The preacher is dressed casually, a black t-shirt and jeans, with the cordless headset wrapped around his greying head.  Small, almost invisible podium held his Bible and notes, but he seldom referred to these as he roamed the stage.  I listen, flipping in my Bible and taking notes as the man of God speaks.  As the sermon progresses, I being to think: this sounds familiar.  Checking the date stamp on the YouTube video, I realize this video was first posted two years ago.  Hmmm.  I think I've listened to this message before!

The pastor of Passion City Church first references Romans 1 and I'm well aware that this passage is Paul's teaching on the depravity of humanity.  We have all sinned.  And Paul charts the progression from God's creation of everything, and how His invisible qualities are made visible through the glorious and mind-blowing display of earth, space, tiny insects and exploding stars!  

All humans can be aware of God and who He is by looking around and up.  His nature and power are very obvious through the amazing feat of creation.  In fact, in Romans 1:20, Paul writes:  "For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities - His eternal power and divine nature - have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse."  I remember as a kid living in rural Saskatchewan, being outside in the cool and dark night, and staring up at the ba-zillion stars twinkling above.  I located the Big Dipper and felt that sense of awe of grand things and that awareness of my smallness.  "God, if You're out there..."  Have you ever prayed that?  Such a prayer was likely the start of my search for and being found by my Creator and Heavenly Father.

The sermon continues with the confirmation that we are all worshipers.  We are created with the innate sense and desire to worship something.  Depending where we are born and into what culture we grow up in, the object of our worship may differ. The influences around us can influence what or who we worship: money, fame, celebrities, rules and regulations, nature and creation, invisible spiritual entities.  Our worship can take many forms: sports events, temples, physical expressions or focus on ourselves.  

Many of us veer away from our awareness of an eternal God and Maker of all things and choose to "exchange the truth about God for a lie..." (Romans 1:25).  Instead of pursuing God as He reveals Himself through the Bible, God's Word, and seeking those who worship the Lord, we are often drawn away to the things that seem to be worthy of our worship.  And we must exchange those lies for truth - the truth being Jesus Christ (John 14:6) and that our worship must be directed to the only One who is worthy!

John 4:1-26 records the account of Jesus interacting with a woman at a well in Samaria.  She acknowledged God and was interested in the things Jesus, a Jewish rabbi, had to say.  Jesus challenges her to not get hung up on the where and how of genuine and acceptable worship.  "Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks." (John 4:23)  In this passage of the Bible, I see the 5 W's of investigation.

Who?  the Father/God

What? worship

Where? doesn't really matter

When? NOW

Why? He is worthy

And the "How" is in verse 24:  "God is spirit, and His worshipers must worship in Spirit and in truth."  Genuine worship must be as God's Spirit directs and prescribes, in the way and through the way He says is acceptable.  The world may tell us any "Higher Power" is fine and however we want to express worship is okay, but I'd rather follow God's way to be sure.

The preacher dressed in black continues with impassioned pleas, standing still with arms upraised.  He speaks from Psalm 115, quoting:"Our God is in heaven: He does whatever pleases Him.  But their idols are silver and gold, made by human hands.  They have mouths, but cannot speak, eyes but cannot see.  They have ears, but cannot hear, noses, but cannot smell.  They have hands...feet... throats..."  We may think we are more sophisticated several thousand years later than the worshipers of the middle eastern cultures in King David's day.  Maybe we in North America don't fashion idols of silver, gold, wood, or whatever but we try to worship and serve things that are just as inadequate to hear our prayers or answer our deepest requests!  Can money speak truth to us?  Can filling our lives with booze, drugs, porn or gambling give us peace? Can meditation, poses, centering and mindfulness wash away our sins?  

The psalmist continues in verse 8: "Those who make them will be like them, and so will all who trust in them."  Ultimately, we become like that which we worship.  If we worship money, we will fluctuate with the markets and stock exchanges.  If we worship celebrities, we will have to replace them when they lose their popularity.  If we worship our addictions, we will be controlled by them!

But if we worship the Father, through Jesus His Son, and respond to His invitation to come to Him for rest and forgiveness and peace, He promises eternal life. 1 John 5:12 gives us the assurance that "Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life."  

Pastor Louie Giglio points to the screen behind him.  In bold letters, the definition of true worship reads like this:  TRUE WORSHIP - our response, both personal and corporate, to God for who He is, and what He has done, expressed in and by the things we say and the way we live - to the glory and grace of God.

That's what I want; that is what I long for and have spent over 40 years seeking to learn and experience.  To live my life for Jesus, to please Him in all I do and to worship Him with others in corporate gatherings or alone in my quiet times is my life's purpose.

The video ends and I sit for a moment.  How can I respond to this challenge?  By writing this blog and inviting all of you to join me in seeking to worship our Father in spirit and in truth.

 

   

 

 

 Spending the summer at Bible camp meant we got home in mid-August and it felt like fall.  The smell of harvest was in the air.  We noticed coming south that the sunset came earlier.  Along with feeling so tired, we felt a little sad that summer had flown by!

But to maximize what time we did have left to enjoy the warm days, I sat outside with my coffee and had my morning devotions.  I puttered in the flowerbeds and trimmed the grass.  We took evening walks around the neighbourhood.  One Sunday afternoon, we drove to our cabin at Katepwa Lake!  We bought fruit and vegetables at local Farmer's Markets.  

A favourite destination of ours is Medora - an outdoor musical held in the little tourist spot in North Dakota.  We drove down for a couple of days to take in the pitchfork fondue (steak, potato, salads and  dessert) and musical performance.  The weather was hot and delightful, the landscape so unique - the Badlands. This year, we checked out the 'Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library", which was in the process of being constructed two years ago when we were last there.  

And now we have just returned from Alberta, where we celebrated our daughter's upcoming wedding with a Selke Family Jack & Jill shower.  It was special to play silly games, visit, eat tasty treats and see Caylea and Eric open lovely and thoughtful gifts.  Walter and I wandered around the West Edmonton Mall before heading to the hotel where the NCEM 80th Anniversary conference was being held.  We joined about 200 others in celebrating the mission's special milestone, renewing acquaintances and enjoying tremendous music and speakers.

We then headed to the Calgary area to visit friends.  Then we continued on to the mountains where we spent three days at Radium Hot Springs!  Amidst some rain, we did get to see the mountains and enjoy the outdoors.  We hiked a bit, drank coffee at outdoor cafes and returned to our favourite restaurant "Smokehouse 93" for a platter of smoked meats, coleslaw and baked beans!  Soaking in the hot springs was relaxing and quiet as we chose to go in September, when the tourist traffic has slowed down.

 As I unpack the suitcases, do laundry, run to the store to restock our fridge, I'm feeling good about the way we spent the summer. It flew by but that's because we were able to do things we love. It's good to be home again and look forward to the Rider vs. Bomber Banjo Bowl CFL game tomorrow on TSN and to worship on Sunday with our church family.  

Hope your summer was full of adventures and fun, as well!

                                                                Caylea & Eric 

 

                                                       Ed, Walter, Cindy & Brenda Selke

 

 

 I can't believe it has been three months - almost to the day - since I wrote a blog entry!  Where did the time go and what was I doing?

First of all, Walter and I spent six weeks serving at Big River Bible Camp. Walter repaired several of the camp's boats and got them running.  He also worked on side by sides and Gators for the camp staff.  His highlight was to speak at the Teen Camp chapels - teaching and preaching on the Book of Ephesians to 50+ teenagers!  And for three weeks, Walter led the craft skill where they made bears, owls, cats or dogs from wood.  The kids loved being able to use the air nailer to create fun wooden creatures to take home!

I spent the summer as kitchen manager, helping plan the menu, order the groceries and do some cooking, as well.  It was great to be familiar with the kitchen and the menu from helping last year - but there was still a lot to learn!  Being short-handed some weeks meant I was hands-on in the kitchen.  Other weeks, I was able to participate as worship leader for chapel or assist with other tasks around camp.  Walter and I had to make a couple Saturday runs to Prince Albert (1 1/2 hour trip one way!) for forgotten or missed grocery items and other errands for maintenance. But generally, the local Co-op Store in Big River could supplement any items needed.

Walter and I were blessed to stay in the main house, a quiet space after long days in the kitchen or the maintenance shop.  The days were generally hot but the house would cool off in the evenings with the windows open and fans blowing at top speed.  We could hear the kids singing around the campfire or squealing during the night game!  Generally my alarm went off at 6:30 am so we didn't stay up too late.

What a privilege to work together with our daughter, Caylea and her fiance, Eric! We'd chat in Caylea's office or debrief the week over a quiet meal together at the town's primary restaurant "Third & Main." The load of running the camp, managing the facilities and staff, problem-solving on the fly is a heavy burden for these two, and we saw them both grow and handle themselves very well.  

Also seeing the local church and community folks step up and assist as volunteers was a tremendous blessing to us.  We made some good friends and worked together with phenomenal people this summer!  The impact of the camp on so many families over the 75+ years has drawn many to return and give back.  From seniors helping in the kitchen to junior staff known as LIT's (leaders in training), we saw how the camp could continue to provide solid Bible teaching, fun activities and delicious meals and snacks through the generosity and sacrifice of tremendous folks.

Not only did we contribute to the camp's programs but Walter preached 3 times at the Big River Evangelical Free Church over July and August.  They are currently without a pastor and invited Walter to preach - which he gladly did!  I joined Caylea to help lead worship one Sunday in June and that is always a joy for me.  And one weekend in July, we had to run back to Regina for my Uncle Harold's Celebration of Life - where my sister, Paula, cousin, Wendy and myself were honoured to sing some special songs.  This gave us a couple nights in our own bed and the chance to refresh for the final weeks at Big River.

It was bittersweet to pack up and load the truck for our final drive home.  Although we were physically exhausted and spiritually spent, we had no regrets. Knowing our time and energies had been invested in something of eternal value - the kids from P.A., Saskatoon and several surrounding First Nations and small towns in the area - was the best way we could spend the summer of 2026!