Review of Patrick Lencioni's Book "Getting Naked"

I am always looking for good and useful books. I am a bit of a slower reader, but normally have three or four books on the go time. I have one of the car, one beside the bed, one of the office (well, to be honest, there are few hundred in the office), one of the living room, and who knows where else. I am also a stubborn reader, and even if I find a book boring or a very technical read, I tend to make myself finish it. However I would not say it was finished in a timely manner.

 

One of the things that I find difficult is knowing what books are actually good, and what ones are waste of money, before I buy them. And so, I thought that from time to time on this blog I would insert my opinion on some of the books that I have read.

 

The book that I most recently completed reading has a rather strange title to be attracting a pastor’s interest. But bear with me (no pun intended), and give the book a chance. The book is by Patrick Lencioni entitled Getting Naked: A Business Fable… About Shedding the Fears That Sabotage Client Loyalty.  It was published in 2010 by Jossey-Bass and is 220 pages in length. If you have a good evening to sit and read, it is readable on one session, and interesting enough to want to do so.

I found this book to be a refreshing read. It is marketed primarily to business consultants, public resource managers, life coaches, and the like. However, I think that it applies to people of all walks of life, and maybe very specifically to pastors and church leaders. His driving focus is transparency and humility. Therefore, the “naked” that he is speaking about really as most to do with honesty, transparency, humility, removing barriers to be trustworthy to the people we serve.

 

The bulk of his book is told as a story of an executive who has been working for a large consulting firm in the San Francisco area. It is a national firm with offices in other parts of the country. This large firm has been frustrated by the competition they have had from a small firm that only services the San Francisco area, and seemingly has no desire to grow, but has regularly and successfully taken business from the large firm. This small firm is bought out by this national company, in an effort to eliminate the competition.  The executive is then tasked with the chore of going into this small firm, gleaning the profitable parts for the parent corporation, and making a recommendation for how it can be absorbed. The story then explains the significance of the lessons learned by this executive. It is told in an engaging and interesting manner, and drives home some very deep lessons. I found the book hard to put down.

What I found particularly worthwhile is how human the presentation is. He does not shy away from telling the truth, but does so in such a way that it is memorable and inoffensive. He cuts straight to the chase and tells the reader there are three fears that hold us back from success. It seems to me that each of these fears have self-preservation in mind. However, the reality is that allowing these three fears to dominate actually results in loss, a lower success rate, and likely ulcers. The three fears he cites are: 1. The fear of losing the business, 2. The fear of being embarrassed, 3. The fear of feeling inferior. He explains each of these in detail, both in the story and in a section of the back of the book. I found it very helpful that at the back of his book there is a section of talk about the three fears, and then a number of points to give practical advice and application to overcoming these fears of the way that provides for success.

 

It is my belief that, even in the church, these fears can hold us back. Sometimes, we pastors get so concerned about keeping people happy that we do not offer them the best service. Sometimes people need us to speak the truth in love and gently, rather than avoiding it and skirting around the issues. If done well, people will be more loyal than they are by us simply telling them what we think they want to hear. And let’s face it, money is never an easy thing in a church. Pastors and church leaders are often so concerned about money that we are scared to death with the fear of losing the business, or more specifically, people stopping their financial support. Many times this fear causes us to make decisions that actually result in the loss of financial support. People are far more loyal, require more giving, far more attracted to a church that is honest, transparent, and real. I think this book, one that was written for the business world, has some lessons for us to in the church. Highly recommended for church pastors, boards, deacons, elders, and other key leaders.

I could see this book being used as a part of a training exercise for a Board of Deacons or Church Board. It lays out several smaller points that are even more significant than the three fears. But how many times a deacons board meeting do you hear the resounding words, “What if people do not like this and stop attending church?”  Lencioni is not recommending anything radical or negative, but rather leadership that is honest, transparent, humble, real, and open with one another. Doesn’t that sound like the way church should be?

Going Forward Without All the Facts

I am normally not a manuscript preacher, and tend to do my sermons point by point. However, last week I particularly enjoyed writing a sermon manuscript for the service. The weakness is that I went 15 minutes over time, which is virtually unheard of for me. I like to start at 11:00 AM sharp and be done at 12:00 PM sharp. However, this week was little longer. I thought maybe you'd be a good idea to post here for your interest and feedback. Comments are welcome and encouraged. So this is the sermon for February 22, 2015. I hope it encourages you in some way.

Going Forward Without All the Facts

Exodus 13:17-14:4

When Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them on the road through the Philistine country, though that was shorter. For God said, “If they face war, they might change their minds and return to Egypt.” ¹⁸ So God led the people around by the desert road toward the Red Sea.^[a] The Israelites went up out of Egypt ready for battle.

¹⁹ Moses took the bones of Joseph with him because Joseph had made the Israelites swear an oath. He had said, “God will surely come to your aid, and then you must carry my bones up with you from this place.”^[b]

²⁰ After leaving Sukkoth they camped at Etham on the edge of the desert. ²¹ By day the Lord went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to guide them on their way and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so that they could travel by day or night. ²² Neither the pillar of cloud by day nor the pillar of fire by night left its place in front of the people. Then the Lord said to Moses, ² “Tell the Israelites to turn back and encamp near Pi Hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea. They are to encamp by the sea, directly opposite Baal Zephon. ³ Pharaoh will think, ‘The Israelites are wandering around the land in confusion, hemmed in by the desert.’ ⁴ And I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and he will pursue them. But I will gain glory for myself through Pharaoh and all his army, and the Egyptians will know that I am the Lord.” So the Israelites did this.

 

Do you ever wonder if God knows what He is doing? Maybe there are times that you find yourself in situations and you feel so alone. Maybe you have even sought guidance from the Lord and felt strongly that you are to make the very choice that you made. You take the road less travelled, press on the path that seemed very clear to you when the decision was made. And now, you feel like you made the wrong choice. You feel alone, maybe even scared, and you wonder if the voice that you thought was a clear communication from God was nothing more than a silly dream or indigestion from the chili you had eaten before going to bed.

Maybe you fall into the category of not having asked God for direction. Maybe you made a calculated decision based on logic, wisdom and knowledge. You are convinced that it was very choice to be made, and now you find yourself with your back against the wall in a seemingly hopeless situation. You likely feel that this is God’s judgment upon you for not seeking His will. For these and a variety of other reasons, we can find ourselves in situations where we believe we are in peril and there is little to no hope. On the consequences we are about to suffer are more than we can bear.

 

The people of Israel were in a similar situation to this. Years before their ancestor Jacob had brought his entire family to Egypt because of a famine. In fact, God had orchestrated the whole thing. God had control over the weather, and could easily have prevented a famine from taking place. But He didn’t. Rather, He brought Joseph through some very difficult times to deliver His people from the famine. What was the end result? The Israelites went from being a favourite group of people, living in the best part of the land, privileged in the eyes of Pharaoh, to a group of slaves. People feared by the succeeding Pharaoh’s and his officials because they are becoming so numerous and prosperous. So from a status of privilege to a status of slavery, a status of value and importance to the status of being the possession of Pharaoh. They cry out to God for deliverance. Why does God not notice them? Why do they feel so alone? There are probably nights they cry themselves to sleep, wondering why they even want to wake up in the morning.

 

Then… Hope. A man named Moses, a Jewish person who was raised by the Egyptian court, a man who had been exiled from Egypt and had a burning bush experience of God arrives. He claims that God has sent him to deliver His people out of Egypt and back to the land that they once occupied. There was hope, there was doubt. How is God going to do such a thing? What good was one man against the superpower Egypt? Some of the people were convinced, I suspect most of the people doubted. Some of the people felt strong conviction from God, as if they had heard His voice tell them that this was their time, the deliverance is at hand. Others were listening to the voice of logic, knowledge, wisdom, reality. This voice could lead one of two ways; either an understanding that God is all-powerful and must be leading this man, so follow and trust is important. The second option is the conventional wisdom, better to be living slaves, then to anger Pharaoh and die. They have seen the wrath of Pharaoh before. The whole reason that Moses was raised in Pharaoh’s court came out of a time when the Pharaoh ordered baby boys to be killed upon birth. What could bring more fear than to see an Egyptian soldier threaten the life of your infant boy? And so, all of the mix of emotion, history, wisdom, knowledge, fear and doubt are easily played over and over in the minds of the people. They are at a crossroads, and they need to know where the voice of God is in their quest for answers.

And so God proves Himself. Imagine! God, the Creator of all who is having to prove Himself to a group of slaves! God, who delivered them from famine, having to prove that He is real, powerful, and that He cares for them. But this is exactly what God does. He wants to make it clear to the people of Israel, and to the people of Egypt, that the Jewish people are His people and that only God could deliver them from the might of the Pharaoh.

 

You can imagine the thoughts going through Pharaoh’s mind as Moses approaches him and demands the release of the majority of his slave labour. Egypt has built some incredible monuments, royal facilities, and public works projects, largely at the hands of the Israelites. The military is allowed to be larger because the Egyptians do not need to skilled labourers. Most skilled labour has been deferred to the people of Israel. And now, here comes this man calling for the release of this cheap labour. On the one hand, this could provide relief for Pharaoh. That fear of the Israelites becoming too large a population for Egypt to control would be alleviated. However, all of that cheap labour would certainly be difficult part with. And can you imagine being Pharaoh, when this man who has returned from exile for whom you have no respect, the man from a race of slaves, standing before you and demanding that you release these people? What an insult to your dignity! If you wanted to release them, you would’ve done it on your own. You have no need for some slave man to come and make such demands you. After all you are Pharaoh, you are almost a god. And this God that Moses claims the following is no more significant than you.

 

God decides to prove Himself. God hardens Pharaoh’s heart, Pharaoh’s heart would have been hard all on its own. And so God proves Himself, proves His ability to control nature and humanity, by sending plagues. The plague of blood, the plague of frogs, the plague of gnats, the plague of flies, the plague on livestock, the plague of boils, the plague of hail, the plague of locusts, the plague of darkness, and lastly and most significantly the plague on the firstborn. With many of these plagues, the people of Israel had been spared these consequences. For example, the plague on livestock did not affect a single animal in all of Israel’s region, and Pharaoh’s officials noted this. And yet, Pharaoh kept his heart hard. Finally, after the terrible plague on firstborn sons, where even Pharaoh’s firstborn son dies, he agrees to set the people free.

 

Now if you are a member of the nation of Israel, imagine the sense of relief and fear that you would experience. Freedom is something that you have never known. You were born a slave, your parents were born slaves, your grandparents were born slaves, even your great-grandparents were born slaves. And now, freedom. Not only that, but wealth. The Hebrew people are instructed to ask the Egyptians for items of gold and silver. The Egyptian people give them great items of value, and so the people of Israel plundered the Egyptians. In reality, this would’ve been a small payment for services rendered, but far more than the people of Israel would ever have experienced in their lives before.

 

Moses leads the way, and maybe even more specifically, they can see God leading the way. He goes before you in a pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night, and never leaves its place in front of the people. Where is God, Moses, leading the people? Into the desert, into a place where the Red Sea stands between them and their freedom. And to top it all off, Pharaoh decides that he made a mistake, these people should never be free, and that he will take him back or kill them. And when you’re in situations like this, your mind always goes to the worst. You are convinced that Pharaoh’s army wants to use you for a training exercise, to kill you all. Even with God in front of you all this time, your mind turns to your woe, and you doubt your situation. Now we can be hard on the people of Israel, because they could see God very clearly was still with them. In fact, God moved the pillar between the people of Israel and the people of Egypt and made one side of the pillar to be light and the other side dark. Even then, Israel has doubts.

 

And so, here we are at a crossroads. The Red Sea at our back, the most powerful military in the world bearing down on us and we feel hopeless. What do the people of Israel do? They put their faith and trust in God, hunker down and prepare for what He is going to do to deliver them from this mess… Or, they complain, they turned to their leader and say some of the most hurtful things they can think of. They accuse Moses of making decisions for them that will cause their death. They accuse him of being motivated falsely. They challenge everything. They panic and experience disbelief.

 

We are at an advantage here, we know the end of this story. We know God provides yet another miracle, parts the Red Sea and allows people of Israel across on dry ground. We know that God reduces the military of Egypt by drowning most of them in the Red Sea is a pursue Israel. But looking back is always far more clear than looking forward.

 

What about our struggles? What about those times that we feel we have been led by God to situation and find that we have our backs to the Red Sea, with the enemy coming in on all sides? This may not be a literal situation, but it still applies. What do we do?

 

1. Remember: Jesus died for you. That is how much God loves you. God loves you so much to His firstborn in the ultimate Passover sacrifice. God did not spare His own Son, but made Him a sacrifice for you and me. According to the Bible, you and I are joint heirs with Jesus to the inheritance of God the Father. We are God’s children, and as Jesus says to the crowd all the listeners, if you fallen human beings give good gifts to your sons, how much more do you think God will give you good things, O you little faith?  Remember who you are. Remember whose you are.

 

2. Seek:  Isn’t it our natural tendency to turn to God and tell Him what we need? Many times, don’t we tell God just what we need Him to do. And then stand back and wait for Him to do it? Maybe that should be a warning to us. God knows all that there is to know. He is not bound by the limits of time or space. He knows what we need in the big picture, as well as in the immediate. He knows that our lives here on earth are brief compared to the lives we have an eternity with Him. We do not need to go through our lives filled with fear, demands, and worry. The Bible tells us not to worry about tomorrow, what we eat drink or wear, for each day has enough troubles of our own. God will provide. The wise thing to do is to seek God’s direction and guidance in our day-to-day decisions, big picture and small picture. You will notice in the account of the Hebrew people that there is no record that they did this.

 

3. Listen: Seeking God’s will is more than just asking.  Seeking is more than just expecting the answer before you move on. Seeking is not just expecting to have all of the answers before you take your first step, an important part of seeking, one that extends well beyond the initial attempt of seeking, is to be an ongoing listener. Even as God maybe has set you on the road, you have to listen to the directions that come along the way. Men, how many times do you attempt to put things together without consulting the instruction manual? When you are done, how many “spare parts” remain? In reality, most of us start consulting the instruction manual, but once we think we have the hang of it, we try going on our own. It is the same as if we see God in the beginning, and then do not listen as we make the journey. We need to be seeking, and listening, every step of the way. After all, we start out on the highway for a long trip, you have to read signs along the way. They give us hints and directions as to how to drive safely, as well as where to drive.

 

4. Wait:  When it is time, be patient to wait. Sometimes this is before you take action at all. Maybe you are graduating high school and seeking the will of God and what to do with your life. It is not unhealthy to seek God and wait for His answer. It is unhealthy if you don’t believe you have received an answer for three years, and continue living in your parents basement without working or even attempting to help, because you are “seeking the will of God.” Waiting does not always mean inaction. Sometimes waiting involves seeking, such as the same student who has graduated high school taking small jobs, reading up the possibilities, searching job opportunities on the Internet, doing assessments to determine what he or she is good at and enjoys, all the while prayerfully seeking God’s direction along the way. This is a big step to take in life, a long row to hoe. Waiting in this kind of circumstance means don’t start that part of your journey, study the road, read the maps, consult the tourist information books, gather information and seek God’s direction through it.

 

At other times, it is not a matter of waiting to start, it’s a matter of taking pauses along the way. How many times do we feel that small nudge from our God that says slow down, wait a second. It is like the stop signs on the road of life, we cannot see what will be crossing our path, but God can. Sometimes when we are uncertain, we need to take a pause and wait. Sometimes we find ourselves operating under our own strength, and realize we have not been seeking God, we need to wait.

 

5. Trust:  This is a hard one for some of us. We want all the answers ahead of time. We want to study the roadmap and gather all of the information so that we can make the most informed decision. While there is nothing wrong with that in and of itself, what happens when God tells us to take the road that we didn’t feel was the best choice? Maybe it is a road that takes us around the long way, and will cost us more money, be less efficient, and take us outside of our comfort zone. Sometimes, it is the best choice for us and we do not know it. Sometimes it is a learning process for us, but it may be through a time of difficulty, to prepare us for what is to come down the road. Sometimes, is for the benefit of somebody else who will need us. Do you trust God? Life is not always going to be easy, but when you can go through it knowing that God loves you, cares for you, and has your eternal best interest in mind, it brings us comfort and strength.

 

After all, who is this God that we trust and follow? This is the God who created all that is, with the exception of people, simply by speaking. This is the God who stood in the fiery furnace with the three Hebrew men who would not worship the king, and none of the four of them were even smelling smoke. This is the God who allowed Daniel to be thrown into the lion’s den simply for taking the time to talk to his God, and saved his life. This is the God who, when Israel found their backs up against the Red Sea, parted the Red Sea and allow them to walk through a dry ground. This is the God when Israel was overwhelmed by the threat of Jericho and her thick walls, brought them down on His own accord. This is a God who chose a small shepherd boy, and imperfect person, to lead His people and seek after His own heart. This is the God to the same small shepherd boy and pitted him against the giant Goliath, a mighty warrior in the land, and winning.  This is the God who used Gideon and 300 men to action against a military threat and caused the threat to eliminate themselves rather than fight His people. This is the God who sent His one and only Son into this world to save the lives of all people. This is the God who does not stand back with passive interest, “from a distance” and watch us. He is involved. He is with you. He is there. He loves you.

 

This is a God who we serve. When your back is against the wall. This is the God that we can trust.  Remember, seek, listen, wait and trust.

Stressing Over the Unknown: Why Selling One's House is a Faith Challenge

Just after accepting the call to become the Senior Pastor at Hantsport, and tendering my resignation at First Baptist, my family undertook a wonderfully stress-filled and financially disappointing venture . . . selling our home in a buyer's market.  What could be more simple?  All we needed to do is finish the renovation projects I had started and not yet completed, get the house staged for optimum photogenic display, have it spotlessly clean whenever potential buyers come through, and voila, it is sold!  We already had our real estate agent, Stuart Lyons, with whom we had done two previous real estate transactions, and who has been steadily improving his sales records year over year.  He is the type of agent that you can communicate well with, point out changes you would like to your listing, discuss options with, and know you are being heard and heeded.  No, Stuart is not paying me for this, he doesn't even know I have a rant!  But he has done well for us!  After all, how hard could it be to sell a house?  I was quite confident this place would sell quickly, kind of.

By nature I am a pessimistic optimist (or an optimistic pessimist, not sure where the emphasis should be placed).  I know, I know, the term is an oxymoron (I always loved this term in intermediate school, mostly because it had the word moron in it).  How can a person be both an optimist AND a pessimist?  I agree it makes for a strange individual, but I have been called worse than "strange."  What I mean is that my mind is two-fold on many things.  I can get excited easily and harbor a fantasy that everything will work out in my timing and with all of my desires, as long as I get everything in place that I believe is necessary for this optimistic delusion to take place.  And the flip side is that pessimistic voice that calls out to me in the back of my mind, "It'll never work." or "It's going to take forever." or my true favorite, "You don't have the skills to pull this off."  This two-mindedness often becomes apparent at the most inconvenient times, such as five minutes after I touch a sander to that hardwood floor I want to refinish, or as soon as I open my mouth to answer that complex question from that hurting person at work, or two days after listing a house on the market!  Being of two minds like this increases my tendency to verbalize my doubts, and opens me up for some of my favorite statements from people that mean well, and are trying to be an encouragement.  I find we Christians have some of the worst statements of encouragement possible. I heard several jaw droppers over the last year, but my favorite is:

"If it is God's will, it will all work out."  There are many ways this is expressed, but the supposed emphasis being, "Everything will work out, hang in there."  The problem is, we Christians think we need to make it sound spiritual.  The result?  Bad theology and poor words of encouragement.  How is this phrase an encouragement to someone who has accepted a call to a new employer and resigned with his previous employer, listed his house on the market, and is now living in a camper trailer three hours drive away, unable to buy a new house until the old one sells.  Let's take apart this statement for what it is really saying.

     a.  First message, you could be going against God's will and that's why things are not working out.  This is encouragement in the theme of Job's friends.  Job is always an encouraging read.  Due to the jealousy of Satan, Job loses his children, his possessions, his positive attitude, and his health.  He is doing so well that his wife tells him to curse God and die.  Maybe she had the spiritual gift of encouragement?  His friends sat with him for awhile, and then started to try to fix everything by telling him that he wasn't spiritual enough, or he had angered God somehow.  Job was a guy who made atonement sacrifices for his children JUST IN CASE one of them sinned at a party!  The friends were wrong.  Job was being attacked by the evil one, who wanted nothing more than to hear Job curse God.  With Job, with my family and the move, and in many of the circumstances life tosses your way, this kind of statement can make one feel like maybe they made a bad choice.  With no opportunity to go back to do it over, you can feel your life is destroyed.
     b.  Second message, everything works out for those who are doing God's will.  Really?  The apostle Peter is a great example of how things always go well for a Christian.  He was blessed, had no hardship, lived a life of ease and died an old man.  Wait... that was some other guy named Peter!  The Apostle died by being crucified upside down!  He was beaten and jailed for speaking about Jesus.  He lost many of his friends to the same hatred he experienced.  No, his life was not easy, but it was an example that God uses to show us/teach us things like endurance, tenacity, and determination to do what is right.  Yes, in the end he experiences Heaven's reward, but that has everything to do with his faith in Jesus, not his suffering.  Jesus paid the price for our forgiveness, we do not earn it ourselves through suffering.
     c.  The inverse test:  I find that a good test on a statement of truth is to see if it's inverse message is false.  In this case, the inverse message would be things do not work out for people who go against God's will.  When Jesus was asked what the most important commandment from God was, He answered with the top two, love God with all your being, and show that by loving the people He created.  Read a newspaper, or watch the news online.  Does it show only God's will being done?  Terrorism, pollution, inequality, murder, greed, gossip and lust dominate the reporting.  Clearly things happen that are not according to God's will.

What do we do with this?  First, we need to remember that we really should refrain from giving pat answers to people's situations.  Just listen, pray for them (and tell them that you are) and provide assistance where you are able.  Most of the time what people really what when they are talking to you is to be heard, not fixed.  Second, remember that God gave all of humanity the freedom to make choices for good or evil, and that our choices affect others.  Bad things happen to good people, and good things to bad people.  God CAN deliver us from evil, and CAN work miracles to bring things about for us.  I believe He does, more often than we know.  But we need to be careful not to think that just because something is not going as we desire, that it is not God's will.  Satan is also at work to mess things up.  You can even read in the Bible about an angel messenger held up by a demon, and unable to bring God's message to a prophet in a timely manner.  Yes, in the end everything does work together for the good of those who love Jesus, but sometimes that means leaving this earth and going to Heaven, the ultimate in good things.

So what about our house?  My Dad spent weeks helping my family get things ready.  A storage unit  was rented and filled to capacity.  Almost very surface that could be painted was, holes filled, the basement finished, and everything made virtually pristine.  We started in early January and worked through even after the listing being active.  We set our price at a level we felt was very competitive.  Then we waited.  Showings and feedback, "Too big," "Too expensive," "Not my style," and "I don't like the colors."  A couple of price reductions to the place that we had the least expensive house with four bedrooms all on one floor, still no bites.  I was getting nervous and frustrated.  Maybe I had made a mistake?  Maybe everyone in Hantsport who voted for my family to come was wrong.  I even started wondering about changing real estate agents.  Finally an offer comes our way.  There was an absolute minimum we could take, and that was exactly what the offer was for!  We didn't even counter the offer, just accepted it.  We were pleased to be able to move on to the next stage.  Everything worked out, God did provide, but not in my time or to my desired financial gain.  Was it God's will that we come to Hantsport?  I believe so.  Did God want us to lose money on the sale?  I doubt it.  But life happens to the just and the unjust, and all of our decisions affect others, in small ways and big ways.

Thanks to God for our house in Riverview selling.

Resurrecting the Rant

Here we are, 2015, FINALLY settling in to a "new" house (130 years old) after transitioning from one church to another, and all of the life circumstances that have gone along with it.  During my last Pastorate as the Associate Pastor of Discipleship and Fellowship Ministries at First Moncton Baptist Church ( http://www.firstmoncton.com ), I published a weekly (for the most part) newsletter called Pastor Mark's Rant.  It was partly a communication tool for announcements, but mostly an opportunity to talk about ideas and Christian teaching.  There was a solid following, I am sure at least a dozen people read it! OK, maybe more than a dozen!

My family began the process of seeking God's direction for a new call to ministry in the Summer of 2013.  It was becoming clear to me that it was time to make a shift, but was uncertain where we would be serving.  After considering calls from churches throughout the Maritime Provinces, and as far away as Alberta, we received and accepted an unanimous call to the small town of Hantsport, Nova Scotia.  This meant a resignation at First Baptist in early 2015 for me, and the completion of my wife's teaching position at Moncton Christian Academy ( http://monctonca.ipower.com ), listing a house in a buyer's market and waiting for it to sell.  I began ministry with Hantsport on July 20th, 2014.  The life adventures and learning really began just a few days later!  In many ways I feel like a micro-version of the story of Job in the Bible!  What more can happen?  Honestly, there is room for many more negatives.  But this Rant is not about the negatives in life.  I have no interest in allowing negative experiences and hurts the power to stand unchallenged.  Rather, my desire is to use illustrations from my life, stories I hear, and challenges I face, and place them all into the context of the teachings I believe God has for me and you through these experiences.

One thing to make abundantly clear is that these challenges and learning experiences are by no means due to a lack of love and support from the church communities in Hantsport and Moncton.  The generosity of these people has been immense!  Just as one example:

On July 18th, my family and I drove in to town to meet one of the church Trustees, a gentleman in his mid 70s.  He and his wife were providing us the use of their cottage in North Grand Pre, Nova Scotia.  We had no idea what this place would look like, where it was really located, or how to get there.  And so, we start down the road from the church, the Trustee in the lead, me alone, with my 6'3" frame squished into my tiny Toyota Yaris Hatchback, followed by my wife, 11 year old daughter and 10 year old son in our Chevy minivan.  We wind down streets, through a couple of awkward intersections, back onto the highway, off a couple of exits later, past Grand Pre National Historic Site of Canada (a landmark I actually knew), two 90 degree turns and into cottage country.  My children get a glimpse of the water of the Minas Basin, start getting excited, and bouncing in their seats.  My wife does the motherly thing, "Now kids, you need to remember, this cottage is probably not on the water.  You need to be prepared for this."  But no preparation was needed.  The gentleman turned into the driveway of a beautiful cottage directly on the beach!  His wife is there waiting, everything is spotless, beds all made, some food in the fridge, and fresh spring water at the ready!  They showed us how to use the satellite TV (I think it was on twice) and gave us keys to every door, shed and lock out there!  Even the new stainless steel BBQ was at our disposal! And a pellet fired stove with electric baseboard heaters for backup when the weather got cold.  Based on the going rate, this place would rent for between $500 and $700 per week!  And the kicker?  Aside from a few weeks in the early fall, we stayed at this place FOR FREE until November!  I figured this value was in the ballpark of $6,000+!  This was a humbling show of generosity for my family an I.  And all this was given with care, assurance of privacy, and no expectation of return.  WOW!  God said He would provide, and He did!

This is going to be a fun ride.  May God bless each of you, and feel free to spread the word that the Rant has gone blog, and is available for all!