Simplifying Life

As some of you may have noticed, last year was a lot of themes around Lament.  I spent time reflecting on this previous year and I noticed that if I continued to head in the same direction, I would burn out.  Some things in my life needed to change.

It wasn't easy though.  I fought and justified all the reasons why I needed to do more and to keep doing things like gaming.  I used excuses that it's "restful" or "it's not that much more."  Well, a lot of "it's not that much more" = "a lot!"  It was tough and over this summer and into this fall, God has used many situations to strip me of my own pride.  People like my Co-workers, Pastors, friends, and most of all my wife spoke truth into my life.  Eventually, I couldn't ignore that I was heading towards the path to burnout.

The reason why I needed to simplify things in my life is so that I can be more effective in the things that really matter.  Things like Marriage (Family), IVCF (Work), self care, friends, are to name a few.  However, as any person who likes to say "yes" to good things.  I realised how much I needed to let go of good things.

Over this summer and into the fall, I started simplifying my life:

• I stepped down from my roles and responsibilities of two committee's, focused around the Chinese Church, I have been a part of for the past 2 years.  
• Stepped down from leadership at my church.  
• Am not taking any preaching opportunities this year, instead inviting others who don't get the privilege and give them an opportunity to preach.  
• Retired from gaming on my phone.

What I have picked up and am focusing on now is:

• More quality time with April
• Community Center membership with April to workout together
• Helping more around the house
• Being more present at my home church
• Nerding it out with my friends through the card game Magic The Gathering
• Spending more time being on the SFU Campus and hanging out with my fellow Applied Science students.
• Time to hang out with friends.

Me saying "No" to essentially good things has not only allowed me to say "Yes" to doing other good things for efficiently, it has left space now for others to say "Yes" to these good things.  

Please continue to be praying for April and I as we look to simplify our lives for the purpose of being more effective in the things that Jesus has called us to do.

Upcoming Events and Prayer Requests

Upcoming Events

• Common Dinner - October 20
• IVCF Fall Fundraiser - October 22
• BC Staff Days - October 24-25
• Joint Retreat? (UVic, UBC, SFU) TBD - November 11-13

Students & Campus

• Pray for Alan Thorimbert as for the last 15% of his fundraising.
• Pray that God would give the student leaders perseverance to keep following Jesus in the midst of exams.
• Pray for my fundraising as I am about $1000/month short this year.

Personal

• Pray for my continued growth as a leader.
• Pray for both April and I as we continue to journey together in marriage.
• Pray that I would be motivated to exercise more.

Praise Item

• Praise the Lord for God's provision in the Community House!
• Praise the Lord for the investigatory bible studies springing up around campus.
• Praise the Lord for the restful vacation and safe journey to Taipei and Hong Kong.
• Praise the Lord for more full-time work for April this year.

Introducing Alan!

Alan, my new Staff Partner

What can I say?  I'm really excited to share with you that I'm no longer alone on the SFU Campus.  After a year of interning at SFU, Alan has officially accepted the position to be campus staff at SFU.
Alan graduated from Queens University with a Major in Classics.  He's quite quirky and enjoyed good food.  Some of his responsibilities on top of being my staff partner at SFU will be to start up a community house (which has already started!)

Currently, he is still in the process of raising his full support so he is on campus one day/week.  Yet, even with him being on campus one day a week has allowed him to start leading an investigatory bible study with a Muslim student who has come to the community house.

Please join with the SFU Community and I as we pray for our brother to be fully funded.  He is still in need of $500/month before being able to be full-time on campus.

Common Prayer & Scripture

Bible Study at the Community House

Scripture and Prayer are key foundations to our Christian Faith, but if you see the reality of how we do church and fellowship, often prayer is the thing that is the first to go or we don't do enough of it.  

This semester, we did something quite different and risky.  Instead of having the traditional bible studies that are only full of Christians, we decided to let prayer shape our community.  

After days at a prayer retreat, we all felt that we needed to pray more.  So we decided to not formally offer bible studies at the beginning and lead multiple prayer meetings instead.  The result was that our students are spending more time in their classmates and friends lives.  It's bringing up more questions about faith and Jesus while creating a deeper longing and desire to be changed and transformed by Jesus for themselves.  It is from this that 2 investigatory bible studies have been started with students.  One is from a Muslim background and another who is Agnostic.  With the potential of a 3rd one for a PhD Engineering student.

Please continue to join us and pray that we as IVCF SFU will have all things in common.  Pray the common prayer meetings and pray for the common scripture that we would all be able to have "things in common" to be a witness to the SFU Campus.