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Mike Todd has a feeling that 2007 will be eventful.

I've had these feelings before too. I thought that 2006 would be eventful, and it was. I'm hoping for a little less eventful year in 2007.

I'm hoping Mike is wrong. I'll let you know in a year.

My latest column at Christian Week:

"Nothing changes on New Year's Day," sings Bono, lead singer of U2. Later in the same song, Bono continues, "I will begin again." Nothing changes as we start 2007, but I pray it is possible, in some ways, to begin again.

Speaking in Toronto last year, pastor and author Gordon MacDonald defined revival as bringing something back to life. We need two kinds of revival, MacDonald argued. One is big-R Revival, which is needed at crisis points five or six times within one's life. The other is small-r revival, which we need on a daily basis. I long for both kinds of revival in the coming year.

Had an amazing time. Kind of cool to have a room with a turret. Came crashing back to reality with a very delayed Air Canada flight that brought us in way too late at night, and today the normal Christmas Eve rush.

Mini-vacations are fun.

More pictures here.

Just hours to go until we leave for Quebec City for a few days.

You have to be crazy to get married (or celebrate your anniversary) the week before Christmas.

I'd read this passage last night in The Emotionally Healthy Church:

One of the struggles in C.S. Lewis's Chronicles of Narnia, Voyage of the Dawn Treader, pictures what it feels like to follow God in taking a deep, hard look inside. Eustace, a young boy, becomes a big, ugly dragon as a consequence of being selfish, stubborn, and unbelieving. Now he wants to change and go back to being a little boy, but he can't do it himself. Eventually the great lion Aslan (representing Jesus) appears to him and leads him to a beautiful well to bathe. But since he is a dragon, he can't enter the well.

Aslan tells him to undress. Eustace remembers that he can cast off his skin like a snake. He takes off a layer by himself, dropping it to the ground, feeling better. Then as he moves to the pool, he realizes there is yet another hard, rough, scaly layer still on him. Frustrated, in pain, and longing to get into that beautiful bath, he asks himself, "How many skins do I have to take off?"

After three layers, he gives up, realizing that he cannot do it. Aslan then says, "You will have to let me undress you." To which Eustace replies:

I was afraid of his claws, I can tell you, but I was pretty nearly desperate now. So I just lay flat down on my back and let him do it. The very first tear he made was so deep that I thought it had gone right into my heart. And when he began pulling the skin off, it hurt worse than anything I've ever felt...Well, he peeled the beastly stuff right off - just as I thought I'd done it myself the other three times, only they hadn't hurt - and there it was lying on the grass: only ever so much thicker, and darker, and more knobbly looking than the others had been. And there was I as smooth and soft...Then he caught hold of me...and threw me into the water. It smarted like anything but only for a moment. After that it became perfectly delicious and as soon as I started swimming and splashing I found that the pain had gone from my arm. And then I saw why. I'd turned into a boy again...After a bit the lion took me out and dressed me...with his paws...in these new clothes I'm wearing.

Absolutely beautiful.

From Christianpost.com: Young Adults Want Genuine Church:

"Young adults gravitate to churches that are making an impact," Johnston noted. "This age group is embracing service, social action and missions. They will embrace the church with a cause as well."

Johnston is optimistic about this generation, but warned some churches of the need to change their methodology to reach them.

"They (young adults) want to embrace church, but only the genuine, earth-shaking, Christ-powered New Testament church. For some churches, that's going to mean changing methodology - but not the message of the Bible."

via

I read this passage in my daily readings this morning:

But avoid foolish controversies and genealogies and arguments and quarrels about the law, because these are unprofitable and useless. Warn divisive people once, and then warn them a second time. After that, have nothing to do with them. You may be sure that such people are warped and sinful; they are self-condemned.

I can't help but think that churches were not as polite back in apostolic days as they are now. Paul seemed to name names and deal publicly with situations. I don't know of any church where divisive people are dealt with in the way that Paul describes.

I'm thinking through the implications, especially relating to the pastoral "niceness" that seems to be the norm these days. Not sure I've got it quite figured out yet.

Update: Don't read too far between the lines. I'm not wrestling with a specific situation, more with myself. I tend to be on the diplomatic side; Paul sometimes named names. I'm trying to figure out how to balance the gentleness and respect that Paul talked about with frank honesty.

Three days before Christmas 1990, Charlene and I got married. We had one of the most enjoyable Christmases of our lives: a couple of days at the Royal York in Toronto, followed by a little less than a week at the Chateau Frontenac in Quebec City. It was cold but it was an unforgettable experience.

We had the world's cheapest 35mm camera with us. It set us back about $20. I've finally dug up the pictures and scanned them. You can see them here. Yes, we were kids.

I promised to take Charlene back for our 15th anniversary. I missed that deadline but we are scheduled to go back next week for three days and two nights to celebrate our 16th anniversary.

I'll take more pictures. I know that one day we'll look back at December 2006 and think that we looked awfully young. Age is relative. Kind of fun to be growing old together.

Ali Matthews writes:

To all my Toronto area friends, Please join me this Friday, December 8th at RICHVIEW BAPTIST CHURCH for the On Angels' Wings Christmas concert ~ a magical evening of Christmas music with my incredible band: Rick Francis - guitar; Don Reed - violin; Cliff Cline - piano; Junior Riggan - bass; Jay Reihl - drums & percussion. Tickets are $12/person, $30/family, or $10/senior. Phone (416) 247-8701 to purchase tickets. CALL NOW to order your tickets or visit www.richview.org for information and directions. Please spread the word! Thanks for your support. Hope to see you there! PEACE TO YOU! Ali

It's not too late to come. You can buy tickets at the door. Hope to see you there.