Throne Speech Prayer - June 2013

It was my privilege to open the 40th session of the BC Parliament in prayer today.  This week also marks the start of our 7th year of living in Victoria. 

This is the 2nd time I've been afforded the privilege of opening in prayer for the Throne Speech.  You can read about the first time here. (Someone actually forgot they were scheduled to pray and I was called from the gallery to 'pinch hit'.  It was a pretty remarkable moment...) The difference between then and now is amazing.  Then, I prayed in a group of strangers.  Today, I prayed for friends and people that I have walked with  and built relationships with for the past 6 years.  BC is blessed with some incredible people who freely give themselves to serve us.  What an incredible privilege I have to serve God in this way! 

Here's the prayer I prayed today. Take a minute to pray it along with me.

God in Heaven, we thank you for the bounty and beauty of our great province and the many ways in which You have blessed us. We live in a majestic land that is rich in beauty, in natural resources and in the diversity of gifts, talents and abilities instilled in the many people who call British Columbia their home.

We pray today for those who have been chosen to lead our province both in government and opposition for the next 4 years.   Give them strength to walk with integrity and honor.  Help them to do what is right, to govern from a place of compassion and to walk with great humility before You and the people of British Columbia. 

We pray for our Premier and her Cabinet.  We ask that You will help them set a course that is prudent, compassionate and courageous.  Grant them the ability to see clearly those things that must have the greatest attention and priority in the days to come.

Let your blessing and favor be on our province and those who will lead us forward.

Amen.

MLA Bible Project

We've just discovered an exciting ministry opportunity. We'd like to provide bibles to every MLA marking the occasion of their election, but more importantly we'd like to make an investment of the Living Word into the lives of our political leaders. 

Combined with the strong number of Christian MLAs elected to office, these bibles will be like seed in the ground that will in due time produce a harvest! Our cost on giving each MLA an attractive, leather bound bible is $35. 

We need your help to make this happen! The bibles will be presented during the first week of July. To help us with this project, please click the link below. https://www.canadahelps.org/dn/798

2 Minutes 2 Change the World

What if you could actually change the world in 2 minutes a day?  I know it sounds like one of those gimmick weight loss or fitness commercials that promises incredible results while you do basically nothing, but I'm thinking about something much more significant than what you might see in a late night infomercial.

When we launched the 60 Days of Prayer campaign coming up to the recent election our strategy was to invite people to pray along with us for 2 minutes a day.  We kept the prayers brief and to the point.  Hundreds, maybe even thousands of people engaged with us through email and social media.  We were astounded by what we saw take place on Election Day.  The media kept referring to the outcome as a miracle!  They don't know the half!!  13-17 Christians were elected to office!  I don't know that it's the most we've ever seen, but it's a significant number to be sure.

To be clear, God isn't partisan.  God is SOVEREIGN and He responded to the prayers of His people all across BC.  In His wisdom, He prepared leaders from across BC to serve our province for the next 4 years and we had huge part in seeing them elected to office simply because we prayed.

It's exciting to have a large number of Christians serving as MLAs.  If the number is as high as 17 that's almost 20%.  That said, public service is still a tremendously difficult role and those who serve need our prayer support. 

Consider this:  If the 2 minute prayers of hundreds of people across our province resulted in a stunning election result, what might happen if we continued to pray for those who govern over us?  It just might be that God would respond to us again and hear from heaven and heal our land. 

'When people find out that this prayer thing really works, everyone is going to want to do it!'

Post-Election Reflections

Most of the pundits have had their say on the come back from the brink electoral miracle we saw a few weeks ago.  It was a stunning turn around of fortunes for the BC Liberals and can only be seen as a huge disappointment for the BC NDP.  Here are my 'Post-Election Reflections'.

I am tremendously proud of the prayer campaign that we ran for the 60 days preceding election day.  We had hundreds of people across BC praying every day that God would use this election to accomplish His purposes for our province and that He would give us leaders of His own choosing.  I believe that what we did was a HUGE FACTOR in the outcome!  We have seen somewhere between 13 and 17 Christians voted into office. I am MOST EXCITED about this result!  God is not partisan, but He has shown again that He is Sovereign.  This is a huge answer to our prayers and a confirmation that the ministry of PrayBC was both effective and fruitful. Simply put...PRAYER WORKS!

Today, we have strong Christian members who sit on both sides of the House.   Those I know are people with a strong faith and a commitment to serve God as they serve the people of BC.   This is a blessing to our province. My great hope is that the Church across BC will continue to stand in the gap for all MLAs as they serve our province.  While we are blessed with a strong contingent of Christian members, we must remember that we live in a democracy and not a theocracy and adjust our expectations accordingly.  By God's grace those who have been elected to serve will find favor and be effective as both salt and light in their respective caucuses.  At Leading Influence, we are committed to helping them do that in the best way we can.

In a few weeks, MLAs will be sworn into office and our work of serving, supporting and encouraging members continues.  We are looking forward to the next 4 years!

Join the Movement

What if there was a way to mobilize people all across B.C. to pray, with focus over the next 60 Days, about the future of our province? What could happen? What might God do in response to our prayers? How might He answer and what kind of future could we shape for our province… simply because we prayed?

We’re about to find out!

Starting on March 14, Leading Influence Ministries is launching our “60 Days of Prayer” campaign through our prayer ministry Pray BC. We invite you to “Join the Movement” and participate in our cyber prayer meeting. Each day, we will send out a tweet, Facebook update, email and post a prayer on our website that will serve as a prayer focus for that day. We're inviting you to pray and share with your networks our focused prayer each day for the next 60 days.

You can join the movement:

1) Follow us on twitter @praybc and using #praybc when you retweet.

2) Like our PrayBC page on Facebook and share with your friends.

3) Join our email list and tell your friends.

4) Wear a PrayBC bracelet. See our website for more information.

We look forward to seeing what God will do as we seek His will for our provincial election, May 14, 2013. Please join the movement and thank you!

Yours in Prayer,

Tim Schindel

7th Annual MLA Prayer Breakfast

We held our 7th Annual MLA Prayer Breakfast on March 7 in Victoria.  This was our best breakfast ever on so many levels!  We had the best response from MLAs that we've ever had with 27 confirmations.  Our speaker was Shelley Morris, CEO for the Cridge Centre for the Family .  Shelley did an amazing job of honoring our leaders, inspiring us to live out our 'life sentences' and subtly and yet very pointedly sharing her own faith.  It was a rich time.

I'm told we have 500 pictures of the breakfast.  I've yet to see them, but when I do we'll post the best ones on our website or the blog and let you know about it!

Thanks to all of our sponsors who made the event possible.  We can't do this without you!

Do Politicians Really Have Souls?

If your opinion of politicians is based on what you see/hear in the media and on those 15 second sound bytes that come out of Question Period or media scrums, I can understand completely why you might wonder if politicians have souls.  There's not much less complimentary than a clip of a red-faced politician pointing at his/her opponent making outrageous accusations.

If your opinion of politicians is based on what you hear politicians saying about other politicians, that too might lead you to conclude that politicians have no souls.  When it comes to politics the goal is always to make the other team appear to be heartless and uncaring.

If your opinion of politicians is based on what you hear other people saying about politicians, you might also conclude that politicians have no souls.  They are after all, the people who raise our taxes, close our schools and appear to fail at addressing our many concerns.

After working with politicians personally for the past 6 years, I see something very different...

I see people who have given up their right to personal privacy and personal opinion for the sake of giving themselves to a cause that they believe in.

I see people who make tremendous personal and family sacrifices for the sake of serving others.  Most backbenchers work 50 hours/wk.  Most Cabinet Ministers work somewhere around 70 hours/wk.  They leave for work early and get home late and their world revolves entirely around serving other people.

I see people who try to manage unrealistic expectations.  No one likes a wait list, no one likes to see a school closed.  At the same time, our expectations are generally way over the top.  We willingly understand that in our lives there are times when we have to wait, sometimes years in order to get the things we really want or need.  When it comes to services that government provides, we want it now, we want it fast and we want it for free. Politicians are saddled with the same financial realities that you and I are wrestle with.  Wants and needs are subject to our ability to pay for them. 

I've sat with politicians who were hurting because of what is being said about them.  I've sat with politicians who have wept because of what they see in the media.  I've been with members at the bedside of their loved ones and have prayed with them for family needs, personal needs and professional concerns.  There's no doubt in my mind that the people who make themselves available to serve us politically are real people, with real feelings and a genuine desire to serve the people they represent.

The Bible tells us that we should pray for those who govern over us so that we can live peaceful and quiet lives.  (1 Tim 2:1)  The context of this verse is profound.  Paul is writing this letter to Christians who are living under Nero's rule.  This was in a day when were Christians were openly persecuted for their faith.  Nero would dip Christians in tar and have them mounted on poles to be burned alive and at the same time light the streets of Rome.  You might not like Christy Clark or Adrian Dix or Stephen Harper, but none of those people are burning you or your children to light the city streets at night. 

Praying for our leaders makes a huge difference in their lives.  Since 2008, we have been championing a prayer movement for BC politicians that we call PrayBC.  Each day of the week, we pray for one of the 85 MLAs that serve our province.  The prayers are personalized and written from a non-partisan platform.  Not only do members appreciate them, I often hear reports of how those prayers have appeared at 'just the right time' and how it was 'just what they needed'.  One member said it this way: 'I can mark on a calendar the days the church prays for me.  Everything in my life goes better!'

We'd love to have you pray along with us.  The easiest way to learn more about PrayBC and to join our prayer network is to visit www.praybc.com 

Expanding to Alberta

I love the moments when faith becomes sight!  Our vision has always been to minister to MLAs in every province and territory in Canada.  On January 24th we had the privilege of launching Leading Influence Alberta and commissioning Pastor Larry Lindoff to serve as chaplain at the Alberta Legislature.  With 30 years of minstry experience in a variety of settings, Larry is well suited to serve Alberta MLAs in this way.  We are blessed to have him on our team!

We believe that Leading Influence has a bright future in Alberta and that God will be Larry and his team as they begin the journey of building an effective ministry to Alberta's key leaders and decision makers.

Every ministry needs a strong prayer foundation.  Along with launching Leading Influence Alberta, we also launched PrayAB.  PrayAB has the same mandate and vision as PrayBC.  Each day we will focus on praying for a different Alberta MLA.  We launched PrayAB on Feb 1 and are seeing a strong early response.  Elaine Baille is providing leadership and oversight to PrayAB and will be a key part of seeing this part of our ministry grow and develop.  For more information on PrayAB, visit www.prayab.com.

For more information on Leading Influence in Alberta, please contact Larry directly at larry@leadinginfluence.com or through our office email. info@leadinginfluence.com

Remembering....

I'm having an incredible time here in Edmonton.  Barb and I arrived on Thursday morning to launch Leading Influence in Alberta.  We've established a partnership with Evangel Church and Pastor Larry Lindoff to provide pastoral care to members of the Alberta Legislature.  We're excited about the future and what God has in store.

As we were setting up for our event last night, I remembered the last time I was in that room.  My first pastor's wife had passed away and her funeral was held at that church.  Carolyn (but I always called her Mrs.) Brown was my Sunday School teacher, Youth Leader, Mentor and friend through some of the most important years of my life.  She was a bit 2nd mom and big sister.  Some of the most important decisions and choices that I've made in my life came because of what seemed like off hand comments from Mrs.B. She was there.... at the right place, at the right time and had the insight to say the right thing, just when I needed to hear it! I was blessed to have her in my life.

She would often tell me how proud she was of who I was and what I was doing with my life.  She might have said it to others, but she always told me I was her only success.  I doubt that was true, but it always made me feel special.

My favorite memory of her comes from a time just after we met each other.  For a few months, she and her husband lived with our family when they first moved to our little town. On this particular day, my mom was baking cookies and had to step out for about an hour.  She left Mrs. B in charge of pulling out the last sheet of ginger snap cookies.  For whatever reason, the cookies got burned.  When I arrived home from school, Mrs B had a stack of cookies and a glass of milk for me.  She kept feeding me her 'burnt offerings' for as along as I was willing to eat them.  It became our favorite story.

This afternoon, I visited another former Sunday School teacher.  Carl was part of our church, a family friend and my SS teacher for more than a few years.  His health has been in decline over the past few years.  I don't get to Edmonton often, so I wanted to see him if I could.  As we were talking I remembered that he might not remember me as 'Tim'. So I started, for about the 3rd time, to talk about my parents and ask him if he remembered and slowly went from my dad to my mom and then asked if he remembered their kids. I asked if he remembered 'Timmy' and he lit up. I said 'I'm Timmy!' He responded 'I'll be jiggered, you're all grown up!' I responded, I hope so, I'm 50!!

We visited for a while more and then I began to read Ps 23 to him. He started to quote it with me and  I flashed back to SS days.  My eyes starting leaking as I was struck by the precious moment I was experiencing. When I stood to go, he grabbed my hands and began to speak Aaron's blessing over me.  Heaven opened!  It was powerful!  I left feeling richer. He went back to watching Beverly Hillbillies!

The older I get, the more the heroes of my youth and childhood are fading and passing from this life into eternity.  To many people, they might be just ordinary, regular people.  In their own eyes, they were nothing more than ordinary or regular.  But when I begin to contemplate the immensity of what they have invested in me and the fruit that has come as a result, I am profoundly greatful.   I have been so blessed because ordinary people were faithful to be who and what God called them to be.

I'm challenged today to be true to who God has called me to be.  It's been a good day of remembering. 

Stretch.....

Next month marks the 2nd full year that I've been running for exercise.  One of my long term challenges has been to learn the value of good stretching.  I've come to enjoy running.  Stretching on the other hand has been something of an acquired taste, until recently...

On Dec 31, I signed up for the Vancouver BMO Marathon in May.  I've run 3 half-marathons and wanted a fresh challenge.  There's a huge difference between a half-marathon and full marathon in terms of training requirements. I'm running A LOT more and a LOT farther.  To say that my body is 'feeling it' is an understatement!  My legs are both tired and sore most days, unless I take the time to do some serious stretching.  Stretching forces the muscles out to their full length.  It keeps them from becoming stiff and less flexible.  In the end, I will be a better runner because I stretch and my body will feel better while I train.

I've been stretching in some other ways too.  In early January we invited a group of people together for a ThinkTank session.  We spent a morning talking about opportunities and possibilities for Leading Influence.  What could the future look like if there were no limits?  It was a stretching experience too!  I've come to the realization again that in order for Leading Influence to move forward, we have to do things differently.  It's the same challenge that every leader faces.  In order for the organization to move forward, the leader and the organization have to stretch and grow.  For the past 2 weeks I've been working with a business coach who is doing an amazing job of helping me see and change my thought processes and my actions so that we can achieve our goals as a ministry.  It's exciting and has been a very enjoyable experience.  My homework for later today is to map out what I want to be doing in 2017 and 2020.  (I'm not entirely sure what I'll be doing yet, I'm just glad to know that I'll have a plan when I get there!)

I've learned this about God.  He is all about 'the stretch'.  Check out these words from Isaiah 54. 

“Enlarge the place of your tent, stretch your tent curtains wide, do not hold back; lengthen your cords, strengthen your stakes.  Is. 54:1-3 NIV

Note the words, Enlarge, stretch, lengthen, strengthen.  The context of the verse speaks of making room for God's blessing in your life.  It's interesting to me that the preparation requires us to move out of our comfort zones and familiar spaces into something new.  This requires focus, discipline, courage and faith.  We don't get to new places haphazardly or by chance.  It always involves some intentional and purposeful choices.  Stretching isn't easy or comfortable.  It requires work and discipline, but it's a key part of getting us to where we need to be.

In terms of more immediate stretching, I'm very excited about launching Leading Influence Alberta next week in Edmonton.  We've built a unique partnership with Evangel Church and Pastor Larry Lindoff that is going to allow us to engage with Alberta MLAs and support them as they serve their province.  We'll post some pictures of the event next Friday!

Year End Giving

Leading Influence is funded entirely by the generosity of our ministry friends and partners. We are very grateful for your support!  For those of you that would like to make a year end gift, we need to receive your gift by December 31. 

You can give online through our website by clicking here.  If a window doesn't open for you, check your popup blocker.  If you would like to give by cheque, you can drop it off at our office located at Church of Our Lord.  (626 Blanshard St, Victoria, BC) If the office is closed, please use the mailslot.

Thanks so much for your support.  We appreciate your partnership!

God With Us!

I'm never surprised but am always amazed at the way God makes Himself known to us!  On the Sunday before Christmas I visited a friend who would be spending Christmas in the hospital.  He was recovering from open heart surgery.  As part of our time together we read the Christmas story from Luke 2.  As we did, the hospital room became as sacred and holy as any candle lit sanctuary on Christmas Eve.  Jesus was there!

He is Emmanuel.  His name means God WITH us, not just in the days around Christmas but in every moment of every day.  What an incredible life advantage it is to have God WITH you in whatever you encounter.  We know that having God with us doesn't mean that bad things won't happen, that we won't experience setbacks and adverstiy, that we aren't spared disappointment or other difficult moments.  What it does mean is that when these things happen, we are not alone or on our own. God is WITH us to strengthen us, lift us and to walk with us. 

My prayer for you in 2013 is that you will know as never before the power and wonder of Emmanuel with you every day and in every way!

Have a blessed 2013!

Christmas at the Legislature

It’s an exciting day at the Legislature today.  For the past few weeks, staff has been busy decorating the inside of the building and changing the over 3300 lights on the outside of the building to holiday colors.  There’s a large tree that is set up and decorated inside the main rotunda of the building. (I’ll stop by later to see if Santa is leaning to the right or left this year…)  The Speaker and Premier will officially light the building and the Provincial Christmas tree.  It’s always a fun event!

When most of us think about Christmas, we default to baby Jesus, Mary and Joseph, shepherds and angel choirs.  Lately I’ve been pondering the connection between Jesus and kings in the Christmas story.  The contrasts are amazing.  Herod was governor of Judea at that time.  For the most part he was nothing more than a Roman puppet.  His job was to ensure that the Jews were properly controlled and as much as possible absorbed into the Roman Empire.  Herod was oblivious to the coming of Jesus.  Jesus was born a mere 8kms from Herod’s palace and Herod missed it completely.  Sometimes leaders aren’t very different from you and me.  We miss what God is doing right in front of us.

Almost 2 years after the fact, magi or wisemen or kings appeared at Herod’s court seeking to honor the King of the Jews.   Not only were they watching the skies for a sign that something was happening, they were also curious enough that they followed the sign to Herod’s palace and ultimately to Bethlehem where they found Jesus.  Their journey cost them time, energy and comfort.  They brought expensive gifts with them to honor the king.  They were seekers, but more than just seekers.  They were men on a mission, intent on meeting and honoring the King of the Jews.

Most people are of the opinion that political leaders aren’t really interested in seeking out Jesus.  After 5 years of ministry to political leaders, I’ve discovered that there are far more who have hearts like the Magi than there are those who have hearts like Herod.  Some are very open about their curiosity and pursuit.  Some are more discreet.  What matters is that they are searching and that by God’s grace, we are there and able to support and assist in their pursuit. 

One of our highlights from this year was to hear about an MLA who had decided all on his own to read the bible for the first time in his life.  He began his journey to find Jesus on Jan 1^st.  I don’t know why or what sparked his interest.  It’s my privilege to support and encourage him on the journey.  I had a visit with him in September.  When I saw him, he started the conversation with ‘I know you are going to ask so let me just save you the time, I’ve got 21 pages to go!’  We chatted briefly about what he thought about what he read.  There are more conversations to follow.  I’ve been praying that like the Magi of old, he will find the King this Christmas.

 

Taking Our Place

In less than 36 hours the race for the Presidency of the United States should be over.  I say 'should' just in case we see a repeat of 'hanging chads' and faulty voting machines like we did during the Bush vs. Gore race. 

Election campaigns provide something of a pause for reflection on the state of nation. We evaluate the state of the economy, the responsiveness of the current administration to the needs of the citizens and we make choices based on past performance and future vision.  In the case of America, there's been no shortage of finger pointing as to who is to blame for high unemployment, a sputtering economy, rising debt and a general decline in the nation. To date, neither contender for the Presidency has been willing to say, 'that was our fault or 'my fault' or even 'I was wrong about that...'.  It would be refreshing, inspiring and perhaps even enough to ensure election, but don't hold your breath waiting for it to happen. 

There's a familiar passage in 2 Chr. 7:14 that challenges me.  The verse is God's response to Solomon's prayer in 2 Chr. 6 where Solomon humbly asks God to respond to the prayers of His people when the nation experiences hardship, adversity and judgement for its willful disobedience.  God's response to Solomon's request is 'I have heard your prayers and when difficulty comes upon the nation, if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven, forgive their sin and heal their land.' (NIV)

The conversation between God and Solomon fascinates me because it suggests that there is a connection between what happens to a nation and what the real remedy might be.  Could it be that more than a stimulus or recovery plan, what the nation really needs is for the church to take it's place as priest and intercessor on behalf of the nation and begin to repent for our own sins and for those of the country? 

Nations lose their moral compass and forsake their moral foundations when the church abdicates its role as priest and intercessor on behalf of the nation.  I understand that we don't live in a theocracy and this is not a call for the church to 'take over' or dictate it's values to the rest of society. It is a call to humbly and intentionally recognize that we have a responsibility to those who govern over us and to those who live around us, to pray for God's blessing upon them.

Some will be hostile to our faith, others will be dismissive of our prayers.  That does not negate their effectiveness. Paul wrote to the early church to pray for those who ruled over them so that they would live peaceable lives.  It's worthwhile noting that the ruler of the day was Nero who was dipping Christians in tar and using them as torches to light Rome at night. 

More than an endorsement from a church leader or an unspoken political relationship with a particular ideology, political leaders need a promise from us that we will take our place and intentionally and purposefully pray for them!

In the News!

I got an email from a friend last Thursday congratulating me for being on the front cover of a regional newspaper.  I'd heard about the paper, but had no idea how or why I might be the cover story.  The interview took place just after our annual MLA prayer breakfast.  The reporter did it for another magazine and her story got picked up by 'The Light' magazine.  The Light is based out of Langley, BC. 

Here's the link to the article.  I hope you enjoy it!

http://lightmagazine.ca/index.php?page=public.viewarticle&nArticlesID=556

Alberta Bound - Part 2

After months of dreaming, thinking, talking, planning and preparing, we are very happy to announce that Leading Influence will be launching in Alberta on the week of October 23.  Pastor Larry Lindoff will be partnering with us to provide chaplaincy ministry at the Alberta Legislature.  Larry brings a pastor's heart and tremendous political understanding to this role.  We are confident that God has arranged his path and ours for this very exciting partnership.  The timing is perfect in that Alberta has just had an election and the MLA's have all been elected to a 4 year term.  That gives Larry lots of time to build relationships and sow the gospel into their lives. 

Please pray for Larry and Leading Influence as we venture into Alberta.  We believe the time is right for a tremendous harvest!

'She vs. He' Fall Fundraiser

Sometimes fundraising events are just so 'predictable'.  Chicken, roasted potatoes, steamed vegetables, a speaker and an appeal.  (Yawn...)  They work and have been effective for us in the past, but we've decided to put the FUN into fundraising this fall with our first ever 'She vs. He' Fundraiser.

Barb and I have been training for the Victoria Half Marathon that happens on Oct 6.  The challenge runs to October 31.  Barb and I will compete around who can raise the most sponsorships during that time.  If she wins I will be her servant for a day and wear the costume of her choosing for lunch at the Legislature. If I win, she will be my servant for a day (no big change there she says...) but she will also write and sing a love song for me on the steps of the Legislature. 

Here's how it works.  You can sponsor either one of us (but please sponsor me!) on a per km. basis (a half marathon is 21 kms) or on a flat rate for the entire event.  By way of example, a $5/km pledge will result in a $105 commitment.

Barb is light years ahead of me on an informal basis already, but who really wants to see me in a costume at the Legislature?  We'll add a thermometer to our side bar and Facebook page so you can see how it's going.  Click here to be taken to our pledge page!

Thanks for your support.  It's going to be a lot of fun hearing Barb sing.... (I hope)

What Do You Think The ....?

I've heard the question so often, I almost want to finish for the person asking it.  'What do you think the government's chances are for re-election?'  That usually launches me into a conversation about how Leading Influence is non-partisan and how that what we do is provide Chaplaincy services and that it's not prudent for me to make political comment.  And then they lean in and ask again... but what do you really think is going to happen?  The question is as tempting to me as I'm sure the fruit that the serpent offered to Eve was, but I still can't answer.I have my ideas about what could happen in the election and as fascinating as that might be to me, there's something that excites me even more. Let me tell you about it...

 PrayBC is the prayer ministry of Leading Influence.  It's the vehicle we use to encourage prayer for our political leaders and to communicate prayer needs to our prayer network.  During the last election, we became the largest prayer network in BC and had almost 2000 people praying with us on a daily basis that God would use the election to accomplish His purposes for our province.  We did it using a daily email. 

With the election 8 months away, we've been talking about what could happen if we pressed beyond email and dared to think and dream bigger.  So here's what we have in mind.  We want to spark a prayer movement across our province during the election campaign that will be bigger than anything that has been done before. We believe that as literally thousands of people begin to pray, God will hear us and respond in remarkable ways.  Our prayers will reflect who we are as a ministry and be non-partisan in focus, but the unrelenting cry of our hearts will be 'Let your kingdom come, let your will be done.'

Email is good, but its' limitations.  We'll certainly use social media, but we want greater visibility that we believe will result in greater participation.  Here's what we see.  We plan to buy signage on city busses.  The signs are protected from vandalism, cleaned daily and are constantly moving and are at windshield height.  We've got some other ideas too, but this is the big one that I want to share with you.

We'll need to raise $30,000 to do this the way we believe it needs to be done.  Before you check out and think that's impossible, let me say that our God specializes in doing the impossible and we are very convinced that He's eager to see this happen.  Our plan is to break it down into 'bus sized' chunks to make it easier for people to pariticipate.  We are going to need your help to make this happen.  It's bold, it's big and it's very exciting when we think about what can happen.  We'll be back with more information in the coming months.  In the meantime, pray for us.  We are going to need plenty of help!

What Do YOU Do In The Summer?

As most readers of this blog know, I provide chaplaincy services at the BC Legislature.  Because most of what I is based on a ministry of presence, I’m often asked what I do in the summer.  To be honest, I used to dread the question because it felt like I needed to justify my time through the summer.  However, over the past few summers, I’ve come to accept that summer is an opportunity for me to recharge, refocus and reach out. 

Life and ministry is very demanding when the legislature is in session. It’s not uncommon to go for multiple weeks with very little time off.  Between weekdays at the legislature, weekends visiting churches and just the general stuff I need to do to run a ministry (administration, donor relations, fundraising, etc.), there’s not a lot of time left for anything else.  By the time the session ends, I’m as eager to come up for air as the MLA’s are. 

One of our best fundraising ideas has been the IronMan of Golf event.  We use the money raised from the event to connect with MLA’s through the summer.  This summer, I’ve already made several trips to Vancouver and one into the Interior to connect with members.  Those are usually very relaxed visits, as the pressure of the next meeting isn’t as intense. Where possible, I’ve been able to connect MLA’s with local pastors and ministry leaders.  It’s been exciting to watch key leaders begin to build relationships that can have a huge impact in their community.  One of my highlights is also meeting office staff and connecting with them.  In many cases, these are the people I chat with via email as I set up visits in Victoria and in the constituency offices.

I’m also doing something new this summer.  I’m on the “Can you come and say grace at my fundraiser?” tour.  It’s been a great way to support MLA’s and meet new people.  Sometimes it’s golf, sometimes it’s dinner, but it’s always interesting.  There’s always someone who wants to know more about our work and what I do, which gives the trip double value.

I also use the summer to read, plan, prepare, write and think, although not always in that order.  Sometimes, thinking is best done at the beach, on a run or while I ride my motorcycle.  I’m also working on some new teaching material for the fall that I hope to release in CD format.  It’s something new for us, but I think you’ll enjoy it. 

Finally, summer is a time to rest.  We are taking some vacation time to soak up the sun, play on the beach and watch a few baseball games. It’s always good – and important! – to spend time with Barb and the kids.

Hope you are having a great summer!

What Do MLAs Do In The Summer?

Without fail, somewhere in mid-summer a local radio station asks people how they feel about the fact that MLA’s get paid throughout the summer when the legislature isn’t in session.  Inevitably, callers are opposed to the idea of MLAs being paid and there’s a long list of callers who have taken the host’s bait to get all riled up yet again. 

If MLA’s only worked when they were in Victoria, then I’d be opposed to them being paid all year round, too.  However, I know that the bulk of their work happens in and through their constituency offices all across the province, all year round.  

Each MLA represents approximately 60,000 people.  In densely populated regions like Metro Vancouver, some MLA’s could quite literally walk around their entire riding in an afternoon.  Others require a full day to drive across their ridings. In those cases, work-related travel alone takes up an enormous amount of time and energy. 

In broad terms, there are several aspects to the work of a member of the Legislative Assembly.  The largest part is in the area of advocacy.  If you’ve ever tried to navigate through government bureaucracy, you’ll appreciate how difficult this can be.  MLAs work with community groups, as well.  MLA’s meet with business groups, local government, special interest groups, and others in order to support and help members of their community who are working together to enhance their community and region.

Another part of their work is with committees.  Committee work happens year round and is an extension of what happens in the legislature.  Committees hear presentations from people across the province, which requires days and evenings of meetings and, at times, long travel days, as well. This work forms the basis of government policy and legislation so it’s important that it’s done well.

Public relations is the third part of what MLA’s do when the legislature isn’t in session.  PR is everything from attending large community events (Canada Day, Remembrance Day and BC Day, for example) to the openings of businesses and offices, as well as government announcements and community fundraisers,.  There’s always an event for a politician to go to.

An MLAs work is endless and that’s why it’s important that we continue to pray for them as they serve our province, even when the legislature isn’t sitting.

Coming Up Next Week:  What do YOU do in the Summer?