God of this City

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!

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

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

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

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

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...

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

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?

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!

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

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!

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

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...

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

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

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!!!

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...

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!!!

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

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

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?

*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

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

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

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

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

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

Meeting Barry

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

What Would Jesus Buy?

JUST IN TIME FOR CHRISTMAS...

Yup, either this guy has a powerful message to bring to us...or he's a nut-job. Either way, I laughed hysterically at the trailer on their site. Especially the part where he exercises the demon's from the Victoria's Secret Cash Register!

So head on over to their site, and waste a few minutes of your day! I especially enjoy the fact that their title writing is in the "Disney" font...I enjoy the symbolism there!

Official Site: What Would Jesus Buy Movie

YouTube: Interview on Glenn Beck

God Save Christmas...or at least save us from this wacko!

-Tyler

ASBO Jesus

The picture might be a little small for you to see (click to make larger)...but man does it ever spew forth truth! I stumbled across this site while on one of my many "internet surfing safari's" It's called ASBO Jesus and for us non-British folk, the pages about section informs us that ASBO stands for "Anti-Social Behaviour Order."

This cartoon is #203 and is titled The Morning Jesus Came To Preach. The entire site had me in hysterics. Many of these cartoons are fitting (though somewhat satirical) commentaries on today evangelical church culture.

Many of them are no-holds-barred call outs from a generation who is growing apart from mainstream means of "doing church." For anyone who is a leader in a church, these comics are worth the read. For many people who find it hard to step into a typical church you may echo with the satire used.

Either way...they stir up and create conversation. I like conversation.

-Tyler

Jr. High Fall Retreat

This is going to be one of those "lightbulb moments" for me this weekend. I have the privilege of taking 14 Jr. High students over to Camp Qwanoes for their 1st ever retreat weekend.

Amidst the fear, apprehension, body tremors, lack-of-sleep, energy drinks, wedgies, and wrestling matches, God is going to rock the lives of these 14 students this weekend--and I get the joy of being there to see these image bearers of God experience a weekend unlike they've never experienced before.

Last weekend I was over at Qwanoes and fell ill with tonsillitis and a fever of 102. I'm still drugging myself up, and don't expect a relapse into my comatosed state like last weekend.

Jr. High ministry is something that you know you're called into. It's a joy to see these when these students have "God Moments" where something new clicks and it rocks their often naive and parent-centered-faith beyond what they've grown up hearing or have been taught by parents. These weekends can be milestone moments in a young persons life...and something that I am blessed to be apart of.

So pray for our students this weekend. Pray for sleep (praise God that we get 1 extra hour because of Daylight Savings Time!), pray for our speaker to really open God's word up to these kids and rock their socks, and pray for us as leaders to know how to best come alongside these students in this very precarious part of their faith journey.

I'll be home Sunday,

-Tyler

what i've learned

...is that sometimes you just need to take a break

...is that sometimes you just need to start anew

...is that sometimes your wife and real-life friends are more important than reading blogs

...is that sometimes when i feel like i'm being pulled in a thousand different directions, it's actually God trying to draw me closer to him with one hand while i'm still trying to hold onto the world with the other

so i guess you could say that i'm back. i don't know. a lot has been going on in my life since i last wrote. the death of my nana was a big deal for me...and in some ways how do you follow up to something like that?

to any of my readers i welcome you back. sorry for such an abrupt end to my blogging. this time around i think i'm going to take a deeper look into life and try to write about what actually has meaning for me.

the time spent these past few months with my wife has been amazing. the time with close friends has been irreplaceable, and through this all i still feel like God is drawing me closer to him with one hand while i'm still trying to hold onto the world with the other.

-tyler

Tonight my nana died.

My Nana is the one wearing the pink dress/jacket on the right hand side. This was taken almost one year ago at my brother's wedding.

It's always one of those tough things to hear. My dad called me about 30 minutes ago to tell me that my Nana (Grand-ma) had passed away peacefully in her sleep. I've always had a special connection with my Nana, and especially in these past few years.

Charity and I have had the privilege of getting out to see her twice in the past few weeks. These have been amazing times of praying together as a couple for Nana, and praying with Nana as well. Only in these past few years have I seen my Nana's faith really flourish, but it's been amazing to share about our faith together (me being the grand-son/pastor in the family).

Last week when we got together myself, Charity, and Nana all took turns praying. It was truly a moment that I have frozen in time. She was my last surviving grand-parent, so this is definitely something very different for me now, but none the less I am happy that she is no longer in pain.

Please be in prayer for my family as we process the loss of a great woman. Many people were impacted by her life. Through her cries to Jesus in our last time praying together and the final conversations we had about putting our lives in Jesus' hands, I know that she is now with Jesus in Heaven. This is something that is truly comforting. To know that I will see my Nana again.

This event puts the finiteness of our lives into clear view. That we are not here very long, and that God is calling us to himself, and we need to make the choice to live our lives fully for Him, or face the unpleasant consequences of a life eternally separated from God.

I'll see you again Nana...

Tyler

Weekend in Whistler

Sorry to post this so late, but I've been waiting for this video to load into YouTube before I put up this blog post.

So this past weekend my parent's treated Charity and I, along with my brother Terry and his wife Alisha to a get-away weekend in Whistler. We stayed at a 2 million dollar house overlooking the 14th Fairway of Nicholas North golf course! The house was amazing and had a sweet hot tub on the main level deck.

Charity and I had Friday off so we took our time getting up to Whistler. We stopped at Park Royal mall to do some shopping and eat lunch at one of Charity's favourite food-court restaurants: Edo's. They have one in Lethbridge, but only in Richmond & West Vancouver out here...so she rarely gets to eat at one. Needless to say she was quite happy.

The drive up was great...clear sunny skies, sunroof open...awesome. Saturday morning we got up and the 5 of us (Charity went to the Spa) went on the ZipTrek adventure! OH MY GOSH, this thing was awesome. So awesome that I HAD to capture this video for you to see. This was me going down on the highest zipline that they had on our trip.



I totally want to go back! They have 2 options for the zip lines. We did "Bear" but there is one called "Eagle" which has zip lines that are even steeper and faster! But at $100 bucks a pop I'm gonna need to save up some cash.

The rest of the weekend was quite relaxing. We ate great food, played games, spent the later evenings in the hot tub...just wonderful. It was a great weekend with the family. We haven't done a "Family Vacation" since before I left for college.

I hope you enjoyed the video,

Tyler

I'm Officially Official!

As of 10:30am this morning I am now fully accredited within the Fellowship of Evangelical Baptist Churches to officiate weddings, and other stuff.

WOO HOO. This has been a 6 month process that I am thrilled to see come to completion! I owe a great amount of thanks to Alex for mentoring me and my wife for encouraging me through this process.

-Tyler

BIG DAY TOMMOROW...

Most of you won't know this...but tomorrow morning at 9am I go before our Denomination's "Advisory Council" to defend my positional paper, and get grilled with tough theological statements for an hour and a half.

Truth be known, this isn't my first time doing this. I tried this process about 6 months after starting here at the church, but didn't have a good result. Because of this, since January I have been chatting theology with a good buddy of mine twice a month over coffee. Needless to say this has been a HUGE blessings to me, and I really feel confident going into tomorrow's meeting.

If I pass, then I am "officially" recognized as a Pastor in the Fellowship of Evangelical Baptist Churches, and am then granted the ability to marry people. So it's a pretty big deal. So please say a prayer for me...and good or bad I will update this tomorrow morning before noon to let you know how I did.

Blessings,

Ty

Closer to 30...

Well it seems to me that the running joke with most of my students and friends is to be reminded that I'm now closer to 30 than I am to 20.

HOW HILARIOUS!

So today I was supposed to go paintballing with the men from my church, but it's pouring rain today...so since I was the one in charge I guess my morning is going to be spent calling everyone and canceling.

But the good news out of this is that Charity and I will be able to head out tonight to Chilliwack to hang out with our friends Nate and Kristie (Nate's b-day was on the 14th). Then tomorrow night we're off to my parent's house for dinner. We're heading to the Korean BBQ House (only if it's raining) PRAY FOR RAIN! mmmm...Korean BBQ!

Charity is at work today...keeping us out of the poor house. Or probably earning back the money that she spent on my gift. Either way...it kinda sucks that she's gone for the day...but oh well. I'll see her at 2:30, since she only works a short day today.

Enough of my rambling. Time to get calling people!

Bye!

-Ty

Our Alaskan Vacation

Well we're back from a great week in Alaska. As you can see above this is what our weather was like all week: cloudy. But we were so lucky to only get a few hours of rain the entire week, and this was while we were eating massive crab legs in Juneau for lunch! And to top things off we really had quite calm seas for most of the trip...so thankfully people weren't getting sea-sick at all.

The one thing that really is a draw back on an Alaskan cruise is the fact that when your on your "at sea" days you really can't just sit by the pool and soak up the sun...mainly because it was never sunny and never above 12 degrees the entire trip! So you go a little stir crazy not having the outdoors to enjoy. You end up sitting around a table talking, playing games, and eating. The good thing is as I reflect back on this cruise...I certainly did get to relax A LOT! This was a very good stress-relieving vacation.
Charity and I got to take a historic train ride while in Skagway. It was a little boring, but still had some great views of the mountains and rugged terrain of Alaska. During part of the trip you actually enter back into BC. This was fun to be back in my home province...all-be-it for only a few minutes. The ports-of-call are very heavily focused on jewelry shopping...so make sure if you go to have a high credit card limit. This does detract from the trip...since you really take the cruise to "get away" from a consumer driven lifestyle. One of my highlights though was getting to eat 20 ounces of Alaskan King Crab Legs! Oh man were these delicious!If you've ever watched the show "Deadliest Catch" on the Discovery Channel you'll know how HUGE these crabs can get. Simply put...if you ever get the chance to eat some of these...do it! They were amazing. The really dissapointing elements of the trip were

1) Icy Straight Point: Our first port of call...should really be re-named "Icy Straight Point-less". There was so little to do in this small town...and really could have been left off the itinerary.

2) Hubbard Glacier: The fog rolled in...and the inlet was too frozen still to even get remotely close. So all we could see was a small portion of the glacier from a distance. I would assume on a clear day in August you'd have a much better time there.

It was a good time...and Charity and I really loved spending so much of it with her parents who came on the cruise with us. I highly recommend taking a cruise with other people...it really makes it a lot more fun! I don't know if we'll take another Alaskan Cruise...next time I think we'll try to go some place a little sunnier & warmer!

Head over to my facebook site if you want to see more pictures.

-Tyler

Bon Voyage!

We're outta here! I'll post pics from the cruise when I return! I hope you all have a great week.

Please pray for safety in our travels...and that Charity and I will be able to have a really refreshing, relaxing, and rejuvenating holiday.

As I'm sipping "ice tea" on the lido deck I'll be sure to be thinking of you all. Well...ok...that's a lie!

Bye,

-Tyler & Charity