A Day in the Life of a Pastor

First Sunday of Advent

2010-11-26T10:02:00.002-05:00

Good morning everyone this Sunday is the first Sunday of Advent. What is Advent, well I'm glad you asked. I found this definition online to try and explain it better than I ever could, so I thought I would share it with you:

"The word Advent means "coming" or "arrival." The focus of the entire season is the celebration of the birth of Jesus in his First Advent, and the anticipation of the return of Jesus in his Second Advent. Thus, Advent is far more than simply marking a 2,000 year old event in history. It is celebrating a truth about God, the revelation of God in Christ whereby all of creation might be reconciled to God. That is a process in which we now participate, and the consummation of which we anticipate. Scripture reading for Advent will reflect this emphasis on the Second Advent, including themes of accountability for faithfulness at His coming, judgment on sin, and the hope of eternal life.
In this double focus on past and future, Advent also symbolizes the spiritual journey of individuals and a congregation, as they affirm that Christ has come, that He is present in the world today, and that He will come again. That acknowledgment provides a basis for holy living arising from a profound sense that we live in this time and are called to be faithful stewards of what is entrusted to us as God’s people. So, as the church celebrates God’s First Advent, and anticipates a future coming or Second Advent, it also confesses its own responsibility as a people commissioned to "love the Lord your God with all your heart" and to "love your neighbor as yourself."

This is a very complete and theological definition of "What is Advent". I really like this definition because it really touches every aspect of Advent, the past, the present and even the future. The only thing that it doesn't cover is "What is Advent" as it relates to me personally. And for that you will not be able to find a definition anywhere online because Advent will have a significantly different meaning to each person. What I want to do with this post is to let you know "What Advent means to me" and hopefully inspire you to take a closer look at what Advent means to you and your loved ones.

Advent to me is a time of preparation, a reality check on where I am in my spiritual journey and where I want to go in the coming year. I take time to reflect on what I have done over the last year, how far I have come compared to previous years, where I am currently and where I want to go in the next weeks, months and years. I have been celebrating Advent since I was a kid, I remember Sunday nights with my parents sitting around the Advent wreath lighting the candle(s) and sharing what happened during the week. It was a time for reflection and teaching that we shared as a family. When I stepped away from my faith as a teenager and young adult I found there was always something missing during the Christmas season, something not quite right. It wasn't until about 6 years ago when I started up the tradition at home with my own kids that I finally realized what had been missing. I bought an Advent wreath and as a family we started celebrating Advent as a family. Even in our busy lives we take time to stop and share what is going on in our lives, how God is leading us and how we are preparing for the season. My girls are 7 this year and they are starting to look forward to our Sunday night celebrations. As a family this is a great time.

Advent is also a time to refocus, to remember and to honor God, so every year I (just me because I would never impose anything on anyone) combine the celebration of Advent with the act of fasting. Now don't get all excited I'm going to go all freaky and judgemental on you. Fasting is denying something physical (whether it be food or beverage, an activity or something you value) to glorify God and go deeper with Him in the spirit. I use this time to do some "house cleaning" if you will and get rid of all the baggage and clutter in my life, by going the full 4 weeks without whatever I have chosen to fast. It's not dangerous I'm not going on a hunger strike here. Every year I choose something harder to deny and this year is no different. By fasting I remove something and replace it with God, I become fully dependant on Him to get me through it, I focus on Him instead of the item chosen to fast. This year will be my hardest ever I am choosing to fast soft drinks, junk food (including donuts, Timbits, prepackaged deserts, chips and chocolate bars) and snacking after 8pm! This is going to be very tough for me but in the end I will come out on top.

So as we get closer to the first Sunday of Advent I would encourage you to look in to doing something, whether it's spending time with your family praying and sharing, changing a habit or starting a Bible reading plan I would encourage you to do something. Take this time to prepare yourself for the holiday season and by the time you get to Christmas it won't be a let down it will truly be a celebration.

Talk at you soon

Marty

One or the Other or Both

2010-11-02T12:50:00.003-04:00

I know it's been a while since I posted and I'm sorry but I tried something this summer, an expirement if you will, and based on the results this experiment would show me where I would go with the blog. I made the decision sometime in April or May that it would have to be either, or but it can't be both! I would either make an effort to do some face to face contact which would mean no electronic social media help (blogs, facebook twitter etc...) OR really focus on social media and cut back on my face to face contact. The decision was made, face to face was the way to go after all it was more personal, more hands on and from what I thought a better way to go. Problem was that, it was more work, more time away from family and friends but mostly it was less efficient. I couldn't reach 1/10 of the people I would have reached using the social media. I could only be in 1 place at a time. It was awesome spending time with that person but then I had others wondering what was going or why I didn't get a hold of them or hung out with them. Something else I noticed is how much I missed out by not being part of that social media, I missed class reunions, birthday parties and nights out with old friends that I haven't seen in years. Where was this happening you ask, well, invites posted on my wall, tweets sent to me directly and emails forwarded to an address that I don't check very often. But as much as I missed out I can't stop meeting people and make the same mistake by going all electronic social media. I can't live in a virtual world connecting and making friends with people I don't even know. I can't spend my days with my face in my laptop tweeting every little thing I do or could have done and let the world pass me by. So what can I do?
I think the word I'm looking for is balance! It doesn't have to be EITHER, OR it can and needs to be BOTH! I need to find a happy medium but how? That's the real question how do we get that healthy middle? How can I stay connected with people and yet still make time for family and friends. Over the next couple of weeks I'm going to try different things with this blog, my Facebook account and my twitter and hopefully I'll be able to find a happy middle. Starting this Friday and going all weekend I'm doing a technology and social media black out and I'm going to write out (that's right you saw correctly write out) an action plan to try and find a way to use both face to face time and social media. Can it be done, yes it can, how well that's the real question. Hopefully by the end of the weekend I will have better direction, clear focus and a renewed heart.

Thanks for you patience and look forward to hearing from you.

Marty

Study and Teach vs. Teach to Study

2010-03-01T11:27:00.003-05:00

Sometimes it's just better to let someone else say it in his own words. I got this post this morning and for some reason it really got me thinking. I love how it is written and the lesson behind it. Please take the time to read it and let it sink in and if you are interested here is the link to his blog:

http://evotional.com/

Study and Teach vs. Teach to Study from The Batterson Blog - Thoughts on Life and Leadership by Mark Batterson

I think my preaching paradigm is shifting. I've always believed that as a preacher I'm called to study the word and teach the word, but that is changing as our congregation reads through the Bible together. My job is NOT to just study and teach the Bible. My job is to teach our congregation to study the Bible. That is a subtle yet huge difference. The prior approach leads to spiritual codependency. The latter leads to spiritual maturity.

Our journey through the Bible is called From Garden to City. And the genesis was really my rediscovery of the Bible. I read through a one-year Bible in 2009 and it changed my life. I fell in love with the word all over again. And that is our prayer for National Community Church. We want our people to love the word, delight in the word, study the word, and hunger for the word.

The longer I preach the more I realize that people don't need to hear what I have to say but they do need a word from the Lord. Sometimes that happens in a sermon via the anointing. Somewhere between words leaving my lips and hitting the ear drums of listeners, the Holy Spirit will do what the Holy Spirit does. But we also want our people to have a first-hand experience with God via His Word. I try to remind our congregation all the time: don't take my word for it, take God's Word for it. I'd rather have people hear one word from the Lord than a thousand of my sermons.

My point? Let's not just study and teach. Let's teach to study.

Image Part 2

2010-02-05T10:05:00.002-05:00

A couple of weeks I shared my thoughts about image issues that I face as a biker. Today I want to share some thoughts on image when it comes to being a Christian. Yesterday I had the privilege to pick up and hang around a great Pastor, President of Masters College and Seminary, awesome speaker, incredible spiritual leader and all around great guy. He came to speak at Bikers Church, and what an amazing experience it was to have him there. Rob called me earlier this week and asked if I could go with him to pick our guest speaker and maybe we can grab a bite to eat before the service. I said sure it would be cool to meet someone who's been a spiritual leader for over 30 years and get to share his knowledge and experience. Everything was fine, I was really looking forward to meeting him, spend time with him, I even had some questions ready to ask him. But then I started to think, anyone who knows me, knows I shouldn't try to think, who am I going to be tonight? Am I going to be intimidating biker guy, my wannabe super christian or am I going to be me? Tough question one that I debated all day yesterday. For some stuff it was easy for others I'm still not sure. Here's my list I hope you can relate.

Clothes: Easy - biker - jeans t-shirt but hey no stains so noticeable improvement.
Vehicle: Again easy - biker - Pathfinder a lot cooler than the Kia minivan.
Attitude: I gotta be me - joking but not annoying I hope.
Driving skills: Super Christian didn't want him praying the whole way to church.

Those were pretty easy and not too much thought given these next ones are the hard ones. I'm even second guessing my own choices:

Music: Biker me wants Chez or Virgin Radio, Regular me wants Bob FM (love the 80's hair bands) and the super Christian me thinks maybe worship music CHRI in Ottawa. I really struggled with this one all day and as I see him and Rob coming towards the car I changed the station about 12 times, AAAAAAHHHH they’re getting closer make a decision, make it now what do you choose come on hurry up!!!! The door opens and finally I break I turned the radio off! Woohoo Marty 1 - Over thinking 0!

Conversation: Biker me wants to intimidate by sharing my testimony and life choices, Regular me just wants to crack jokes and keep the conversation superficial but Super Christian me wants to get into a deep theological discussion on the history of the PAOC, their values and statement of faith, the early church, oh and maybe throw in a couple of Jesus statements when the opportunity arises. Decision was made for me he asked me; about me (my favorite subject).

Eating: Biker me wants a 12oz rib steak!!! Regular me wants a burger and fries and Super Christian me wants a salad because that's what everybody else was eating! I have to admit the SC won this time I had a Greek salad and was hungry 15 minutes later.

Once I got home and thought about this I realized that we, or should I say, I spend way to much time and effort trying to figure out who I am. There is a bit of me in all those "characters" in my life and maybe that's who I am part biker, part kid and part super Christian. The trick is to know when to use the correct part for the correct situation.

Talk at you later

Marty

Is Knowledge Power?

2010-01-26T09:00:00.002-05:00

Sometimes it's just better to let someone else say it in his own words. I got this from Donald Miller's blog and I didn't want to ruin it by using my own words. I hope you enjoy and appreciate his post as much as I did. I would also encourage you to view his blog here http://donmilleris.com.

Years ago, when I worked at a small publishing company outside Portland, I’d get together every couple days with a former seminary professor named Ross Tunnell. Ross had left seminary work and was doing graphic design, but was widely considered to be one of the smarter Old Testament teachers in Portland. I made a deal with Ross, saying that if I bought lunch, he’d teach me the old testament. And Ross took me up on that offer. We probably met more than fifty times over two years. It was a terrific arrangement.

Ross passed away only a few months ago and I’ve been thinking about those lunches, of all that I learned. But last night I remembered the greatest lesson Ross ever taught me. I was thinking about this lesson because while surfing around on the internet, I saw a minister somewhere speaking very arrogantly about how he had some bit of theology figured out and somebody else didn’t. I think maybe it was a moment of weakness for said minister, but nevertheless it helped me remember something Ross once said.

We were driving back from a conference in Salem and I was going off about some bit of scripture, explaining it to Ross as though he’d never come to the same revelation. I must have talked for about ten minutes, perhaps condescendingly (a way of speaking that prevents true dialogue, and also prevents anybody from disagreeing with you, at least in public) and Ross just sat there and listened. I don’t even recall what scripture I was talking about, but when I was done, and when I looked over at Ross to give an affirmation to my unparalleled intellect, he sat quiet. Finally, I asked what he thought. And Ross just stared straight ahead and said “I think knowledge puffs up.”

I was embarrassed, to say the least. There have been a thousand times since, though, that I wish Ross was standing next to me when I’ve made equally as embarrassing tirades.

Of our fifty or more meetings, that’s the lesson I remember best: Knowledge puffs up.

And I think this is the thing that ruins many a seminary student. Knowledge. It’s not that knowledge is bad, it isn’t, it’s good, very good according to Solomon. It’s just that knowledge is incredibly powerful and dangerous. It has to be handled with care, like a radioactive material. It can easily explode and kill many, pushing people away from the church (unless of course they agree with you.)

A good test for me is to come back to the fruits of the spirit. Is my knowledge producing these characteristics: Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness and Self Control?

If we acquire knowledge before we are emotionally healthy, that is if we are insecure, we are going to use it to boost our own ego and compare ourselves to others. The desire for knowledge will be like a need for a drug, then, pacifying a wounded spirit through comparative associations. Entire theological camps have been built and bolstered by this needy, angry, gluttonous desire for knowledge. But if we have confidence, if we are secure, knowledge humbles us. We realize that we did not invent truth, we simply stumbled upon it like food on a long journey. Knowledge will then produce the fruits of the spirit.

Seeking knowledge, then, is like tending a vineyard. It’s just farming. But you aren’t the one who produced the fruit, God is. You’re just a farmer, just a guy who makes and distributes wine. It’s blue-collar work.

Ross was one of the most humble men I’ve ever met. And he was also one of the most intelligent. Those two combinations are sadly rare. These days I’m wishing I knew what he knew, in more ways than one. Goodbye old friend. And thanks for the lesson.

Is Image Everything?

2010-01-20T11:35:00.002-05:00

This is a question that I have wrestled with for years. Being in the biker community I see it A LOT!!!! Image is everything, and I know I'm generalising, for most bikers. The kind of bike you ride, the type of clothes you wear, the type of music you listen to, the type of movies you watch etc... You can't imagine over the years how many times I've heard "You're not a real biker if...", I've read blog posts that claim to be a real biker you must do this or do that but in the end who is right and who is wrong. Who should I listen to or should I make my own decisions when it comes to being me.

Christian circles are no different when it comes to image. Churches has unwritten rules when it comes to dress codes, types of worship music, ways to pray, where to sit and who to sit with. I always thought that church was a place where you could be open and honest with people without reservation you can just let it all out and be yourself. But apparently I was wrong Image comes into play even at church.

Over the next couple of days I will share with you my image issues that I've been battling with and I truly hope you will be able to comment and give me suggestions.

Until tomorrow talk at you later.

Marty

Feeling Much Better

2010-01-19T16:52:00.000-05:00

Hey everyone I hope you are feeling better then I was last week. Just getting over an inner-ear infection and without getting into any details trust me it was really painful and annoying. It felt like a mix of constant tooth ache with dizziness and a little bit of nausea added in just for kicks! I was off work for almost the whole week just not able to do anything. It finally started getting better during the weekend and every day this week is getting better and better. The reason I wanted to post this is for accountability. I've been trying to get back to the gym since some time in December and there always seems to be something stopping me. Sometimes it's lazyness, sometimes it's an actual good reason but most of the time it's excuses, too busy, too tired, too out of shape, too much work, too little work the list goes on and on and on. But now I figure that if I put it out there I will be accountable to you the readers of my blog, all 3 of you!!!! I need to get back into shape, now that Christmas is over, the gyms are starting to empty out after the New Year's resolutions have all been broken and people realize it's too late to lose the weight before going on holidays down South this is the perfect time to start back up.

As an accoutability tool I have decided want to keep you up to date with what will be happening as I get back to working out. I will post my results and keep track of my progress online. Please feel free to comment on anything posted and if you want to start at the same time as I am and if you want to post your results I would love to hear from you. So I hope you will join me as I begin the long hard road to getting back in shape and maybe someday we will look back on this and laugh or cry at the results.

Talk at you later

Marty

What a Great Night

2010-01-08T16:15:00.000-05:00

Did you ever have one of those great nights when everything seemed to be going right? I've been doing Youth Ministry for almost 2 years and even though all nights are good nights some of them are great and some are TOTALLY AWESOME! Last night was one of those totally awesome nights. Those are the nights that as a Youth Pastor you remember for a long time and you hold on to when you feel like quitting. Because let's face it sometimes when it doesn't go "as well" as it should it's easy to say this ain't worth it, I'm outta here!!!! But everyone once and a while you get a night like last night and that feeling goes away!

The evening started off rough having to deal with traffic and arriving 5 minutes late, but once things finally settled down and the service started it was awesome. I had a very pleasant surprise that made my night, actually it made my week. It put the parable of the lost coin and the lost son in perspective. Two regular youth members that stopped coming out to the youth group awhile ago decided to show up last night for no particular reason so seeing them made me so happy. I've been praying for them a lot lately and to see them show up was an answered prayer. I care deeply for everyone of those kids and I feel truly blessed and honored to be able to teach them week after week but when one of them and in this case 2 of them return "home" it really is a reason to celebrate. There is a passage in the Bible that says if a Sheppard has 100 sheep and he loses 1 sheep does he not leave the 99 to find his lost sheep, well I feel the same way with my group when 1 of them is missing or decides that they're not coming back I want to do everything to in my power to keep them.

I feel truly blessed being part of this group and I hope and pray that they will continue to grow their faith and their journey.

Until next time

Marty

Can Someone be Too Honest?

2010-01-07T14:39:00.000-05:00

This is a question I wrestle with constantly! Can someone be too honest or is it possible to ALWAYS tell the truth even at someone else's expense? Funny how sometimes you can do 2 things at once that are completely unrelated and all of a sudden something happens that brings the 2 things together. Yesterday I was reading my Bible and in the background I was listening to a movie with Jim Carey called Liar Liar and the passage I was reading dealt with honesty and integrity at the same time the character was asking his son to take back his wish of not lying for a whole day in order for him to be able to lie because "he was a lawyer and that's what they do for a living" (direct quote not my opinion). So I started thinking can anyone go through life and never lie, embellish the truth, omit certain things or change the subject to avoid the question and my answer is " I don't think so!"
Work with me for second, the reason why I think we can't do it is because in some cases we either love the person too much or we just can't be bothered getting into an argument with certain people. Let me give you some examples: Your spouse comes up to you and asks (this one is for the guys) does this outfit make me look fat, (now one for the women) aren't I the best handyman you have ever seen? How about this one, wasn't that the best chick flick you have ever seen, dude does this leather jacket make me look tough (I added that last one just for fun). How about at work when your boss asks you to do something it gets done quickly and on time then your boss takes full credit for your idea when asked do you sink your boss CLM (career limiting move) or do you just bite the bullet smile and agree. This is what I'm talking about it's not the black and white type lies that I have issues with it's the grey area. I know lying is lying no matter what, but what do you do in those grey areas.
I usually lean towards the relationship side of the equation and the intention behind the action. "Does this outfit make me look fat, you know what dear I really love seeing you in the other outfit you wore last time, the color really brings out your eyes and you got a lot of compliments when you wore it." Avoiding the truth but saving the evening by not being brutally honest.

Give me your thoughts I promise to be brutally honest with you.

Marty

New Year's Resolutions

2010-01-05T14:53:00.000-05:00

Ah yes it's that time of year again, the time when people sit down and think of ways to torture and guilt themselves into doing something they should be doing anyway. Stuff like eating better, going to the gym loosing weight, becoming a better person or whatever, the list goes on and on and on. Every year my friends try to sucker me into doing it and every year after much debate (and usually a cash incentive) I end up giving in and making some New Year's resolution and sticking money in the pot. Oh and by the way in case someone from Revenue Canada or someone from a church board reads this post all the money that I win goes directly to a charity, and maybe someday I will win and that last statement will be true.
So this year was no different from any other year, I was at home January 1st expecting a call from my buddies, but there was no call???? I was like, finally the tradition has been broken no more resolutions WOOHOO! So I went to bed thinking this is going to be a good year, I'm not starting off the year with any kind of stress like no coffee for the year knowing that by day 2 I would be eating the coffee grinds directly out of the can using the excuse that theoretically it's not a cup of coffee it's just spit and grinds ( I know I'm pathetic but I hate loosing) or quiting chocolate and 1 week later eating a bar of non-sweetened bakers chocolate and using another excuse that I wanted to bake something and needed to know if this was good for diabetics. But this year it was different no silly resolutions to get in my way of enjoying the new year. By Sunday I said to myself, not that I speak to myself regularly, "Well Dude", cause that's what I call myself, "this sucks!" I was totally bored and felt unchallenged so I called my buddies and asked them what was going on, why no resolutions this year and telling them that I want in and that I had a great resolution this year? And that's when it hit me, like a flash of lightning through my brain I remember saying to my buddies right before Christmas, and I quote myself "My resolution for next year will be to not make a resolution!!!!!" After long periods of laughing and pointing at me by my friends I realized that I had lost the challenge AGAIN! So it's back to waiting another year!

Let me just say for the record since I lost the game, I ended up making a few resolutions on my own. Personal resolutions that will help me get closer to God and hopefully become a better Pastor. It doesn't have anything to do with my physical health but everything to do with my spiritual health and since I'm accountable to Him only I will keep it that way. I will keep my resolutions personal and private and hopefully by this time next year I will be able to report on how it went, how long it lasted and if I made it or not.

Talk at you later.

Marty

Happy New Year

2010-01-04T12:04:00.002-05:00

Happy New Year everyone, sorry if it's been a long time since my last post. The end of the year and the end of the decade went out with a bang. I really wanted to keep you up to date with everything that was going on while Rob was away but unfortunately it got soooo busy that I didn't have time to blog, tweet or update my status on Facebook. You see while Rob was away on Sabbatical for 3 months I was the acting Senior Pastor and Youth Pastor at Bikers Church while working full time at my regular job during the busiest time of the year, trying to be a good husband and father to my 6 year old twin girls and finally teaching a 6 week class in October and November. Please don't think I'm throwing myself a Pity Party, on the contrary I am extremely grateful for this opportunity to serve because it showed me 5 things that I needed to know and they are as follows:

1. How far I can be stretched and not broken.
2. When I do reach the breaking point I'm never alone.
3. I can and need to get out of my comfort zone.
4. How much support I have around me at all levels.
5. I need to learn how to set priorities and ask for help.

I was watching a video in May, at the end of my school year, by Craig Groeschel that was recorded at Catalyst a couple of years ago. He said that he prayed a simple prayer over and over again and he encouraged people to say the same prayer so I did because I didn't know any better. He was right it was a simple prayer but what he didn't mention is how dangerous that prayer was. Always be careful what you wish or pray for because you may get exactly what you are praying for. His prayer to God was Stretch me! Ruin me! Heal me! So I spent all of June and July asking God to stretch me, break me, heal me so He did!

As much as it was busy, now that things are finally back to somewhat normal, I want to start the year off with a clean slate and since this is officially my first day back to work from the Christmas holidays this will be my first post of the new year and the new decade. Over the next couple of days and weeks you will notice some slight changes to the look, format and content of this blog, don't worry I'm not going to get all serious or preachy or uptight! It's just not my style or who I am and I firmly believe that you have to be who you are and who you were created to be. I firmly believe that we are all gifted in different areas and we should utilize those gifts. Being someone you're not, adds to the frustration, confusion and stress of everyday life. So stick with me it will be a fun ride this year.

First Business Trip Alone

2009-09-14T16:57:00.003-04:00

Hey everyone, I'm in Montreal this week on a business trip. This is the first time I have been alone on business. Either I go with friends, coworkers, other pastors or even my wife. But not this time it's just me, my laptop, the TV and a Power Point presentation that I have to do tomorrow. I have been waiting for this for a very long time just to be on the road visiting different places. But now that I'm here I don't feel so important anymore. I feel very nervous, very insecure but most of all very lonely. I miss my kids, I miss my wife and I miss everyone at church.

The reason I miss everyone at church so much is because as of today Rob is officially on his sabbatical. Roxanne and I sat down and talked about this yesterday when I got back from my last official meeting with Rob yesterday. I felt the weight of responsibility fall on my shoulders, I felt like the shepherd watching over his flock I need to be alert on constantly vigilant because someone will try to take them or harm them. Now I know that I'm over-reacting but I just feel so responsible for everyone that comes to Bikers' Church. I think about all of them ALL the time I care for each and everyone that comes out and I'm always doing things for BC even when I'm at home relaxing. I am committed to serving God and this is His calling for me to love, take care, shepherd and protect His flock and that's what I'm going to do.

So as you sit and read this please pray for me, for the leadership team, for Bikers' Church over the next couple days, weeks and months.

Thank you

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Happy Labor Day

2009-09-08T10:47:00.002-04:00

I hope you had an awesome long weekend. The last official long weekend of the summer. I hope you had the chance to spend some time with family and friends, spend some time outside or do some work around the house.

I went camping with my family for the last time this year. It was a lot of fun, the kids played outside ALL day and slept well ALL night. It was really great to see how much fun they were having and made me think back of when I was in school. It seems like I played so much harder, stayed out so much longer and squeezed every last drop out of the last weekend knowing I went back to school the next day. Why do we always wait until it's too late before living life to the fullest. Why do we always wait until it's too late before making a decision, try something new, make a commitment or just have fun.

That's my question for you today why do we always wait until the last minute?

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Hard to get back into it

2009-09-03T13:30:00.002-04:00

Did you ever notice the longer you wait to get back into it the harder it is to actually get going. It is so much easier to just stop doing something and not think about it anymore. One of my biggest character flaws is that I like to start stuff do it for a bit and move on to something else. Just ask my wife I must have over 15 membership cards to gym, martial arts studios, health clubs, diet plans etc... I don't know why I do that but it just happens. I can go to the gym for 8 months loose tons of weight improve my cardio by 150% come back from holidays and never set foot in the gym again. This is what is happening with this blog I was doing well (sort of) decided to take the summer off and now it's killing me to keep it on track. It's not that I don't want to do it, it's just getting back into it is hard and slow. I am working hard at finishing what I start as stated in the 5 books I have on the go (none of them finished) but I have to take baby steps. My goal for September is to finish the books that I started, become consistent with posting on my blog, finish the work that I started at home and stay on track at the gym. It seems like such a huge list but really it's not that bad most of the books I only have a couple of chapters left, stuff at home is just touch ups and I now have an accountability partner (my wife who is also the finance planner) to make sure I go to the gym regularly. People call me a professional procrastinator and even though I take offense to that I will deal with them later!

If you deal with the same issues please feel free to let me know what you are doing to change these bad habits.

Later
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Back to School

2009-09-01T21:57:00.002-04:00

Well after speaking to some of the youth last week about going back to school and every one of them telling me they didn't want to go back the day has finally come. As of today most if not all schools in the area have started. I'll be honest with you, once I got to high school I loved the first week back. Now before you get all excited and call me a geek or a nerd, let me point out that I said I loved going back to school not class! I really enjoyed my time at school, I loved the friendships, I loved the idea of starting fresh, new people, new possibilities but most of all just getting back together with some of the people you didn't see during the summer.

I was never what you would call a good student, I struggled in French, English, Math and Science. However I was excellent in Gym, Shop class, Drama, Spares and Lunch! In other words I worked hard at what I wanted to do and slacked off or coasted in what I didn't want to do. Every year my parents and I would get into it, they would threaten and I would promise, they would ask even beg and plead for me to apply myself and I would assure them that I would do my best and by week 3 my best became whatever was good enough. By the end of the year I would just squeak by with a passing grade and my parents would say someday this will bite you in the butt. That used to make me so mad because what did they know about anything they were just stupid adults who don't know anything. Boy was I wrong. 20ish years later and I'm still struggling to get ahead. Because of my poor grades and my lack of commitment I have had to take equivalency tests, specialized training at night and I had to go back to school to finish some missing credits and I still have a long time to go before I can ever move up.

Do I regret my time in school, NOT AT ALL. Would I do anything differently if I could go back, FOR SURE. To go back knowing what I know now there are certain things I would change, study a little more, be a little more serious, be a little more assertive, appreciate the times with friends but most of all I would be nicer to certain people. But in general I would do it all over again almost the exact same way because if I changed anything who knows where I would be today, maybe better but I could be A LOT WORST!

Until next time

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Bad Weather But Great Summer

2009-08-31T11:03:00.002-04:00

Hey everyone I'm back to posting. I know it's been awhile since my last post (sometime in April I think) but I needed to take a blogging break. I also needed to get away from Twitter and Facebook. It was getting to a point where my social networking was getting to be busier than my actual physical networking. I was neglecting family and friends to update status, create new blog posts and just check in on what everybody else was doing. I seemed to know more about Paris and Perez Hilton than I did with my church family and that is sad. So I cut the ties, I stopped blogging (except for Bikers Church blog), stopped tweeting and checked Facebook only to see what my "real friends" were doing. This summer I rediscovered an interesting concept called popping over or, for some you, dropping by. For those of you who don't know how this works let me explain it to you: basically what you do is log off ALL SOCIAL NETWORKING SITES, shut your computer down, get out of the house, either get in a car or my bike and go to some one's place for no reason but just to say Hi. You will be amazed at what kind of conversations you can have with someone when you there without an agenda or for a specific reason.

Let's face it the weather in Eastern Canada was crap this year so I decided to make the best of it and reconnected with some family and friends. I made the effort, took the time and spent an awesome summer just hanging out. It was like getting to know people again. Life is too short to spend all your time wondering and worrying what everybody else thinks of you. Don't get me wrong I have nothing against social networking, I love blogging, Twitter and Facebook, I just don't want these to run my life. If I died today I wouldn't want to be known as the guy who had a million followers or 3000 friends but had only 12 people show up at the wake. I want to make an impact in people's lives, I want to be remembered as a guy who was always there for his family and friends and a guy who made the effort and cared.

So I encourage to log off and get to know people again. Be that person that makes a difference by being there and rediscover your friends. It may be hard to log off at first but it is totally worth it when you get to your buddy's place and you start remembering and reminiscing about old times.

Until next time

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Been a while

2009-04-01T12:41:00.002-04:00

I know it's been a while since my last post. And to all of you who sent me a message, everything is fine and thanks for reminding to post.

Great things have been happening, and even though I am extremely busy right now I feel blessed. I'm blessed to still be working, I'm blessed that my family is healthy, I'm blessed to have an AWESOME Youth Group but most of all I'm blessed to be able to work for God.

As I said some amazing things are coming in the next couple of months and I look forward to it all. I've been asked to speak at a couple of different churches and conferences, I'm heading to Atlanta for a conference at the end of the month, I only have 6 weeks of school and then I graduate from Bible School in June, riding season is finally here and amazing things are happening at The Journey. How can I not feel like I'm blessed!

If you're not feeling God's Blessings in your life right now let me pray for you. I pray that you will truly be and feel blessed, that whatever you are going through right now will just be lifted and that you see the light at the end of the tunnel.

Talk at you later
Marty

Lessons Learned part 6

2009-03-18T20:11:00.003-04:00

Well as I said yesterday today will be the last part in this series. I kept the last commitment as a single and final commitment, not because it was less important, not because I can't count but because it is both extremely important and it finishes the series so well. Again in case you didn't read the first posts or in case you forgot please remember that I didn't write these 10 commitments, I wish I had, but I didn't. These come out of a book written by Doug Fields called Your First Two Years in Ministry.

The 10th and final commitment in our list and one that I find the most difficult is:

#10 I will pursue contentment.
Easier said than done. The first time I read this principle I said no problem I already to that. I'm content with my life, all is good, I have everything I need and I am happy! However if I had another laptop I could improve my productivity, Oh and even better if I had an iPhone that would be totally awesome I could really multi task. Maybe I could get one when I buy my new bike, or if I had a new car and bigger car I would attract more youth and have a program as good as... Well there goes the contentment principle. We live in an age where new and improved has become the norm. You don't fix stuff you buy new stuff and when we get the new stuff we want to upgrade it right away. I was at a Harley dealership last week looking, OK drooling at some bikes and the customer beside me had just agreed to purchase a 2009 Harley Davidson Fat Boy (my dream bike) valued at over $20,000.00 and the first question out of his mouth was what can I do to customize this bike? How much for new pipes, pegs, seat and chrome bling? He hadn't put 1km on the bike and already he was upgrading the basic look of the bike. I guess he wasn't content with just a Fat Boy.
The problem with contentment is that it becomes a fine line with laziness. It's easy to say that I'm not going to do this or that I'm content with everything I have. Are you really or are you just not doing anything and finding excuses. You see what I mean it's a fine line.

It's up to you to find the balance between contentment and laziness but once you do what an awesome feeling. The apostle Paul put really well in (Philippians 4:11-12) "I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want."

I hope this mini blog post series was helpful and I encourage you to review the 10 commitments regularly as a refresher.

Talk at you later

Marty

Lessons Learned part 5

2009-03-17T10:20:00.002-04:00

Two more posts to wrap up this series on commitments. Today I will touch on 2 important commitments and tomorrow I will finish with the final commitment. I know it's been a while and things went a squirely lately so let's quickly recap what we have seen so far.

1. I will move slowly
2. I will regularly check my motives and evaluate my heart
3. I will steer clear from the numbers game
4. I will not criticize the past
5. I will avoid the comparison trap
6. I will focus on priorities and
7. I will pace myself

Now I know that some actually probably most of you do this already but it needs to be added to remind us why and who we are doing this for.

8. I will serve.
If you look at Mat 20:26-28 tells us that if you want to lead you must learn to serve. If you want to be first you must learn to be last, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant. Serving is noble, serving keeps you humble. How do you fight selfishness, serve. The most important part in those verses of scripture comes in verse 28.
"For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Read this verse over again, now re-read it. Let it sink in, remember it and live by it. If Jesus came to serve and not be served than who am I to think that I'm better than He is!

9. I will be a learner.
Never stop learning, always keep the heart of a student. It is extremely important to be open to different concepts and teachings. I have learned so much from the youth in the last month. They can be so open and honest, actually sometimes they can be brutally honest and I respect that from them. You learn from your mistakes and I have made some impressive ones at different times in my life. I'm glad I have people in my life that can speak into my life to guide and teach me. Sometimes the pill was hard to swallow, the lessons were painful but they are also essential in growing.

So I pray today that you can find somebody like that for your life. I pray that you will always be ready and willing to learn and that you will continue to grow. I pray that you will always be a student of life.

Talk at you later

Marty

Technology overload

2009-03-15T11:35:00.002-04:00

Before I get to my new post on Lessons Learned part 5 I just want to comment on the use or should I say over use of technology. Don't get me wrong I'm not against technology, I'm just starting to have issues with the amount of technology we need to keep up. It seems like every time we get into something, or sign up to another site something new and better comes up. Anyone who knows me knows that I'm ALWAYS behind technology wise and I'm OK with that because I still believe in building relationships with people, I love the human face to face contact. Anyone who sends me something on Facebook or My Space asking to be friends I always try to invite them to lunch or for a coffee I just love and need the face to face contact. The problem is when networking becomes a full-time job I have to learn to cut back. Sometimes I feel like I'm speed dating going from one meeting to another. There is a great line or concept in the movie Jerry Maguire when he says that instead of having hundreds of clients we should cut back and build relationships with the existing ones. Unfortunately this isn't a popular concept when it comes to business and he ends up getting fired for writting his manifesto.
As of today I'm adopting that concept and streamlining my focus. I am cutting back on most of my social networks. I'm cutting out My Space and Yahoo, I will be checking Facebook only occasionally and will be Twittering on a limited basis. My main focus will be this blog, person to person tweets, the creation of a website for The Journey and The Journey Page on Facebook.

I thank everyone who follows this blog and I promise to make a better effort to be more consistent with my posts.

Talk at you later

Marty

Lessons Learned part 4

2009-03-11T11:40:00.002-04:00

Today I will be touching on 2 points that are all very relevant and important. I will be describing separately but they can be used as one.

So here we go:

Commitment # 6. I will focus on priorities.
Pretty self-explanatory isn't it, or is it? Not as easy as you think, you can get distracted with the smallest things. There's a series of books called "Don't Sweat the Small Stuff" that really reflect this commitment. When everything has to be done yesterday than how are you supposed to know what has to be done first. Sit down and have a planning session, either alone or with the Senior Pastor to set a list of priorities and use those as a guideline. You will be surprised how much time you will save by having a clear list of what needs to be done and when. Everything else becomes secondary.

# 7. I will pace myself
Hebrew 10:36 really sums it up: " Patient endurance is what you need now, so that you will continue to do God's will. Then you will receive His promise." Remember when I talked about running the marathon if you don't yourself you will burn out quickly. Be patient, take time to listen to God. He will direct you in the correct direction if you let him. It's God's time not yours and sometimes that's really hard to accept because after all we know more than God right? I have just started an exercise program and all I can think about is how much I was doing a couple of years ago and how much I'm out of shape now. I can't keep up to what I was doing in the past I need to start with the walk program, then do the walk and run, eventually the run and walk and finally to run again. When I try too hard or move too fast I crash and burn with sore feet, bad arches and shin splints and I quit again but instead of quitting sometimes you just have to slow down or walk you don't have to run all the time.

That's all for today please feel free to send me some comments on this or any of the other messages.

Talk at you later
Marty

Lessons Learned Part 3

2009-03-07T14:17:00.003-05:00

Sorry about that. I have neglected my blogging duties for a couple of days and left you hanging a little (that's OK sometimes the anticipation is worth it).

So here it goes. You will have excuse the mistakes that may occur during this post as I am trying to do 2 things at once, post this message and answer my 5 year old daughter's questions. If you have a 5 year old girl you know exactly what I'm talking about!!!!

Principle # 5 I will avoid the comparison trap.
This is a very big one especially for me. Being very new to this I found it easier to just go to other groups to "see and take notes" on how they do things. It was a very sobering moment to walk into a room with 115 kids worshiping and praying all together. How can you not compare what they have with what you have. It's an easy to trap to fall into if you're not careful. You know what I realized in that moment, they are not MY youth and even if they have 115 none of them come from my group. I love the youth I'm working with and wouldn't trade them for anything, they keep me grounded and on my toes at the same time. WE are a group whether we are 12 or 120 this is OUR group I don't need to compare myself against other groups or other leaders God called ME to be here not a clone of them.

I just realized that I didn't post this message I saved it instead you see I told you it is hard to do 2 things at once when you have a 5 year old.

Talk at you later

Marty

Lessons Learned part 2

2009-03-04T16:35:00.002-05:00

So today we will be touching another one of those that even though I just started I have found myself already guilty of doing and it is:

3. I will steer clear from the numbers' game.
In a society that demands a clear evaluation system the easiest one that can be used when it comes to youth ministry or small groups is how many people do you have? Success is often ranked by net income, total worth, how many toys you own or how many friends you have on Facebook. It is clear, there are numbers to back our claims and it can be used as a bench mark for the next person. I went to a comedy club once and the comedian said something like "the more friends you have on Facebook the less you have in real life!" There may be some truth to that if you spend all of your time increasing your numbers when are you building relationships?
Stay away from the numbers game instead focus on the positive relationships that you have acquired with your small group. It's a lot easier to find out what is really going on in somebody's life when there are few people as opposed to a large group.

4. I will not criticize the past.
Easier said than done. It is easy to put all the issues that you are facing right now on the person that just left. Focus on the positive from the past and build on it. Work with what works and take it from there. There is a great line in Kung Fu Panda (one of my favorite movies) "Quit, don't quit? Noodles, don't noodles? You are too concerned about what was and what will be. There is a saying: yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, but today is a gift. That is why it is called the "present." The turtle is wise my friend the turtle is wise! Stop focusing on the past start a new chapter and move on. Use what worked as a guideline and build from there.

Until tomorrow remember that it's not about how many or blaming the last guy, it's about building relationships with that one kid that needs your attention now today not the last guy or the next guy YOU TODAY. A wise man once taught me that when he sits back and thinks about his youth group days he doesn't remember what was taught, everyone that was there or how many people went but he will always remember the one on one times, the before and after the service talks or the events that he went to with his Youth Pastor.

Talk at you later

Marty

Lessons Learned part 1

2009-03-03T11:33:00.002-05:00

Yesterday I told you about this awesome book I was reading called Your First Two Years in Youth Ministry by Doug Fields (www.dougfields.com) and as I said yesterday I highly and completely recommend it to anyone and everyone in Youth Ministry in a paid position or as a volunteer leader, as someone who is just starting or been doing this for awhile it will help all of you. The more I was thinking about it the more I realized that I need to talk more about the valuable information in the book in the hopes that you will pick it up.

One of the most important lessons I have learned so far came from chapter 1, and I will go into it deeper over the next couple of days. I just think this information is so beneficial that I really want to share this with all of you whether you are in youth ministry, ministry in general or starting a small group these principles will help you. Doug Fields calls these the Top 10 Youth Ministry Commitments.

1. I will move slowly.
This is one of my major issues, I want it all and I want it NOW! The reference used in the book and in the Bible is that of a marathon runner vs. a sprinter. Are you in it for the long haul or just a 100m dash? What kind of impact will you have if you quit after 3 months, how will the youth/or the members of your small group react if you shut everything down just when the group starts to feel comfortable with each other. Can we say trust issues.

2. I will regularly check my motives and evaluate my heart.
Working with small groups I find a lot of issues come up when this principle is forgotten. Pride can set in or the sense that "I" did this by myself. This is mine and therefore it will be done my way! Dude unless your Frank Sinatra "My Way" may not be the best way! ALWAYS remember as Max Lucado wrote in his book: "It's NOT About Me". So before making decisions that can and will impact the whole group check your motives and evaluate your heart.

I think this is enough for now, so I will go into another 2 or 3 principles tomorrow. Please remember that these have been taken from the book (YFTYYM) and I want to make sure that you do not think that I stole the idea these are not my principles/commitments. They were written by Doug Fields and he deserves all the credit so that is why I encourage you to pick up the book to get the complete definitions of each point. Hopefully I will give you enough information to peak your interest and maybe you didn't know where to look so I wanted to guide you in the right direction.

Talk at you later

Marty

Lessons Learned in Youth Ministry

2009-03-02T15:23:00.003-05:00

So the first lesson that I have learned so far, YOU CAN'T DO ALL BY YOURSELF! Wow how deep is that, I should get a book deal and start a tour. But seriously you can't. I have read 3 books in the last week and they all basically say the same thing. You need help, you should ask for help or get help. Same message said three different ways. And I agree with them. So I decided to get some help and use the free resources that are out there and available to everyone. It's amazing what kind of help you can get when you put the call out there. I'm a brand new youth pastor where do I start and I need help!!!! Within a matter of minutes the resources, the advice, the offers to help were really coming in because everyone out there wants you to succeed. It's not a competition it's a brotherhood. One of the best pieces of advice that I have received in the last couple of weeks has been the suggestion that I pick up a great book called Your First Two Years in Youth Ministry written by Doug Fields. What an awesome book and extremely helpful. I read this book and I feel like I'm sitting with Doug and he is answering my questions. The scary thing about this book is the fact that the answers seem the be coming in the order that I would actually be asking them if he were sitting in front of me.

If you are just starting out in Youth Ministry and you are wondering what am I doing here I strongly recommend you pick up this book it is worth it's weight in gold. I hope that someday I have the opportunity to meet Doug in person because I really want to thank him for the great advice.

Talk at you later

Marty

Happy Anniversary!

2009-02-27T09:06:00.002-05:00

I just read an interesting article. It was on hockey and the teams in the NHL, it was a club by club review and most of the facts quoted didn't surprise me but this one point really stuck out and I just wanted to share this with you. If the Toronto Maple Leafs don't win the Stanley Cup this year, AND THEY WON'T, and will continue a 40 YEAR LOOSING STREAK!!!! 40 Years leafs fans that's something to be proud of!

After sharing this with a Leafs fan at work his comment was and this comes as no surprise, "well it looks like the Sens aren't going to make the playoffs this year!" Ouch that hurt, no not really!

So here is my question to you what's worst having a team that folded 60 years ago after winning 10 Stanley Cups and then coming back in the 90s and not winning one since or having a team for 75 years and not winning a cup since 1969?

Think about it and let me know and HAPPY 40TH ANNIVERSARY LEAFS FANS.

Talk at you later

Marty

A True Servant's Heart

2009-02-16T11:20:00.003-05:00

Good morning everyone, I just wanted to start by letting everyone know how proud I am of being a member of Bikers Church. Last week I was told of 2 things that happened to make me realize how blessed I am. I won't go into details because I haven't been given permission to share the details but let's just say that 2 of our members have been really and truly blessed by some of our other members. These 2 guys are awesome servants and have been for years, always putting everyone else needs before their own. They volunteer and give of themselves over and over again until they can't give anymore but then somehow manage to find a little bit more and give that as well. These guys tend to always be the first ones there and in most cases are the last to leave. The church would have a lot of difficulties functioning without them. After years of serving without asking for anything or requesting any compensation they have both received gifts from anonymous donors. And what makes this truly amazing was that it came at the PERFECT time.

It's nice to see when the givers become receivers. That something good happens to great people.

Talk at you later.

Marty

Technology

2009-02-11T07:25:00.000-05:00

AAARRGGGHHH! Technology can be wonderful, sometimes! But it can also be frustrating. I have been trying to edit and update this blog to make it fresh, to make it inviting and to make it appealing to all age groups. Funny how editing one thing can snowball out of control. All I wanted to do was change the title get some new colors. Well those 2 changes caused the loss of passwords which in turn lost the ability to leave comments which in turn prevented the opportunity to have an open discussion. I'm pleased to tell you that I think all issues have been resolved!!!! I hope!

If you have any comments, complaints or suggestions please feel free to let me know.

Thanks, talk at you later

Marty

Changes!

2009-02-10T15:14:00.000-05:00

So this is the week where we say goodbye to Clive at Bikers Church! I'm a little sad to see him go because he has been such an inspiration to our youth over the years. Clive has volunteered as our youth pastor for over 6 years always with a smile, without requesting to be compensated for his time and mostly without ever complaining about the youth and the direction of the church. He has helped me and others deal with some issues and he has always been there since the first day he decided to help. I can count on 1 hand how many times he has missed since the first day. So I would like to take the time to honour him, to wish him good luck in whatever he decides to do and to ask God to bless him like he has blessed us at Bikers' Church.

Clive my friend you will be missed and we look forward to having you come and visit us if and when you have a chance. The youth and the leadership will miss you.

So as of next week I will be responsible for the youth at Bikers Church. We have a new name "The Journey", a new look and feel and very shortly a new website called thejourneyyouthgroup.com. We will focus on mentoring, teaching the next generation to teach the next generation..., growing spiritually and creating an environment where the youth of the city can come and feel safe and share ideas goals and dreams. Our philosophy will be based on the principle found in 1 Timothy 4:12 "Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity."

As soon as the website is up and running I will post it here.

Talk at you later

Marty

To post or not to post that is the question

2009-02-04T15:48:00.000-05:00

So if that is the question what is the answer? I was looking at a couple of blogs that I follow and found a link to a blog that I had never seen before. As I started reading it I realized the content and comments were really not something that I have any interest in. They claim that people are trying to censore them, or that "the purists" are getting together to block anything that doesn't conform with their beliefs. Some of the comments are quite heated and almost to the point of being offensive and the name calling is totally uncalled for (on both sides of the argument) but isn't that what a blog is about. As much as I don't agree with the content of that particular blog in the end it's up to me to choose not to read it. If you get that offended with the comments that are made don't read it, don't advertise it on your blog saying how bad it is, don't refer to this blog when quoting how bad the world has become but mostly don't fall into the trap of using the same colorful language and comments used on the blog.

I have spoken about this blog to make a point, I will not refer to it, bookmark it and don't bother sending me a message asking me about the blog because I won't tell you. The best way to stop this person is to let him or her post their comments and not have any readers. If you go to their level you are just adding fuel to the fire. Don't get me wrong I'm not telling you to bury your head in the sand I'm just saying don't fall in their trap by acting and speaking the same way. Be the bigger person share your opinion or post a comment in a loving way.

The choice is yours reply in a loving manner or fall to their level whether you read the blog or never go on it again advertise how bad it is and rally together to try to have it stopped or just refuse to publish it or make mention of it, in the end the choice is yours.

Talk at you later

Marty

A very long weekend

2009-02-03T10:06:00.000-05:00

Hey everybody glad to be back at work. This had to be one of the longest weekends of my life. There were so many highs and so many lows it was hard to keep track of, I should be smiling or crying! I have to admit that this has been one of the hardest weeks that I have had as a Pastor in 3 years. It took a lot out of me and by Sunday night I was physically, emotionally and spiritually drained. I just wanted to emotional roller coaster to end.

It started Friday, I was asked to assist at the funeral of a good friend's wife, who was also a good friend. Although I was honored to be asked to take part in the funeral it was one of the hardest things I have had to do. To stand there in front of their family and our friends and publically say goodbye tore me up inside. Then Saturday morning I got up early to spend time with my kids and take them to Jiu Jitsu and chear them on with joy and pride, only to drop them off to attend another funeral. I didn't know the person but her daughter was one of our youth's Big Sister so I went to support her. Later that evening I was invited to a High School reunion of sorts and met some really old friends, people I had not seen in over 15 years. I had a blast, it was awesome seeing them again and look forward to another evening SOON. It wasn't until I got half way home that I realized how much I missed hanging out with them. It got me thinking of how different my life could have been if I would still be hanging out with these old friends. I also found out some really sad things about how some of them had really crappy lives growing up. I remember hating some of the people I went to school with in grades 5, 6, 7 and 8 because they seemed to have everything and I had nothing compared to them. Sad that the stuff they had came at such a high price. Sunday started off great I attended the service at City Church to see, meet and speak with their new Pastor. What a great guy, I wish him and his family all the best as the new Pastors of City. And finally to top it all off the victory of the best football team of all time in the NFL the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Fortunately not all my weekends are like this and I'm extremely grateful for the valuable lessons learned, the most valuable was rest. Monday night I fell asleep it was about 8pm and I still feel tired. So there is a very good chance that it will be an early night again tonight.

To those of you who offered kind words and support I thank you it really meant a lot.

Talk at you later

Marty

Somedays...

2009-01-29T10:32:00.000-05:00

I don't care how spiritual you are, or claim to be. I don't care how long you have been a Christian. I don't care how many years you have gone to church, you have to admit that some days you just don't want to... (you can finish this sentence). In my case today is one of those days. The problem is my don't want to list is quite long, maybe even too long to write in this entry. Let's just start with the easy ones, today I don't want to...

1. get up and get going
2. be courteous, polite and friendly
3. be patient, nice and caring
4. deal with people
5. sit in traffic
6. listen to people tell me about their problems...

These are just a few of the "I don't want to" items on my list today. The difference between my past life and now is; I don't let my "don't want to" list take over my life. I look for something positive that will get me from where I am when I wake up, to where I want to be when my wife and kids wake up 1 hour later. If that doesn't work I spend time talking with God asking Him for help, praying for a different mindset or outlook and I then I pray for other people. When you pray for others it is easy to see that, in most cases, it could be worse. Don't get me wrong I have to work at it regularly (OK everyday) but as I said I refuse to let my "I don't want to" list take over my day, my week my life. And wouldn't you know it, it's always those days when people stop you and ask for your advice or it is the slowest traffic day of the week. I'm really happy that I took the time to refocus this morning because it seems like it's been one of those days where I won't be able to get anything done. So far I have had 4 phone calls, 3 people stop in my office for over 30 minutes just to chat and tell me about their personal issues and a half a dozen emails asking me for my advice and council. With everything happening it has taken me over 3 hours to write this so I hope you can get a little something out of it. Well I got to go somebody just walked in.

Talk at you later

Marty

Passing of a dear friend

2009-01-28T11:54:00.000-05:00

It is with great sadness that I announce the passing of a near and dear friend. Carrie was a true friend in every sense of the word, she never judged me, never spoke behind my back (she always told you to your face), always supported me with my decision to become a pastor but most of all she was always there to listen. She kept me in line and honest, she prevented me from exaggerating the facts and was always honest when my sermons sucked (sometimes maybe too honest).

I will miss her very much. She was my friend, my councilor my hero and nobody will ever be able to take her place.

Marty

Try something different

2009-01-27T08:51:00.000-05:00

I was reading Jason Boucher's blog post called I have a Crush on you found here: http://www.slicesoflife.ca/ and in it he sums up everything that I have felt when making the decision to go into ministry. It isn't the lack of experience that stopped me, the lack of support or the opposition from family and friends it was fear. The fear of failure, the fear of looking like an idiot, the fear of disappointing my teacher and mentor, the fear of embarrassing my family, I was afraid! So it took me almost 1 year before making the decision and accepting the call that God had for my life. I made the commitment and have stuck with it for almost 3 years of studying and over 4 years of serving my church, serving The Church.

Last week I preached a sermon on the Future and the fact that if we want to serve we need to leave. We don't have to necessarily have to leave geographically sometimes you have to leave a situation, get out of our rut get rid of the " same-ol' " lifestyle, just leave. Sometimes it can be easy but a lot of times it is really hard. Staying is comfortable, it's reassuring, you know what's coming and can prepare for it. On the other hand leaving can be scary it's unpredictable, it can surprise you and startle you, it can leave you feeling uneasy and unsure of yourself you become afraid. Please don't think I have all the answers because I still get scared, I still worry sometimes and I still fight fear. It took me a long time to accept the Youth Pastor position, I thought long and hard, debated looked at all the pros and cons, analyzed and rationalized and couldn't make a decision. Not because I didn't want to do it, it certainly wasn't because of the Youth, because they are the reason why I wanted to do it they were the pros, it was because I was afraid. It wasn't until I stopped doing it on my own and actually prayed about it that the answer became very clear that I had to do this. One thing is sure when I stop doing things on my own and trust God with Everything in my life those fears stop instantly and worrying turns into excitement of the great things to come.

So for the next couple of days or weeks I encourage you to do something different, try something that you have always wanted to try but mostly have faith that God will lead you through it.

Talk at you later

Marty

Restart 09

2009-01-26T08:54:00.000-05:00

I spent the evening last night at the Life Centre to celebrate the end of a 21 day fast. Don't get excited I didn't stop eating for 21 days, well I guess I did sort of. I gave up snacking after dinner so from 6pm to 6am only water. For a guy who could become a professional snacker trust me it was hard. I learned some very valuable lessons over the last 21 days like:
1: I can't do it all by myself
2: When I trust God with EVERYTHING in my life, things run a lot smoother
3: People disapoint, God doesn't
and
4: A life of faith is a life of leaving.

Over the next weeks and months I will try really hard to teach these life lessons to the youth at The Journey. I will also keep you posted on how things are going as we "RESTART" the program. The 21 day fast was very eye opening and it was also a time to get excited about things that will be happening in the very near future. It was like a kick in the pants to GO, get started, leave the old behind and get restart with the new!

Talk at you later

Marty

I'm Baaack!

2009-01-23T21:08:00.000-05:00

Hi everybody glad to be back I hope you didn't miss me too much. I'm glad to be back in the saddle as they say. As promised as soon as it was possible I wanted to give you information about me and what's going on in my life and now the time has come.

As you can see by the new blog title some changes have occurred in the last couple of weeks that I wasn't able to share with anyone until now. I just wanted to make sure that all parties involved were told and understood what was going on before I made the official announcement. Well here it is as of 7:30 last night it has been officially announced to the youth and to the members at Bikers Church that I am now the new Youth Pastor for Bikers Church. This is very exciting for me because I have felt called to do this for a while. Clive the previous Youth Pastor has been there for 6 years and has done an awesome job taking care of the youth group and I wish to thank him for EVERYTHING he has done. He was there when most people would have bailed and will still be around on occasion to help me when I need it. He has really helped me fit into this role and for that I will always be grateful. So Clive brother as you move on to new challenges and new beginnings I wish you all the best. I pray for success and prosperity in everything you do, any organization will be lucky to have you. We will miss you and I want you to know that you are always welcome to come and visit. Thanks again brother!

As for me this is a whole new chapter that is starting in my life. I really look forward to restarting, revamping and refocusing the new youth group at Bikers Church. The first thing that we needed was a new name. After much discussion, voting and praying the youth decided on a new name so from now on we will not be called Bikers Church Youth anymore, from now on we are:
The Journey! What an awesome name and I love the fact that they chose it. We are also working on a new website and it will be called: www.thejourneyyouthgroup.com. We will also be creating a blog and will be working on a forum where the youth of the city can come and participate to different Q&A sessions, surveys and discussion groups . I would like to have guest "speakers" and have all kinds of questions and topics. Anything from religion and spirituality all the way to cars, today's events, fashion, WHATEVER. So keep your eyes on this blog for more details as they come up.

Tomorrow I will talk about where do I/we go from here. Where will The Journey take me and where am I going with The Journey.

Talk at you later

Marty

Don't give up on me

2009-01-15T12:20:00.000-05:00

Wow I can't believe it's been over a month since my last post but there is a reason and I will share it with you shortly! But for now all I ask is for you to be patient with me as I work out all the details, dot all the i and cross out all the t's. Some new and exciting challenges for me up ahead which will mean some funny stories for everyone to read.

So keep your eyes on this blog as I will be posting some stuff very shortly.

Thanks for your patience and talk at you later

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Believe it or not I made it through

2008-12-10T16:08:00.000-05:00

A couple of weeks ago (I think) I mentioned that if I could make it through that week then everything will get better! I was right! Last weekend was terrible, we were so busy that when I got to work on Monday it felt like I never left. It was actually nice to get caught in yesterday's and today's snow storm to slow things down a little. My work life is getting back to normal and homelife also pretty much back to normal(as normal as normal can be)! Saturday night I had a blast, I went out with some of the best people I know and we went to a comedy club! I was really tired and wasn't sure if I wanted to go. Man am I ever glad I decided to go because I had the best time I've had in years! I haven't laughed or had this much fun in I don't know how long! What a great night with some awesome friends!
This weekend has really put stuff into perspective and I have a new outlook on life. I just finished working on my sermon for Thursday and actually started working on the planning stages for next week's message with the youth.
So I would like to thank God for getting me through these last weeks and months, thank Roxanne for being so patient with me and thank my friends for the awesome night on Saturday, you guys Rock!

Talk at you later
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Small rant!

2008-12-08T10:24:00.001-05:00

Last week I had the most expensive sandwich of my life! I went to this new restaurant in my building for 3 reasons 1: I wanted to try it, 2: it was in my building and 3: I'm lazy and it was in my building! I won't mention their name because I don't want to promote or bash this restaurant I'm just using it as an example. So back to my rich man sandwich, this restaurant promotes themselves as being "green" or "enviromentally friendly" by using "organic produce", "recycled materials" and "bio friendly energy" to power the restaurant (and by that they mean that they use sunlight for lighting the restaurant). I was proud of myself I'm getting a healthy sandwich and "helping" the environment. Well I get to the cash and the sandwich and a glass of tap water cost me over $10.00. ARE YOU KIDDING ME OVER $10.00 FOR A SANDWICH! I'm getting really frustrated with these companies that use catch phrases like environmentally friendly or eco-friendly or whatever friendly to a jack up the price! Why do I have to pay more to be environmentally friendly! Don't get fooled people some of these companies use these catch phrases just to raise prices to increase profit. They guilt us into a sense believing that we can make a difference and by paying more you're helping more and in some cases that's just a lie. It's marketing, really good marketing. If they trully believe that they want to help the environment these companies should sell the eco-friendly products at the same price as the regular non environmentally friendly products! But I'm not sure they want to cut into their profit margin to help the enviromnent or anyone else for that matter. If I had the choice to buy something that is good for the environment at the same price at the other brand I would easily make the right choice but why should I pay almost twice the price for the same thing that is enviromentally friendly made by the SAME company. Did you notice that a certain cleaning product company came out with "green line" of cleaning products however they still produce the non-green product and have those on sale while the eco stuff is twice the regular price!

Read the labels, be informed when making choices and don't get fooled by all the marketing out there! These companies pay millions of dollars a year in marketing to get our cash. Just be a wise shopper sometimes a green sticker is just a green sticker.

As for the sandwich it was good, but definitely not worth $11.00!

Talk at you later

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Small Stuff

2008-12-01T20:23:00.000-05:00

Funny how you can read a book and say to yourself, " Wow that is so true, or I really wish I could do that" Well that just happened to me. I finally had a few minutes to myself and started reading some blogs that I haven't had a chance to read in a long time and it hit me! Look at you're own blog, Wow November 18th was my last post. My how time flies when you sweat the small stuff. I know what you're thinking how busy can he really be. Well for once pretty darn busy. I'm working 10 hour days at work coming home to 5 year old twin girls and trying to plan and restart the youth program at church. And if that isn't busy enough I had an elective that I had to complete at school with a 4 to 6 page essay due tomorrow. So it's been a little hectic lately. Everything should start settling down by the end of this week and I'm really looking forward to it.

So if you can say a little prayer to help me get through this week and into the weekend trust me I'm going to need it.

Talk at you later

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My personal thoughts

2008-11-18T23:20:00.000-05:00

I promised myself and others when I started this blog that I would try to keep it upbeat and funny. Try not to get to serious with myself and keep things light. I made that promise so that if you are having a crappy day or if you need a pick me up I would hopefully be able to fulfill that need. Well today I want to do it differently, I want you to feel empowered, I want you to feel like you have something to live for and I want you to realize that life is precious. This is a blog that I read regularly, I'm talking Raisin Bran, Metamucil regular. I never miss and go on it every day. There are very few blogs that I visit regularly but this one I NEVER miss a day and you shouldn't either. So here it is: from Carrie's Bit

Just read it! Nuf Said

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A little about me!

2008-11-17T15:17:00.000-05:00

I know I promised that I would tell you or reveal a little about me as the days, weeks months went along on this blog. Well today isn't going to be one of those days! Just kidding I wanted to give you some insight in what I'm doing and what I want to do. As you may or may not know I'm the assistant pastor at Bikers Church and I'm truly blessed to be leading/serving such a great bunch and to be honest with you I don't know if I could ever serve somewhere else. I would if I'm called to it but my preference would be to stay there.

Something else you might not know about me, I love sport related movies (mostly football) but any kind of sport movie ALWAYS peeks my interest. Some of my favorites include: Invincible, The Longest Yard, Remember the Titans, Facing the Giants, Gridiron Gang, Something for Joey, The Program, Any Given Sunday and the best football movie of all time Rudy. Don't get me wrong I don't discriminate with other sports, boxing movies are good I love all the Rocky movies, Ali with Will Smith was excellent. I even enjoy a good hockey movie like Slap Shot, Miracle and the best cheesiest hockey movie of all time Youngblood with Rob Lowe, Patrick Swayze and if you pay close attention you might notice Keanu Reeves in nets.

All this to say I love sports movies. Do you have a favorite sports movie or do you have a comment about any of the ones that I mentioned above. I would really love to hear from you.

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Another Day Another Experience

2008-11-14T20:20:00.000-05:00

Today it feels like I spent the whole day putting out fires and dealing with personal issues. It seems that when people know what I do or at least what I'm studying to do it's an open ticket to say and ask anything. Usually I don't mind but sometimes when it hits too close to home or when it gets personal the time and place might be inappropriate. Don't get me wrong I love helping people, I love serving God and when I can do both at the same time everything feels right. So helping a co-worker just seems natural but as I said sometimes the time and place that is chosen can really make me feel uncomfortable and uneasy. I don't like to get into huge theological debates in public with people that don't want to hear both sides, or people that just want to debate to hear themselves talk. I don't like being put against the ropes and thrown blanket statements and asked to "defend" myself or "defend" all of Christianity and then the person walks away after the general statements were made. I don't mind having a conversation with someone where we can exchange ideas and opinions but blanket statements thrown out to embarrass and shame believers I don't have the time or patience to deal with that at work. Don't get me wrong I have nothing against the person, and I actually prayed for this person after the conversation was done I just don't like being blind sided and backed in a corner.

I find it funny (in a very sarcastic way) that I can't talk about religion at work, or share my belief but it is OK to be confronted by someone with non-religious beliefs and get asked to defend myself, my church, my beliefs and my God. It's OK to bash Christianity at work but it's frowned upon and prevented to tell anyone that I'm a Christ follower or an assistant pastor! Oh well what's a guy to do? You know what someone should do, show patience, understanding, compassion and love for the attacker because God is a mighty God and He can defend himself. What you have to do is be prepared to answer questions once the confrontation is done. You see as soon as the person left and everything calmed down I had 4 people come up to me and ask how I kept my cool and that they wanted to speak with me about personal problems and ask me if God can actually help them.

Thank you God for the opportunities, thank you for trusting me but mostly Thank you God for calling me to serve You.

My advice to you is listen for His voice, be willing to do what it takes and be ready when He calls you, because it can happen at any time.

Talk at you later

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Back in the swing of things

2008-11-13T17:20:00.000-05:00

Wow what a great time and what a conference! The speakers were amazing and the youth that we took with us did an awesome job. They really impressed me and changed my attitude towards youth ministry. You see when I started this journey I said to myself there are only 2 areas that I would not work in and the first was youth! Well God has a sense of humor and He loves it when we say we won't do something because it's not in us. He will find a way to get you to see it His way eventually!

I know that youth ministry is hard and I know that it won't always be perfect but that's what will make it fun. And that's why this may be a perfect fit, I can be hard to get along with and trust me I'm far from perfect, VERY FAR from perfect. Maybe if I trust God and let go He might just guide me in the right direction. He tends to do that when you let Him.

So I'll keep you posted on my future plans and thoughts as I continue to contemplate some heavy questions.

Talk at you later

Marty

Resonate 08 day 2

2008-11-08T14:45:00.000-05:00

Hey everybody getting close to the end of day 2 and the end of the conference. Really looking forward to coming home and being with my wife and kids I really missed them this weekend. Got a lot done covered a lot of topics and heard some great ideas. The youth that came with us seem to have had a good time (I hope) and will take something back that hopefully will help them with their leadership skills.

I'm really proud of the guys and girl that came with us they did an awesome job, kept an open mind and were willing to participate in everything we asked them to participate in.

Got to go for now will talk to you soon

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Resonate 08

2008-11-08T07:40:00.000-05:00

Hey everybody I'm writing to you from the beautiful downtown Metropolis of Belleville. I'm at Resonate 08 it is an annual leadership conference for youth pastors and youth leaders. For those of you who don't know, I have decided to take on a more active role in taking care and trying to bring back our youth program. So I figured that if I'm going to this I'm going to do it right. I'm one of those people that if I commit to something I do it completely with 1oo% conviction or I don't do it all. It takes me time to agree or to commit but when I do I give it my all! So this conference was the first step in my transformation.
I have to admit I was a little sceptical and apprehensive at first. I didn't know what to expect or what I was getting into because this was my first youth conference ever. I have to admit that the first day was really fun. The speakers were good and the choices of topics were quite varied and very relevant. But you know what really got me, it was the passion and conviction of some of the youth that is here! Some of these young adults really have IT (reference to Craig Groeschel's book) while others are still struggling but are really open minded to change. I am learning more from watching the interactions between the different groups than I have in the different seminars and to me that's what's important. It doesn't have to be what 1 person says or what 1 course can do for you I personally think it is the whole experience and what you take from it and what God is telling you to do. Too many people come to the conferences and think they are SUPER SPIRITUAL because they attend ALL the speakers conferences but miss the oppurtunities to actually minister and LEARN. They tend to miss what God is telling them to do because they are too busy!
But I'll be honest with you the thing that I have appreciated the most in this whole weekend was the fact that not only was this my first time at a youth conference but it was also the first for a couple of the youth from our church! These 2 guys (which will remain nameless at their request) have been nothing but perfect gentlemen! They have been extremely polite and open to everything that was requested from them. They have gone to most of the presentations and stayed until the end and they have actually chosen to attend some of the meetings. They were like me very skeptical and reluctant at first. Don't get me wrong they're not at the same point as some of the guys and girls that are here but the fact that they are here is phenomenal! I have known 1 of them for years and the other for almost a year now but have never really made the effort to get to know them until now and for that I'm trully sorry. Parents of these 2 boys you should be really proud of them!!!!

Got to go for now talk at you later

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Disposable society

2008-11-03T21:29:00.000-05:00

Hey everybody, just wanted to share something. Did you ever notice how we don't fix stuff anymore? It seems like all we do is just buy new stuff. Now I don't know if it's because we want new toys or we are just trying to compete with Jones' or maybe it's because it costs just as much if not more to fix than to replace but we just don't fix stuff anymore. Does anyone know how to fix a TV anymore? The worst part in all this is it doesn't matter how much you spend for the stuff it will break within the year!!!!
This has been bugging me since last week and I really got a kick in the butt yesterday. I bought a brand new pair of Harley Davidson motorcycle boots last year. I paid over $200.00 for them so I figured they would last me at least 3 to 4 years! WRONG! After about 16 months the soul is falling apart. So instead of buying a new pair I went to a shoe repair guy to get a new soul put on. The dude wants to charge me over $70.00 for new souls. He tells me that the problem with shoes these days is that they are made poorly and the new souls would last me at least 5 to 6 years. I'm like cool that's a good deal however he then tells me that the leather will probably fall apart anyway! Nice guy just a really bad salesman. So back to square one! Do I buy new boots or new souls???
I also have a 32" Sony Trinitron that the tube is going on it. I love that TV but it keeps shutting itself off. I called a repair person that wants to charge me $175.00 just to look at it without even fixing it. I could buy a new tube TV for that price. So again I have a decision to make do I want to fix the thing that I love or just buy something new for a couple of years.
Let's get serious people, you want to reduce your carbon footprint, you want to reduce reuse and recycle let's force these companies to make stuff that last, let's fix the stuff we do have and let's find a way to be content with the stuff we own.
As for me I going to get new souls on my boots and fix my Trinitron to give it another chance and prevent it from ending up in a landfill somewhere!!!!!

Talk at you later

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Blogger Block!

2008-10-28T13:24:00.000-04:00

Hey, how are you all doin? Me I'm good, very busy but good! Have you ever had this happen to you? You have so many things going on and you want to share it with everyone but when you want to let it out, nothing comes out!!!! I seem to be suffering from Blogger Block! For the last 3 to 5 days I have been logging on and looking at this blank box not knowing what to write. I tried several times but nothing seems to be coming! I seem to have lost my blogging self. Maybe I'm just too busy, maybe I've lost my focus or maybe It's just plain laziness, whatever it is as of today I am shaking it off committing and refocusing myself.

Does this ever happen to you? You focus on too many small things that the important ones seem to be left aside? I struggle with this regularly and would like some suggestions, comments or advice to help me.

Talk at you later

Marty

I'm still here

2008-10-20T21:58:00.000-04:00

Hey everyone yes I'm still here and still alive! Actually probably more alive than ever, WOW this has been a busy week! I ran around all weekend getting stuff, buying stuff, delivering stuff I had stuff to do coming out of the ying yang!
We are adding a garage to our house and the framing started this weekend, we put up some walls, started the roof and started to get everything ready to get the concrete floor installed. We worked from 8am until about 4pm, then I had to go inside shower change and wait for Rob and Heather to come over because we had dinner plans. Last week the members from Bikers Church gave us a gift card for Baton Rouge and got us some hockey tickets to go see the Sens game at ScotiaBank Place. What an awesome night, excellent food, great company and excellent tickets! I feel so incredibly blessed to be working for such a great bunch of people. You could never ask for anyone better! I am so proud to call these people my family but this will be for another post! So we get to the game and go to our seats and we start walking down, and down and down 5 ROWS FROM ICE!!! I was so close to the ice I was expecting someone to come and tell me to move because I didn't belong there. What great tickets Thanks everyone! We finally got home went to bed. The next day was church, more construction, yard work, birthday party for my daughters' friend, birthday dinner with out friends and finally home in bed by 8:30.

I'm really looking forward to just sitting in my garage and enjoying it but until then we still have a roof to finish, doors to install, paving the driveway, cement floor, siding on the walls etc... I guess I'll be resting sometime in January 2011.

I'll keep you posted on the garage as things happen!

Talk at you later

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Another year another birthday

2008-10-15T08:03:00.000-04:00

Good morning everyone, today is October 15th and it's my birthday! Now before you start saying how conceided or self-absorbed I am or that I'm only looking for people to wish me a happy birthday, let me explain to you why I love to celebrate my birthday.

You see 5 years ago my wife gave me the best birthday present ever, 5 years ago I became the happiest and most blessed man on earth, 5 years ago my whole world was turned upside down (most days for the better, some days well not so much), 5 years my twin daughters were born. For those of you who can't do the Math my twin girls were born on my birthday! This event is usually a very special event in anybody's life, having a kid born on your birthday but what makes it even more special for me was the fact that we, my wife and I, were not supposed to be able to have kids. After trying for 7 years we were told that we had a 1 in 50 million chance to have a kid if everything fell into place perfectly. So to have my twin daughters born happy and healthy on my birthday was the best gift EVER!!!!

So even though today is my birthday, the focus on the day has been and will always be on my daughters. They grow up so fast, it seems like only yesterday I was at home feeding every 2 hours, changing over 20 diapers a day a preparing 14 bottles of formula every day. Now at 5 they are my little ladies my little princesses, we can talk to each other, we can reason with each other (well most days), we can play together and most of all we can just hang out together and have fun. I love them to death and I am very fortunate to be able to share their day with them.

Happy Birthday Jessica and Tracey-Anne I hope you have the best day ever today. 5 years ago today was the best day of my life and it has only gotten better since then!

Love Papa

Happy Thanksgiving

2008-10-13T13:43:00.000-04:00

I just wanted to wish everybody a happy Thanksgiving. I'll be honest with you this holiday never really meant that much to me in the past. It was just a long weekend right before my birthday and I used that as an excuse to go out partying and drinking. However now Thanksgiving has a deep significance for me. It really is a time to reflect and be thankful for everything we have, both as individuals and as Canadians.
This year and every year I'm very grateful for the people at Bikers Church. They have and continue to encourage me, support me and sometimes challenge me to be a better person. I am accountable to each and every one of them and I am very proud to be part of such an awesome family. I am thankful for my parents who have been married for over 40 years and have been a terrific example of how to do the "couple thing". But most of all I am thankful to God for my family. My wife and kids mean are my inspiration, my strength, my "raison d'etre". I am who I am today because of God and my family. He has given me the strength and the desire and they make sure that I follow the right path.

So to them and to all that read this blog I thank you and wish the happiest Thanksgiving ever and to my American friends I wish you a happy Columbus day.

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Technology

2008-10-10T09:21:00.000-04:00

So I was eating breakfast and an older couple beside me started talking to each other about what's in the paper. I overheard their conversation, OK I listened in on their conversation and they were commenting on technology today. He was complaining about all the stuff available out there and that all he wanted was a colour TV. Nothing fancy, no HD, no stereo and nothing flat! Just a plain TV with a tube like the kind he had for over 25 years. I couldn't help it anymore I started talking to them about all the stuff he was complaining about and he said things were moving way too fast now. He said he had to change his stereo system last month and now he has nothing to play his vinyl records in all three speeds, 33, 45 and 78. And now he has to replace his 25 year old TV. He has never owned a Beta or VHS and will never own a DVD player, he still has a rotary wall phone that works very well thank you, without call display, call waiting, call forwarding and best of all without voice mail instead he has an answering machine!!!! I just tought to myself that I would love to visit this couple's house. Then he said "don't get me wrong, I'm not against technology just the speed of coming out with new stuff that sometimes isn't as good as the old stuff. I buy a new car every 5 years cash, I have a brand new high efficiency furnace and a brand new energy smart central A/C unit. All my appliances are space and energy saver appliances. It's the luxury items that I have trouble with. $3000.00 TVs that come with only a 1 year waranty, stereo systems that are replaced because they can't be fixed, cell phones that are out of date the minute you leave the store and don't get me started on computers!!!"

He's right you know we don't fix things anymore we dispose and replace. We recycle plastic bottles, plastic bags, cans, paper etc... but we throw out computers and monitors every 2 to 3 years, we buy mp3 and iPods every year and get rid of the "old" stuff because the new software doesn't match anymore. We buy stuff at 20x times the price and it last 1/8th of the time that the older unit lasted. Don't get me wrong I'm a gadget junky and would love to own everything that comes out but I can't afford it so I buy used stuff from people that have buy the new stuff. I figure I'm about 2 years behind the norm. Technology does have it's good points though. I had surgery this summer and was out of the hospital in 3 hours and back to work in 1 week. I have a some friends battling cancer that would probably not be around today if it wasn't for technology, we can do more, touch more lives around the world in 5 minutes than we could in 3 weeks.

So I ask you are we addicted/consumed by technology or are we just not satisfied with the stuff we already have.

Talk at you later

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Higher Standards

2008-10-08T12:42:00.000-04:00

OK so here is something I've been battling with for a little while! This is the main reason why I have a lot of trouble when people call me Pastor Marty. There are other reasons why I have trouble with titles like: we don't usually use them at Bikers Church, people tend to see you as the position and not the person, there seems to be a change of attitude when you're around, when you use a title MY attitude can change when it SHOULDN'T, I don't feel like I'm ready and sometimes I don't feel like I deserve the title but most of all, and this is the kicker, I sometimes wonder if I'm being judged with a higher standard! Can I as a person make the same mistakes and be forgiven more easily than I as an assistant pastor. Since I am still an assistant pastor do people forgive me more easily than someone who is a Pastor like Rob, Jason or Barry? In other words if I made a mistake would I be judged more or less harshly if I were an assistant pastor and would I be judged more or less harshly if were a Senior or Lead Pastor.

Let me give you an example, if I make a promise to someone as Marty and I don't follow up for whatever reason (forgot, got caught up in something else etc...) would people judge me more or less than if I made the same promise as assistant pastor or Pastor Marty. Take the same example and use Rob, Pastor Jason or Pastor B. would they be judged more harshly by their members than if they made the same mistake in a non-christian setting? Now please get this straight I'm not talking leading people astray from biblical teachings because the Bible is very clear when it comes to Pastors or elders leading people astray, I'm just talking day to day "people, regular Joe" stuff. Stuff like disciplining my kids, bumping my toes on the corner of the bed and yelling out certain words in anger or pain, cutting someone off on Highway 417 or even worst getting cut off on the 417 and the non-christian thoughts that could come out of my mouth! How harshly would I be judged if someone from BC heard me, compared to someone from work. Is it better to be human or does a title prevent you from doing that?

So I ask you, what standards do you set for your Pastor, assistant pastor or leadership team? Do you set the same standards for yourself? Are we all truly created equal or are some judged by a higher standard than others because of position and title?

Just wondering

Talk at you later

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What an awesome weekend

2008-10-07T11:13:00.000-04:00

What an awesome weekend, the weather, the riding, meeting friends and family and doing new things! If you haven't been out for a fall ride in the country yet I strongly encourage you to do it! The leaves are at the peak of perfection, the weather is crisp but not cold (OK so -1 was a little cold on the bike this morning!) and although I hate to admit it the days are getting shorter and shorter. So get out there and go for a ride!

This weekend was the annual Bikers Church Fall Colour Run and we had another amazing day of riding and of course eating. But we also did something special this year we raised some money for a local biker that went down this summer and lost part of his leg. He is a great guy that used to come out to BC and when we found out that he got hurt we all rallied together and decided to help him out. We had over 60 bikes come out and participate in the over 300km ride. And when we were done we went back to BC where a BBQ and warm coffee was waiting for us as we pulled in.

I just wanted to thank the organizers, the road captains, the cooks, the coffee people and everyone that volunteered to make this day such a great success. Without any of you this wouldn't have been possible.

Talk at you later

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One of those days

2008-10-03T22:57:00.000-04:00

Today has been one of those days! You know those days you wake up and know something, heck everything is going to go wrong! It started with my daughters waking up in a miserable mood yes both of them! Question do women start PMS at the age of 4? I digress, than getting ready for work I put on my full gear to jump on the bike. As I slip on my brand new back pack the strap breaks! So I jimmy something so that it can hold together. I get to work and realize I forget my access pass my lunch and my cell phone! At least I made it to work. I start my day by heading to Starbucks and realize I forgot my Starbucks card in the car, did I mention I'm on the bike. So I'm forced to make a decision either put a $2.00 cup of coffee on interac or get more stuff to at least cover the service charge. So I pick up a $7. 00 breakfast sandwich to go with my coffee. At lunch I decide that I have to go home to get my forgotten stuff. As I pull into the driveway the bike slips on loose gravel, clay and mud and I end up dropping the bike. I pick it up quickly to assess the damage, cracked fairing, bent break pedal, bent handle bars, busted turn signal, road rash on the elbow and twisted ankle! Did I forget to mention that I was on a borrowed bike! That's it I'm staying home for the rest of the day!

I'm going to give up on Friday and look forward to Saturday! I'm going to bed where it's safe.

Talk at you later!

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Another day another month

2008-10-01T15:42:00.001-04:00

October 1st today! Wow where has the summer gone? Seems like only yesterday I was getting the bike ready for the summer. With all the rain we had this year it feels like we only had 1 day of summer. But looking back on the summer that never was, or so it seems, I accomplished a lot this year. Even with all the rain I still managed to put over 15,000 kms on 3 bikes (3 because mine was out of commission several times this year thanks Rox and Scott for the loaners). So as I sit back and think about all the things accomplished I find myself smiling and thinking maybe this was the summer that was after all.

Some of the things that I wanted to accomplish this year were:

1. More mileage than last year. 10,000 last year over 15,000 this year and still some time to go, not bad.
2. Start a French Bikers Church. We managed to temporarily secure a location and started with 4 monthly services on Wednesdays working on updating the website and made connections with other French Pastors.
4. Go out and connecting with new people to promote both French and English Bikers Church. At one point I was out almost every night either on the market at the show and shine or the Tim's in Rockland.
5. Get Roxanne to ride more this year. After a slow start to her season and the fact that I had her bike for almost 3 weeks at the beginning of the summer August and September have been really great riding months for her.
6. Read more books. I read more books this year than I have since and including High School.
7. Spend more quality time with family and friends. Nothing says quality time and closeness like two rainy weeks in a tent trailer when on holidays.

And last but definitely not least!

8. Get more hands on experience doing ministry. What an awesome summer for me this year when it comes to ministry, I preached in 5 different churches, prepared and preached over 6 times and every time a different message, got to know some new people, volunteered at 3 different churches and helped at our own events! As much as I am proud of these things what I'm most proud of is the fact that we had excellent BC representation at EVERY one of those events. I got a feel of what it's like to be part of a real team, no wait that's not strong enough, a real family of people who want to give and serve.

So looking at this list I now realize that sometimes we can be blinded by negativity when it comes to weather, finances or lack of time but if you actually sit down and think positively and change your outlook you can come up with a list of great things you did. Don't focus on the rainy days focus on the fun you had with your kids going to Cosmic Adventure, don't focus on the electrical storms and power outages this year, focus on the stories read by flashlight or the candle light evenings with your spouse. Change your thinking and your outlook and I'm sure you will find a lot of great things from last summer.

Oh and by the way riding season isn't over we still have another 2 months of riding left.

Talk at you later

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Friends!

2008-09-29T12:13:00.000-04:00

Have you ever sat down and thought about your friends, both past and present! I don't know why but I was sitting on the weekend just thinking about some old friends. Some I still talk to, some I know where they are but haven't had the chance or made the effort to contact but some are gone without a trace. And those are the friends I was thinking of this weekend. The guys and girls that I grew up with, the friends that shared some very important experiences basically the friends that shaped my life and made me what I am today.

I got an email from a daily mailing list that I get and it was about "How to get past regrets". It really struck a chord because I was thinking about all the bad stuff I did in my past life and how I must have hurt some of those friends. Wishing I didn't do this or that, wishing for a better life and better decisions when I was young and it hit me! The choices that I made and the things I did are what they are and I can never change that. However if I take what I did in the past and build towards bettering myself for the future than everything I did can be used as a measuring stick to say "Yeah I was there but now I'm here and this is where I prefer to be!"

I really miss some of those old friends and who knows maybe with Facebook or other social internet sites I may reconnect with some of them but until then I'm extremely greatful and fortunate to have some awesome friends at Bikers Church.

Talk at you later

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Expectations

2008-09-27T20:25:00.000-04:00

So what comes to mind?

A pretty loaded question isn't it?

Thoughts, comments, replies! I'm very interested in your opinions! I have no expectations just curious!

Thanks
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The Upside Down Life

2008-09-26T12:49:00.000-04:00

So we started a new series last week at Bikers Church called The Upside Down Life and with the Cirque du Soleil in town I was really looking forward to this series. Man was I ever disappointed, not at all what I was expecting! Instead of talking about jumps and trapeze artists we are talking about leading an abundant life but without the circus tricks! What a ripoff.

Actually this is going to be an awesome series and I encourage you to listen to the podcast on our website at:
http://www.bikerschurch.com/

What does it mean lead an Upside Down Life here are the 5 key points:

1. If you want to be first, you must choose to be last.
2. If you want to receive, you must learn how to give.
3. If you want to be strong, you must become weak.
4. If you want to be free, you must submit as a slave.
5. If you want to truly live, you must truly die.

See what I'm saying, not at all what you were expecting is it? It's completely the opposite of what we are used to. In a society of me me me or a society where we compare ourselves to the next person by how much they have vs. what we have, it's really a different way of thinking, acting and living!

You may think it's impossible to do but if you think about it even the smallest act of kindness can touch every one of those categories. It's not only the big things that count it's all the little things that can make a huge difference. Mother Teresa used to say that it's not the great things that you do but the little things you do with greatness! How awesome is that!

So keep your eyes open for opportunities to do little things for people, it's not that hard if you take little bites at a time. You can't help everyone all of the time but you can help someone some of the time.

Talk at you later

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Look outside and enjoy

2008-09-25T09:14:00.000-04:00

Well the days are getting shorter and colder. Trust me it's going to get worst before it gets better. However take the time today and this week to look outside, go for a walk at lunch, heck just eat lunch outside. The cold weather might be coming but it's not here today so make the best of it.

Talk at you later

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Canser sucks!

2008-09-23T12:06:00.000-04:00

Yes I realize that I spelled that wrong but if you haven't read Carrie's blog you probably don't know what I'm talking about so I strongly encourage you to do that right now here actually I'm telling you to visit her site:
http://cbelair.wordpress.com/

Go ahead it's OK I'll wait!

So you're back now you know exactly what I'm talking about! CANSER SUCKS!!!! However the people affected by it, both patient and their friends and family, are some of the bravest, strongest and nicest people I know. You can't walk by more than 2 people before you meet someone that has been affected by this terrible disease either directly or indirectly and that's what sucks about it.

So let's stand together and beat this thing! Let's stand with those who are suffering, let's stand with the survivors and their families, let's stand with the families and friends of those who lost the battle and let's stand for those who can't anymore! Let's just stand up against this bully that has ruined so many lives!

Carrie I love you babe and I'll do whatever it takes to stand with you, beside you and for you when you will be too weak. If anyone can beat this piece of trash monster it's you! Keep up the fight you have a huge family that will help and support you.

So come on people let's stand together and make canser history!

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A great day

2008-09-22T13:46:00.000-04:00

So I've been really going negating my posting duties lately! Everyone who blogs tends to go on hiatus for a while, however most people do that after several months but for me it lasted 1 week and then "life" got too busy all of a sudden, or so I thought!

I was going to write or comment about the conference that I went to on Saturday, or comment on the service that I went to on Sunday or the concert/show I went to on Sunday night! I had so many choices that I was actually stuck on what to talk about that is until about 1 hour ago! Everything changed! My views, my opinions, my meaningless rants and selfishness has been pushed aside to make room for others.

Rob (the Bikers Church pastor for those of you who don't know) started a new sermon series this week at Bikers Church called the upside down life. I think this is going to be a great series because like everybody else at church I struggle with some of these. OK most of these! You see I love to help people, I love serving and I love being there for friends and family members (brothers and sisters) of our church, but when it comes to being there for my immediate family I seem to fall short! WAY SHORT! Don't get me wrong I would do anything for my family that's not the problem, the problem is assuming that they know this! It's easy to say well she knows that I love her or my daughters will understand if I'm not there AGAIN, or I don't have time to call my parents but they know I love them so that's just good enough. TRUST ME IT'S NOT! MAKE THE TIME AND LET THEM KNOW!

Can I tell you a story? If you said no then stop reading, for the rest of you here goes. For those who said no this is your last chance stop reading now!

Like the title of the blog says I'm an assistant pastor and since the beginning I have been working out of my own home and that just isn't working out very well. So the church that we are partnering with offered a room to use as an office and today was my first day here at the office. I got more work done today than I did all summer it's totally awesome Thanks guys! However it's funny how God works. I'm sure He has a sense of humor and He loves to show me things in the funniest ways! This office is connected to a church that has multiple ministries in the city and one of them is a drop in soup kitchen from Monday to Thursday! Today I met one of the volunteers let's call him John, 1. to protect his identity and 2. because I'm really bad with names and I forgot it! I went to the washroom and got lost, now before you say anything this place is a labyrinth, and ended up in the kitchen downstairs and that's when I met John. We started talking just having a conversation and being very polite. I started asking him about, well him, and he told me that he has been volunteering there for over 10 years. He has been coming out EVERYDAY for the last 10 years! Rain or shine he comes out and cooks dinner, serves and cleans up day in, day out FAITHFULLY! I thought that was amazing, here I am complaining at how busy I am having to make time for others, when all John does is make time for others. I was going to end the story here but it just got better! Funny! God I get it! As I'm writing the door bell rings, it's John, he locked himself out, and got lost walking around the building!!! I asked him how he got lost working there for so long??? Turns out John is 75% blind!!!! And that's when God spoke to me and said "How do you like them apples!"

So now I'm blogging again, I read the chapters that had to be read, I watched most of the Dreamweaver videos, sent an email to my wife, drew a picture for my daughters and sent an email to my parents telling them that I love them and appreciate everything they do for me/us.

Make the time for the important people in your life, show and tell family and friends that you love them don't assume they know because they may not know! It's not too late!

Talk at you later!

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When do you know?

2008-09-16T09:31:00.000-04:00

I just had a conversation with a co-worker and she told me that after 17 years it's time to put her cat down. She is extremely sad about it because she loves her cat very much, but BECAUSE she loves her cat, and the cat is suffering, she knows it's time. I have also had to make that decision when it came to our dog so I know how difficult it can be but like my coworker we seemed to know that it was time. When do you kwow when it's time, what or who gives you the strength and courage to make that decision.
A couple of weeks ago our pastor shared with us his story on when he lost his daughter and that he had to make the decision to let go. Everytime he tells the story I cry like a little baby because there is a point when he says to the doctor that it's time to let go! And that's when I feel the knife going through my heart.

So I ask you when do you know when it's time to let go? Where does the strength and courage come from to make that decision? And did you ever notice how we forget how strong we were at that time? Even after it's done we say to ourselves I could never go through that ever again and yet another situation arises and we are forced to make the decision and for some reason we can!

Let me know what you think

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Happy 15th Anniversary City Church

2008-09-14T21:08:00.000-04:00

Wow 15 years of service in the community, 15 years of loving their neighbors, 15 years of helping people! What an accomplishment, what commitment, what a great church! I'll be honest with you I didn't know about City Church until we did a church crash last summer. That's when I had the pleasure of going to my first service. We had a couple of guys share their testimony and Rob did a service. They were very friendly and very welcoming. But that was then and this is now! Can a church really keep up that kind of positive attitude, can still be this welcoming? Well let me tell you the answer is yes.
But this is different I started attending the services at City Church for almost a month now because our Pastor was asked to act as interim pastor until they find someone to replace Eric their founding pastor. I'll be honest with you I just started coming out to support Rob. I wasn't really interested in attending another church. I'm happy with Bikers' Church, I love the people, I love our relaxed atmosphere and I love the way we do church. But I figured I'd give it a chance, again my main goal was to support Rob because that's what brothers do, we support each other. So I walked with an open mind and ready to learn. Well I was blown away with the service and how wonderful the people are. I was also blown away with how Rob adapted to his new/old style of preaching. Now I hate to admit it but I go to City Church because I love coming to City Church. Don't get me wrong I'm not changing churches, I'm not quitting Bikers Church and I'm not going to pack it all up and switch. I just enjoy coming because the people are so friendly, the service is very upbeat, they are always to help the people of their community and because I can just go to church at a place where I have no responsibilities. I go just to listen watch and learn no expectations!
So today was their 15th anniversary celebration! What a great day, what a great time to celebrate what they have done to sit back and think of the good old days, a time to just pat yourself on the back and congratulate each other. You'd think that's what they would do but as usual they didn't. They chose to celebrate the future, to quickly remember what they did but to really focus on the future and how they will continue to help those in their community and that's what makes them special. That's what keeps the people coming back and that's what the church should be about.
So City Church congrats for 15 great years and I look forward to blogging in another 15 years. You guys are awesome keep up the great work, you are making a difference in people's lives!

Talk at you later

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Habits some good some bad

2008-09-12T10:42:00.000-04:00

The good thing about blogging is you can get to know someone without getting to know them. You're probably thinking twice in the same day doesn't guy have anything to do during the day? I have a lot to do I just don't feel like doing it right now and besides I just experienced the coolest thing in the world and I thought you might want to hear about it!

I'm a creature of habit, I hate to admit it but in most aspects of my life I hate change! So for me the usual is synonymous for comfortable. I wake up every morning at 5:00am sharp! I get out of bed walk to the living room and fall asleep on the couch until 5:30! Don't ask me why I do that, I just do. I have a second alarm clock that goes off at 5:30 to really wake me up. I turn on the TV watch The Weather Network and Sporstnet Connected to get a sense of both weather and scores. I then take a shower for about 15 to 30 minutes, depending if I have to shave my head or not, get out of the shower and realize now that I'm running 30 minutes late! The good habit I get up early, the bad habit I go back to sleep, the good habit I set a second alarm clock the bad habit I wake up and turn on the TV! You see what is happening here, as much as I try to develop good habits they are quickly matched with bad habits.

However I think some habits are good and that some good can come from habits whether good or bad. Let me give you an example that happened today and this is the reason for the 2nd post. Every morning I leave with coffee, either I finish it before getting here or drink it when I get to me desk. Either way I'm done by 8:30am so as a result of this habit my body has developed the habit of needing to get rid of said liquid at the exact same time everyday 9:35am on the button. People have started to set their watches to my liquid body clock! Well for some reason the cleaning lady in my building has the same schedule to clean the men's bathroom so everyday at 9:35 we usually meet face to face in the men's bathroom. This started about 3 weeks ago and let me tell you the first time it happened she scared the hell out of me! Now remember I have a full bladder terror is not good! I almost didn't make it! So for about 3 weeks now we do the same Tango, I walk in see her there we both say sorry I walk out and let her do what she has to do she walks out smiles and says have a nice day in Spanish. Same dance everyday at 9:35 for 2 weeks that's until last Thursday and Friday, no Maria. I was off Monday so Tuesday comes and there she was my little Maria, for some odd reason I was happy to see her in the men's bathroom again. When she walked out I asked her how and where she was. She smiled and with a very thick Spanish accent told me she went home for 5 days. I asked her where is home and she told me El Salvatore. I told her what a small world it was and spoke to her about Bikers Church and Scott and Melissa and then she started to cry! You see turns out Maria had 3 sons and 2 of them were killed in El Salvador by the MS13 and that's why she is here she wanted to save her third and last son! She thanked God for me, for the people at BC but mostly for people like Scott and Melissa that are trying to make a difference. What an awesome morning I'm still shaking, what a small world, what an awesome God!

So Scott and Melissa if you ever feel discouraged and don't know if you should continue remember Maria and her son and we she said to me: "if it wasn't for people like you she wouldn't have ANY children!" You guys will make a difference you just never know who you will touch, as for me and Maria I look forward to our next meeting same time Monday morning at 9:35, I'll keep you all posted

Talk at you later

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Passion vs. Calling

2008-09-12T09:00:00.000-04:00

Well now that I'm blogging I find it hard to pick and choose what I want to talk about but I figure this is a good subject to start with.

Webster defines passion like this:

a strong liking or desire for or devotion to some activity, object, or concept.

And calling:

a strong inner impulse toward a particular course of action especially when accompanied by conviction of divine influence.

The definitions are pretty close when you look at it quickly but the important difference is found at the end of the second definition: "accompanied by conviction of divine influence."

I know a lot of people that have a passion for something, sports, bikes, their jobs, other people whatever the case may be, but I have rarely found people that have a Calling for something. However when you do find someone, you know it! You can feel it through them when you're around, you can almost feel jealous of that Calling. When it comes to callings most people always think of very big names, like Mother Teresa, Desmond Tutu, Martin Luther King Jr. and that's just off the top of my head, or you can even think of famous people like Billy Graham, Rick Warren, Joel Osteen etc... But I encourage you to look around, look at the people around you, people you know friends, family and I can garantee you will find somebody close to you that definately have this Calling.

I have been blessed this week to have come accross 2 people with this Calling and for that I'm extremely grateful. The first was Tuesday, it was my first night of my final year of Bible school and to my surprise the teacher for this term is actually the Dean of the school. This man has been in ministry for over 30 years and I had never had the priviledge of hearing him speak. What a shame because it was the best class I have ever been in. So for the next 6 weeks I have the honor of taking a class with Pastor Barry Boucher. The man has a Calling! He is an amazing teacher and speaker! I sat in that class for over 2 hours and I was disappointed when the class was over and trust me that's amazing because I have always hated going to school!

The second was last night! We had our usual service last night at Bikers Church. It was a question and answer night and when I speak to different pastors they all have the same answer "ooooh I hate having a Q&A service because you never know what will be asked", I personally love those nights BECAUSE you never know what will be asked. Anyways after doing the Intro I sit down expecting the usual questions, I'm getting ready to take notes because I'm still being mentored, still training and learning. Rob comes to the front and asks before we start he wants to share something with the congregation, something he feels is on his heart and it must come out and he starts to speak! That 10 to 15 minutes of sharing was the best speach, sermon, teaching (whatever you want to call it) that I have ever heard! I really hope that this part was recorded and that it is made available to everyone on the podcast because it was TOTALLY AWESOME!!! I had not heard that much fire and conviction in a while. I was just sitting there in complete and total awe. I was, and am still today, proud and honored because I'm doing my mentoring classes with Rob. Wow if I can be half the speaker that he is I would probably be considered one of the best in Ottawa, that's how good he is! The room was completely silent, eyes and mouths were wide open just in awe at what he was saying and how the message was being delivered. What a great night, I felt like I used to when I first started coming out over 5 years ago.

A lot of you might be thinking it's just the experience of being pastors for so long and that's why they are good at what they do, well I completely disagree. I have heard people speaking in church circles with years of experience and not even come close to what I witnessed this week. This is more than passion THIS is what I think is the true definition of a Calling! These two Pastors ARE called to do what they do, not because they can speak in front of a crowd but because they say what God wants them to say. These 2 men are what the Church leaders should be!

Pastor Barry thank you for the awesome class on Tuesday and believe it or not I'm really looking forward to the class and the semester!

Rob the service last night was the best I have heard in years probably one the best message I have ever heard. Thank you for taking the time to mentor and train me. I feel totally blessed to have such an opportunity and I hope that someday I have the chance to show my gratitude for all your efforts and teachings! After last night's service I realize how much I still have to learn.

I encourage you to check out last night's podcast at:http://www.bikerschurch.com/index_en.html

Enjoy, talk at you later

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Well it finally happened

2008-09-10T22:43:00.000-04:00

Well it finally happened, I'm officially Blogging! I never thought I would actually be doing this, well here it goes. This should be fun.

Let me start by saying I'm not very computer literate. WOW that feels better I'm really happy I got that off my chest. Actually I'm borderline computer retarded! I can do the basic stuff like turn it on see if it works, if not I call my 4 year old daughters and ask for help. So when I was asked if I would ever start blogging my first thought was not on your life. But after friendly persuasion by ALL my so-called friends I'm finally here.

I hope and pray that this will be a fun journey and that you enjoy reading my thoughts, dreams, hopes, fears and whatever is going on in my head at the time. We will laugh, cry, share some moments but mostly I want us to share some thoughts and comments. I want to hear from all of you out there going through whatever you're going and I want your honest opinions on stuff, go ahead I'm a big boy I can take it.

So this is it! I'm officially blogging! If I would have known it was this easy I probably still wouldn't have done it years ago.

Enjoy, talk at you later

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