A long ride but we're here!

Hi everyone, based on my last post it would seem that we were lingering somewhere between Tennessee and Arizona and hadn't updated you yet. Well, we're here in Phoenix, greeted by record high temperatures--it was 40 degrees Celsius when we arrived the other night. Traveling from the east coast to the mid-west is quite an experience, the hills of the Appalachians and the rugged terrain of New Mexico and Arizona make for quite a visual display of beauty. We drove long days, waking up early and driving till supper, Nate did incredibly well--although we did buy him a couple of new toys to pacify him along the way. Now that we're in Phoenix I'm looking forward to some extended rest and study. Our posts from here on in may not be that adventurous anymore--we do have some plans to head to LA and the Grand Canyon, but not for a while yet. We're still settling into our time change here--its 3 hours different than Washington, 2 hours behind Winnipeg. This week, we are just adjusting to the change, the heat and beginning to plan out the next couple months. Thanks for your prayers, we are safe and overall healthy, we are thankful for this incredible opportunity and try to make the most of every day.

Ken

Travel on...

Its been 2 days of driving since leaving Washington, we're bushed. Nate's incredible! He's managed with our 9 hours of driving no problem, I guess if I were wearing a diaper I'd last a little longer in the car. We've got 2 more days of driving till Phoenix...blink.

Ken

Weekender--Done!

After 5 days of intense lectures, question and answer sessions, prayer and observations, the Weekender put on by 9Marks and Capitol Hill Baptist church is over. Over 70 pastors from all over the world, England, Australia, Chile, Dominican Republic, and Canada, as well as all over the US met to get some wisdom on running a healthy church. The conference was about 5 blocks behind the Capitol Building, where some of the biggest decisions in this country, if not world are made. I won't bore you too much with details, but here's a some of the sessions that were discussed: church membership (this church takes this stuff VERY seriously, 'you don't serve cookies in this church unless you're a member'; with that comes church discipline--several sessions were on that topic alone. We discussed adult Christian education and talked about a 4 year plan for teaching; we looked at their vision for missions and I was blown away at their commitment to reaching the 10/40 window through business ventures, church planting etc. This is a church that strongly believes in structure, 'Good policy reduces hard conversations' one elder said. But they are not structure driven for structure sake, they truly believe in doing all things to the glory of God, and that a casual approach to ministry is not acceptable for the Christian church, Mark Dever the lead pastor said "We make a serious mistake when we treat casualness with intimacy, in fact, its just the opposite". They are a fascinating church to study, as they are Baptist, yet congregational and elder lead--those concepts don't work in my mind, but after 5 days of observing 2 elder meetings, a congregational meeting, two worship services, I have to say that something beautiful is happening here. One other thing really stood out: these guys loved their church, they live in the community and truly share their lives with each other--purposefully vulnerable for accountability but for love's sake. One last thing, they gave away a pile of books...I thought I had lots to get through, but now my load has truly increased. One book I'm excited to get reading (maybe because its the shortest) is "Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God" by J.I.Packer.
On a couple different notes: the weather here has been HOT--sorry Winnipegers, we've had a chance to see a few of the sights here in Washington, but the weekender has taken up most of my time so far. One quick observation though, this is a fast city, everyone's in a hurry--even the folks at the church. There's very little green space, but Nate has found a little park nearby our hotel where he's made some friends with local kids. Another observation: being white and speaking English does not make you a majority in this city either. We have one more day in the Capital before heading west, tomorrow we hope to visit the Lincoln Memorial and then the Holocaust museum. I know Nate will not understand a thing in that museum, but I suspect it will be quite special to have him there as we walk the hallways of that sober place.
Ken

Blurry eyes, warmed heart

As I write this my eyes are blurry, kind of burning--a little like how it feels when you've read a book for too long. I've been in sessions here in Washington from 9:30am to 10pm and not a minute has been wasted. This is a VASTLY different conference than CCDA. For example, today we talked through what it means to be a member of a church, church discipline, planning services (from the songs to the prayer to a year long preaching schedule), we also looked at adult education in the church and what that can look like. Last night was no lighter, we studied church constitutions and covenants and sat through an elders meeting. Perhaps some of you who are reading this are thinking--I'm sure glad YOU'RE there and not ME! I might agree with you actually, as it does sound very dry and institutional. However, one comment made by one of the elders of this church last night hit me hard, and for those of you who have been Christians and in the church for a long time you probably already know this (I'm just a little slower than the rest of you): 'God dwells among His people...the Church'. Its a simple statement I know, quite obvious if you've read the OT and read Paul's letters to the churches, but in this context it makes sense to put all this effort into membership, discipline, accountability, prayer, confession, and polity. These structures, which are under constant evaluation, help us sinful human beings to flesh out the love of God to each other in the church and to the rest of the world--not so we can be nice and better people, but to give proper credit to God as He deserves. Its good to see this church, and hear some of the messy stuff they deal with--it confirms what I've always wondered: the church is made up of messy sinful people, whom God has graciously forgiven and called his own sons and daughters, and we stumble along towards maturity. Its quite special and remarkable to be part of it.
Ken

Hi From President Obama

Well we spent the morning with President Obama and passed on greetings from all of you and he sends his greetings back... Well okay we weren't exactly with the President but we were at his house and spent the morning looking around his yard.

Washington has a different feel than the other cities we have been in the last month. It actually reminded us a lot of London. There are no skyscrapers but all the buildings are about 5-10 stories high. Everyone is in a hurry and going somewhere all dressed up. It's not really a city meant for kids. In Chicago, there were people and kids in strollers everywhere and it just seemed more family friendly. Interestingly enough, it is also a place where sirens are more likely to indicate a police escort than an ambulance or fire truck.

We have been surprised by the heat. It has been about 30 degrees and humid the last 2 days. Before this, it has only been in the low 20's for us.

Starting tonight, Ken will be attending the conference Weekender until 9:30 Monday morning. He will come back to our room to sleep but he will be gone most days from 8:00am to 10:00pm. Tonight he is an observer in an elders meeting which typically goes to 11:00 or 12:00 or later. So you may not hear from him much over the next few days. In the mean time, Nate & I will be looking for kid friendly things to do in Washington. He will probably have to wear more of the Elmo harness... especially on public transportation when I am trying to get him and the stroller on the bus plus pay for my fare.

Thanks to all of you who have commented on our blog. We enjoy reading your comments. It makes us feel closer to home.

Shonet

A Scotsman in Cleveland

For those of you who have never been to Cleveland, try to imagine the scene at the beginning of 'Newhart', the tv show from the '80's. A quiet community, rolling hills, the leaves of oaks and maples slowly changing colors as fall takes over this unassuming community. Well, we're actually not in downtown Cleveland we're in Streetsboro and Aurora communities--suburbs of Cleveland. This is what we've been enjoying for the past few days, no busy streets, no towering sky scrapers like Chicago, its a feel of America from 50 yrs ago. Why on earth would we come to Cleveland? Well, on a practical side, its a nice half way point between Chicago and Washington DC. It is also the home of Parkside Church, where Alistair Begg preaches regularly. Shonet and I had the privilege to attend this church on Sunday morning and evening; I also was able to meet several of their staff on Monday afternoon to learn from each other's experiences. If you have never heard Alistair preach, I would encourage you to google: www.Parksidechurch.com and follow the links to hear any of his sermons--you will not be disappointed! Its fascinating to be here just a few days after being in Lawndale in Chicago. This church has a budget of over 4 million US, here's the kicker, they've already reached their budget for 2010! This is a wealthy church in a wealthy neighborhood, whereas Lawndale is in a poor and violent neighborhood. Both churches have unique gifts. Parkside is able to support missionaries and mission agencies all around the world, as well, they have a radio broadcast that sends Alistair's messages globally--they are also a training church for young pastors. Both congregations would have such different challenges. Parkside has a retreat feel to it, a place to rejuvenate, be fed and be refreshed, whereas Lawndale feels like you're in the trenches with heavy fire coming right at you. I suppose both are needed and God raises each congregation up for His purposes--in both churches, the leadership expressed to me that they desire to be faithful to what God has lead them to do and be--what else can be asked for? On a different note, if I haven't made my fondness for this area clear, Cleveland area is beautiful! We spent some time this morning hiking through a national park that is within the city limits of Cleveland, quite an inspiring place.
Tomorrow we head back into the city, we're off to Washington DC to attend the weekender conference for pastors at Capital Hill Baptist Church--I've been reading the 150 page document they sent me to prep for their sessions. Please keep praying for our safety as we travel along, we've already spent over 20 hours in the car and have more than double that to go till we're all finished. Our car, whom we've named Robert, has done quite well, no shimming, no loss of oil, no flat tires. See ya in Washington. Oh yeah, the reason this title is about a Scotsman in Cleveland is that Alistair Begg is from Scotland, there's something about hearing a Scottish preacher that makes you want to read your Bible and be holy...perhaps I should work on a Scottish accent while away...

Ken

Pics of Chicago

Sorry about my last post...WAY too long! I will be committed to keeping it shorter, forgive me it was a late night, too much coffee and too much to think about. Lets keep this post lighter. Trivia: the other day while driving to Trinity Divinity School I drove down Racine avenue--what famous mobster movie (based on true events in Chicago) has a critical and gruesome scene on this street? Chicago bits of pizza: Shonet claims that Uno's is the best, I would agree, but if I went back to Chicago again I would throw my cash at Lou Malnati's instead--why?--read my last post (sorry). You gotta try a Chicago hot dog when you get here--fair warning though--you'll stink like an onion for the rest of the day--no close up mtgs after a Chicago hot dog! okay, 'nuff of my small talk, here's some cute pics of Nate and some beautiful shots of Chicago.

Ken

Transition

Leaving Chicago this morning in the pouring rain made me realize how beautiful the weather was all week that we were here. It was about 20 degrees and mostly sunny for the entire week. We have been blessed. We really enjoyed our time in Chicago. It was great to be in the centre of a city and feel very safe walking everywhere. There were a lot of people with kids and strollers everywhere which I think is a good sign that people feel safe to be there.

The first night we were there we asked the lady at the hotel of a good deep dish pizza place. She said that they are all the same and all good. So that night we went where she suggested. Having had Chicago pizza before we weren't convinced so last night we went for pizza at Uno's just to confirm that our suspicions were indeed correct. We can safely say that there is a difference and it is worth the extra walk to get to.

The next couple of days we are looking forward to getting a break from the concrete and staying just on the edge of Cleveland, Ohio. It is nice to see all the green space out here.

Shonet

CCDA

While Shonet has been visiting museums and parks here in Chicago I have been attending the CCDA conference. She has the camera, so I don't have any nice pics...sorry. What does CCDA stand for: Christian Community Development Association. Dr. John Perkins is the founder and the association exists to equip churches, para-churches and any other Christian organization in reaching the poor and marginalized in society. Their values are based off what they call their 3 R’s: Relocation (they believe strongly in moving into and living in the community you are serving); Reconciliation (between man and man, man and God and man and nature); Redistribution (sharing of wealth and opportunities with the poor). It’s difficult to describe the experience here in Chicago, but it has been great! I’ve felt a little out of place though…no one here knows what a Mennonite is, being white does not put me in the majority category, I don’t speak Spanish and the Chicago accent—the urban west side Chicago accent in particular—is surprisingly difficult to decipher (one speaker joked that if he spoke in tongues it would be clear English). All those things aside, the passion and the creativity and the courage is without doubt, and the desperate hold on Jesus and His promises is contagious. Most of these folks working in the inner-city have little money, and live in constant danger. Here in Chicago for example, more people have been killed on the streets than American soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan combined, there is a ‘war-time’ mentality here among inner-city workers. Today I took the train to Lawndale Community Church for one of my workshops, check out their website: www.lawndalechurch.org . This is one of the most dangerous communities in America, where child mortality rates are higher than most 3^rd world countries and gangs rule the streets. This is a church that began in 1975 when a teacher and his wife moved into the community and bought a small building and lived upstairs; a church was planted in that building and since then Lawndale church has been taking care of their corner of that community. They have slowly addressed needs of their neighborhood one need at a time, from a laundry mat to a school gym, to a medical center (2 doctors full time and a pharmacy), to renovating homes and helping families buy and own their own houses. They have started an addictions treatment center that has been recognized by President Obama and just down the street is their youth drop in and after school program for kids from 3-18. With the help of a local businessman they purchased a derelict building and turned it into a pizza restaurant that provides jobs…speaking of jobs, in total they provide just over 300 jobs in their community—giving dignity back to the poor. This is an inspiring place, and far, far away from the peaceful suburbs. These people paint a picture of what faith looks like, they remind me that Jesus did rise from the dead, that he does change lives and life is tough and sometimes all you can do is persevere through it looking to Christ. I hope I keep a flavor of Lawndale with me for a long time. If you're ever in Chicago, go to Lou Malnati's pizza restaurant. They're the courageous business owners who partnered with Lawndale in opening a restaurant in that neighborhood; they have chains across the city and in other parts of the US. There's so much to think through, I've attended workshops on mental illness in poverty, addictions treatment ideas, marriage in urban ministry as well as connecting with so many diverse people from all over the US who are trying to make a difference for Christ in difficult neighborhoods--each of these people need encouragement, wisdom and hope--they are truly on the front lines facing critical issues with whatever resources they have--quite challenging to my conservative approach to urban ministry.

Downtown Chicago

We have been downtown Chicago now since Sunday afternoon. Unfortunately we have not been on the internet as much as we had hoped because if you want it in the room it costs $14 per day. But if you are cheap like us, you can get free wireless access at at cafe in the lower level of the hotel. So that is where I write to you from now. I am over looking the river (I am forgetting it's name at the moment) and enjoying the view of the beautiful buildings surrounding me.

To recap the week, Sunday after Nate's nap, we went for Chicago deep dish pizza. We thought we would try to get it in twice while we are here. And then walked to the Navy Pier for a look at the Chicago Skyline. Monday was Ken's only day for sight seeing so he picked the Field Museum to visit in the morning and then went to see Millenium Park after supper.

At this point, our two paths go separate ways. So you will hear from me as to what I did and then Ken will update you on his journey's when he has a moment.


Tuesday morning, Ken dropped us off at the Lincoln Park Zoo where we saw some interesting animals. In the evening, we went back to the Navy Pier for supper overlooking Lake Michigan.







The Museum on Science and Industry was a great time on Wednesday morning and I felt like I barely touched the surface of all that was in it. Nate's favorite part was the tractor and threw a big temper tantrum when I tried to get him to allow other children to go on it as well. In the evening, we walked down Chicago's magnificent mile which includes many expensive shops that we mostly just looked in the windows not daring to enter with a toddler.


This morning I went to the Shedd Aquarium which is located right on Lake Michigan. It had a beautiful and was full of many amazing sea creatures. This time Nate's highlight was the boat that he could sit in.





Well we are having fun with all our sight seeing. The novelty of eating out is starting to wear off. Nothing like being away from home for a while to remember the value of a good home cooked meal. Although, I am enjoying not having to do any cooking so I will enjoy it while it lasts.

Shonet

Arrived in Chicago!

After 2 days of driving we have arrived on the outskirts of Chicago. Nate did better than I did, he only needed one stop per day, those of us drinking coffee needed a couple more...Now that we're here, I'm looking forward to getting the 'study' part of my sabbatical under way, after 4 weeks of house renos, packing and planning, I'm ready to put this into motion. Tomorrow we go to Willow Creek Community Church, you can check out their website at: http://www.willowcreek.org; seems they knew we were coming so they invited Michael W. Smith to lead worship. We'll probably put Nate in their toddler activities--its pretty cool, if you check out their website and follow the links you can find out the exact curriculum he'll be learning--even the songs are listed. I've been to Willow a few times now and each time I'm left with a sense of awe--they have a food court in their building and a waterfall! Part of this journey is to discover what the church is about and what is she doing around America--I'm not sure if churches need a waterfall, but they do need good preaching and I still remember the sermon Bill Hybels preached one year ago last time I was in Chicago. After Willow Creek we'll drive into downtown Chicago and get ready for the CCDA conference. For those of you following me to these destinations, check out the CCDA website as well and you can see the workshops I'll try to get to. We'll try to rest abit tomorrow and Monday (its Labor Day here as well) and Tuesday the conference begins. Its good to be back in Chicago, I like this city.

Recap on August

This spring and summer when we would dream about Sabbatical in August, we would imagine ourselves sitting in our backyard, relaxing, reading a good book and drinking a cool beverage... well, probably coffee for Ken. Well this last month hasn't really had as much time for these things as we had hoped. We did not have a good sense before hand all that we would need to do to be gone for four months and have our house (that we have renovated for four years) ready for housesitters. But the good thing in all this is that we hope we have done the work that will allow the rest of our time to be restful.

However, in the midst of it all, we were able to spend 5 days at Ken's parents' cabin. It was a good place to catch our breath before the push to get our stuff packed and on the road. We were also able to take in the Morden Corn & Apple Festival while visiting our families in the area. We were sad to leave Sydney in Morden with Trevor & Julia but we know she is in good hands.

Picture of Nate performing one of his songs for us beside a lake. A priceless moment.

We want to apologize to many of you that we had hoped to get together with before we would leave on Sabbatical. We just haven't been able to squeeze everything in before we are gone.

Shonet