with this written in the dust on the back glass of the SUV.

I look forward to the next time we can get back to Squamish to continue partnering with Glenn & Matt and their church. To God be the glory...now and forever!

-Ty

sort of, dunno, nothing

2008-10-21T13:25:00.005-07:00

I love this! There is so much truth behind this video about how adults talk "to" students rather than "with" students!

oh...and it's from Australia...so that's why they speak kinda funny!

-Ty

Give Me Your Eyes...

2008-10-15T15:45:00.005-07:00

This weekend I am taking a group of our Sr. High students on a missions trip to Squamish, BC to partner with friends of mine in a new church plant currently called "Squamish Now".

I am so excited to see the things that God will do through the hearts of these students as they give up their weekend to serve, to pray, and love the city of Squamish.

I purchased a cd a few weeks ago by an artist by the name of Brandon Heath. Here's the first track off that cd...it speaks so clearly about asking God to give us his eyes to see the lost, the brokenhearted, the poor and to regain focus on what's truly important.

Brandon Heath - Give Me Your Eyes from Brandon Heath on Vimeo.

Pray for our team as were gone this weekend, and I'll make sure to post again when we're back.

-Tyler

Election & Hockey

2008-10-14T10:42:00.002-07:00

I heard this on the Team 1040 this morning and I thought I would post it for all of my Canadian friends, who may need a bit of a "primer" on the Elections today!

The guys on Team 1040 were comparing the candidates to recent NHL Hockey teams. Here's howit all went down (this is a paraphrase and written to the best of my recollection):

Stephen Harper (Conservatives): Stephen is likely the closest to the 2006 Carolina Hurricanes. Their surprising Stanley Cup Win was a shock to many, and there hasn't been many significant achievements since that win...but they'll always say "we won the cup"!

Stephane Dion (Liberals): Stephane closely resembles the 2006 Vancouver Canucks. They were a team that had much promise and great things were expected from them. But nothing really materialized from that "promising" franchise...and we've all seen the fall out since.

Jack Layton (NDP): Jack is like the Dallas Starts. No specific year to make mention of...but rather they're a team that is always tough and will always show up for the game...but in the end they're not gonna win anything significant.

Elizabeth May (Green Party): May is like the Washington Capitals of 2008. For many years people forgot that Washington even had a professional hockey team. Then suddenly in late 2008 the Capitals surgged towards the Playoffs! This year Elizabeth made the Debate, and proved that after a change in leadership positive things began to happen!

I never heard anything about Gilles Duceppe, but I figure that you could compare him to the Quebec Nordiques... a team that has a filled with accomplishements, but except for those living in Quebec...most people have forgotten about them.

So I don't know if this helps you in your decision to vote today...but I sure had a laugh hearing this!

GO VOTE!

-Ty

Passion Vancouver

2008-10-06T12:06:00.003-07:00

I am so excited tonight to be heading off to the Passion:Vancouver conference at GM Place. Passion:Vancouver will feature Chris Tomlin, David Crowder Band & Louie Giglio...and the most amazing thing is IT'S ALL FREE.

The Passion Conference is a world-wide conference that has chosen Vancouver as its ONLY North American stop. It is for University students ages 18-25 & their ministry leaders (eg: Young Adults Pastors).

So for all my readers out there in the rest of Canada and the USA...I'm so sorry that you're going to miss this. I'll hopefully throw some pictures up after tonight (so long as I get close enough to the front!)

-Ty

Busy Weekend

2008-10-02T12:06:00.005-07:00

I am very much looking forward to this weekend. Here's the run down on what's going on:

1) Eagle Ridge Elders/Staff Retreat @ Cedar Springs Retreat Center in Sumas, Washington
- this is going to be a great time interacting with the other elders & staff, as well as taking time out from our busy lives to be still and listen to God. I am excited with the direction God is taking this church, and I eagerly anticipate this weekend to be an incredibly refreshing time for everyone. Sadly...Charity is working (someone has to!)...so she won't be able to come.

2) Shopping in the USA
- yup...3 of us on staff here are playing hooky tomorrow and doing some shopping in Bellingham! I have a specific mission to purchase some Starbucks Energy Drinks for one of my students AND for a parent of one of my students in our ministry. If you have never had them before...these are what I'm talking about.

3) Lunch w/ friends on Sunday
- Charity and I are really looking forward to going out for lunch with our friends Phil & Brianne on Sunday. They have the same last name, but had Jerry Springer run extensive DNA tests before they started dating to ensure they weren't related!

4) Canucks vs. Anaheim
- oh baby I am excited for this. We were given free tickets to the Canucks game on Sunday night! Time to break out my Trevor Linden jersey and ensure my voice is ready for loads of screaming. I love the Canucks...and any chance to see a game is amazing! I am extremely grateful for the generosity of one man in this church for hooking me up with these tickets!

So yeah..that's my weekend! Pretty freaking sweet if I might say so!

-Ty

Shorts in October

2008-10-01T10:57:00.003-07:00

Yup...I'm wearing shorts and it's October 1st. Thank you Richard Simmons for summing up how I feel about wearing shorts in October...but for the love of all things holy, please wear longer shorts! Mine are at least at my knees!

Sadly...I have a suspicion that I'm going to have to start wearing jeans again very soon.

-Ty

One Homeless Night

2008-09-26T14:04:00.004-07:00

So tonight I am going to be homeless.

With only a sleeping bag, piece of cardboard, and the clothes on my back I am going to join hundreds of other students across Vancouver who will gather at the BC Lions Practice facility, and come face-to-face with really what is only a taste of homelessness.

I'll be the first to admit my life growing up was privileged, and I truly have no clue what many men and women go through on a daily basis--living on the streets. I can only hope that tonight God awakens my heart (and the hearts of my students coming) and gives us all a passion to make a difference and to take action against homelessness.

I ask you to please pray for all of those who are going. I don't want you to pray for "no rain" but rather pray that there is an outpouring of God's presence tonight. Pray that hearts are changed.

I'll make sure to throw some pictures up afterward. And check out the news tonight and tomorrow...there are rumors that a news crew will be there at some point.

For more info. check out www.onehomelessnight.com

Blessings,

Ty

30gb iPod Video FOR SALE

2008-09-23T12:29:00.004-07:00

SOLD IT IN 2 MINUTES!

I'm selling my 30gb, white, iPod video. It's in great shape, has had NO issues, and has been in the apple protective sleeve for most of its life.

It just shows "regular use" with a few scratches, but that's life for an iPod. It comes with the protective sleeve, sync cable, and the headphones (yeah they're used...so if you don't want them I understand).

$100 dollars and it's yours!

Leave me a message, or email me at tchagan@telus.net

Death

2008-09-17T09:55:00.006-07:00

This really isn't the easiest post to write. This past summer has been a whirlwind of tragic events that have claimed the lives of a friend from high school's husband, along with another friend just this past week from Briercrest.
I got a note on facebook on July 20th letting me know that my friend Christine lost her husband, Randy, in a motorcycle accident in Calgary. This sent shockwaves through their community, through their close friends and through me. Randy and Christine have two boys, who I imagine struggle to understand where their daddy is.
Now, this morning as I find out that a friend of mine, Preston, was killed on the side of the road while trying to help a student who had struck an elk with his car. Preston and his wife Tara were good friends of mine while at Briercrest. They have a son, Jacob, and Tara is pregnant with their second child.

Here is the link to the Oregon news station that reported the accident:

CLICK HERE:

It is so hard to find words to write this morning. I search the scriptures for words from God to try to bring some reason to this. To see two amazing men, godly men, great husbands, awesome daddy's be taken from this earth...is hard to deal with.

But through this I know that we have to look to God for our strength...even if this hurts. I found these words in the Psalms today...this is a promise to hold onto.

Psalm 119:76-77
Now let your unfailing love comfort me,
just as you promised me, your servant.
Surround me with your tender mercies so I may live,
for your instructions are my delight.

So I ask you to join me in praying for Christine & her two boys, and Tara and her son (and soon to be child). Pray for their families & friends. Ask God to surround them with his love, to mourn along side them, and to shower them with his grace.

"To Live is Christ...and to die is gain." Phil. 1:21

-Ty

God of this City

2008-08-26T16:24:00.002-07:00

Well today I got something free! Yup...in the mail arrived a package about the Passion:Vancouver Conference that is coming on October 6th. (side note...if you have not heard about this yet...check it out...click here)

So today I open this info. package from them, and there's a free copy of the Passion: God of this City CD. WOO HOO. I have wanted this CD for a while, and now I got it for free. Check out this lyric video from the title track "God of this City"

May your prayer be that our God does great things in your city!

-Ty

What a great morning!

2008-07-25T09:52:00.008-07:00

I would give anything to start my mornings off like this every day! This morning I went out with a guy from my church and his friend wakeboarding.

Now the truth is I haven't been in 6 years since I worked up at Barnabas Family Ministries back in the summer of 2002. But as I arrived at the water this morning it was calm, sunny, and warm. Today was a GLORIOUS day to go wakeboarding.

So after a few minutes of just taking it easy I ventured out of the wake, did a few cuts across and even got some air (enough to pull a backside grab for a second!) It was a 15 minute ride that felt absolutely amazing. It was a great morning. We finished it off by taking a dip in the pool (heated to like 30 Celsius).

Needless to say I can't wait for the next one! Here are some pictures from this morning.

This is the view that greeted me at the dock!

Enjoying the ride!

That's enough...take me home!

shortness of life

2008-07-22T13:31:00.004-07:00

I have been awakened quite recently to how short our time on this earth can be.

Last week my dad called me to tell me his childhood friend suffered brain trauma as a result of a motorcycle accident and was in a coma. Doctors aren't saying whether or not he will be able to walk again, or even be "normal" after such a severe accident. I remember getting rides on the second seat of Bruce's motorcycle as a child when we visited him in the Okanagan. Those were great memories.

Two days ago I received a message on facebook from a friend of mine saying a mutual friend from highschool lost her husband as a result of a motorcycle accident this past week. He was a daddy to two young boys, and I can imagine that his wife Christine is just overwhelmed with loosing her husband...and her boys not having their daddy there to see them grow up.

So I'd ask for your prayers for my dad's friend Bruce, his wife and his kids. As well please pray for Christine, her two boys, and her family as they grieve the loss of Randy.

As much as we like to think....we have no control over when our lives will end. I have realized this lesson many times in my 27 years, with loosing a neighbour, and other friends I graduated with.

Psalm 39:4-5
"Lord, remind me how brief my time on earth will be. Remind me that my days are numbered—how fleeting my life is. You have made my life no longer than the width of my hand. My entire lifetime is just a moment to you; at best, each of us is but a breath.."

So I ask my readers to take a minute from their day today, or tomorrow, or whenever and pray for these two individuals...

Thanks,

Tyler

simplify

2008-07-16T13:09:00.006-07:00

seems simple doesn't it?

these past few days I have been really challenged in my faith journey to recognize what it means to simplify. better yet, what it means to live without.

sure I now own a townhome, and we've filled it with "stuff" even a new big screen tv....so where do I get off talking about a topic like "simplicity".

well over the past few weeks I have dramatically reduced my "screen time". We don't have cable, and still haven't even plugged in our TV. We chose not to purchase cable for the next while in an attempt to enjoy our summer, and spend time doing other things (with each other & with friends)!

at work I have implemented a "no screen time" rule for the first 30 minutes from when I arrive in the office. this time is meant to read God's Word and pray.

simple...yet effective.

this morning as I drank my coffee at starbucks (it's VBS this week...I need the jolt of caffeine), I sat there on the patio and for 10 minutes just found myself soaking in the warmth of the early morning sunshine.

doing nothing but just being still.

sounds like a familiar passage in Scripture.

"be still and know that I am God" Psalm 46:10

I have recognized that I need more simplicity (that almost seems paradoxical). We all need to think creatively as to how we can simplify our lives...focus more on our walk with Christ.

may you be encouraged to spend more time being simple. enjoying life. enjoying Christ.

-Ty

Get Smart

2008-07-07T21:51:00.006-07:00

So tonight Charity and I decided to take a break from unpacking boxes, and go watch Get Smart. Needless to say I laughed...a lot! These days have been filled with nothing but unpacking boxes, sorting stuff, putting that sorted stuff away into new places, and then repeating the whole process over again...so we realized we needed a break!

The really funny thing was, when I went to stand up after the movie was over...my legs totally cramped up! The truth is, I haven't sat down for that long in weeks! I couldn't believe how funny it felt to stand up after sitting for 2 hours! I guess it's a good thing that I haven't been lazy for the last while (I even weighed myself today and have lost a few pounds!)

Anyways, the house is slowly starting to look "like a house". More rooms are starting to be finished, and even today I bleach washed the walls in our storage room! That was really fun! Hopefully in a week or so it'll all be done and we can welcome people over!

Back to work tomorrow...but I'm looking forward to it. Lot's of great stuff happening this week!

-Ty

We're Home

2008-07-02T10:11:00.003-07:00

We did it! After month's of slowly packing up boxes, selling old stuff of craigslist, and cramming stuff into our moving truck we have arrived at our new place in Pitt Meadows.

I was overwhelmed by the amount of help from our family, who totally bent over backwards to help us move. It was so great to have Charity's mom & dad here for a few days too. We miss them, and wish we could see them far more often.

There are still tons of boxes to unpack, and we gotta figure out where some major pieces of furniture will go, but that will all happen in time.

I still wonder when the next day is that I'll get to sleep in, but for now Charity and I will continue to work well into the evenings to get this place ready for the hundreds of "house warming" parties I think I've promised to have!

I'll throw some pictures of the new place up when it's all cleaned up...and look for a new "after" video tour of our townhome comparable to the "before" video on my facebook site.

-Ty

We're Moving...

2008-06-20T12:20:00.003-07:00

Yup, it's true! Charity and I are finally making the move from Langley to Pitt Meadows. We take possession of our new townhome on June 22nd, and will begin our renovation process.

There is much to do over the next week and a bit to get the place looking all nice and new. We're throwing in new carpet, lino, laminate floors etc...and getting new appliances throughout the place. As well the whole place will get new paint...especially in the Master Bedroom...where we'll finally get ride of that awful Neon Pink!

We ask for your prayers for us during all of the renovations, that things go smoothly, and that everyone is kept safe. Pray that we stay healthy and full of energy to get everything accomplished.

To all of our friends and family who are helping us out...thank you! There is no way we could do this without all of you!

I promise we'll throw a wicked House Warming party sometime in July when all of this is done, and we get all unpacked!

And it begins...

Ty

My Sermon

2008-06-14T12:50:00.004-07:00

On Sunday June 8th I got the chance to preach. My sermon was on "how the gospel can only exist within relationships." and was based off of 2nd Thessalonians 2:6b-13.

To listen click here: (or Right Click & click on "Save Link As" and download it)

P.S. For those who listen and wonder what is the "blatant act of defiance" at the beginning of my sermon...I took a water bottle up on stage and had a drink...but prior to this it was somewhat taboo for any drinks to be in our brand-spankin' new worship centre. I think it's safe to say it's no longer taboo!

Enjoy!

-Ty

Where's Waldo...Tyler?

2008-06-06T11:44:00.003-07:00

maybe for many of my "faithful" blog readers out there these past few months of silence have felt like a "where's waldo?" book. needless to say much has gone on in my life over these past few months, but much of what was happening couldn't get posted here on my blog until it had all been finalized...

...well it's certainly all finalized now. so here's a long overdue blog post.

over the last while Charity and I felt God calling us into a new chapter of ministry. more specifically I felt God calling me to leave Northwest Langley Baptist Church and that God was going to open a new door for a new season on ministry. this was not an easy decision as I was coming up in 4 years at NWLB, but Charity and I both new that a change was coming.

well that change has happened and I am now the Pastor of Student Ministries at Eagle Ridge Bible Fellowship in Coquitlam, BC. I started here on May 15th and it has been nothing short of amazing. There is a great staff team in place and it is clear that this is where God has the need for me.

let me tell you that the candidating/looking for a new church process is nothing short of CRAZY! we were pursued and pursued a few churches and often thought we knew what was the "best fit." of course...for any of you who have lived a life of following Christ....we often make this assumption only to get a rude awakening in the end.

though this all God has been so amazing to Charity and I. so much that we were able to purchase a townhome in Pitt Meadows...which is about 20-30 minute drive from the church. the video of it is available on my facebook site to watch. we move into it on July 1st...which is like just over 3 weeks away. our basement suite right now is FULL of boxes. But we promise to have a house warming party sometime in the summer...with how many friends and family we want to have over we might need to have two parties...the place is only 1250 square feet.

this sunday I am preaching here at ERBF, and I am very excited. my sermon is from 1st Thessalonians 2:6b-13 and looks at how relationships define our faith. i practiced it twice this morning all by myself in our new auditorium. I think I'm ready to go.

well, that's a bit of an update for you. the new laptop my church has ordered for me should arrive next week, and then I hope to get into a more consistent habit of positing again. right now I am borrowing Charity's laptop which is a little older and slower then my patience can handle sometimes!

blessings,

ty

Goodbye Langley...Hello Mexico!

2008-03-14T14:26:00.002-07:00

I can't believe that I leave in 15 hours for Mexico...

Our team has done so much work to get to this point, and I am incredibly proud of them. We meet tomorrow morning at 5am, and are on the road by 6am. It's a long drive down there, but we get to stop on Sunday at Disneyland!!! WOO HOO. I haven't been there since I was in grade 8. That was back in 1995!

There is going to be so much to write about when I get back. Please pray for our team. Pray for our healthy, safety, unity, and that God will use us in crazy ways to bless those that we connect with. We're down there over Easter, and I pray that the story of Easter will be shared in many ways through our students.

I can't write much...I've got tons of things still left to do. More to pack, more to print, more, to prep etc...

I'm back in Langley on the 24th...

-Ty

10 Days Until Mexico

2008-03-05T11:20:00.002-08:00

10 days until 12 students and 3 adult leaders travel down to Vicente Guerrero, Mexico for our second student missions trip. Wow, I can't believe that we're this close to going. God has been so faithful in providing everything that we've ever needed. We have raised $1,000 in access to the funds required to build the house down there which means we get to decide what additional items we'd like to buy for the family we're helping, and what additional items we'd like to add to the house like additional windows, beds, table, chairs etc...

Please be in prayer for our team while we're gone. We leave Saturday March 15th, and return Monday March 24th. We are down there over Easter which will be extra special to celebrate the death and resurrection of Jesus together with our students and leaders.

There is so much still to plan, prepare, pack and purchase! Needless to say my life until we leave will be really busy! Oh well, this is a great experience and I can't wait to get down there. We get the chance to see the family we helped out with back in 2006 when we were down there, which will be extra special to our returning students.

God is going to do great things in us and through us. Lives will be changed forever!

-Ty

Off to the Game!

2008-02-29T09:52:00.004-08:00

I am so excited for tonight! My dad is taking me and my brother out to the Canucks game! I don't even remember the last one I went to...it's probably been over 10 years. I don't get to spend as much time as I'd like with my dad and brother so this is going to be an awesome night. Hopefully the Canucks will win...that would be really nice!

We've all got our jersey's to wear tonight so look for us on TV (the game is at 7pm on Sportsnet). Our seats are up in the nosebleeds, but who cares, the fact that we get to be there is what's most important!

-Ty

Anti-Bullying Day

2008-02-27T11:34:00.005-08:00

Today is recognized as National Anti-Bullying Day, and I am wearing my pink shirt in support of this great movement.

This whole thing was brought to my attention from some of my students who sent me an invitation on facebook. As soon as I saw what this was about it was an obvious choice to click "Yes, I will be attending".

For me, this whole idea is very personal. From grade 5 until grade 10 I was bullied constantly in both elementary and high school. It's not difficult for me to talk about being bullied now, but during my younger years there were no words to express the pain and hurt that I felt. There were many times when I felt like no one loved me, that I had no friends, and that the world would be better off without me.

Looking back on those thoughts it scares me to think that there are so many young boys and girls who are on the verge of great things in their adolescence are are dealing with thoughts and emotions well beyond their years. I praise God that the bullying ended for me the year I entered grade 10, but I know for many others it feels like its never stopped. It Has To Stop!

I hope that you have joined this movement today, but that for you it goes well beyond just wearing pink...that it means a change of thought and action towards how we treat others. We are each created in the image of God...we are all his beloved children. Our purpose and value are found in Christ, and not in the thoughts and actions of someone else.

In times of desperation I often found myself turning to the Psalms. David writes with authenticity and such a real sense of emotion. My prayer today for anyone who deals with the trauma of having been bullied or is dealing with being bullied that you find your hope in Christ, that you find your strength to live in the One who gives us life!

Psalm 143
Hear my prayer, O Lord; listen to my plea! Answer me because you are faithful and righteous.
2 Don’t put your servant on trial, for no one is innocent before you. 3 My enemy has chased me. He has knocked me to the ground and forces me to live in darkness like those in the grave.
4 I am losing all hope; I am paralyzed with fear. 5 I remember the days of old. I ponder all your great works and think about what you have done. 6 I lift my hands to you in prayer. I thirst for you as parched land thirsts for rain.

7 Come quickly, Lord, and answer me, for my depression deepens. Don’t turn away from me,
or I will die. 8 Let me hear of your unfailing love each morning, for I am trusting you. Show me where to walk, for I give myself to you. 9 Rescue me from my enemies, Lord; I run to you to hide me. 10 Teach me to do your will, for you are my God. May your gracious Spirit lead me forward on a firm footing. 11 For the glory of your name, O Lord, preserve my life. Because of your faithfulness, bring me out of this distress. 12 In your unfailing love, silence all my enemies and destroy all my foes, for I am your servant.

Stay Strong,

Ty

To watch Global TV's news report this morning about National Anti-Bullying Day click here:

What I didn't get on Valentines Day...

2008-02-15T15:30:00.003-08:00

And it's not like I'm upset...because my birthday is only 5 months away! That should leave enough time for all of my close friends and family to pool their money together to purchase this!

Word is that "An underwater car, based on a James Bond film's been unveiled in Switzerland. The Squba can travel on land or up to ten metres underwater."

To read the whole article click here:

Now I need to go and find a cloth to wipe up my drool!

-Ty

CoeXisT

2008-02-06T13:06:00.000-08:00

This simple, yet profound diagram, has really gotten me thinking. Last weekend I went to the U23D show that is currently in select IMAX theaters. For 90 minutes you are glued to the 5 story tall screen just amazed at how "real" the concert felt. The concert was from their Vertigo tour and filmed in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The set list was fantastic; filled with all the current favourites and hits from U2's past.

About two thirds of the way through the show during "Sunday Bloody Sunday"Bono reaches into the crowd to grab a headband with the above symbol written in sharpie marker across the front. This is where the conversation starts for me...

-What is the message that is trying to be said here?

-What does a normal person understand when Bono says "Jesus, Jew, Muhammad, it's true...all sons of Abraham"?

-How do I as a Pastor dialogue through this seemingly religiously pluralistic comment?

Now in no way do I profess to be clairvoyant to know exactly where Bono and the rest of U2 align themselves spiritually/theologically, and though I own the "Walk On: The Spiritual Journey of U2" book I admit I have yet to read it.

What I am wrestling with is how to properly communicate the truth of Bono's statement. At it's rawest form, Bono's "Jesus, Jew, Muhammad...all sons of Abraham" is true.

As we read in Genesis 13:16 "I will make your offspring like the dust of the earth, so that if anyone could count the dust, then your offspring could be counted."

Further in Genesis 16 we read of Abraham and his maidservant, Hagar, having a son named Ishmael, who is a prominent prophet in Islam.

In Genesis 17 we read of God establishing his covenant with Abraham and he and Sarah conceiving a son to be named Isaac. "I will establish my covenant with him [Isaac] as an everlasting covenant for his descendants after him." (Gen. 17:19)

All three of these Abrahamic Religions claim Abraham as a patriarch of their faith. This is true. However I am unsure of where Bono is going on his mid-song rant. Is he saying that each of these three religions are equally true? Equally viable means of salvation? Equal methods of reaching God?

If so...then why would Jesus say:

Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." (John 14:6)

For a normal person would they believe these words of Jesus as Truth? Even Jesus' followers were confused with his teachings...even regarding being descendants of Abraham:

John 8:31-41
"To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, "If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." They answered him, "We are Abraham's descendants and have never been slaves of anyone. How can you say that we shall be set free?"

Jesus replied, "I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. I know you are Abraham's descendants. Yet you are ready to kill me, because you have no room for my word. I am telling you what I have seen in the Father's presence, and you do what you have heard from your father. "

"Abraham is our father," they answered.
"If you were Abraham's children," said Jesus, "then you would do the things Abraham did. As it is, you are determined to kill me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God. Abraham did not do such things. You are doing the things your own father does."
"We are not illegitimate children," they protested. "The only Father we have is God himself.

Lastly, I in no way want to infer that I don't believe in loving my neighbour, seeing the beauty in other people, and understanding that hatred of others is the farthest thing from Jesus' teachings. But I do want to say that wherever Bono is going with his "CoeXisT" philosophy I encourage my brothers and sisters to approach this carefully, and with discernment.

"Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world" (1st John 4:1)

Well, now that I've thrown that out there, I look forward to hearing any of your thoughts on this...especially if you have been to the U2 show, or were at the Vertigo tour here in Vancouver. What is your read on this? Good? Bad? Neutral?

Blessings,

Ty

Vancouver vs. Lethbridge

2008-01-31T10:15:00.000-08:00

Yup...nothing says love better than a hockey game between my home town and Charity's home town. Thanks to Todd who gave us the tickets as a Christmas gift. Charity and I got to skip our Sr. High Bible Study last night and head down to the game, while our leaders taught the students! Our youth leaders are awesome!

We had AMAZING seats for the game, and were seated right on the red line 4 rows up from the Giants' bench. We could hear Don Hay (Giants Coach) talking with the players. The picture above is without any zoom! That's how close we were to the action! It was a totally different game experience being so close to the ice.

In the end...Vancouver won 3-1 over Lethbridge. WOO HOO. It was a great night and we really enjoyed the chance to go. Another neat thing is that my old Sr. Pastor from Fraserview Church in Richmond is the Giants' team chaplain, and so we got to hang out before the game, and during the 2nd period. I really miss that guy. It was really great to see him and to catch up on our lives.

-Ty

Way Too Funny!!!

2008-01-11T12:28:00.002-08:00

Annie, our church secretary bought this card for her husband as a joke. This picture was on the cover! As soon as I saw it I scanned in the image so that I could post this. I just love it.

(click the picture for a larger image)

We have all seen these types of people in our churches. I know that next time you have church you'll be watching and labeling each person with their hands raised!

Have Fun,

Ty

The start of 2008...

2008-01-08T15:05:00.000-08:00

I await with great anticipation what God is going to do in Charity's and my lives this year. Here's just some of the fun things that are soon approaching in the month of January & February!

1) Heading off to Alberta: We're off to "Wild Rose Country" Jan. 18-22, (though to be perfectly honest with you I've never seen a wild rose in Alberta!) We'll be there just for a few days but it's going to be great to see Charity's family again.

2) Vancouver Giants vs. Lethbridge Hurricanes: Yup, nothing says "love" between Charity and I then pitting the two WHL teams from our home towns against each other...and we'll be there! Thanks to Todd for getting us these tickets for a wicked Christmas present!

3) An Evening in Vancovuer: My dad got Charity and I a free night's accommodation in an executive suite at the Delta Vancouver Suites Hotel. We got this back in July and still haven't used it! So we've booked the date and we're very much looking forward to it. We're going to have a great night and an amazing dinner at The Stone Grill. Thanks Dad!

4) Canucks Hockey Game! My dad is taking my brother and I to the Canucks vs. Blue-Jackets game on Feb. 29th. I haven't been to a Canucks game in who-knows how long! This is going to be awesome. Time to wear my Jersey that Charity got me for Christmas!

So yeah..that's just this month! So much more on the horizon...but then I'd just be rambling on forever and I really don't have that much time right now.

Time to head home...

-Ty

Happy New Year!!!

2008-01-01T00:14:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year!!! May 2008 be a year filled with the greatest of God's blessings to you. I hope that everyone had the chance today to spend this great night with friends, loved ones, and the people that mean the most to them.

Charity and I enjoyed a great night at home eating a great dinner, watching movies, playing on our Wii, and ringing in the New Year with a wonderful New Year's kiss! WOO HOO.

Blessings,

Ty

Merry Christmas

2007-12-25T10:33:00.000-08:00

Charity and I would like to wish everyone a Merry Christmas. We have been so blessed this year, and pray for God's blessings in your lives also.

We hope that you spend time today with family and friends: eating turkey, taking a nap, playing games, laughing, crying etc...

There is so much to remember this year, but most importantly is that Christ our Saviour was born! There were tears shed this morning since this is our first Christmas without my Nana. Someone who I definitely miss. I'm tearing up again so I'm going to stop writing.

To all who read this...we love you. Merry Christmas!

-Ty & Charity

tonight at church

2007-12-24T22:38:00.000-08:00

tonight at church was probably my most enjoyable church service in a long time!

not that I don't enjoy church, but wow did tonight ever leave an impact on my heart. sure every church does their candle light & carols service...but tonight was really something special. maybe it was the fact that Charity played her flute while I was leading the worship team. maybe it was just the fact of seeing our church auditorium packed. maybe it was because my mom and dad came to church tonight. maybe it was just the fact that tonight people gathered because they wanted to...not because it's just what you do on sunday as a Christian to look good.

tonight people came to church because somehow, deep down inside of them there is this twinge that tells them a church is where they should be. some glimmer of hope in our culture that church is still relevant. that the importance of Christ is still there!

tonight was about hope. and wow was it a great night. our candle-lighting song tonight was the song "Go Light Your World" by Chris Rice. So as we sung this song my wife lit the first candle and then walked through the rest of the auditorium to light others' candles. what an awesome sight to see. Have a listen for yourself:

(the video has some random German words at the beginning and end...but since the song is really what I want you to hear...then it shouldn't be a problem!)

what a song! what a night. i pray that for any of you out there who went to a Christmas eve service tonight that you were equally blessed as I was. what an amazing God we serve that he humbled himself to come to earth as a baby! to be our saviour!

Merry Christmas,

Ty

Where is Christmas?

2007-12-21T10:08:00.000-08:00

*disclaimer* I chose the cartoon because it says exactly what I'm going to say...that we've seemingly lost Christmas...and I guess it's Santa's job to find it?

This is a Rant!

Last Friday I took our Sr. High students to Bright Nights in Stanley Park. This is where you can board their miniature train to be taken around approximately one million lights all displayed in the trees. This is always a holiday favourite with many families in the Vancouver area. I remember going on this train many times growing up...and even one of my great friends proposed to his now wife on the train. But something was really missing...

I'm sitting here in a coffee shop with pictures of reindeer's throwing snowballs at each other on the windows. There are snowpeople sitting on shelves, while there is a tree tightly put into the corner of the store. But something is really missing..

The malls are decorated with every thing possible to celebrate the holidays. Signs are everywhere wishing us Happy Holidays, teetering on the edge of trying to be culturally sensitive. But I hope to not step foot in another mall until well after the rush of shoppers are gone. Yet something is still missing...

And so I am reminded of a song...a song by a man who asked a very good questions over 30 years ago. "So this is Christmas?" John Lennon penned these words back in the 1971. And I find myself singing this song recently asking the same question. "So this is Christmas?" I haven't found myself all too festive or cheery in these days leading up to December 25th. I don't know why, but this year I've found myself to be far more introspective towards this topic. I've watched way too many news reports on schools no longer even saying the "C" word during the Holidays. They have "winter fest pageants" at their schools now.

And I'm left here wondering what has become of Christmas? Do we blame the media? No...our culture is simply a mirror of what we live out. We've all done this...and even us as Christians who are so afraid of saying the wrong thing. Even if someone finds the words Merry Christmas offensive, I'd hope they rather hear someone saying that then F**K. Get the point?

I think the hardest thing to hear is that people do fine Christmas offensive. What confuses me is that Christmas is about love and hope coming to the world through a little child. Can I ask where the offense is taken? Was it the love part? The hope part? The little child part? I really hope we as followers of Jesus...that child born in a manger 2000 years ago, realize the message we have is far from offensive. It is the greatest story to ever be told...a story that has the power to radically change lives. A story about love, hope, joy, peace; things that our world is so desperately longing for. Again I ask you...where is the offense in those things?

So someone please let me know where Christmas went? Maybe there is still some hope. Maybe under the dim light of candles as we gather on Christmas Eve...maybe somehow through that we'll see where Christmas went...and where we need to go to find it again?

So this is Christmas?

-Ty

My Personality

2007-12-18T15:17:00.000-08:00

I've taken the "Myers-Briggs" test before. This is a condensed version that takes no more than 5-10 minutes to complete.

Here's a little write-up about what an ENFJ looks like:

"ENFJs are people-focused individuals. They live in the world of people possibilities. More so than any other type, they have excellent people skills. They understand and care about people, and have a special talent for bringing out the best in others. ENFJ's main interest in life is giving love, support, and a good time to other people. They are focused on understanding, supporting, and encouraging others. They make things happen for people, and get their best personal satisfaction from this."

It's crazy how accurate that statement is about me! So try this thing for yourself and see what it says about you!

-Ty

(ht to Marko)

S'morebucking

2007-12-13T13:33:00.001-08:00

What happens when you get a few students together at Starbucks late in the evening after our Wednesday Night Bible Study? You get genius ideas that are just too cool not to act upon!

Case in Point:

Last Wednesday I was hanging out with 3 guys from our bible study. We were sitting outside under the umbrella's and propane heaters and I get this idea:

me: wouldn't it be great if we could roast marshmallow's under these things?

student: that would be kinda fun.

me: maybe even we could make s'mores if we went and got the stuff across the street at Shoppers since it's open 24/7.

student: we're going to go get the stuff.

me: seriously?

student: yup...(at this point 2 students are running over to purchase the stuff)

5 minutes later they come back and we "cut down" some twigs from the leafless trees to use as roasting sticks and spend the next half-hour roasting our marshmallow's using Starbucks' propane heaters and made some really delicious s'mores!

And so from that point on we have coined the term "s'morebucking" and it has become our post-Wednesday Bible Study activity!

Thanks Corbin, Nate & Josh for the fun night!

These are the days when I seriously love being in Youth Ministry!

-Ty

Grand-ma & Bingo Dabbers

2007-12-12T14:09:00.000-08:00

I went to the mall this morning to pick up some dollar-store wrapping paper. I ended up getting four of the same rolls for a dollar each. (this is one of those dollar stores where things actually only cost a dollar...not a dollar "or more".)

Anyways, while I was waiting in line there was this elderly lady standing no more than 4 1/2 feet tall at the counter buying bingo dabbers. Now normally this wouldn't be a cause to blog...but when I looked at the brand name of the bingo dabbers they were labeled "OH S**T". Of course without the asterisks.

Now, I'm not a fan of gambling to begin with so I'm not going to try to sound in support of bingo...but why in our culture do we have to take something as innocent as an inanimate object meant to put a circle of ink on a piece of paper and then write a profanity across the front. I don't know if this grand-ma knew what was written on the front or not (she might just have bought the first dabber she saw.) But none the less, there it was written on the dabber.

Now I'll be the first to say that I have used a profane word at some point in the recent past, and that I am in no way trying to be hypocritical...but why as a culture do we allow these things to be printed on labels etc...in plain sight of children! Is there any wonder why our culture seems to be in moral decay? Not simply because of bingo dabbers...but because of an exodus away from the teachings of the Bible.

Likewise, the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of one's life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell. All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and sea creatures are being tamed and have been tamed by human beings, but no one can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.

With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God's likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be. (James 3:5-9)

So may we all be challenged by these words today. I know that I am not the only one out there who may need to swallow hard these words from Scripture! And please, if you're ever buying a bingo dabber...try to get one that is a little less profane!

-Ty

help the poor

2007-12-06T16:02:00.000-08:00

It was one of those days today where I just had to realize that my agenda is not as important as God's agenda. Twice today we had people walk through our church door in search of some help (shelter, food, etc...) with temperatures getting colder, and stomach's getting even more hungry we see many people walking through our church doors. and why not...aren't we as followers of Christ told to take care of the poor?

ABSOLUTELY!

He who oppresses the poor shows contempt for their Maker, but whoever is kind to the needy honors God. (Prov. 14:31)

Even here in Walnut Grove (a very upper-middle class town) we see so many people broke, lost, hungry, and searching for help. It overwhelms my heart that God has called me to a place where I am not just a Youth Pastor but someone called to offer help and hope to these people.

It's hard when I hear stories of some people taking our gift cards and re-selling them outside the grocery store for half of their face value...but does that mean I stop giving them out? It's tough because I know many of the people I give them to do use them legitimately. I just have to trust God that what I am doing is right...and to not worry what they do with them.

So today, please pray for Randy and his son, and the two nameless ladies who dropped by today for some help. May they find more than help this Christmas...may they find hope. And we are those that God has entrusted to share the hope...the hope of Jesus.

-Ty

the truth

2007-12-05T11:21:00.000-08:00

wow. this video left me speechless. watch and reflect for yourself.

Meeting Barry

2007-12-05T09:14:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I had one of those moments in ministry where God decides he wants to take you on a tangent.

At around 10:45am a man named Barry walked through the front doors of our church and asked to speak with a Pastor. Seeing as I'm the only Pastor right now he walked into my office where we were just finishing our weekly staff meeting with our secretary and one of our elders.

Barry obviously has been hurt by people and the church in the past. He spoke about how Christians are the only group of people who would shoot their own wounded. How we don't honestly and authentically care for the poor, neglected, hurting, outcast etc... He mentioned that he hadn't stepped foot in a church in 10 years and likely won't step back into a church for another 10 years. But how amazing that God brought him into my church for 15 minutes. What guts that must have taken him to do that!

Barry continued to share for a few more minutes and then Tom (the elder from staff meeting) and I prayed for him. We gave him our business cards so that he'd have our phone numbers to call us back. He didn't want to give us any of his contact information...so we just said we really hope to meet again and grab a coffee together.

This may be wacky theology...but it's in those moments where I am reminded of "Emmanuel" God With Us. That sometimes these hurting, lonely people that walk through my church door open my eyes and heart to the very fact that God is in the hurting, lonely people...and that God is with us.

"Whatever you do for the least of these...you have done for me" Matt. 25:40

I hope I get to see Barry again soon. I hope that our conversation has warmed his heart to see that if anything he has found two new friends that care for him, love him, and who desire nothing more than for him to re-discover Jesus...Emmanuel...God With Us.

-Tyler

CYWC Day #3- Tonight

2007-12-01T22:24:00.000-08:00

It's still snowing out pretty heavy and I am supposed to be back at my church tomorrow at noon for our Mexico Missions Trip meeting. So I pray to God that the roads stay clear and that I'll be able to make it home on time!

Tonight was great. More talk about rest. About honouring the Sabbath and keeping it holy. If we're still supposed to obey the 10 Commandments why is it that we so often forget the one about keep the Sabbath... It is so amazing to see how God has weaved that thread through so much of what has been shared today.

So you'll probably hear more from me about this idea of keeping the Sabbath. But for right now I'm going to finish this blog post and then head off to bed. First I'll have to walk 5 blocks in the cold & snow. Someone invent human teleportation for me!

-Tyler

CYWC Day #3- Snowstorm & Egg Nog

2007-12-01T15:48:00.000-08:00

I'm sitting hear at the Canadian Youth Workers Conference in a really comfy chair looking out towards the really beautiful snow-covered St. Andrews United Church on Burrard & Nelson while sipping on a really yummy Egg Nog latte and hanging out with great friends.

Life is good.

-Tyler

CYWC Day #3- Coffee with Marv

2007-12-01T10:18:00.000-08:00

Two great things so far from his morning.

1) It started snowing again!

2) I had a great coffee with Marv Penner.

Man is it great sometimes to just sit down with godly people and share openly where your life is at. It was only 30 minutes, but the depth of conversation was so life-impacting. Pray for Marv and his wife Lois. They could really use a fresh breath of God is their lives right now. And nothing beats having such a great guy speak wise words into your heart. Thanks buddy!

Another great thing that I found this morning was a Starbucks that serves breakfast sandwiches! No doubt for me where I'm grabbing breakfast tomorrow morning! WOO HOO.

Well I figure at some point I should go sit down in the general session and learn something.

Thanks for reading...

-Tyler

CYWC Day #2 - Rest of the Day

2007-11-30T23:56:00.000-08:00

Matt. 11:28 "Come to me, all who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest."

This weekend for me is reflected well in this verse. These words spoken by Jesus are very timely to me right now. I have taken the words of Marko seriously so far by skipping sessions, concerts, seminar and having necessary conversations with people who have played a significant role in my faith journey.

I went to Jon Imbeau's "Spirit Filled Ministry" session (the one I did in fact go to) and was blown away at the great stuff he was sharing! So true, that my life needs to be spirit filled...to even think that my ministry will go anywhere. Even more than that...my students need to have lives filled with the power of the Holy Spirit...to dream their dreams...and to see them accomplished.

I got to spend time tonight talking to my wife tonight. I definitely miss her, and can't wait to see her again on Sunday! I LOVE YOU BABE!

I hope for anyone who is reading this that you're taking time his weekend to discover where you fit in God's story. As God continue to write His story...we are included in that. How cool. Anyways, it's after midnight and I need to get some sleep.

More to come...

-Tyler

CYWC Day #2 -Critical Concerns Course

2007-11-30T11:07:00.000-08:00

I've really enjoyed spending the past 2 days with Matt Wilks in the Critical Concerns Course called "Students who share in the mission of God." This has been a great time hearing about God's story and how we as youth workers, can share with our students God's story and how they fit into it. If you want the notes for this course I've typed them all up and would be happy to email them to you. Just leave me a message.

These youth workers around me have really been a blessing through being so honest and authentic with where they are at. You can hear from their stories, and see it in their faces how in love with God they are, and how much they love their students.

God I pray for these youth workers that you show them how they can engage in your story throughout this weekend. I pray that when they travel home and spend time with their students that lives are changed...and that in everything that we do we show Jesus and how He gives us life and life to its fullest.

-Tyler

CYWC Day #1-SUSHI

2007-11-29T21:28:00.000-08:00

What a great night. My buddy Chris and I headed off to what has to be the most amazing sushi restaurant in Vancouver: Shabusen. We ate and ate and ate until we had to undo our belts one notch! I knew I should have worn my stretchy pants!

I got news today that my buddy Darian (who's been the driving force in seeing the CYWC come to fruition) went into the hospital last night for an appendectomy. Yikes! I am praying for him, and that he will get well enough to join his crew and all the youth pastors/leaders who are here this weekend. So pray for Darian!

I really feel that for myself this weekend God is calling me to just soak it all in. To take time to have coffee with old friends (already lining one up this weekend with Marv Penner), to engage in great conversations, and to just rest in God's presence. This is going to be a great weekend!

More updates to come...

Tyler

CYWC Day #1

2007-11-29T15:17:00.001-08:00

I made it. I got the wifi access code and we're up and running.

Today as been awesome so far. I learned about some guy who bought a really awesome Bubble Tea that had a picture of Pikachu on it holding his straw! He seemed really excited about it.

I think this is the theme of things to come for this weekend...TOTAL RANDOMNESS.

I ran into Marko today and apparently I'm no longer the only blogger for this conference! YEAH. And it's great to see so many friends that I haven't seen in forever! I can't wait to have some great conversations.

Anyways, time to head back into my critical concerns course.

Later,

Ty

Canadian Youth Workers Conference

2007-11-28T11:02:00.000-08:00

Starting tomorrow and lasting until Sunday I'll be surrounded by 899 other youth pastors/leaders etc...oh you just know this is going to be great!

I'm really excited about seeing so many friends from all over the country who are coming out here for the conference. I'll be crashing in some church basement in Vancouver with my good friend Jeff from the church I interned at in Lethbridge! Some good friends from Lethbridge are also speaking/presenting at this conference...so I'm looking forward to sitting in their sessions and heckling them!

Knowing that Youth Specialties is partnering with Candafire to make this thing happen is really great. One thing I want to see is how "Canadian" this conference will be. So much of my life and the lives of students is heavily influences by American culture. And by reading Marko's blog I know that this issue has been forefront in the discussions surrounding this conference! I am grateful to these Godly men for ensuring that what we get as a conference isn't some cheap, watered-down NYWC, but rather our own, prayerfully planned CYWC. It is great to see how many Canadians with obvious God-given talent will be speaking at this conference. And to have Starfield & Thousand Foot Krutch perform as well...WOO HOO.

So I will be blogging from the conference...giving you all updates as to what I'm learning, and what other crazy things are going on when you cram 900+ people into a convention room for 4 days!

Later!

-Ty

FREE RICE

2007-11-20T13:40:00.001-08:00

what a great opportunity! you simply visit www.freerice.com and by correctly associating the word given with its definition you donate 10 grains of rice. you can play as long as you like. today i donated 200 grains.

what a great thing to do when you've got a few minutes at home, or to send to all your friends. i'm going to send this to my students to challenge them that we can all make a difference! even if it's something as simple as this.

so see how well you do with the vocabulary! and donate some rice.

-tyler