As I consider the history shattering events we are about the celebrate, the cross and resurrection of Jesus, there’s a phrase that I picked up from Australian Michael Frost that has been ringing loud for me, it’s the phrase “reprocessing anger into grace.” Frost in his book “The Road to Missional,” uses this phrase to describe the costly death of Jesus on the cross. God the Father is reprocessing his anger into grace. God takes on the punishment himself, atoning for the anger and hurt we caused Him by our wrong doing.

Consider the response of Jesus as he endured the excruciating pain of the cross, “Father forgive them for the do not know what they are doing.” (Luke 23:34, NIV) What an incredible and counter cultural demonstration of love. On the cross God demonstrates his commitment to restore relationship with the very people who had rejected his love and care. Though the cross, God makes it possible for all of us to embrace and experience a restored relationship with our Creator.

Peace with God, relationship restored, all leading to a quality and depth of life that can be experienced no other way now, that goes on for eternity.

But it doesn’t stop there. As Frost aptly points out, not only does the cross create the means by which we with our broken relationships with God can find restoration that brings us peace with God, it reveals the framework for Christian mission. We Christ followers likewise must reprocess our anger into grace. We must reprocess our hurt and our disappointments with one-another and the world into grace. We of all people must radically demonstrate this vision of Jesus, that is of a kingdom of restored relationships, of grace, of peace.

How did Jesus teach us to pray? “Our Father … forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us?” This comes in the midst of praying to see God’s “kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven.” We are to demonstrate that kingdom by processing our anger and hurt into grace, just as the Father has for us.

Yet this commitment to demonstrate God’s kingdom by being a people who reprocess our anger and hurt into grace is not always how those outside of the church view us. The average Canadian sees Jesus in this way but not his followers. We have a bit of a reputation for being a people who easily hurt and get angry with one another, causing people to shy away from our communities. Further we are often known as a people who are marked by anger at those outside of our church communities who do not share our viewpoints. It’s one of the key issues why so many Canadians appear to like Jesus but not the church.

I for one want to renew my commitment to reprocess any anger and hurt I have into grace and attempt to be a demonstration of the kingdom reign of our God at work in my life. I pray that God will use me to be an instrument that brings a foretaste of the world to come. May I truly be a conduit of his peace and grace to the people he graciously brings into my life, both within and beyond my faith community.

And I pray for all of us that individually and the church communities we’re a part of would increasingly demonstrate the love, grace and peace that Christ feely gives us, to the world he’s sending us into. With resurrection power, may we love even as Jesus loved us through the cross. Happy Easter.

Okay, why do young people stay in church?? The answer that particularly grabbed me was the power of a mentor in the life of a young person. Close to 82% of the respondents to John’s research rated the impact of a mentor as critical to their ongoing commitment to faith and expressing their faith through a local church.

Like John I had expected to see the strong correlation between friends and staying connected to church: almost 81% rated that as critical. And yes that is almost as big of deal as a mentor. I just hadn’t expected mentors to be as big of a deal or even bigger! That thought grabbed me and challenged me.

However, it’s what rated as the number one reason for staying in church that I found particularly encouraging, namely God Himself! For almost 90% of those still involved in a local church, it was their relationship with God that kept them in church. Imagine that, a vital experience of God is the number one reason why folk hang in on church. Actually, I’m quite pumped to see that turn up statistically!

Now as I look at churches such as Redwood and so many like us, John’s findings are both encouraging but challenging. While mid-size to larger churches like Redwood do seem to be able to cultivate an environment that encourages a vibrant connection with God, can mid-sized to larger churches like ours also effectively provide quality one to one mentoring relationships to the many youth we serve? Do smaller churches do any better? It seems to me, no matter the size, we need to become a bit more intentional about one to one mentorship. And I suspect this would be true not just of youth, but for the faith journey of our adult community as well.

Earlier this year I read Aelred of Rievaulx’s classic “Spiritual Friendship.” He wrote it somewhere between 1147 and 1167 as he served as the abbot an English Cistercian abbey. It was a great read about the power of spiritual friendships and mentorship as one of the most effective tools we have for spiritual and overall life formation. What Bowen does is simply provide current evidence that one to one mentoring relationships are still one of the most effective tools we have to encourage spiritual growth with a missional focus.

As I read John’s book I found it paralleled my own experience. While friends have always played a critical role in my faith development, by far my reasons for being in church and in church leadership is the intimate experience of God Himself in my life, followed by a number of amazing mentors I’ve been blessed with over the years. “Growing Up Christian,” is a helpful reminder that I need to pray and work more intentionally at creating an environment where more and more in our church family have the opportunity to experience the quality of mentorship that I have over the years, as they experience God personally and vitally.

John’s book is not just about why young people choose to stay in church; it also looks at why many drop out. And while in many cases the leading causes are the opposite of the ones that cause folk to stay, I was again caught by one reality that I haven’t personally given sufficient attention to. John’s quotes Canadian sociologist Reginald Bibbey, who states: “every time people move, about half of them will stop attending regularly,” and shows how his research backs that up.

Now I’ve heard that over and over from folk from Redwood that they can’t find a church like Redwood when they move, and so many of them just give up on church. What I didn’t realize was just how universal that experience is. It’s not just that Redwood has a unique flavour, but every church community has a unique flavour that folk get used to with friends that mean so much to them, that the inability to duplicate that experience in a new city is a phenomenally huge stumbling block for so many. That raises all sorts of issues for the whole spiritual formation process that takes places in most churches, and certainly for Redwood. It also raises issues for how churches help “churched visitors” connect, which may be different than working with “unchurched visitors.”

So much more I could say about this great contribution by John to the literature currently out there on youth dropping out of church. Let me simply encourage you to get “Growing Up Christian” for yourself. There’s also a good summary of his findings at: http://ow.ly/5LJGb.

Before I sign off, a couple of quick disclaimers. John’s book is based on research of a fairly narrow band of respondents, namely young people who graduated form Inter-Varsity’s Ontario Pioneer Camps’ Leader-In-Training Program during the seventeen years John was a leader and teacher. He doesn’t pretend that his research provides definitive answers. Also this is a camp where I’ve previously served as a volunteer, a salaried Follow Up Coordinator during my seminary years, and later gave four years as it’s Administrative Director. All three of my children have almost been raised in this camp, at least during the summer, including its Leader-In-Training Program. And even as I write this, my wife Jane is there, serving as the Girls Camp Cook. My family and I owe a huge debt of gratitude to the amazing leaders who have impacted our lives through this work of Inter-Varsity Christian Fellowship over many decades!!

John thanks for taking the time to study the impact that camp has had on a group of youth you worked with as they have moved into adulthood. You’ve left us with some good questions to wrestle through as we seek to develop effective ministry to future generations.

Now I enjoyed reading Dyck’s “Generation Ex-Christian.” His writing style appeals to me, and more importantly he has a lot of good stuff to say about how we ought to be working with young adults. Anyone interested in wrapping their minds around today’s young adults will find this a very enlightening read. Let me be absolutely clear, I highly recommend reading “Generation Ex-Christian.”

But Dyck makes a few comments and hangs on to some statistics that I have intuitively and anecdotally reacted against. Quoting respected researchers like the Barna Group or Rainer and Associates, Dyck claims, “Young adults are fleeing the faith in record numbers.” We’re talking numbers like “70% of youth leave church by the time they are twenty-two year old,” or “80% of those reared in the church will be ‘disengaged’ by the time they are twenty-nine years old.” Those are devastating and sensational stats!!

Hey, it’s hard to argue with statistics, but in looking at the churches I know both locally, across Canada and those few that I connect with in the U.S., I just couldn’t see that drastic of a loss. Yes I do see loss, but not at that level. And the stories Dyck told of guys like his friend “Abe,” are stories I could tell from youth ministry over 30 years ago. I have always been amazed at the ability of some people to have such profound experiences with God, only later to totally reject faith. I’m not sure that’s that new of a phenomenon. Perhaps it’s happening at a greater pace than before, depending on what you are statistically measuring?

The Facebook post that got my attention was an accurate reflection but not a word for word quote from Dyck’s book: “(Over the past couple decades) the focus in youth ministry has shifted from spiritual growth to attracting large numbers of kids and keeping them entertained… (This move) has had some ugly unintended consequences. Today many youth ministries are practically devoid of any spiritual engagement.” (See page 48) (The words in brackets are those of the Facebook poster, the rest belong to Dyck.)

Wow, in my mind those are unfair comments. Dyck carefully qualifies the statement with the word “many,” but still it strikes me as more sensational than reality. To add to the sensationalism Dyck quotes Ed Stetzler, President of Lifeway Research as saying that most youth groups are “holding tanks with pizza,” and throws in a footnote about the evils of including Halo 3 in a youth ministry setting. Has anyone really done the research to back all that up??? Isn’t that the kind of sensationalism that turns the next generation off? Low blow and inaccurate from what I can see, at least in Canada. And Drew Dyck is a Canadian!

Looking back to when I was but a youth, mass rallies by Youth For Christ or Inter-Varsity Christian Fellowship used the slickest of entertainment of those days and employed “forbidden rock music”. It was all about being relevant to attract large numbers of young people. In Toronto of the 70’s, Inter-Varsity’s Great Pumpkin Hunt was “the event” to go to. YFC’s Toronto concerts with their pre-concert “electric chair” stunts and the likes of Larry Norman singing “Why should the Devil have all the good music,” were amazingly! I don’t disparage those at all. They played a positive role in my spiritual journey. However my observation since my own experience as a youth in church and parachurch, followed by a time as a youth pastor, is that over the last several decades youth ministry has become far more focused and intentional in it’s approach to reaching and making disciples of students for Christ. Entertainment is certainly there, but no more or less than it’s ever been; and it’s used carefully and prayerfully.

And while I don’t necessarily fully align with the growing young reformed movement, I have a huge respect for its passion for student ministry that is deeply rooted in the Scriptures and deeply engaged with the life of Christ. And I see that kind of passion in churches all over the place, reformed or not. Even in my own city, I can point to multiple churches including my own, where youth ministry today is far more focused and intentional in terms of holistic discipleship than it was 20 years ago.

But can you argue with the stats? That’s when I stumbled on a great book by Brad Wright, a sociologist at the University of Wisconsin who is also a believer: “Christians Are Hate-Filled Hypocrites … and Other Lies You’ve Been Told”. Ironically Ed Stetzer writes the forward to this book!

Wright takes on the research done by Barna, Rainer and others head on and counters it with data from slightly more secular and potentially more scholarly sources like the Gallup Organization, the Pew Foundation, and the General Society Survey. He comes up with a bunch of contrarian findings that align more closely with what I’ve been sensing. (Not that “my sense” makes it better! ☺) His premise is that a lot of the bad news we’ve been hearing, a lot of the stats we’ve been using, simply are not true. Dyck also quotes the Pew Foundation but perhaps not as carefully.

On the youth ministry front Wright insists “the percentage of youth who attend church has held steady over the past twenty years.” This totally flies in the face of what evangelicals having been saying about themselves. Further Wright demonstrates that “the beliefs of young evangelicals over the past several decades have either remained stable or have become more in line with the church.” This is a surprising thought for many! But it does line up with the observation that youth ministry has become far more intentional over the years. What I see and find some support from Wright is that our youth grasp more clearly and hold onto more firmly a handful of key fundamentals. However I would suggest that the list of fundamentals they hold onto is shorter and they are much weaker at quoting chapter and verse of the Bible. I’m okay with that. I think that means we’re ahead!

Not that the news is all good. Wright is clear that “on the negative side, the number of young people who do not affiliate with any religion has increased in recent decades, just as it has for the whole population.” In other words, fewer folks hanging in the margins of faith are calling themselves Christians. It’s this reality that I think Dyck could have handled more carefully.

So I do wonder if guys like Drew Dyck who has so much good to say, don’t try to get our attention, as Wright would suggest, using sensational statements and scary statistics. It’s a good reminder to a guy like myself who loves stats and needs to get people’s attention when preaching, to be careful in their use.

And while it’s not very consoling to those many parents who have raised their kids in the church and are struggling with their current lack of faith to say that statistically it’s not a lot different than a generation or two ago, I am pumped to see some evidence that youth ministry has actually shifted towards a deeper experience with God and a greater commitment to a handful of key beliefs. So kudos to all of our youth ministry workers out there!!

I am reminded of a quote I have often used that is also found in Wright’s book from an Assyrian stone tablet that dates to 2800 BC, “Our earth is degenerate in these later days … children no longer obey their parents.”

At the start of a new year, as I’ve been reading the tough but grace filled words of God through Isaiah, I was struck by these words in Isaiah 27:6, “In days to come Jacob will take root, Israel will bud and blossom and fill all the world with fruit.” (NIV11)

It’s a tremendous promise of God to prosper the people and nation of Israel. This is not so much a promise of financial and commercial blessing as much as it is the promise that God will use Israel to be the source of hope and salvation for a world in need. Reading this passage reminds me of a few words penned earlier by Isaiah, “A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit,” (11:1). This is a prophetic reference to the coming of Jesus to bear the fruit of making us and ultimately this world right. Israel is clearly called to be a blessing to the world by being the people through whom Jesus the Messiah would come.

Isaiah 27:6 is a powerful promise to a small group of primarily agricultural people on a trivial slice of land surrounded by nations full of cultural wonders with economic and military strength, all vying for dominance on the world scene, that they would fill the entire world with fruit. God so often works through small groups of seemingly insignificant people to do amazing things.

As I read these words of Isaiah, I sensed God inviting me to take this promise to Israel and make it a prayer for Redwood for this next year. My sense is that as we go through 2011 this is what God wants to do in and through us as we prayerfully seek him: “In days to come Redwood will take root, Redwood will bud and blossom and fill all of Thunder Bay and beyond with fruit.”

I believe this is a prayer that God would invite all of us at Redwood to faithfully and passionately pray in 2011:

So I believe God is inviting all of us to pray throughout 2011, that this will be a year when Redwood sinks its roots deeply into the life our God has for us, and as a result will produce buds and blossoms and fruit that will bless our entire city and beyond, including our Barrie satellite site, our work in Indonesia and so on.

It should be an amazing year for us at Redwood!! Hey we’re already a few weeks into the New Year and we need to add seats to the 11:15 service!! Will you join me in praying that this will indeed by year where we grow deep roots and produce abundant fruit!

The Blog-Health-o-Meter™ reads Fresher than ever.

Crunchy numbers

A Boeing 747-400 passenger jet can hold 416 passengers. This blog was viewed about 5,300 times in 2010. That’s about 13 full 747s.

In 2010, there were 8 new posts, growing the total archive of this blog to 21 posts. There were 20 pictures uploaded, taking up a total of 15mb. That’s about 2 pictures per month.

The busiest day of the year was August 12th with 79 views. The most popular post that day was The 2010 Willow GLS: Leadership in Transition.

Where did they come from?

The top referring sites in 2010 were redwoodpark.org, facebook.com, insideredwoodpark.org, twitter.com, and northernboy.theadvancecommunity.ca.

Some visitors came searching, mostly for u2 album, u2 no line on the horizon, bill hybels, missional canadian, and arthur guinness christian.

Attractions in 2010

These are the posts and pages that got the most views in 2010.

The 2010 Willow GLS: Leadership in Transition August 2010
4 comments

Perhaps St. Guinness? March 2010
9 comments

Surprised By Hope in U2′s “No Line On The Horizon” March 2009
2 comments

The Bible: One Big Story June 2010

Halloween: Let’s Enjoy it!! October 2009
6 comments

I owe a huge thanks to a couple of guys in my Pastoral Small Group, Mike Wilkins from West London Alliance and Garth Leno from Heritage Park who introduced me to the books and blog of Susan Scott. I was working through some of my own “stuff” and sharing that with the group, when both guys jumped with the name Susan Scott and strongly encouraged me to take a look. They were surprised that I was unfamiliar with her as so often I’m the guy recommending secular authors who have something to say to the life of the local church.

Contrary to Susan’s Scott’s strong recommendation, I read “Fierce Leadership” before I read “Fierce Conversations,” which worked well for me, but “Fierce Conversations,” is clearly the foundation upon which the next book is built. I was struck by how the virtues Scott espouses are so obviously Christian. I wondered what in her background contributed to an ethic that so often reflected the teaching of Jesus despite her obvious disdain for institutional religion as well as her colourful yet sensitive use of such language. Perhaps her expression “what fresh hell is this,” will not win her points with the average evangelical church goer, but I must admit I found it an original and winsome way to express the realities we continually encounter in church and family life.

It wasn’t until I got to her first book, “Fierce Conversations” that I discovered that Susan has a churched upbringing with a mom who has been concerned about her daughter’s rejection of their family’s faith background. That explained a lot, including her phrase, “What Would Love Do?,” likely her secularized version of WWJD. She provides an excellent exposition of Matthew 18:15-17 without ever letting you know that she’s been influenced by the Bible. Reading between the lines, I suspect the values that she holds so strongly to, that she “preaches” so passionately, which are biblically consistent, were likely sadly absent in the church of her upbringing. Like so many, she embraces many biblical values, sees herself as “spiritual,” but rejects Christianity. Someone how I found myself identifying with this jaded reflection of church culture, and it caused me to look deeply within, at where I might be contributing to the culture Scott has come to reject.

Let me just throw your way a few quick things among many that struck me as I read these two books:

• Our work, our relationships succeed or fail one conversation at a time. We build our emotional wakes for the positive or negative, one conversation at a time.
• What each of us believes simply reflects our own view of reality … and reality is unforgivingly complex. In other words, no one person owns all of the truth.
• The person who can most accurately describe reality without laying blame will emerge the leader.
• If your behaviour contradicts your values, your body knows, and you pay a price at a cellular level.
• Authenticity is not something you have, it’s something you choose.
• What are you pretending not to know???
• We must recognize that humans share a universal longing to be known, to be loved.
• What we do at work that hurts people or alienates coworkers we also do at home, hurting and alienating those we love.
• When we keep important thoughts private, our ability to learn and make good decisions is lost.
• Feedback is invaluable. Anonymous feedback is not honest. Like all toxins, anonymity should be kept as close to zero as possible. Trust requires persistent identity.
• The goal is to have open, honest, face-to-face conversations, 365 days a year, with the people central to your success and happiness.
• A careful conversation is a failed conversation because it merely postpones the conversation that wants and needs to take place.
• A central part of my job is to build a culture that includes genuine affection for and an emotional connection with coworkers and customers.
• Master the courage to interrogate reality.
• The point of accountability is to empower the other person, not for you to become the new source for his or her power.
• Tell me what you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?

Well that’s just a tease that hardly scratches the surface of two books that are immensely practical, incredibly challenging, yet refreshingly biblical in an arena you might not expect it. In some ways Scott’s books were almost like reading the sequel with practical application to NT Wright’s new book, “After You Believe: Why Christian Character Matters.” Wright talks about the tough work of putting to death our old nature and putting on Christian virtues, and likens it to the difficult challenge of learning a new language. Yes we have the working of the Holy Spirit who will empower us, but only as we first choose to do what we as human beings have been enabled to do by our Creator God, as His image bearers. But that would take another blog to unpack.

So I give a hearty two thumbs up to both of Scott’s books, “Fierce Conversations,” and “Fierce Leadership.” I’d recommend them for use at home, at work, in the church, or wherever you interact with people committed to some sort of mission or task. Hey, I might even suggest that “Fierce Conversations,” might be one of the better books we could use in pre-marital counseling. Go buy both books and read them NOW!! (And after that take a look at Wright’s book! )

Yesterday I tweeted a few of my thoughts, as I enjoyed this cottage across from Pioneer. The response I got back spanned the decades from recent campers to those who haven’t really been a part of camp for decades. And their comments were every bit as emotional as I was feeling right here at the cottage.

Comments included, “Truly a magical place;” “Oh, I wish I were there;” “So jealous. Enjoy, enjoy, enjoy;” “Man I miss that place;” “If I could get a cottage on that lake, I probably would!” My daughter Meagan reflected on writing her application for Med School at the Girls’ camp site, crediting the location with the writing of an application that got her in!

There’s the old Camp Song that we used to sing with passion, yes all three verses, that today occasionally they sing the first verse. I get it, the tune and words are a bit geeky for today’s sophisticated youth, but hey, it says a lot:

On the shores of Lake Clearwater
Stands the camp I love
Where in sparkling water glistens
Blue of skies above

Chorus:
Hail to thee, Camp Pioneer
Camp of camps the best
Where in fellowship united
Every heart is blessed

Far from burning heat of city
Here the woodland dreams
Darkling pines and silver birches
Shelter cooling streams

Chorus …

Hear the glories of the Northland
Praise the Lord of all
Here we too can learn to love Him
And obey His call

Chorus …

Geeky or not, the Pioneer Camp song captures the ethos of what’s been happening at Christian camps like Pioneer for the multiple decades of the Christian camping movement. For so many camp is or has been a place where deep life long friendships have been forged, where personal growth has catapulted forward and self worth has been bolstered. And most of all it’s been a place of spiritual encounter and life transformation, discovering that the God of all creation is irrationally in love with me, wants to walk with me personally and has a mission, a purpose beyond my wildest imagination for me to pursue.

For me it’s been camps like Pioneer and Mini-Yo-We in Muskoka where I have been a camper, served as staff member in my formative high school and college days, and later had the privilege to serve full time, being the Director of Mini-Yo-We for two years and the Administrative Director of Ontario Pioneer Camps for almost five years. For many in the Thunder Bay area where I now serve, it’s camps like Dorion, Round Lake and Manitoba Pioneer that evoke that same deeply raw and wonderful emotion.

I really like the Celtic concept of “thin places.” In the days of Patrick of Ireland and the Celtic spirituality that he spawned, the Celts had a deep appreciation for special places of spiritual encounter, where the line between this world and things of God are indeed very thin, an environment that invites us to experience spiritual transformation. Camps are truly “thin places.” So much so that I’m convinced that one week at camp can have a far deeper and more profound impact on a life than a couple of years in church – and hey I believe in church!!

As I wrap up writing this little blog, the boys are singing, “Oh happy day, happy day … I’ll never be the same, forever I am changed.” That’s my story. Because of my experiences at camps like Mini-Yo-We and Pioneer, my life took on a whole new trajectory and I was forever changed. My calling to and passion for full time ministry came from camp. Even how I approach ministry is profoundly shaped by camp.

Thank you Barb and Jim for letting me use your cottage, it’s truly been a “thin place” for me. And all of you on staff at and leading various Christian camps, know that as a part of my study time away form Thunder Bay, I’m praying for you and the great work you do!

McKnight has helped me to better articulate that the Bible from Genesis to Revelation is one consistent story: It’s the story of God who is crazy in love with the people he created, and how he has made a way for us to be at one with Him, and at one with each other, at one with creation, even as God is at one with himself.

There really is an overriding story to the whole of the Bible. It’s all about a restored relationship we can have with God, restored relationships we can have with each other, and ultimately it’s about a resorted relationship we are to have with creation.

McKnight tells us that the Bible is a book with a beginning, that’s Genesis chapters 1 to 11, and a long, long middle, that’s Genesis 12 to Malachi 4 and then Matthew through Revelation, and there’s an end, that shows up in a few places, like Matthew 25, Romans 8 and Revelation 21 and 22. The climax is the death and resurrection of Jesus that makes this oneness, this restoration possible.

Within the Bible there are a bunch of smaller stories that each contribute to the overall story. Again, what unites them altogether is this story of oneness or restoration, where are all things are ultimately destined to be made right, that all of creation and all the people of this world who chose God’s offer of restoration, despite the hurt and mess you find, will ultimately be made right. The Bible calls us to look forward to the coming new heaven and new earth where our God… “will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” (Revelation 21:4, TNIV)

So when you read the Bible, you start with an understanding that it’s a bunch of little stories that are all related, that are all part of the big story, the story that God is crazy in love with his creation including you and me, that he wants us to be at one with him, and each other. And when you read with that understanding, it really does begin to make sense, even some of those tough passages become easier to grasp or at least don’t need to be the red herrings we so often make them to be. It actually all fits as part of the big story.

And while we believe that the canon of the Bible is complete, God’s story continues. And you and I fit right into God’s Genesis to Revelation story. Our part of the story, our mission is to serve as agents of this restoration, this oneness project of God. We lead people to experience oneness with God and then through oneness with God, oneness with each other. Further in anticipation of the promised new heaven and new earth, we work towards that ultimate restoration even now, seeking even as Jesus taught us to pray, to see more and more of God’s kingdom come, God’s will done on earth as it is in heaven. Quite simply we work to make the invisible kingdom which is not far off, visible now.

It’s the greatest story ever, “For God so loved the world …” And you and I get to be a part of this story. We might not be part of the canon on Scripture, but we’re still very much a critical part of “his story”! God wants each of us to play our role, to take all of our talents, resources and gifts and leverage them in the power of His Spirit for the sake of His oneness project, seeing God’s kingdom come, God’s will done in individual lives and our world at large, in anticipation of the return of Jesus when it all will be made right.

I first got a hint about what an amazing individual Arthur Guinness is when the Doyle family in a vacation last spring checking out our ancestral heritage, toured the amazing Guinness Brewery in Dublin. But I never really knew the full Guinness story until Darryl Buckle, our new Pastor of Adult Ministries bought me a gift, a newly published book by USA Today columnist, Stephen Mansfield. It’s titled, “The Search for God and Guinness: A Biography of the Beer that Changed the World?” It was written to celebrate the Guinness Company’s 250th anniversary.

Who would have thought that a book about an iconic Irish stout and the family that had made it famous would actually be a riveting and inspiring read, challenging us how to live and do business for the glory of God. While it might sound strange to some from more traditional evangelical settings, Arthur Guinness was motivated by his deep personal commitment to God to develop a product that would contribute to the good of society through a company devoted to the well being of its employees.

Here are some interesting thoughts that have come from reading Mansfield’s book:

• Arthur Guinness was deeply impacted by John Wesley’s preaching in Dublin. With Wesley he accepted the idea from Psalm 104 that alcohol in moderation was a gift from God “to gladden the heart”. However Wesley deplored the use of distilled beverages such as gin, brandy and whiskey because they led so quickly to the sin of drunkenness. Guinness came to see the brewing of beer as a way to promote the God honouring moderate use of alcohol, while leading people away from the “Gin Houses” that were such a blight in Irish and British society. Brewing beer was part of his mission to make a positive difference in Irish society.

• Guinness founded the first Sunday Schools in Ireland. He fought against dueling. And he chaired the board of a hospital for the poor. He had a huge Christ centred social conscience. As a Protestant he fought for the rights of the oppressed Roman Catholic majority in Ireland.

• The generations that followed Guinness produced not only some very God honouring businessmen, but some passionate pastors as well. In the 1890’s, Rupert Guinness, future head of the brewery, received five million pounds from his father on his wedding day. Shortly after, he moved into a house in the slums and launched a series of programs that served the poor.

• The Guinness brewery routinely paid wages that were 10 to 20 percent higher than average and had a reputation for being the best place to work in Ireland. Guinness paid for all of his employees’ ages 14 to 30 to attend technical schools if they wanted and more advanced school if they qualified. He provided medical and dental health care to the whole family, with doctors and nurses on site; subsidized meals; provided a company funded pension, sports facilities, free concerts … And the list of way over the top generous employee benefits goes on and on. Guinness believed, “You cannot make money from people unless you are wiling for people to make money from you.”

• And then in 2003, scientists at the University of Wisconsin reported that a pint a day of Guinness is good for the human heart, confirming that call to drink a little wine in 1 Timothy 5:23, is relevant today and can be extended to beer!

It’s only been in recent years that major evangelical denominational families like Christian & Missionary Alliance that Redwood Park is a part of, have been officially willing to go back to a balanced biblically grounded understanding regarding the consumption of alcohol. The latest edition of the Manual of the Christian & Missionary Alliance in Canada states:

“The Bible contains guidelines regarding the moderate use of alcohol and warnings regarding its misuse. The misuse of alcohol is damaging to individuals, families and society. The C&MA expects its credentialed workers to exercise their Christian freedom responsibly within the framework of God’s Word.”

Guinness, Wesley and St. Patrick would all have approved.

But what’s most fascinating about the life and legacy of Arthur Guinness is not the novelty of seeing beer as a tool in Christian mission, as much as it’s simply to see how a Christian businessman worked out his faith so holistically through his business. We truly need to see God raise up a few more Arthur Guinness’ in the world!! Oh and Happy St. Patrick’s Day!