Canadian Evangelism

Have I said that before? I love cold-calling on churches. I have a few standard lines I use when calling on churches. Often I will break the ice by saying, "It sounds phony to say, 'I was in the neighbourhood and I thought I'd drop in,' but, I was in the neighbourhood and I thought I'd drop in." It usually gets at least a smile. When describing my position as Alpha's Regional Director for Alberta, I say, "I love Alpha and I love driving, so I've got the perfect job. And besides, this is my retirement career, so I've got nothing better to do." Yesterday I made a round trip to Devon and Drayton Valley . One of the things I enjoy is that I am usually welcomed genuinely, and if a particular church is not interested in Alpha, at least politely. Practically every church, or at least someone on their staff, is familiar with Alpha. I find it oddly curious when, as I experienced in one church yesterday, I am told they have no real interest in run...

No, not its message! But often in the way it is being run. When I first became involved with Alpha, over twenty yearss ago, the customary way to run it was in a church hall with as large a group as possible. Mind you it is still done, and is still effective, that way. Some churches still regularly have a hundred or more guests at their Alpha. But more and more Alphas are being run in more intimate settings, with much smaller groups. Groups of half a dozen or even fewer are not uncommon, in coffee shops or homes. It may be a sign of the changing times that it seems more difficult to gather large groups for a course on the basics of Christianity. The wonderful thing about Alpha is that you don't have to. So I'm hoping to remind Pastors and other interested parties that Alpha doesn't have to be a big deal. It's nice when it is, but it works just as effectively in more simple formats. Everything needed to run a 7-week or an Alpha for Youth is available online for free do...

Here is the crowd who attended the Alpha for Youth, "Champions' Retreat" in Red Deer, Wednesday evening and Thursday. This was an event to gather specific, key players who play, or we hope will play, strategic roles with Alpha for Youth in Alberta. Although not all such people from all areas of the Province were able to attend, I think the event turned out to be exactly what God intended. I, for one, was incredibly encouraged. It was attended by people of multiple denominations, Catholic and Protestant, old (me) and young (everybody else). Ben Woodman (fourth from left) and Jason Ballard (centre, rear, short), the, "stars" of the Youth Film Series were there and did a great job facilitating. I remember driving down to Red Deer with Amy Croy, Alpha for Youth coach in Alberta, and remarking that I wish more people were coming. Now, however, I am completely convicted. God brought together just the right people. It was an amazing time together, and I, for one, left ...

Nothing to do with Alpha, but I just love this: Only Leo Kottke is still with us, but thank God for Youtube. Blessings, John

I sometimes hate to call something in my life a miracle, for fear that someone who needs a, "real" miracle would wonder why they didn't get one, while I, in some more minor matter, did. But here goes: I got into my Tiburon in my garage the other day and turned the key. It cranked over once, then made a very loud BANG. Immediately, the sound of the starting motor sounded different; almost as if the engine had lost compression. I have been in the car business all my working life, and I know the sound of a car with major problems. When I was a sales manager at a Chrysler dealership in Oakville ON, I had to appraise potential trade-ins; check for blow-by (smoke coming out of the oil filler cap, indicating bad piston rings, listen for knocks in the engine - a deep knock indicated a serious problem, a lighter, "tap" was a minor issue, just a valve lifter, but nothing serious. In short, I know what a sick engine sounds like. I tried several times over the next day or ...