West Coasting at EMERGE

It was a privilege to join up with the BCCM gang out on the west coast for the Emerge Retreat. Emerge is a gathering of nearly 150 students and ministry leaders to receive an impartation to prepare them to more fully engage their lives and their campuses. Run under the strong leadership of John Engels and the BCCM directors, it was a powerful event. combining fun, fellowship and a powerful sense of the Spirit’s presence throughout the weekend.

As expected, Brady Bobbink, the director of University Christian Fellowship in WWU, Bellingham, Wa ‘brought it’. One of the Body of Christ’s premier teachers he offered something for the mind, the heart and the hands. He informed, equipped and inspired students to be prophetic people in the midst of our culture. He built a theological framework for prophecy that transcended what we would usually think when reflecting on the term. It involves bringing eternity into today. It involves expressing the mind and the heart of Jesus to a broken and lost world.

I had the opportunity on Saturday afternoon to teach on the gifts of the Holy Spirit and their relevance and application. It was a solid time that involved student questions and comments, and it provided me an opportunity to bring both biblical teaching and my personal story to the subject.

On Sunday morning, it may not surprise anyone that I told the story of my son David and how his life in many ways embodied the teaching we had been hearing all weekend. I centred it around Paul’s admonition in Ephesians 4:1 to “live lives worthy of our calling “. This included pictures of Dave’s trip to Vancouver this past summer and his unforgettable quotes. I followed it up with an audio clip of Karen’s address at the memorial service, which still awes me. The truth is, as her words, eloquent and profound, filled the room, you could have heard a pin drop.

It was followed by communion which, Seth Greenham reminded us, was the memorial of the death of the Son of God on our behalf. It was a powerful way to end the weekend.

I have to tell you I am impressed with the depth and maturity of the ministry in BC, which functions at all kinds of levels. We may not be called to replicate it elsewhere, but we can certainly learn from it and grab pages from its playbook. I am looking forward to the developing conversation as our ministries all across the country are learning from each other.

Magazine Article.

Here is an article I wrote for the official PAOC magazine, this month. 

REACHING EMERGING LEADERS

Moving Forward

I have never been more deeply impressed with the Body of Christ, than I have following the events of the past month. We are incredibly grateful for the love of God expressed through the actions and prayers of God's people. 

At the end of the week (DV), I will be off to partake in EMERGE, which is the student retreat for BC Campus Ministries. I will have an opportunity to speak on the Holy Spirit and provide a meditation on what I have learned over  the past month. As you can imagine, David's life and words are powerful and there is a message in it for all of us.  

If you check out the EMERGE link, you will quickly see that it is a powerful event.  I would encourage you to check out the ministries of BCCM in order to appreciate how comprehensive and multi-dimensional they are.

This year's primary speaker, Brady Bobbink, is one of the best teachers you will find anywhere. While he is someone who is somewhat allergic to titles, I can tell you that the nature of his life and impact over the past decades has been apostolic. His ministry at Western Washington has been responsible for the equipping and sending of hundreds of campus ministers. He has indirectly had a significant impact on my life and I am looking forward to  spending time with him and the BC gang, for whom you will see from previous blogs I have  great respect...

I  look forward to updating you soon