The norm and the extraordinary…

There are certain things in Africa that just become the norm.

Potholes for instance, there are the usual ones that you can pretty much get around with your eyes closed.  Then they are the new ones created by the rainy season that are designed to keep you alert.  And just when you think you know where they all are, a new one appears to surprise you.

Then there are the sewer back-ups.  If you are fortunate enough, or should I say unfortunate enough, to live at the end of a sewer line, it is quite possible that three to four times a year, what everyone else flushes will end up backing up your sewer system.  Guess what happened last week?

Or what about cream that sours well in advance of the expiry date.  You go to the store, look for the freshest cream on the shelf, take it home and put it in the fridge.  On the day your wife goes to make a lovely “Mississippi Mud Pie” desert, whips the cream, only to discover that it has gone bad well in advance of the expiry date.

These so called “norms” are worth it when you get the opportunity to experience the “extraordinary”.

How about beginning your weekend by spending Friday evening with ten pastors of another denomination?  What a privilege to not only invite them to a conference designed to equip them, but also have the chance to encourage them and pray for them.

Or, what about spending Saturday morning with fellow global workers, enjoying a pancake and bacon breakfast!  What a motivation to discuss over breakfast things that have the potential to influence and shape the lives of bible college students who are preparing for future ministry.

Then, you have the privilege of ending the weekend by preaching in a church that is almost bulging at the seams.  To top it off, three young adults walk forward to accept Christ into their hearts.  It does not get any better than that!!!!

So, I am willing to put up with some of the “norms” in order to experience the “extraordinary”.  Never see the norms in your life as obstacles.  Use them as opportunities to experience the extraordinary moments that God brings your way!!!!

Until next Monday…

Don

Taking risks for Kingdom impact!

www.reinventingthechurch.com

Mango’s in abundance…

MJ and I arrived in Zambia on Thursday in the midst of the rainy season where everything is lush and green.  A sharp contrast to the dry, dusty season we left in September.  I have received at least two emails from Canada suggesting that we knew when to leave as a major snow storm hit Montreal the day after we left!

The mango and avocado trees on our property are alive with an abundance of fruit.  What a joy to be able to share the abundance with those who come to work on our property.  I wish you could see the smiles as we give bags of mango’s and avocados to the worker’s who maintain our yard.  What we take for granted is so often a huge blessing to those on the receiving end in Africa.

One year ago, we faced the renovation of an empty house that needed a lot of work here in Kitwe.  What a blessing to arrive a year later to a clean, furniture filled house that has now become our African home!

Later this morning, I will leave for our RTC office at Trans Africa Theological College to begin a very busy four months of conference planning on African soil.  Again, what a difference a year makes, as last year we faced major renovations of the second and third floor.

I am reminded that life is full of renovations, hard work and challenges.  If we live for today only, these things will become overwhelming.  However, there are rewards for those who choose to press on through the challenges toward a preferred future.  You can turn a house into a home.  Empty floors can be turned into useful spaces that will ultimately encourage, equip and empower hundreds of leaders!!!!

Today marks the beginning of new challenges.  Last year’s renovations have becomes this year’s opportunities.   The God who provides the abundance of avocados is also the God who will honour your hard work with abundant blessings!!!!

As I bring this blog to an end, a song called “Jesus, You’re the Center of My Joy” is playing.  It suggests that all that is good and perfect comes from Him.  He’s the heart of my contentment and hope for all I do.  Wow!

Until next Monday…

Don

Taking risks for Kingdom impact!

www.reinventingthechurch.com

On the road again…

After an incredible Christmas season with family and friends, I find myself on the road again.

Over the last four days, I have had the privilege of participating in three leadership seminars and speaking in two churches in the Sarnia area.   This morning I find myself writing this blog in the Windsor airport, sitting through a flight delay, waiting to fly the Windsor/Toronto/Montreal corridor.

Tomorrow, MJ and I will board a plane in Montreal.  Three flights later and a twelve hour layover in London, we will land in Ndola, Zambia on Thursday at noon.

If I were to look at life through normal glasses, I might think this kind of lifestyle is crazy.  However, over the last three years, life has been anything but normal.  What keeps me going when in an eight day period I take seven flights that span two continents?

That question is probably best summed up in this way.  How rewarding it is to sit in a room with church leaders over a twenty-four hour period and watch as they begin to paint a picture of a preferred future for the church they serve.  Nothing gets my leadership adrenaline going more than to experience moments when God shows up in a meeting and turns on the vision light bulb.  Or how about having the opportunity to meet with thirty leaders as they meet for their very first leadership meeting in their brand new church building?  Then, to top it off, leave a day later for the Continent of Africa where for the next four months I will sit with hundreds of pastors/church leaders to discuss challenges in the African church.

There may be long flights and short nights to see some of this happen, but these things soon take a back seat to the rewards of pouring into and participating with church leaders around the world.

As I end this blog and hear over the intercom that my flight to Toronto will leave in forty-five minutes (a further delay), I will say so long for this Monday.  I look forward to blogging you next Monday from Kitwe, Zambia (barring further delayJ)!!!

Don

Taking risks for Kingdom impact!

www.reinventingthechurch.com

Dear Monday Musings reader,

I want to take this opportunity to thank you for following my blog in 2011. The WordPress stats helper monkeys prepared a 2011 annual report for this blog.  You may be interested in what  they found.

Check back next Monday for my first blog of 2012.

Let me take this opportunity to wish you a God-sized year of Kingdom impact in 2012!

Don

Taking risks for Kingdom impact!

Here’s an excerpt:

A New York City subway train holds 1,200 people. This blog was viewed about 5,800 times in 2011. If it were a NYC subway train, it would take about 5 trips to carry that many people.

Click here to see the complete report.

Fifty – two Christmases…

This week I stood in front of the mirror trimming hairs where they should not grow and wondering why hair drops out where it should stay.  I turned to my wife and said, growing older is quite unique!

As I pondered that “aging” moment, I began to think of the fact that I am about to celebrate my fifty second Christmas.  It would take a book, not a blog, to pen all of the Christmas memories.  The following are a few.

Thinking that I could hear Santa and his sleigh on the roof and trying to fall asleep so that he would leave my gifts under the tree.  The Mann/MacKnight overnight train trip to 164 Lansdowne St., Campbellton, New Brunswick to spend Christmas with Tom and Annie MacKnight.  My first Christmas gift to my new bride, a state of the art crepe pan, Teflon no less!  What I thought was a practical gift, though accepted graciously, should have been wrapped around my head.  Having my kids leave M&M’s and a glass of milk for Santa because Dad (I mean Santa) loves M&M’s.  Watching our family dog, Buster, guard his gifts under the tree, opening them Christmas morning and then spending the rest of the day growling at anyone who tried to come near them.  Oh the memories!

The twenty-first Christmas is remembered for a different reason.  I drove my grandparents (Tom and Annie MacKnight) to my brother’s home in Montreal.  We all woke up Christmas morning and tried to put on our brave face but as we gathered in the living room, our bravery soon turned to tears.  It was the first Christmas without Mom and Dad, who had died suddenly in a car accident one month before.  There is no guarantee that all Christmases will be filled with joy, but I can guarantee you that mourning will eventually turn to dancing if you keep Jesus as the center of your life.

Well, the hair may be growing where it shouldn’t or it may be leaving places it should stay, it may even be turning color, but one thing remains constant – Jesus is still the reason for the season!

This will be my last blog of 2011.  Let me take this opportunity to wish you and yours a wonderful Jesus centered Christmas and God sized New Year of fresh opportunities.  Thank you for your faithful readership of my blog this year.  I look forward to sharing new adventures, insights and observations in 2012.

May Jesus be the center of your joy this Christmas season!

Until next time…

Don

Taking risks for Kingdom impact!

www.reinventingthechurch.com

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas…

I don’t know if I am the only one who does this, but each year I like to track the first Christmas commercial of the season on television.  This year I saw the first one in the last week of October.  Give me a break!

There is kind of an unwritten rule in the Mann household.  The decorations and Christmas music do not come out until December 1^st.  For those who would say “bah humbug” (whatever that means?), I kind of like the tradition.  It gives us something to look forward to and allows us to enjoy the season for a whole month without wearing out the routine.

So, this past week, our home has been filled with the music of the season.  Saturday the tree came out, Christmas balls were hung from ceiling lamps around the home, and it’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas.

To top it all off, we were together with our kids last night for Stephanie’s birthday party.  What a terrific pre-Christmas gift, having our children in our home gathered around the Christmas tree.

I have preached a message over the last couple of weeks called “Jesus, Be the Center of My Life”, using Colossians 1:18 as the text:  “…so that in everything He (Christ) might have the supremacy”.  In the message, I draw a comparison between making stuff the center of our lives versus making Jesus the center of all we do.  Now, don’t get me wrong, I like “stuff” as much as the next person.  The “big kid” comes out in me on Christmas day.  My idea of stuff puts more of an emphasis on electronics than it does clothes (sorry kids), but I will not refuse either.

Here’s the point.  I looked at my kids last night at the birthday party and realized that any amount of stuff MJ and I may give them will not last.  Their memories of me will not be based on the “stuff”, but on the love, encouragement and Christ-centered heritage that we can impart to them.  Wow, that carries a lot more responsibility than stuff!

This Christmas season, enjoy the trimmings, the sounds and the “stuff”, but remember to keep Jesus in the center of all you do, because He is the center of your joy!

Happy birthday Stephanie.  Stay fresh, stay sweet and keep Jesus as the center of all that you do!

Until next Monday…

Don

Taking risks for Kingdom impact!

www.reinventingthechurch.com

Watching them grow up…

Once and a while, as a pastor, you get an opportunity to do something that takes on special significance.  Sunday was one of those days as I had the privilege of dedicating Oliver, a five month old blonde bundle of contentment.

I have watched Olie’s mom grow from a little girl into a beautiful lady.  She fell in love with a young man in university, they decided to marry and ask if I would perform the ceremony.  Today they have two beautiful children and yesterday, we stood on the platform of their home church and dedicated their second born.

It would be easy to use this occasion to remind myself that I am getting older – watching someone grow up, get married and become a mother.  However, I prefer to think of the privilege that is mine to watch someone grow up and have them give me the honor of participating in  significant milestones along their journey.

So, Phil and Jordan, thank you for including me in your journey.  Thank you for making Christ the center of your lives, your home and your family.  God has given you two wonderful gifts to cherish and take care of.  As you watch them grow up take time to enjoy the many moments that will become lifetime memories.

Until next Monday…

Don

Taking risks for Kingdom impact!

It is well…

It was thirty two years ago today that my parents were killed in a horrific car accident in Peterborough, Ontario.  Normally, I would not write about this except for the unusual events of the last twenty-four hours.

Sunday afternoon I found myself driving from small town Ontario to mega city Toronto.  I was on my way to speak at Church in the Village (a church service designed for those who live in the Shepherd Lodge retirement community).  My route took me through Peterborough and by the spot on 115 highway where the accident had happened all those years ago.

As I was preparing for what I would say to this large group of seniors who would be gathering (175 in the room and about 600 by closed circuit television), I felt compelled to share the story of my godly grandmother, Annie MacKnight.  To make a long story short, my grandparents were living with Mom and Dad at the time of the accident and I was attending Bible College in the same city where they lived.  As a result, I moved back home while completing my schooling and provided a home for my grandparents.  For the next year and a half, my grandmother made my meals, washed my clothes and prayed me through my education.

This story allowed me to encourage all of these seniors on Sunday night that as long as God gives them breath, they have a role in praying for and shaping the generations coming behind them.  To top it all off, I met so many people at the gathering that knew my parents and grandparents.  It felt like old home week!

Then yesterday, on my way back to Montreal, I passed through Oshawa and Cobourg.  I went by the first home that Mom and Dad ever owned.  As I stopped to take a picture of the house, I realized that a new version of the old hymn “It is Well With My Soul” was playing on the car stereo.

To bring the twenty-four hours full circle, I stopped into Union cemetery in Cobourg to visit the graveside where my brother (ironically he just Skyped as I was completing this blog) and I buried Mom and Dad thirty two years ago.  Next to them, you guessed it; Tom and Annie MacKnight are also buried along with Jim and Margaret MacKnight.

This morning, I write this blog from the comfort of my family room at home.  How grateful I am for a loving wife and children.  I only pray that I can provide for them the wonderful heritage that I have been blessed with.  One thing I can say for sure is that it is “well with my soul” because Jesus is the center of my life!!!!

Until next Monday…

Don

Taking risks for Kingdom impact!

11/11/11…

Last Friday, I went to IBQ (Institute Biblique Quebec) to work for the day.  IBQ has kindly given me access to an office two days a week while I am in Canada.  It allows me to have a change of scenery from my home office and gives me the opportunity to interact with staff and students.  The other benefit, it gets me out of MJ’s hair two days a week.

Before beginning my work day, I set my phone alarm to 11 a.m., knowing full well that if I didn’t, I would get entrenched in my work and forget to remember those who fought for our freedom.  Sure enough, at 11 a.m. sharp, the alarm went off.  I stood up from my computer, stood at attention in the office, and remembered our Canadian soldiers, past and present.  Standing in silence, I found myself thanking God for all of those who gave their lives so that we today could enjoy such freedom.  It gave me an opportunity to once again thank God for my own father who served as a Canadian soldier in WWII.

For a moment, I was glad that IBQ was quiet on 11/11/11 as anybody walking by may have thought it strange that someone would be standing at attention in an office all by himself.  Then I got thinking, so what if someone walked by, I should not be embarrassed when taking a moment to remember those who have faithfully served our country.

I am reminded of a blog I wrote on November 22, 2010.  Here is an excerpt:

“This weekend I stayed in a hotel in Trenton, Ontario.  CFB Trenton is the airbase where fallen heroes first arrive upon their return to Canadian soil.

Sunday, the friends I was with took me to the road at CFB Trenton where the repatriations begin.  We followed the road to the 401, now known as the Highway of Heroes.  It was sobering and surreal to follow the path of the fallen heroes.  And to see houses along the way displaying Canadian flags made me feel so proud to be a Canadian!

We must never forget those who have fought for our freedom in the past.  My father was one of those who left Canadian soil during WWII to defend our freedom as a nation.  And we must continue to remember those who presently serve our country with distinction in an effort to maintain peace around the world. “

Until next Monday…

Don

Taking risks for Kingdom impact!

www.reinventingthechurch.com

Two continents, two perspectives come to life…

In a recent blog, I talked about how MJ and I have the privilege of living on two continents in any given year, six months in Africa and six months in Canada.  We have the unique opportunity of observing two perspectives on two Continents.

This past weekend, I conducted one of our leadership seminars at église évangélique Source de Vie in Gatineau, Quebec.  On Sunday, MJ and I walked into a worship experienced that felt more like Africa than it did Canada.  The pastor scheduled his African worship team to lead the service and for a few moments, it was as if we had been transported across the ocean to a church in Zambia.

It reminded me of how the world has come to Canada.  Second, it reminded me of how the Canadian church has been so enriched by cultural diversity.  And third, it reminded me of the great opportunity we have to learn from one another by building a bridge between continents.

Christians from other parts of the world know what it is like to seek God through the conduit of prayer.  I challenge Canadian churches to open up your doors to all night prayer meetings and let these folk teach us the power of prayer.  Cultural groups have a unique freedom of worship that we as Canadians could learn to embrace.

It was amazing to observe the reaction that flowed from the platform to the “pews” on Sunday.  As the worship team began to lead, about fifty children were directed to the altar area of the church and joined in worship.  The enthusiasm of the worship leaders bubbled over to the children while the enthusiasm of the children trickled to most (not all) of the adults in the congregation.  Culture and children provide a unique opportunity for the Canadian church to be loosened from what others sometimes perceive as our “conservative culture”.

So, merci beaucoup église évangélique Source de Vie for giving MJ and me a taste of Africa on Sunday.  Thank you for opening your church doors to a multitude of cultures that have enriched your congregation.  Just as your church has become a bridge between continents, may you together build a bridge into your community that will continue to introduce Gatineau to the love of Jesus!

I can’t wait to edit the video footage of Sunday’s “Canadian/African” worship experience, and take it back to the African churches in January!  Talk about building a bridge!!!

Until next Monday…

Don

Taking risks for Kingdom impact!