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November is prostate cancer awareness month. Every year over 4,400 men die as a direct result of prostate cancer in Canada.

To help raise awareness and raise funds, Doug Moore has formed Team WellSpring and joined the Movember group. All participants are growing moustaches for the month in recognition of this worthy cause. You can click this link to donate online using your credit card or PayPal account.

If you want to be a part of Team WellSpring you can click here to join the team and help. But you gotta grow a ‘stache’ to do it (whether male or female).

It’s a bit of a competition so I’d love your donation attached to my profile (in the link).

Let’s all work together to beat this disease!

I’ll post some photo updates as the shadow fills in.

The Talosian Conspiracy

Most people who know me are aware that I’m quite a Star Trek fan. I grew up watching the original series and have enjoyed a few of the other series as well (TNG, Voyager & a bit of DS9). I own all but two of the movies.

There is a particular episode (The Menagerie) that got me thinking about our present society and the talk I gave this past Sunday (October 17, 2010) from the book of James (watch/listen on line here). In the episode we discover the Talosians, a race of beings that have so evolved mentally that they communicate telepathically. However, their weakened physical state makes it impossible to live on their own. They need others to do the work for them. Getting smarter did not make them stronger.

There is no strength without resistance. There is no victory without a battle. There is no miracle without a crisis. We want strength, victory and miracles. But we don’t want resistance, battles, and crises.

James 1:2-12 talks about the pressures and challenges we face in life and how they are intended to build our perseverance. We can all persevere somewhat for what we want, but do we persevere for what we need?

How much are we like the Talosians – thinking we’re smarter but having little strength to build a life worth living?

“Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” James 1:4

Getting what we want doesn’t make us complete. Having the character and fortitude to persevere does.

Believing – What Vs. Who

What do you believe about…? People often ask that question. It can cover just about any topic. Some carry great weight in our lives – some, little. What do you believe about the health benefits of vegetarian pizza? What do you believe about reality TV? What do you believe about marriage? What do you believe about God? The range is vast.

All these questions are more a statement of position than anything else. We live most of our lives out of what we believe. However, this kind of believing might not always move you to action. What do you believe about underprivileged people in third world countries? But, do you do anything about it?

Enter the relationship factor: Who do you believe? This is an entirely different question. It implies a greater level of trust than just a statement of position. This question shows how you respond to that person. It is a relational faith.

When we were young, we believed our parents, our teachers, our siblings (at least the older ones), and often our friends. I was quite naive as a boy. I believed pretty well anything people told me. That made me the brunt of many a practical joke. “Try these long skinny red peppers. They’re quite sweet.” The ensuing inferno was not easily quenched! (I now love chili peppers and hot food.)

When you believe someone, you will believe what they tell you. It is a relationship that is based on confidence that the person has your best interest and wellbeing at heart.

So what about God? What do you believe about God? Or, more significantly, do you believe Him? Is your faith simply positional or is it relational?

You can watch/listen to a talk I gave about this entitled Relational Faith.

Family Update

So here’s the latest on the Brulé family.  Wendy and I celebrated 25 years of marriage this past August! I took her on a surprise trip to Europe on a Mediterranean cruise, followed by a drive to Zermatt, Switzerland for some time in the mountains. What a great time we had!

Amy has changed her major to Music! She’s busy at Brock in the music program and loving it. I am so proud of her.

Jonathan started his first year in the Photonics program at Niagara College. He’s loving it too. We love to chat about math and physics. This created a small crisis in my own personal world. You see, I am not only proud of him, but also a bit jealous. I love the stuff he’s studying. I said to him last week, “Up until now I have known as much as, or more, than you about anything and everything. Now, for the first time in my life, you will know more about something than me. That’s weird but also cool.”

Adam is now in Grade 8. He is at the top of the totem pole in his school. He continues to be a great student. He’s also progressing well in playing bass. Adam has started playing on the worship team on an occasional basis.

As for me, I continue seeing great things in my family and am so thankful to God for it. We love being together, have great laughs, and share a great family bond.

Thank you Wendy, Amy, Jonathan, and Adam for being who you are.

New Host Test

This is just a test of my new hosting service.

Overdue for an update!

Amy is back from YWAM. She did her DTS (Discipleship Training School) and her outreach in Belgium, France, and Sicily. I know, it sounds more like a European Vacation – but it wasn’t. She faced some good challenges, both within the culture and working with the team. It was a period of genuine spiritual growth. She started working for the City of Welland as a kids’ camp counsellor (as she has the past few years). Amy is eager to sort out where life is going from here.

Jonathan starts at Niagara College in September in the Photonics program. That’s all about lasers and light in communications, medical technologies, and industrial/commercial applications. He’s looking forward to it.

Adam is done school for the summer. He’s going to a basketball camp in August. He’s played on the worship team at church a few times now and is doing well on bass. He has an awesome bass teacher and a passion for it.

Wendy is working out the tail end of a work related injury. She should be in tip top shape by the time we celebrate our 25th anniversary. 25 years! And we still both love and like each other. I believe a long lasting healthy marriage is possible when people are willing to forgive, work, and submit to God. It’s so totally worth it.

As for me? I’m simply pumped about knowing God more. We’re doing more worship/prayer at the church and it’s rich. I love God, my family, my church, and my friends that bring me encouragement and perspective.

So, that’s it for now.

Have a good one.

This month of May is WellSpring’s U30 month.  The under 30′s are in charge of virtually everything in the church. They are doing the worship, preaching, ushering, production, kids/youth, prayer teams, offerings… the list goes on. They are not only leading but the vast majority of the workers are in that category. Children through to young adults are involved.

This week kicked off well with Kerry Baird leading worship (band led by Jonathan Brulé), Noah Thompson and Marcel Smith did the offering, announcements and closing prayer (the hosts), Holly Jacobsen did the talk (message). She talked about the love of God and it was very significant and effective. I could list on and on. It’s just so great to see people stepping up and letting God work through them.

I look forward to this whole month and what will happen from children’s ministries through to Wednesday’s FUEL services.

The U30′s rock!

April 25th message explaining what we’re doing and why can be viewed here.

Amy goes to YWAM

I thought I’d first start with what I consider to be significant news. Amy is now in Dunham, QC, a small town in Quebec south of Montreal near the US border at Jeunesse en Mission/Youth With A Mission. She is enrolled in their DTS (Discipleship Training School). There are YWAM bases all over the world. She chose this one because of its focus on music and arts.

Amy will be spending three months there in lectures and the like.  Then, she will be off with a team to some part of the world to connect with and touch the lives of others. The destination has yet to be solidified. Initial options were Mexico, France, India, China, and South Africa. Amy’s desire was for South Africa. We’ll see where they end up.

Given her surroundings, Amy is developing her French. She has led worship in both languages. I’m so proud of her. Félicitation!

On the home front, it’s a bit weird without Amy around. This is the first time Wendy and I have one of the kids away for an extended period. We realize that even though Amy is coming back in six months, things will be different in some ways. I miss her at the dinner table – especially her laughter. Amy has the most contagious laugh; and we love to laugh at the supper table.

I pray Amy will do well and discover God’s plan and design for her life as she walks through this great journey.

Catching Up

Well, it’s been a while since writing here. It’s time for some catch up. I debated between writing one long blog entry or breaking things up into a series of smaller ones. I’ve decided on the latter since that way you can choose what to read and what to skip.

I get a sense that something’s up for this year. We all hope for good things every year but there are those times when you just get a gut feeling that something significant is in the wings. I have that for 2010. It seems everytime I get into church with people something is astir in people’s hearts as well as in my own. I so wish I had a clear picture of what’s coming down the pipe but, hey, we all have to trust God, don’t we?

I do know this. I want to live above the status quo. I don’t want to settle for less than what God has in mind. This is a year for growth in my heart and life. I hope it is for you to.

More entries to come, lots to talk about…

Family On Sale

Deals! Deals! Deals! Black Friday has come and gone. Today is online Monday, the online shopping equivalent of Black Friday in the US. Black Friday in the US is not unlike our Boxing Day in Canada – the biggest sales day of the year for retail. Deals to be had that you don’t get any other time.

As I listened to the news on Thursday morning, one person was quoted as saying they skipped Thanksgiving family dinner so they could camp out overnight for the deals. Another said they had an early dinner (3:00pm) to do the same. What I hear is, “Sorry family and friends, there’s a sale on and I don’t have time to rest from the crazed pace of life and spend time with you.”

I don’t know about you, but life is busy enough that I don’t need to use what’s intended to be relaxed family time to run around shopping to save some money. All this stuff wears out. So do relationships when not properly maintained and nurtured. What’s more important to you?

What percentage of these purchases are needs? I really feel like something is going terribly wrong when we ditch our relationships for a sale so we can buy something for the people we no longer have time to spend with.

Get a grip people! When you get to the end of the rat race, you won’t care about what you have or had but about who is standing around you loving and caring (about more than their inheritance).

Please take a step back this Christmas and use your down time wisely to build into your life and others’ what counts most.

That’s my rant for the day.

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