Of Whom The World Was Not Worthy

Standing with the persecuted church

"Others were tortured, not accepting deliverance, that they might obtain a better resurrection. Still others had trial of mockings and scourgings, yes, and of chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were tempted, were slain with the sword. They wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, tormented - of whom the world was not worthy. They wandered in deserts and mountains, in dens and caves of the earth." 

- Hebrews 11:35-38, NKJV

   

   Over the last week beginning November 4th with the International Day of Prayer [1], Willingdon Church participated in a week of prayer for persecuted Christians worldwide. At the culmination of this last week, we had the privilege of hearing Reverend Paul Johnson, Executive Director of Open Doors Canada [2] preach at Willingdon's sunday service today. I was fortunate to have the chance to have a long personal conversation with him after everyone had gone home.

    Much of what we talked about that was close to our own hearts - missions, evangelism, theology, truth, suffering, life, faith, practice, sacrifice, purpose - reminded me of my own convictions in post I had written a week or two ago, "To The Last Drop of Blood." In the process, I was also reminded of the verses of Hebrews 11:35-38 that I've quoted above.

   All of these challenge me once more as I examine my own life and conscience. I am reminded of my priorities and "first things", as one life among many others that have been called, more than an organization - a family. I am reminded that as much as my life and purpose are precious to God, so are those of others that form His church, of whom it is said, "a great multitude which no one could number, of all all nations, tribes, peoples and tongues." Where then, are my thoughts and concern for them, in the midst of all that crowds into my life clamouring for my attention? I was convicted by Rev. Johnson's observation during his sermon, that he found his own prayer life in want of fervor and discipline in comparison to those fellow believers whom he has encountered of the persecuted church around the globe. Is too much comfort and too little devotion slowly asphyxiating me? 

   I was also reminded by my Bible that while I am often found living my life in silent contemplation of my own "bubble world", a great cry has been heard in heaven. Blood cries out from the ground and voices have not been silent in heaven, of those whose blood has been spilt on account of the Christ they have followed, because they " did not love their lives, even unto death" :

"...I saw under the altar, the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the testimony which they held. And they cried with a loud voice, saying 'How long, O Lord, holy and true, until You judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?" - Revelation 6:9-10, NKJV

While the blood and voices of the slain cry out on their own behalf,

why is mine not heard on behalf of the church that is being dragged to the slaughter?

And when asked of me, am I willing to join them?

     "Watch and pray," Jesus said, "lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak." Just as I am in desperate need of the good news of the Gospel preached to me everyday while struggling along the path of sanctification, so too do I need a daily reminder of what that entails in my life as part of the larger family in which I find myself:

"Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnared us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God." - Hebrews 12:1-2, NKJV

- The Wisdom Seeker

REFERENCES:

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[1] International Day of Prayer

[2] Open Doors Canada

Roses for Vancouver: Sharing the Faith, Hope and Love!

"By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers...Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth."  

- 1 John 3:16 - 18, ESV

   Like the the "Biblical Manhood and Womanhood" event hosted by the young adults group at Willingdon Church last Friday, last Saturday was equally memorable, because of an outreach and evangelism event downtown that I participated in with some friends of mine from Willingdon and other churches. Geared towards the upcoming Valentine's day, they had ordered more than a thousand roses, and painstakingly attached a gospel tract to each of them. The event was set to occur at the intersection of Granville and Robson streets, where I had first ventured out on my own last summer to share my faith after the Stanley Cup Riots [1].

     It turned out to be a wonderful afternoon, as we gave away almost 1,200 roses to passers-by, and in the process has a great chance to engage in conversation with many of them! People were incredulous at first; the most common question that I was asked, was "You mean these roses are free? How come?" I had the pleasure of telling each person that I gave a rose to that it came to them from us with the love of Jesus Christ, because we loved the people of this city and wanted them to know the good news of His gospel. Here are some of the photos that I took of the event:

Two baskets of roses at our corner of Robson and Granville, outside Sears

The stand at the opposite intersection of Granville and Robson, outside Future Shop

Tyron handing out flowers to passers by, and engaging them in conversation

Mauri outside the Bay, as Esther and Stephen engage a passer-by in conversation

Sharing the love of Jesus with pedestrians on the streets of downtown Vancouver!

    As things happened, some of my friends from Willingdon's Entry Level also decided to use the occasion to do some video interviewing of people on the street for our upcoming "John 3:16" event. With my tripod and little Cisco Flip in tow, we had an afternoon of wonderful conversations with a number of interesting people!

In conversation with Alexander, who was handing out flyers for Burger King

A very interesting conversation with Josh, who knew quite a bit about the Bible!

      I had a great time last Saturday, and came away feeling happy and fulfilled. It had been a long time since I got to actively engage people on the street in conversation about my faith - almost six months, I think. As I bring this post to a close, I am reminded of the following verses composed by Charles Wesley:

Jesus, confirm my heart's desire
to work and speak and think for thee;
still let me guard the holy fire,
and still stir up thy gift in me.  

Ready for all thy perfect will,
my acts of faith and love repeat,
till death thy endless mercies seal,
and make my sacrifice complete.

- "O Thou Who Camest From Above", by Charles Wesley

   The more I get to speak for Christ and share the reason that I have for putting my hope in Him, the more I feel a deep sense that this is something I am actively called and gifted by Him to do. I'm looking forward to doing more of this in the weeks and months to come. Hopefully I'll get a chance again this weekend!

Grace and Peace to you,

- The Wisdom Seeker

A Great Week In Vancouver with RZIM Canada!

     Yesterday marked the end of RZIM's week long itinerary of events in the greater Vancouver area, which I had mentioned in my earlier post. Dr. Andy Bannister spoke at The Point Church's 10 AM service at SFU, and then flew back to Toronto, with a stopover in Winnipeg. Most of the team would have left by late morning, some like Michael Ramsden and David Lloyd heading back to Oxford, and the Canadian team heading back to Toronto. Unfortunately, I was only able to make it to two events during the week - the "Stripped Down Faith" event at SFU on Wednesday, where Michael Ramsden spoke on the topic "Is The Christian God Schizophrenic?", and the RZIM Builder's Dinner at the Ramada Hotel in Abbotsford, held last Saturday for RZIM's financial supporters.

    The event at SFU (in partnership with Campus for Christ) went very well, and the talk was most interesting and engaging. I recorded most of the main talk, and some of the Q&A session, which featured some very interesting, heartfelt and thought-provoking questions. I hope to have video highlights of the evening up on the YouTube channel shortly. Until then, here are some of the photos from the evening:

Andy Bannister and Michael Ramsden during the Question & Answer segment at SFU

Dr. Andy Bannister in conversation with a student after the event

Michael Ramsden deep in discussion. This conversation went on for a long time!

     The Builder's Dinner during the weekend turned out to be a wonderful evening, as I got to meet and connect with a number of RZIM supporters, some of whom were also graduates of RZIM's six-week summer program offered at their Oxford Centre of Christian Apologetics at Oxford University. It has long-been a dream of mine to one day do their one-year course, so it was with excitement (and not a little envy) that I listened to stories of their experiences in class, being taught by and spending time with some of the finest thinking minds in the Christian community. During the course of the evening, in between starters and the main course, we got to listen to Dr. Andy Bannister describe some of their experiences at their speaking engagements in the lower mainland over the last week. After that, Michael Ramsden gave a small talk on the famous doxology of Jude 1:24-15, intertwined with inspiring and powerful stories of their ministry experiences all over the world of the past year. It was a personally humbling experience to sit in the company of such great men and women, most of whom were much older than I yet both supporting RZIM and tirelessly involved in ministry of their own, even in their old age. Here are some of my favourite snapshots of the evening:

The venue at the Ramada Plaza in Abbotsford

Rick Manafo, setting up the soundstage

Testing, Testing...

With Andy Bannister, Rick Manafo and Michael Ramsden at the end of a memorable evening!

     Although I wish I had been able to attend all of RZIM's speaking engagements on the Mainland and Vancouver Island, it was a great week nonetheless. One of the unofficial highlights was being able to go out to dinner with my friend Rick Manafo, one of RZIM Canada's apologists and also their event manager. I had had the privilege of meeting Rick for the first time last year while visiting the RZIM Canada office, and helping him over the last several months with some of the details related to the Stripped Down Faith events at SFU and UBC. It was wonderful to go to dinner on a cold and rainy night in downtown Vancouver on Thursday, at the Banana Leaf restaurant on Denman Street, before he joined the team on Vancouver Island for one of their main speaking engagements. We got to both fellowship and review the events half-way through their itinerary, and possible plans for next year and the short-term future. I was really excited to see God open doors and connect people during this trip, and am looking forward to partnering and participating with more RZIM events in the Lower Mainland in the years to come!

- The Wisdom Seeker

RZIM In Vancouver!

     I've been wanting to put up this post for several months now, and the time has finally come! Ever since I first heard from Ravi Zacharias International Ministries [1] at the beginning of year that they would be coming to Vancouver for a week of speaking engagements at different venues, I've been looking forward to seeing them again. Last year, I had written about how RZIM has been used by God to tremendously impact my life in a post [2] that featured a video of Dr. Zacharias in an interview with 100 Huntley Street [3]. I was elated when I got to visit RZIM Canada's office in Toronto while on vacation last year! Since then, it has been a real privilege to get to know the team that comprises RZIM Canada, and support and help them in whatever way I've been able to. In the process, God has kindled a burning passion in my heart to use my abilities to write, speak and think for Him in a similar fashion. But those are aspirations for the future, and I should come back to the events of the here and now!

    RZIM will be in the Greater Vancouver area (including Vancouver Island) towards the last week of this month, from the 22nd to 28th. As far as I know, their public speaking itinerary is as follows:

• Tuesday, Nov. 22 @ 11:30 AM - TWU chapel @ TWU (Dr. Andy Bannister)
• Tuesday, Nov. 22 @ 5:00 PM - Wood 6 @ UBC (Dr. Andy Bannister, Nathan Betts)
• Wednesday, Nov. 22 @ 11:30 AM - TWU chapel @ TWU (Michael Ramsden)
• Wednesday, Nov. 23 @ 6:30 PM - SSCB 9201 @ SFU (Michael Ramsden, Nathan Betts)
• Wednesday, Nov. 23 @ 7:00 PM - Mark Isfeld Secondary School, Vancouver Island (Michael Ramsden)
• Thursday, Nov. 24 - Vancouver Island
• Sunday, Nov. 27 morning - The Point Church @ SFU (Dr. Andy Bannister)

    I will definitely be attending the events at SFU and UBC after work. They should be really interesting given the topic that Andy Bannister and Michael Ramsden will be speaking on respectively - "Stripped Down Faith", looking at what faith is, and why it is even necessary in this day and age. I really wish I could make it to the event on Vancouver Island, which addresses the perceived "failings" of the Christian faith, raised by those who believe that it has failed them or preached an empty promise that is unable to deliver. You can find more information by clicking the pictures below, or at RZIM's Stay In The Conversation website:

RZIM's University Tour: "Stripped Down Faith" at UBC and SFU respectively

RZIM's main Vancouver Island event: "Christianity - A Failed Hope?"

     There are other public and private events happening during the week, and I will update details here, on Twitter and Facebook as I get to know more from RZIM. Buy your tickets now!

- The Wisdom Seeker

REFERENCES:

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[1] Ravi Zacharias International Ministries

[2] Dr. Ravi Zacharias In Interview!

[3] 100 Huntley Street

Adolf Hitler, Abortion and the Gospel: Ray Comfort and the "180" Movie

“I give my unflinching, joyful, trembling Yes to ‘180’.” - John Piper, Bethlehem Baptist Church

     Earlier today, I happened to see a post by my good friend Chris on Facebook, a link to a video of what appeared to be a documentary titled "180". He had written some earnest words of appeal below them, pleading with those who saw his link to watch it, even if they didn't know him. On first sight, I had assumed it to be quite probable that it was another slightly sensationalist but mildly interesting video clip, like the thousands of others posted by Facebook users everyday, whether friend, foe, acquaintance or complete stranger. However, I also know Chris to be a quiet and level-headed young man, with a recently-awakened and burning love in his heart for God and the message of the Gospel. So I made a mental note of the video, and after coming home from work and a hot shower, settled down to watch it on the side while doing other things on my computer. As it turned out, I was unable to - watch it on the side, that is. It succeeded in riveting my attention from the very first frame - "Do you know about Adolf Hitler?" - to the last. And in doing so, reminded me of the inferno that God has lit in my heart as well.

A still from the "180" Movie

     "180" is a short, 33-minute documentary of a series of conversations had with people on the street by Ray Comfort, the interviewer and narrator of the documentary. Describing himself as "Jewish, and deeply concerned that a generation is forgetting one of the greatest tragedies in the history of the human race." Proceeding to interview people on the street about what they knew about Hitler and the Holocaust, Ray documents some astounding conversations with all manner of people, from Neo-Nazis and a survivor of the German assault on Russia during World War II to the indifferent and apathetic, and everyone in between. In the course of the conversation, he both incisively examines and challenges their perspective of abortion, good, evil, sin, God, heaven, hell, judgement, salvation, Jesus, the Cross and the Gospel. As shocking as it was to watch some of the conversations and worldviews expressed in them, the conclusions at the end were equally powerful in their impact. I've embedded the online documentary for viewing below:

     Ray Comfort and the 180 movie reminded me of why I go out, either alone or with friends every Sunday afternoon to converse with the people of downtown Vancouver. I want to engage them about what they believe, and why they believe what they believe. I want to stop them in their mental tracks and make them think carefully about all these issues that are so important in life, and that we sometimes make ad-hoc decisions about, believing whatever is told us. I want them to see. The burning passion of "180" is the same as that which God has placed in my heart - to make known in this city the name of Christ, the wisdom and power of God, echoing the thoughts of the Apostle Paul in his first letter to the Corinthian church:

    "For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written, “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart.” Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach1 to save those who believe. For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men." (1 Corinthians 1:18-25, ESV)

    As "180" began running through its final few frames and Ray Comfort delivered his concluding lines, I was reminded of the verse from Paul's second letter to the Corinthians:

    "For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ..." (2 Corinthians 10:3-5, ESV)

    Thank you, God for pouring oil on the flame in Chris' heart and mine. May it only burn brighter.

- The Wisdom Seeker

REFERENCES:
-------------------------
[1] The 180 Movie

[2] The Way of The Master (YouTube Channel)
[3] 180 Movie Facebook Page
[4] Project Heart Changer
[5] Atheist Central: Ray Comfort's Blog

Engaging The Marketplace: Sharing @ Blim's Farmer's Market

Blim's Farmer's Market along Granville Street

    This post is coming almost two weeks late! Life's been quite hectic, mostly with work both on-site and at the office, so it's taken longer to write this post than I wanted. Two Sundays ago, I had decided to visit the Blenz coffee shop at West Georgia and Dunsmuir street in downtown Vancouver. It was among the most extensively vandalised stores during the riot that followed the final game of the Stanley Cup last June. During the course of the night, all it's windows were smashed, the interior destroyed and systematically pillaged over two hours, while the manager and an employee locked themselves in a room in the back. The store collectively incurred in excess of $50,000 of damage and stolen equipment. It has taken more than two months to renovate and restore this coffee shop to a point where it can open for business once more.

    I was happy to see the boarding gone from their store, and wanted to say so. So as I did before with The Bay, London Drugs and Chapters, I wrote a card for the management and staff, and visited them in the afternoon, hoping to listen to their experience during the riot and their reflections about what had happened to them. However, the manager and employee who had been in the store during the riot were not there, so I left the card with the barista on shift, ordered myself a hot chocolate and looked around the shop. Everything in the shop, I was told, was brand new. There were lots of flowers from well-wishing customers, and a comment board that had been written on. Here are some photos:

The Blenz Coffee at W Georgia and Richards

The entrance to Blenz

The comment board

The newly-renovated interior

     I wandered out onto the street sometime later, wondering if I could engage someone in conversation about life and faith, as I had done before. It was while wandering up Granville Street that I came across a section that had been closed to traffic, and housing a small summer market with a number of stalls. Out of curiosity, I began wandering through them, and suddenly came upon one that caught my eye, titled "The Studio", with the words "Downtown Eastside Studio Society" below it. It turned out to be a non-profit arts workshop and publishing house, exhibiting the works of emerging writers from the Downtown Eastside of Vancouver, who had/were "facing facing social barriers such as mental illness, addiction, and homelessness to undertake creative writing projects and publish their work into  books." Two such writers were at the table, Chantelle and Melanie, with their facilitator Aaron, who I had the privilege of taking a photo with and have posted below:

With Chantelle, Aaron and Melanie at The Studio

     In the process of conversing with Melanie and Chantelle and looking through a book on sale that contained the works of writers from The Studio, I had the privilege of listening to Chantelle's story, as she recounted how she had emerged from a life involving drug usage through the help of an Anglican church located downtown. As we talked, we shared our thoughts on life, evil, faith, sin and the need for a God to rescue us from the evil that resides in us. I came away both humbled and happy, but also saddened, as I pondered the brief details of her story that I had had the privilege to listen to. Over and over again, it seems to me that those who profoundly understand the power of the Cross and the Gospel seem not to be those who have lived comfortable and "safe" lives, but those who have encountered the power of God in the most wretched circumstances and experienced firsthand both the depth of evil that lies in the human heart, and their redemption from it. I hope I have another chance to speak with Chantelle and other writers facilitated by The Studio, and listen to their stories and perspectives on life.

     Wandering up the market, I stopped by another stall that said "Trudy Ann's Bombay Masala Chai". Interesting, I thought - an Indian tea enterprise in the middle of a farmer's market? I was in for a surprise. One of the ladies behind the table, serving samples of tea to curious visitors turned out to be the namesake of this little enterprise, the "Trudy Ann Tellis" of the business. As always happens when two Indians meet, we inquired as to each other's backgrounds, and I was stunned to discover that she was from Mumbai, the same city that my mother had grown up in. As also always happens when two Indians meet and find commonalities, this led to lots of storytelling and reminiscing, all done while she poured me consecutive samples of the different types of chai tea being sold. "Auntie Trudy" (who inquired if I was Christian, and subsequently informed me that she was Catholic) and her friend Mital, the other lady at the stall, were most kind and conversational, and I ended up buying a packet of Fennel Chai Tea, and signing up for both their music and tea mailing lists, as Trudy Ann's sons happen to be professionally performing jazz musicians. I visited her businesses' website, which turned out to be wonderfully designed in a manner that evoked fond memories of India, and a biography of Trudy Ann. It can be found here. I look forward to meeting them again, and buying more tea!

Mital and Trudy Ann at Trudy Ann's Bombay Masala Chai

Trudy Ann Tellis' biography, from the website

 

     In all, it turned out to be a most interesting and thought-provoking Sunday afternoon. I came away feeling that as much as I had set out with the intent to share my faith with the people of downtown Vancouver, it seemed that I had been the one who had been shared with, and loved. See you in the next post!

REFERENCES: 

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[1] The Studio
[2] Trudy Ann's Bombay Masala Chai

Sharing @ Granville

     Last Sunday, I once again went to downtown Vancouver after Church to engage people in conversation after two weeks of being away. After the recent riots that had occurred in the UK, I wanted to hear what people had to say about evil, justice and forgiveness, and the relevance of the Gospel and the Christian faith in these important realities of life. It was the first time that I was conversing with the average pedestrian on the street, rather than the management and staff of the stores that had been vandalised during the Stanley Cup riots. This time, however, I was very happy to have had the company of three of my friends - Bryan, Tommy and Victor who were really enthusiastic about similarly engaging people in conversation. So sometime in the early afternoon, Bryan and I arrived at Granville Street and decided to start talking to people while waiting for Tommy and Victor. The afternoon turned out to be simply incredible for all of us.

    While strolling down to Granville and Robson, Bryan and I encountered a security guard in front of a shop entrance, standing at the street corner and looking in the direction from where we had come. When Bryan (who works in the security industry) approached and asked him what he was guarding, he was initially suspicious, wondering if we might be thieves attempting to distract him. I don't blame him, given that a lot of vandalism had occurred in the blocks around the area during the Stanley Cup riots. Once we explained what we were doing in the area and that we meant no harm, the three of us had a most engaging and interesting conversation on the nature and reality of moral evil, justice and forgiveness and whether academic theories of sociology and psychology could provide better and more relevant explanations for the state of human nature.

    Citing now-famous studies on population density and its effects on behaviour performed between 1963 - 1983 at the National Insitute of Medical Health by the late Dr. John B. Calhoun [1], our friend attributed most 'evil' human behaviour to the "behavioural sink" coined in the aftermath of Dr. Calhoun's studies. Engaging an invigorating and lively debate about the secular vs. Christian perspective of evil, we were pleasantly surprised to discover that he knew the Bible quite well. As we talked about the nature of truth and justice, the conversation took an surprising turn when our friend asserted that the core of all systems of faith, Christianity included, was really about treating other people right. I respectfully disagreed, pointing out the core message of the Gospel in the Christian faith, from which all application to life and relationships were defined as secondary. I also had an opportunity to share my own personal history and experience of major monotheistic and polythestic religions, having grown up in an environment saturated with the beliefs of Christianity, Hinduism and Islam. It was, is, and always will be my unshakeable conviction that they do not "all lead to the same God", as social wisdom would have us believe. They differ on almost every major aspect of belief - reality, sin, evil, justice, heaven, hell, God and salvation; and that is just the beginning of the list. We talked about this for quite some time.

    As it was time for us to go, we asked if he was usually there on Sundays, so that we could continue our conversation next time from where we had ended. He replied that he was. As I've had time to think over the things we talked about, I'm looking forward to seeing him next week and discussing our worldviews in greater detail! As we headed back in the direction we had come, we spied Tommy and Victor talking to an elderly gentleman half-way up the street. When they joined us some time later, they had a most interesting experience to share, as the man turned out to have been deeply mistreated and scarred by the church in Europe, both as a boy and later on in life as a young man. His story was made more tragic by the suffering his father had endured as a prisoner in a concentration camp during World War II. Though he did not want to talk about the Christian faith, Tommy and Victor listened to him patiently and sympathetically, and asked if they could pray for him.

Victor and Tommy talking to the elderly gentleman

     Mulling over what I had heard, I found it both sad and ironic. As much as we were trying to reflect the light of Christ and share the beauty of the message of His Cross with those who did not know Him, the same church of whose body we were a part had also inflicted terrible pain and suffering on the very people it was meant to bring hope and healing to.

    How grievous it is that we as the church throughout history have brought such shame and disgrace to the name of our Lord and Master through our shameful behaviour, and forgotten the grace and mercy that saved us from eternal hell! We have often been guilty of the words spoken by Christ to the first-century church at Sardis:

    “‘I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth. For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked. I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire, so that you may be rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself and the shame of your nakedness may not be seen, and salve to anoint your eyes, so that you may see. Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent.'" - Revelation (3:15-19)

    As Bryan had some tracts with him, we decided to spend some time handing them out to people on the street. And we really saw God work in some unexpected and amazing ways in the next one hour or so. We split up into pairs, with Bryan and I at the corner of Granville and Howe. Tommy and Victor went down into the Vancouver City Centre SkyTrain entrance, and tried handing out tracts there. Initially, none of the passers-by took any, and they felt discouraged, feeling that no-one wanted to know anything about the Gospel. Then, just as that thought crossed their minds, someone took one out of their hands without it being offered. And then another person, and then another. Within minutes, all their tracts were gone, without them having offered any on their own. As Victor said later, "it was as though God was reminding us that even though we were easily discouraged, He was still faithful." Meanwhile, up top, Bryan and I had some wonderful experiences of our own. After handing out our English tracts, we were left with some Chinese, Japanese and Spanish ones. Out of curiosity, Bryan turned to the couple sitting on a bench next to us, and asked if they might be Spanish. "Yes. Why?", came the reply. We were stunned. There was a hot dog stand in front of us manned by an oriental man and woman. We discovered in short order that they were Japanese, and gave them a Japanese tract! We handed out all our Chinese tracts as well :)

Victor, Bryan and Tommy with our tracts :)

     When Tommy and Victor came back up to the street, we remembered that there was a famous Japanese hot-dog stand located on Burrard called "Japadog", and decided to walk over there and hand the workers there a few Japanese tracts too. I took some snaps of us at the Japadog stand, which I've posted below.

Tommy at Japadog with Japanese tracts

All out for the glory of God!

     As we wound up our time of sharing together, we looked at each other with happiness and great joy. It felt wonderful to be out on the street, actively engaging others in conversation about our faith and challenging them to think carefully about ther worldview, how it shaped their perception of life, and the centrality and relevance of the person Jesus Christ in the midst of it all. I'm looking forward to venturing out again with these wonderful brothers in Christ, and more exciting conversations next week!

- The Wisdom Seeker

Post-Riot: Sharing @ Chapters

     Yesterday, I had once again taken a trip downtown after church to share my faith with people once again. This time I was accompanied by my friend Sam, to visit the Chapters store at Robson and Howe streets that had been vandalized during the riots. This was an interesting case in particular, because there were patrons of the store that had formed a barricade in front of the store against rioters and fought them off as they attempted time and again to break in. They had prevented firebombs from being thrown into the store as well. In spite of their best efforts, the rioters had still managed to break a good number of windows by throwing horseshoes that were on display outside the store through them. I had the privilege of hearing these details of that night from two of the store managers who were kind enough to meet us and talk to us for a bit.

     Although the apology boards had been taken down from outside The Bay since I had visited it two weeks ago, the boards outside Chapters were still there. Some of the inscriptions on them were interesting to note, and I've attached photos that I'd taken on Canada Day in the area around London Drugs and Chapters.

Painted fabric apology and sympathy messages outside London Drugs

Apology Board at the front of Chapters

Apology Boards at the side of Chapters Bookstore

Close-up of a section of one of the Apology Boards

     After we had finished at Chapters, we went back to London Drugs where I had visited last week. I was trying to find the salesperson I had met and shared with last week. However, things took quite a surprising and interesting turn as God led us to a different salesperson, whom we had a most interested and lengthy conversation with. He had been in the store during the night of the riots, and described how the staff had been taken to a secure room and waited there while the rioters broke in and systematically looted the cosmetics, photography and computer departments. There was still an iPad and other devices missing and waiting to be replaced. We talked for an extended conversation about his opinion on whether what had been done was evil, and what he thought justice exercised on the perpetrators would look like.

     From London Drugs, we crossed the street and went back to The Bay where I had first started my foray into street evangelism two weeks ago. I was looking for the salesperson that I had first met when I visited there. I wanted to try reconnecting with him, and talk about his ideas on evil, justice and forgiveness, just as I had at London Drugs. I was really happy to see him once again at the same section where I had first encountered him. Although we had to wait for a bit while he finished serving other customers, I was really happy that God allowed us to have a wonderful conversation with him about his thoughts on evil, justice and whether it would be possible for the store management and staff to forgive the people who had vandalized their store.

     I found it really interesting that on both cases (at London Drugs and The Bay), the salespeople in question did not think that what had been done was "evil"; they preferred to describe it as merely "stupid" and "reckless", because of the fallout that the perpetrators were currently experiencing as they had been caught on camera and were being sought by the police. When I asked one of them what the difference between "stupid" and "evil" looked like on that night and where one stopped and the other began, his opinion was that the evil began when the rioters started burning cars and other items of property. However, it was equally interesting that when I raised the question of justice and forgiveness with both people, they were strongly opinionated in favour of teaching those who would be caught the seriousness of what they had done. Both men were firm in their belief that sending the offenders to prison was not the solution; they wanted them to make restitution by returning to the store what they had taken, or compensating it monetarily or through community service. They also felt that they would forgive the offenders only if they made restitution in that kind of form.

     As we walked away, I had much to think about what they had said. There were some thoughts that made sense in what they said, but many other aspects of their worldview and response that I felt were at times self-contradictory. I need to do some more thinking before I post my own thoughts on the matter.

    This last week of July is a very significant and will be a very interesting week for me. I will be writing more about this in the next few days. See you when the next one gets uploaded.

- The Wisdom Seeker

Post-Riot: Sharing @ London Drugs

The London Drugs store at West Georgia & Granville street

     Last Sunday, I had gone on my first solo venture in attempting to sharing my faith in downtown Vancouver. I had visited The Hudson's Bay store that had been broken into during the Stanley Cup riot in June, and had the opportunity to share my faith with one of the managers and staff in the store, through a card that I had written for them. Today, I went on my second little expedition, this time to the London Drugs store, situated right across the road from The Bay. London Drugs had experienced major vandalism during the night of the riots, with its doors hammered at repeatedly until they gave way. The rioters had then proceeded to systematically pillage the store.

    Arriving there in the early afternoon, I wondered what to expect. I had only been in this store for a few moments almost two years ago, and had very little recollection of it. While wandering through the watch section at The Bay last week, broken display cabinets were still clearly visible, although wrapped with plenty of plastic wrapping while awaiting repair. London Drugs did not seem to have visible remnants of that night; there was only a sign at the front entrance, stating that major renovations would be coming soon. Wandering around in the Computer section downstairs, I came across a salesperson who asked if I needed help. When I explained why I was there and showed him the card I had made for them, He looked a little taken aback at first and then broke into a huge grin.  

    It's such an overpowering experience, opening one's heart to share God's love with someone and watching the smile that lights up their face in the process!

    I got to chat with him for a little while, and share the previous realizations that I had come to about the evil that is perpetrated upon businesses when their trust is violated, and premises and property vandalized. He was very appreciative, and told me where I could find the store supervisor. The lady at the Customer Service desk had the same reaction as the salesperson downstairs - first surprise, then huge smile. I wondered if it was that unusual for someone to show up in the store with a card of appreciation and sympathy for everyone. Like the card that I made for the management and staff of The Bay, this one tried to express my sentiments as best as I could. I wanted to tell them that their business mattered, but more importantly that their lives mattered, that Jesus loved them, and that the violation of their store and trust was not right. And as much as justice was needed upon those deserving of it, that the people of London Drugs would experience healing in their hearts and grace to forgive those who had perpetrated this upon them.

    When the store supervisor showed up a few moments later, I was able to share those thoughts with her. She mentioned that she would place my card in the staff lunch room, along with the others that they had received. I think I need to show more appreciation to the retail and salespeople that I encounter when I visit their stores. I know I'm certainly culpable of this. How many times have I waltzed into a store, grabbed the stuff I needed and waltzed back out? It seems so often that I've just seen them as 'business' intends me to perceive them - means to help me attain my ends as quickly and efficiently as possible. Sure, I've said the customary 'Please' and 'Thank You' and had the occasional odd chat here and there, but although I've often wondered about the person behind the store uniform, I've hardly ever stopped to engage them and let them know about God's love for them. May God give me the presence of mind and boldness of tongue to do so in future.

    Thank You, Jesus, for another wonderful opportunity to share Your love with someone. I'm looking forward to greater steps of faith with You next week!

- The Wisdom Seeker

Post-Riot: Sharing @ The Bay

The Hudson's Bay Company, West Georgia and Granville Street

    Today afternoon, I ventured out to downtown Vancouver after church, wanting to visit the stores that had been broken into during the riot following the final game of the Stanley Cup playoffs last month. I had been planning to do this for some time, but had other commitments to attend to until today. It was also my first solo foray into street evangelism, and will hopefully not be the last.

    The riot occurred on the same day that I had attended my friend Angie's afternoon graduation ceremony at SFU. Although I had very much wanted to join her and her family for dinner, I eventually decided to go home because I was quite tired. It was from there that I watched the riots on TV several hours later. I had much ocassion to think in the days and weeks following it, particularly while reading the daily news articles, editorials and comments of various people's opinions of the events of that night. As I read their various comments and stories in the papers, I came to realize just how often we take retailers for granted. In our mad rush to acquire, cross the next item off the shopping list and worldview of "everlasting shopping", we often forget that there are ordinary people behind the stores, trying to make their living. I began to think about the stores and businesses that had their property vandalised, and wanted to do something to encourage them.

    In the process, it occurred to me just how deep the notion of trust between shopkeeper and shopper actually runs. In our culture that often resorts to avenues of escape from expectations, I think we forget that in the relationship of buyer and seller, each places serious and significant expectations on the other. As shoppers, we expect that the stores we buy from will provide reliable, timely and friendly service. We expect that they will charge us reasonable prices for their services and wares, without an attempt to extricate exorbitant profit. We expect that they will do so with an attempt towards quality, and that the goods we acquire will actually function as they are supposed to.

    But as much as this is true, the burden of trust also operates in the opposite direction. The staff of the store place expectations on the shoppers that visit them. They trust that they will respect both their people and property, for it is the means to their livelihood, their bread and butter. They trust that shoppers will not attempt to cheat them in their transactions. They trust that as they lock up their places of businesses each night, that they will be able to sleep with peace of mind, with the assurance that they will be able to return to work there the next morning. I was reminded of the Proverb that says:

    "Do not plan evil against your neighbor, who dwells trustingly beside you." (Proverbs 3:29)

    And so it happened that I decided to write a card for the management and staff of the major stores that I could remember being affected, expressing my sympathy for the violation of their trust and property. And I decided to start with The Bay on Granville Street. Looking around at broken display cabinets in the watch section on the ground floor, I met a salesperson and explained why I had come. I asked if there was a store manager or supervisor I could personally deliver the card to. He looked stunned at first, and then broke into a happy smile. While we waited for one of the managers on duty to arrive, I was able to explain my reasons for doing this, and share my faith with him. I hope to be able to see him again next week! The store manager was quite happy to take my card, after a brief introduction. Although he wasn't able to have much of a conversation about his perspectives on the incident due to PR restrictions, he was most kind and profuse in expressing his thanks.

    While on my way out, I took some photos of the boards that covered windows outside The Bay, on which people had written their various expressions of sympathy, sorrow and regret. I found them interesting reading.

Apology Board outside The Bay's main entrance

Apology Board on the way to Granville Skytrain station

     I was really happy that I was able to do this today and hope to engage people in conversation about them when I go downtown again next week! Thank You, Jesus, for a blessed day as I put my faith in You to help me share your love!

- The Wisdom Seeker