SEVEN PROMISE KEEPERS CANADA
MEN / GOD / LIFE
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MEN OF ACTION MAKING AN IMPACT IN THE WORLD TODAY
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CONTENTS
16
COLUMNS 6 // PK Podium Be the Difference, Make a Difference 8 // Lives Worth Leading Lead from the Heart—Not Just the Head 30 // Sports Scene Constant Praise, Win or Lose
FEATURES 16 SCREENING THE GOSPEL TO A NEW GENERATION A pair of filmmaking brothers is breaking new ground on what it means to live the great commission. Jon Erwin and Andy Erwin, creators of October Baby and Woodlawn, are using their films speak the gospel into the lives of a new generation.
20 NOT FOR CHILDREN A filmmaker is taking the pornography industry to task with a new documentary showcasing its harmful effects. Though online porn continues to be as prevalent as ever, author and activist Jared Brock is hoping for major change in how the industry is viewed by society.
20 24
24 WINNIPEG’S TOP COP PUTS FAITH TO WORK For outgoing police chief Devon Clunis, policing is about more than crimefighting—it’s a tool for building better, healthier communities. And while he’s come under fire for in the past, Clunis hasn’t backed down from crediting his Christian faith for why he does what he does.
32 // The Single Life Making a Single Difference 33 // Out of My Depth Be 12
DEPARTMENTS 10 // The Pulse Bits. Blips. Beats. Blurbs. 14 // Music Reviews From Festival Missionaries to Heavy Metal 34 // Power Play Toys. Tools. Technology.
27 OUTREACH MISSION SEEKS NEW APPROACH IN MENDING BROKENNESS Church is about meeting people where they are—not where we’d like them to be. And it’s for that reason that Nick and Vivian Helliwell of Healing Hearts Ministries are reaching out to Regina’s Inner City.
JULY / AUGUST 2016 SEVEN 3
ON THE COVER
SEVEN is a Christian magazine for Canadian men that exists to help men lead more fulfilling lives and leave enduring legacies.
MEN OF ACTION
In our towns and cities, across our country, and all around the world, people are making an impact. While we might not always see it, good things are happening here, there, and everywhere. This issue, we showcase a few of the fine folks who are at work, trying—and succeeding—to be a force for good in the world today.
The name reflects the seven promises that form the basis of the Promise Keepers organization, which works with churches to minister to men across Canada. 1 // A promise keeper is committed to honouring Jesus Christ through worship, prayer, and obedience to God’s Word in the power of the Spirit. 2 // A promise keeper is committed to pursuing Christ-centred friendships with a few other men, connecting regularly, understanding that he needs brothers to help him keep his promises. 3 // A promise keeper is committed to practicing biblical integrity: spiritually, morally, ethically and sexually. 4 // A promise keeper is committed to strengthening families and marriages through love, honour, protection, and biblical values. 5 // A promise keeper is committed to supporting the mission of his church by honouring and praying for his pastor, and by actively giving his time and resources. 6 // A promise keeper is committed to reaching beyond racial, social, economic, generational, and denominational barriers to demonstrate that power of biblical unity. 7 // A promise keeper is committed to influencing the world by his fervent love for God while loving his neighbour, seeking justice for the poor and oppressed, and making disciples of Jesus Christ.
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The PK Canada logo features a maple leaf, indicating our dedication to serve the men of Canada. An arrow breaks into the maple leaf symbolizing the impact we believe God wants to see Promise Keepers and men making in our nation. A special thank-you to all the pastors who continually encourage us to communicate God’s truth with grace and love.
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podcasts It’s now easier than ever to listen to the latest messages from Promise Keepers Canada! With just a few clicks, you can listen wherever you are. Get exclusive access to interviews and inspiring messages with:
Max Lucado John and Sam Eldredge Gary Thomas The Skit Guys Donald Miller and many others! promisekeepers.ca/podcasts
JULY / AUGUST 2016 SEVEN 5
PK PODIUM
BE THE DIFFERENCE, MAKE A DIFFERENCE
SHINING A LIGHT ON MEN OF IMPACT BY KIRK GILES
“
W
atching the news is so depressing—everything is negative all of the time.” This is a conversation my wife and I have had together several times in our marriage. It does feel like the world is filled with bad news—all of the time. In the work we do with men, it can also feel like the only time men are in the news is when they are doing something to create damage in the lives of others. As a ministry, we have often shared the statistics and told the stories of how men are the root cause for so many of the world’s problems. We see the reality of fatherlessness, the way men treat women as objects, and the confusion that comes when men are silent and passive in the moments when courage and strength are required. We can become so confused with the negative stories, that we lose sight or are not aware of the positive stories. That is why I am so grateful for this edition of SEVEN. As a ministry, we believe it is important to not just focus on the negative, but to celebrate the positive of how God is using men to have an impact in the lives of others. There are many who want to ignore or downplay the value men have in our world, but we want to celebrate men who are having a godly impact. The Bible tells the story of the impact of two men in Romans 5:1221. Adam’s sin in the Garden of Eden has brought death to all humans through all of time. Jesus’ obedience to the Father and sacrifice for our sins has brought life and reconciliation. Every man is having an impact, the only question is what kind of impact we are having. In Christ, men are able to not just be good men, but they are able to be men who have an impact that matters for all of eternity. As you read the stories in this edition of SEVEN, I pray that you are encouraged to know that there are faithful men all over who are having a godly impact. I pray that you take a moment to celebrate the godly men in your own life. Finally, in our weaknesses and failures, I pray that you are inspired to know that God can take the ugliest mess that we make, and turn us into men who are having an impact that brings life.
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KIRK GILES is the president of Promise Keepers Canada. However, his most important roles as a man are husband to Shannon and father to Carter, Joshua, Sydney and Samuel.
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More than 50 chapters across Canada. Find them at www.ccbf.org JULY / AUGUST 2016 SEVEN 7
LIVES WORTH LEADING
LEAD FROM THE HEART— NOT JUST THE HEAD
IT’S DIFFERENT WITH DAUGHTERS BY COLIN MCCARTNEY
T
oday I drove my daughter around the city to get her ready for her high school prom—and I hated it. It’s a telltale sign that my little girl is growing up! First stop: hair appointment. An hour later, we passed through a foggy haze of sticky hair spray to pick up her mother and get her prom dress from the tailor (it needed some adjustments). Then we went to the makeup artist. I have to humbly admit, with great fear in my heart, that my daughter looked drop-dead gorgeous. I even took pictures of her right after her hair appointment to show her date just so he knows that if I see one hair out of place when she comes home from the prom…it’s lights out for him. A friend of mine is a police officer with two daughters, I told him it must be great to be a cop as he can scare away any boy interested in his daughters. He told me that I have it better because as a preacher I can send the boys interested in my daughter to hell! I don’t know about my friend’s theology but I am willing to use any threat to protect my daughter. This is the “built-in” instincts of a father. We protect our daughters. I never felt this way when my older son took his date on their prom. But now I know how her father felt about my son. Fortunately, my son is a good guy so nothing happened. If you are a father
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of boys only—you won’t understand what I am feeling right now on prom night. It really is different with daughters. Now, if you are a father of girls only…then God help you! Jeremiah was a man completely and emotionally spent over the state of his daughter named “Judah.” He states; “My joy is gone; grief is upon me; my heart is sick within me…Behold, the cry of the daughter of my people…For the wound of the daughter of my people is my heart wounded; I mourn, and dismay has taken hold on me. Why then has the health of the daughter of my people not been restored? Oh that my head were waters, and my eyes a fountain of tears, that I might weep day and night for the slain of the daughter of my people!” // JEREMIAH 8:18–19, 21–22; 9:1 (ESV) Do you notice how many times Jeremiah refers to his people as his daughter? Did you pick up on the many emotionally laden statements Jeremiah makes in describing his relationship with his people? Jeremiah was a strong leader sensitively dialed into his people like a father is passionately tied into his daughter’s life and future. He felt the pain and hurt, the sin and wickedness present in the lives of those around him and he responded with a father’s heart! Not with judgment but with
compassionate grief. Talk about an emotional leader! What would happen if we were more like Jeremiah? How would seeing others, as a healthy father relates to his daughter, affect how we lead? What type of impact would it have on our work mates, friends and even those in whom we might have inevitable conflict with? Imagine if we saw everyone like we see our daughters? Picture a group of men that lead not only with their brains but also with their hearts? I know that this is not a very macho thing to ponder but even Jesus, the perfect man, wept over his city Jerusalem. We need manly leadership where we are strong and courageous standing up for truth and righteousness. But imagine if we uncompromisingly lead people to truth with sensitive hearts and even a tear in our eyes for those who are victims of sin and towards those who celebrate their own sin. That is the way of Jeremiah and, if I may say, it is also the way of Jesus.
/ COLIN MCCARTNEY is an ordained minister, speaker, and a bestselling author. He is also the founder of UrbanPromise Toronto and now leads Connect Ministries in Toronto where he, his wife Judith, and their two children reside. You can reach him at cmmccartney@mcec.ca.
THE PULSE
PRAY FOR CHANGE
Because It Works!
FROM THE EDITOR
BY ROB HORSLEY
10 SEVEN JULY / AUGUST 2016
EDITOR’S DESK / I have a lot of sympathy for pastors. Think about it—in what other profession would you devote years of your life to schooling, credentialing, and continued professional study, only to have some grumpy farmer, woodworker, or office gossip send you a nasty email telling you you’re wrong about something. Obviously, it’s not impossible for a person in ministry to be corrected by a member of their congregation—it’s why we still have church councils, elder boards, and so on…and those are still really, really good things. But imagine if people treated their pastors the same way they treated their doctors. I imagine the conversation would unfold a little something like this: “Now listen here, Doc. I know you went to university for seven years and got yourself some fancy-pants ‘degree in medicine,’ and as such you probably think you know what you’re talking about…but I’ve been coming to this hospital for 40 years. I think I’d know a little better than you what’s been making me sick.” Call me crazy, but when someone who’s considered “an expert” in their field tells me something, I’m inclined to agree with them—at least, most of the time. Maybe you’ve heard a sermon where the pastor starts with the commonly accepted truth that the world is an awful, awful place, and it’s gotten so bad that you can’t even bring yourself to watch the evening news anymore. “It’s just so depressing!” they’ll exclaim, and everyone will nod along in agreement. Because everybody knows…we live in a terrible world.
But here’s the thing—they’re just plain wrong. While it’s true that bad news seems to travel further than good news, it’s not because there isn’t any good news to report—it’s just that media outlets are in the business of attracting eyeballs to jack up ad prices, and nothing draws an crowd like the latest tragic accident or horrific act of violence. It’s a sad truth that among newsmakers, “if it bleeds, it leads” really does seem to be the law of the land. But again, this isn’t necessarily reflective of what’s actually going on in the world. Contrary to what you might gather from local news reports or the intro paragraph from a Sunday sermon, the world is actually a better place to live now than it’s ever been. Don’t believe me? Well get ready, fellas…I’m about to hit you with some much-needed optimism. Think that the world is more violent now than it’s ever been? Think again. The world is actually a more peaceful place than at any other point in history. Right now, we happen to be living through an era of “unprecedented peace,” as it’s been more than 70 years since any major world powers have clashed with one another. And while it’s true that we still have smaller, regional conflicts such as those in Iraq and Afghanistan, the impact of those conflicts is far less severe, by comparison. To cite one example: more troops died during the Battle of Gettysburg in the
Contrary to what you might gather from local news reports or the intro paragraph from a Sunday sermon, the world is actually a better place to live now than it’s ever been.
American Civil War than throughout the entire course of the war in Afghanistan (ie. 2001 to present). One battle in the 19th Century caused more deaths than an entire war in the 21st Century. Let that sink in for a moment. Of course, this isn’t to make light of the individuals who have died in conflicts such as these, or to dismiss the conflicts themselves as trivial. Death is always tragic, be it one or one million. But in relative, per-capita, raw statistical terms…we simply have never seen peace like that which we enjoy today. But it’s not just armed conflicts that have seen a decline in recent years. Though it may be hard to believe, hard drug among teens is also on the downturn, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse in the United States, according to reports as recent as 2012. And while it’s true that marijuana usage is on the rise, perhaps the positive, if any, we can glean from that is that pot is not the “gateway drug” we’ve long suspected it might be—again, statistically speaking. Rates of smoking and binge drinking among teenagers are also lower than they’ve ever been. It would seem that those after school specials and public service announcements are indeed making a difference. But perhaps most encouraging on a global scale is the rate at which worldwide poverty is shrinking. According to another 2012 report from The Economist, the number of persons living in a state of absolute poverty (not to be confused with poverty as we typically define it domestically) has been cut in half since 1990—a goal that was targeted by the United Nations for 2015, putting the world five years ahead of schedule. When was the last time something that good happened that early? I generally get pretty excited if I get off work a few minutes early. But this? There should be dancing in the streets for something like this. But instead we trudge onward; convinced that things are awful as always, and that only prayer we have for making the world a better place…is prayer itself. And the thing is…we’re right. At least, we’re half right. It’s true that when any preacher tells you we ought to be praying harder for God to right the wrongs of this
world, they’re telling the truth—prayer has been, and continues to be one of the most effective tools we, the Christian populace, has for practical, meaningful, and effective change in the world. It’s one of the best ways that we as small, insignificant, regular Joes can have an actual impact on the world. So much for the excuses of “Well, I’m just one guy—what can I do?” The world is getting better, whether we want to admit it or not. Don’t believe me? Look at the stats! There is actual, tangible, quantifiable proof that all of those prayers we’ve been praying for better international economic conditions, fewer cases of drug/alcohol abuse among teenagers, and less violence worldwide are, in fact, working—just to name a few examples. So while I can understand where preachers are coming from when they cite the evening news as “proof” that the world needs our prayers, and ultimately I would agree—but let’s give ourselves some credit here. We’re already making an impact. Is this to say we should take the weekend off and pat ourselves on the back for a job well done? Of course not. In fact, I’d argue just the opposite—given how much of a difference prayer has made in the world, why would we take our feet off the gas now? Keep those prayers coming! Be encouraged in the truth that you—yes you—are making an impact on the world today! Of course, you could choose to believe that all of these improvements we’ve seen over the last number of years are merely incidental and for the most part unrelated to the prayers we’ve been sending up to God. But if that’s the case…why are you still here? Obviously, the answer to prayer is often done through the people God brings into specific situations, times, and places. And that’s what this issue is all about—the hands and feet that bring our prayers of supplication to life. And so while you read it, we hope that even if you’re still unsure of what hands-on work you might be able to take part in, you’ll at least be encouraged to keep doing the good things that are already making an impact. Prayer is always a good place to start. / RH
JULY / AUGUST 2016 SEVEN 11
ODDS AND ENDS THOSE WHO PRAY FREQUENTLY MORE THANKFUL, STUDY FINDS CANADA / A survey conducted by the Angus Reid Institute (and subsequently reported by the National Post) indicates that of the 20 per cent of Canadians who claim to pray every single day, most do so as an act of thanksgiving. Those who don’t? Typically, they’re asking for something. The survey indicates that those who prayer fewer than two or three times each week are generally doing so out of supplication. Angus Reid, chairman of the organization that conducted the survey says, “The litmus test of the faith of Canadians isn’t found only in Church attendance. Not mentioned in the report is whether there exists a correlation between frequent church attendance and frequent prayer. Reid adds that the “most striking” result from the study shows that habits built in childhood overwhelmingly carry through to adult life, with those who said they prayed frequently as children continue to do so in later years. “Either it’s built in childhood, or it’s not,” says Reid. Interestingly, Reid also indicates that economic standing or political affiliation play no factor in the frequency at which they pray. Also mentioned is that those who pray more frequently believe that a higher percentage of their prayers are answered, though it is unclear from the report what exactly is meant by this, or in what way their prayers are in fact answered. For many, prayer is less about a single act, and more of a lifestyle, Reid says. “Prayer is more than just a one-shot experience, it does represent an ongoing dialogue with a supreme being.” (National Post)
THAI MAN FENDS OFF TOILET SERPENT… NO, REALLY BANGKOK / A man in Thailand recently survived a close call with a three-metre python that managed to make its way through his home plumbing system—and latch itself onto his penis. Bloodied, broken, but ultimately still intact, Attaporn Boonmakchuay was able to fight his way out of a vicious encounter with the snake, and, according to a report from the Associated Press, is expected to make a full recovery, and was in good spirits during subsequent interviews with local media. The report indicates that Boonmakchuay was using a squat-style toilet when the massive reptile slithered through the pipes of his dwelling and bit down. He reportedly struggled for 30 minutes before finally managing to pry the snake’s jaws off of his genitals. “All of a sudden, while I was holding it, it began to lose strength,” Boonmakchuay told the Associated Press. “So I used my hand to pry open its mouth.” Photos from the scene of the incident are available online, though viewers should be warned—they are graphic. The snake also survived the incident and was reportedly taken to be released back into the wild, after being retrieved by an emergency response crew who worked to dismantle the toilet. (Associated Press)
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COLLEGE & MARCH / APRIL JULY / AUGUSTSEMINARY 2015 2016 SEVEN 13
MUSIC REVIEWS
BY STEVEN SUKKAU
THE RIVER
THE ETERNAL SON
WILD HEART
JORDAN FELIZ (Centricity Music)
RIVERS & ROBOTS (Set Sail Records)
URBAN RESCUE (Rend Family Records)
JORDAN FELIZ’S heavy metal roots may not be obvious after switching to leading worship, but there’s no denying the raw emotional undertones that mark his second solo album, The River. The title track carries a pounding beat that almost sounds like a pop song translated from a heavy rock arrangement as Feliz sings in punctuated notes, “You. Will. Be. Changed.” Elsewhere, Feliz tips headlong into soulful, uplifting R&B like on “Never Too Far Gone” that will certainly find a home on the radio. Stand-out track “Beloved,” is a touching reminder for his daughter, and for any young woman in your life, beset by impossible beauty standards, “forget the lies you’ve heard, rise above the hurt, and listen to these words, you are beloved.” Elsewhere Feliz parallels the unconditional worth God places on us all in “Never Too Far Gone.” “There’s no place that’s so dark, that I can’t find you. Anywhere that you are, if you need proof take a look at these scars, and know I love you.” Closing out the album, “Satisfied” is full-on worship song and reveals the full range of Feliz’s voice with a stripped down track anchored by piano and strings. For those looking for worshipful 70’s inspired pop, look no further than “The River.”
WITH SOULFUL and understated guitar riffs alongside intermittent piano plucks, British band Rivers & Robots is the type of indie pop rock I didn’t know I had been looking for. Perfect for wistful rainy days, The Eternal Son’s introspective vibe pairs powerfully with its reverent lyrics. Not content to turn their lyrical focus from the wonder of an eternal, loving God, the album is almost priestly in its devotion, drawing the listener behind the curtain and into the holy of holies. As founder Jonathan Ogden sings on “Jesus, Your Blood,” “I am drawing near to seek Your face. Jesus Your blood has made my hands clean, so I will not hide my face from You.” The band even describes themselves more as missionaries in clubs and at festivals than musicians. Throughout the album the eternity of God is contrasted to the temporal nature of life on Earth, while celebrating the everlasting qualities of Christ. On single “Home” Ogden sings, “I was made for You, I was made to be in Your presence… And I will be home when I see Your face.” To sanctify a soundspace for an hour of worship, certainly consider The Eternal Son.
URBAN RESCUE frontman Jordan Frye explains their message for listeners is simply this: God will stop at nothing until He has your heart. And it comes through loud and clear on Wild Heart’s standout tracks like “Never Stop,” as Frye sings, “like the wind that moves the trees Your love is chasing after me…my heart may wander, but Your love will never stop chasing after me.” Like their name suggests, the Los Angeles trio still believe that God is in the business of bringing restoration to cities, “God has a bigger dream for your life,” Frye explains. And their upbeat, energetic praise anthems prove they believe it to their core. As Frye sings on “Recreate,” “Worn by the war that’s raging, torn by the world that’s breaking, all we need is a glimpse of you… to bring us back to life.” While their optimism can seem misplaced when looking around the world or listening to the news, Urban Rescue believes we aren’t seeing the full picture. Instead, seeing the world through God’s eyes is key, like peering through the colour bending, perspective-altering kaleidoscope. As Frye sings on the aptly named song, “Kaleidoscope,” “Open up these weary eyes… I want to see what you see… let your love be my kaleidoscope.”
/ STEVEN SUKKAU works for Golden West Radio and resides in Winkler, Manitoba.
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There’s more. You know that must be true, especially if you follow Jesus Christ. More than the ‘same old, same old.’ More than Sunday sermons. More than truck payments. Even more than sports! There’s more to this world and this life than the media will ever tell you, secondhand. Maybe you need to man up and find out for yourself—find out the truth of God’s mission, your place in it and, in doing so, find yourself. But where to begin?
Talk with us to find your fit in mission. We’re over 3,000 who demonstrate and proclaim the Gospel in more than 110 countries. We know there’s more.
Contact us @ 1 877 487 7777 info.ca@om.org www.om.org
JULY / AUGUST 2016 SEVEN 15
FEATURE
SCREENING THE GOSPEL TO A NEW GENERATION ERWIN BROTHERS SHARE FAITH THROUGH FILM BY CRAIG MACARTNEY
16 SEVEN JULY / AUGUST 2016
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hat if we could fundamentally change the way we fulfill the Great Commission? What if we could do local and international missions at the same time, without asking for donations, and bring in a net profit? That is a vision that has captured film directors and producers Jon and Andy Erwin. “We are the first generation where the Great Commission, the idea of the gospel going to the entire world, is actually possible,” Jon explains. “Because of technology, we have more opportunities to share the gospel than every generation before us. The world is connected and I think we need to seize the moment and use the mechanisms of the day.” In the first century, the Romans had a network of roads connecting
the known world. When the early Christians began sending out missionaries, they went along the established roads and infrastructure. Jon believes movies and mass entertainment are the Roman road of today. “This generation is slipping away from the Church,” he says. “I think maybe they are slipping away because we have not given the Gospel in their language.” Jon says the challenge of Christianity is taking the unchanging truth of the gospel and making it relevant to constantly changing cultures and generations. He believes to most effectively reach the lost you need to use the most modern tools available. “There is a digital, global highway that pays you to travel on it, if you make the right type of product. That product is an emotional, entertaining story. There is a whole generation motivated by the fear of missing out. The interesting thing about a film that tips critical mass is that you can reach so many more people, just out of curiosity.” It was actually Alex Kendrick, producer of the wildly successful War Room, who really challenged Jon to use film for the Kingdom. Jon directed the second unit for Courageous, one of Kendrick’s earlier movies. Shortly after Jon arrived, Kendrick asked him, “Jon, what is your purpose and the purpose of your work?” Jon says he was mainly working for the paycheque, so he did not have an answer. “I realized God was calling me to
use the gifts He had given me. [Andy and I] had spent ten years refining this craft. I felt God’s calling to get in the game in the revolution that is Christian film.” While working on Courageous, Jon wrote the script for another movie, October Baby. The Erwin brothers produced October Baby independently and released it in 2011. “It had a pro-life message. Our hope was that it would save lives in America, and it did. Over and over we got these incredible stories of young people taking their friends [to see it] and having the courage to choose life.” What they did not expect was how far that impact would go. Despite having a budget of only $1 million, the film opened in the top ten movies in America. Its success sent it around the world. “We started getting letters from places like China, South America, Russia, Ukraine, and Bali. A lightbulb went on and we started rethinking evangelism. Historically, missions have always cost a lot of money and taken a lot of time. We have to make money, so we can donate it, so people can go overseas. But this completely inverts the model.” Jon is clear that the world still needs missionaries, but he and his brother became passionate about making Christian films that could compete at the secular box office. Last October, the Erwin brothers released their third feature film, Woodlawn. The movie tells the
JON SAYS THE CHALLENGE OF CHRISTIANIT Y IS TAKING THE UNCHANGING TRUTH OF THE GOSPEL AND MAKING IT RELEVANT TO CONSTANTLY CHANGING CULTURES AND GENERATIONS.
JULY / AUGUST 2016 SEVEN 17
powerful, true story of how a football team was radically impacted by the gospel and overcame deep racial tensions. In an interview made for the film, Andy explains how the story hits close to home. It happened in their home town of Birmingham, Alabama. “I always knew that if we ever got a chance to be fulltime filmmakers, there would come a day when we would make Woodlawn a movie,” he
says. “To talk about that for years and then actually see it come to life was special.” Woodlawn was an ambitious project, with a total budget around $25 million. Jon, however, had a different perspective. He acknowledges it is a lot of money, but points out that “it is only a third of what 50 Shades of Grey spent to reach a generation.” Although the movie did not do as well as they hoped at the box office, bringing in close to $15 million, the brothers still see the project as a success. With DVD sales and movie streaming providers, they expect to break even. “Was I disappointed with Woodlawn? Yeah,” says Jon. “You always hope for that breakout moment. We were praying for more, but the film certainly had an incredible impact. I will take slow and steady growth.” Despite Woodlawn’s disappointing
18 SEVEN JULY / AUGUST 2016
box office performance, the film did two important things. “This was that first test of, ‘Could you make a film that is received by the industry, but is also an incredible tool for evangelism,’” Jon explains. “It does both. It is fascinating to see so many kids coming to Christ, yet the film got an A+ cinema score and was incredibly well reviewed by top critics. That blew me away.” Before the movie’s release, Andy said their vision was to spark a revival. While it did not achieve that on the scale they hoped, it did provide proof of the concept. “I first saw it when we had a screening with about 7,000 people at Prestonwood Church, in Dallas,” Jon states. “I have never seen anything like that before. Hundreds of kids flooded the aisle after the movie to give their life to Christ.” They watched in awe as the pattern repeated itself across the country. Jon says they saw whole football teams become Christians. A few times, they saw more than half a room, full of teenagers, become Christians after movie screenings. One pastor in Columbus, Ohio, took groups of people to see the movie. Then, on Sunday, they showed a scene from the movie where a football coach gets baptized. “They had never done this before, but they opened it up for open baptisms. They expected to baptise seven or eight people. They baptized 167 people in one Sunday,” Jon says. “One of those people said, ‘I am not a church-goer, but all I know is I am that coach and I want whatever is in that movie.’”
So far, Jon says they know of more than 10,000 decisions for Christ because of “Woodlawn.” Most of those are youth and young adults. Jon says the movie further defined his purpose. Together with Andy, he says his focus is telling powerful, true stories that showcase the power of the gospel. “The power of mass entertainment is that it fundamentally changes the way you feel about whatever is on the screen. If you can do that, it opens a window in someone’s life. Then a friend, pastor, coach, or parent can quickly change what that person thinks and believes. “That is what we will base the rest of our careers on. We are chasing a double bottom line. I envision a day when Christian films compete with blockbusters. I think Christian films could be on the same financial playing field as Star Wars, within a decade. We need to set our goal on that.” So, what are the Erwin brothers working on next? Although they have not yet announced it publicly, they were willing to give SEVEN a clue. “We found a story that is just incredible, but it is also a household name. I think it will be, by far, the best film we have made. It is the true story behind one of the greatest and most successful Christian songs ever written. Everybody knows the song, but nobody knows the story. This story will blow you away.”
SO FAR, JON SAYS THEY KNOW OF MORE THAN 10,000 DECISIONS FOR CHRIST BECAUSE OF “WOODLAWN.” MOST OF THOSE ARE YOUTH AND YOUNG ADULTS.
/ CRAIG MACARTNEY is a freelance writer who lives in Ottawa.
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JULY / AUGUST 2016 SEVEN 19
FEATURE
NOT For
CHILDREN ONE FILMMAKER’S BATTLE
20 SEVEN JULY / AUGUST 2016
ASSESSING THE EFFECTS OF ONLINE PORNOGRAPHY BY STEVEN SUKKAU
J
ared Brock is no stranger to changing the world through filmmaking. His previous documentary, Red Light Green Light, revealed the inner workings of prostitution and sex trafficking, taking a hard look at the implications of legalizing paying for sex, even as Canada examined its own legislation. Hope For The Sold, an organization based in Elmira, Ontario and founded by Jared with his wife Michelle, produced the film. After completing a 100-city tour with grassroots showings across the country and broadcasting on TV in four nations, the Brocks testified before a parliamentary committee, and saw Bill C-36, which targets johns and pimps, passed into law. Now, he turns his lens to pornography. After he finished the Red Light Green Light tour, a young youth volunteer approached him with a plea. “We’ve got a porn problem in our church—it’s an epidemic, guys are coming to me, Christian kids, the socalled “good kids”…saying, ‘I can’t stop watching, I’ve got porn in my pocket, it’s on my phone at all times, what do I do?’ Would you make a film about pornography?” The result of the young man’s plea is the forthcoming documentary, Over 18, a sometimes-shocking look into pornography’s trend towards violence, and the ease of access for children to view it.
Brock completed more than a dozen interviews for Over 18. He discovered nine out of ten boys are exposed to porn before the age of 18. The first exposure is just 12 years of age, on average.
“Even the porn stars I interviewed admitted that any ten-year-old kid can click yes and get in,” Brock says. “We need meaningful age verification.” Brock suggests a third-party age verification program, one that users
HE DISCOVERED NINE OUT OF TEN BOYS ARE EXPOSED TO PORN BEFORE THE AGE OF 18. THE FIRST EXPOSURE IS JUST 12 YEARS OF AGE, ON AVERAGE. “Remember, that’s illegal. You cannot show porn to anyone in Canada under the age of 18 and 90 per cent of boys have looked at porn,” Brock says. “Which means clearly our current laws are not working to protect kids.” On average, six out of ten girls are exposed to pornography before the age of 18, with more than 57 per cent having viewed group sex online. “It’s not just a boys issue, it’s a kids problem,” he says. Yet the only measure to keep underage viewers from complete access to online pornography is a single click to confirm the viewer is over 18 years old. Fifty years ago, ID was required before purchasing a Playboy at the counter—now, a pop-up is the only firewall that porn websites are required to have.
can input proof of age, and receive a code that would be accepted by other websites as confirmation they are legally allowed to enter. “Age verification is a very simple concept—we already have it for gambling. You can’t gamble online in Canada without putting in your credit card number,” he says. And the stakes are high. Speaking with a neurological expert, the addiction to porn is all the more potent when it begins before the brain fully develops. Yet if youth can make it to their 18th birthday without viewing porn, between good parenting and a properly developed brain, Brock hopes a porn addiction can more likely be avoided. Currently, a youth with a phone has full access to porn in their pockets, and the effects
JULY / AUGUST 2016 SEVEN 21
IT USED TO TAKE TEN YEARS TO DEVELOP AN ADDICTION TO PORN VIA MAGAZINES. NOW, TAKES LESS THAN A YEAR WHEN YOU ACCESS MILLIONS OF FREE CLIPS IN HD AND 4K. can be extreme. Speaking with one former porn addict, it took nine months to wean off porn before he could achieve an erection without the use of digital images. In another interview, a 13-year-old boy told Brock about being addicted to hardcore porn since the age of nine. Described as a sweet kid before the addiction, he began emulating the degrading porn he viewed, manifesting in fits of rage and cursing, beating his sister, and worse. One psychologist Brock interviewed suggested porn is little more than filmed sexual abuse against women. “Women in almost every case are submissive in the sex scene,” Brock says. “In a study of 300 highly popular porn videos, 88 per cent depicted physical aggression towards women.” Protecting young eyes and minds is more pressing now that porn has changed. It used to take ten years to develop an addiction to porn via
22 SEVEN JULY / AUGUST 2016
magazines. Now, takes less than a year when you access millions of free clips in HD and 4K. Tellingly, Playboy magazine has moved away from nudity, “because they can’t compete,” Brock says, with the new age of free, aggressive pornographic material readily available on the Internet. “This isn’t pinups in a magazine sandwiched between ads for cigarettes like the 1950s. This is multiple penetration, gang bangs, choking. This is not the porn of your youth,” he says. “This is violent, degrading, and it’s in every kid’s pocket that has a cell phone.” Porn addiction has even become a public health issue. MP Arnold Viersen is introducing Motion M-47, hoping examining the public health effects of violent sexual material including the real way the images are having a harmful impact on the mental, emotional and sexual health
of children, women and men. The motion would create a committee to examine the health effects of pornography, and report back in the House of Commons on their findings next summer. Brock says if it happens, he believes the committee will confirm what he’s already hearing from the experts— pornography is addictive, dangerous and a women’s equality issue. “Then Canada will have no choice but to put a bill forward to do something about it,” he says “And what we think they should do is introduce meaningful age verification. It’s a nobrainer.” To get involved or learn more about hosting a showing, visit over18doc.com.
/ STEVEN SUKKAU works for Golden West Radio and resides in Winkler, Manitoba.
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MAY / JUNE 2016 SEVEN 23
FEATURE
JUST CAUSE: WINNIPEG’S TOP COP PUTS
FAITH TO
WORK 24 SEVEN JULY / AUGUST 2016
OUTGOING CHIEF CLUNIS TALKS POLICE PHILOSOPHY AND COMMUNITY BUILDING BY ROB HORSLEY
I
t was the fall of 2012, and according to a local tabloid, the city of Winnipeg didn’t have a prayer. In early November of that same year, Devon Clunis, then a 25-year veteran with the Winnipeg Police Service (WPS), was sworn in as the city’s 17th chief of police. Just weeks before, Clunis had come under fire when remarks made to ChristianWeek, a local faith-based publication, were picked up by the Toronto Star before making national news. Mere days after being appointed to “top cop,” Clunis was already knee deep in controversy. In the interview, Clunis had called upon believers of all religious stripes to pray for the city, in hopes that it might help contribute to a reduction in crime. Some took this to mean that he meant to do nothing but pray that crime would be reduced. Still others argued that it was inappropriate altogether for an official of such esteem to be bringing faith into the public square. But for all the controversy, Clunis never backed down. “I’m a little bit disconcerted that what was presented as a message to bring people together and to unify this community is now being spun in somewhat of a negative light,” Clunis told local media shortly after the incident. “The important piece of what I also said there was ‘prayer backed up by action,’” Clunis added. Less than two years later, it would appear that Clunis had managed to do just that. In 2014, The Canadian Press reported that Winnipeg’s overall crime statistics had dropped by 14 per cent from the year before. Contrary to what some had feared, it seemed as though the chief’s prayers had indeed made a positive impact for the city. Which is why Clunis’ recent retirement announcement came as such a shock. In March of this year, the chief revealed that he was stepping down, after only three and a half years as head of police. Winnipeg Free Press columnist and outspoken critic Gordon Sinclair Jr. described Clunis’ announcement as controversial given its circumstances, speculating that Clunis’
decision was likely influenced by recently announced budget cuts and probable layoffs looming for the WPS. But speaking with Clunis directly, the outgoing chief offers a different perspective, saying that the decision had more to do with being satisfied in what he had accomplished in the relatively short time served as leader of the force. “There’s a total peace with the decision, knowing it’s the right time, and moving onto whatever else comes next,” says Clunis in an interview with SEVEN. “I don’t know what’s next specifically, but I look to it with excitement.” Contrary to some of the analysis given by critics, Clunis’ decision to retire was not at all a difficult one, he says, adding that it was one he had been considering for close to a year before he officially announced he would be retiring in early July. “There’s just been this growing sense of discontentment now within me that, ‘No, I think your time is done and the job you set out to do as chief of police has been accomplished,” he says, referring specifically to the mission statement put out by WPS in May of 2015, which sets out to “Build safe and healthy communities across Winnipeg through excellence in law enforcement and leadership in crime prevention through social development,” according to the organization’s website. “I went into the job with a specific focus and a goal in mind—I had set my milestone. Last May 19th was when we came out with the new mission and vision for the organization that set us on a particular course.” For Clunis, the last line of mission and vision statement of the WPS appears to be the key phrase. He implies that improved crime stats only give a partial picture of what he hoped his tenure as chief would accomplish. “You can set new goals—for example you might say, ‘Well, I want to have this many cruiser cars in the next number of years or I want to reduce crime by this number. Those weren’t the types of goals that I set. For me, it was the actual transforming the entire culture of how we
JULY / AUGUST 2016 SEVEN 25
saw ourselves. I wanted policing to be seen as something which was a catalyst to building healthy communities—not just a crime fighting tool. In Clunis’ estimation, it wasn’t enough to simply ‘bring down’ the overall rate of crime, or to make more arrests. Throwing criminals into cells may get them off the street, but fails to address the root causes of why people commit crimes in the first place, something he has been very deliberate in addressing with his staff throughout his time as commanding officer of the WPS. “It’s now crime prevention through social development— not just thinking that ‘we need more police’ and that’s going to solve our problems. We really need to look at the deep, social, institutional issues which are driving crime,” he says. “I think for a long period of time we weren’t addressing that—we just kept addressing what we thought was ‘crime.’ But I’ve really pushed us… we really need to start looking at the social determinants of crime. And was really great to see, now, that our citizens…they’ve adopted that.” And while it’s one thing to hear a statement like that coming from the executive level, Clunis is also quick to offer street-level examples of how he’s seen that at work in hands-on ways among his staff. “It’s doing the simple things like parking your cruiser car, when you see kids out at recess at a school, and just stopping, and going by and talking to the kids. It’s parking that cruiser car and going into a shopping mall—not because there’s a crime taking place, but just going to engage with people in a very practical way.”
“I remember one of our young officers coming up to me and saying, ‘Chief, that’s what we wanted to do, but nobody told us it was important.” Looking back upon his comments regarding praying for the city, and whether he would change anything in what he said, Clunis maintains his stance and doesn’t back away from the faithbased perspective he’s maintained throughout his term in the chief’s office. “What some would have considered to be a very negative thing that occurred, even before I was sworn in as chief… was probably one of the best things that could’ve happened. “I’m proud of the fact that I stood firm on what I believe, and I actually brought the issue of faith and prayer back into what some would consider to be the public arena,” he adds. “I think that’s important, because I think for too long we’ve compartmentalized our lives to the point that we tend not to realize that a significant portion of our community are people of faith…who have a lot to contribute—and a lot of us do what we do because of that strong faith that we have. And we can’t just relegate that and say ‘well, that’s just a particular day of the week that we worship’ when we spend so much of our time in public service.” In many cases, Clunis says it’s been people of faith who have stepped up to live into the philosophy of community building—and backing up prayers with meaningful action—a concept he’s worked diligently to implement as chief. “When you look at some of the initiatives that we have undertaken, in some of the most socially challenged areas in our city, it’s
I wanted policing to be seen as something which was a catalyst to building healthy communities— not just a crime fighting tool.
26 SEVEN JULY / AUGUST 2016
individuals from the faith groups who are first stepping up—both in terms of human hours in volunteering their time, but also financially.” Clunis says it’s been a huge encouragement to see citizens of different faith backgrounds—as well as citizens with no faith background at all in some cases—take on key roles in making Winnipeg a better place. “We see where people hijack religion and they use it for all these negative events that we see continually. What if we just lived it out the other way? This is who we are. We’re not trying to preach to anyone, not trying to convert—but because of what I believe.” As for what’s next, Clunis says he hopes to continue to be a force of encouragement and galvanization for people of faith backgrounds going forward, adding that he hopes Christians in the community will continue to see themselves as a force for good in their respective neighbourhoods. Christians shouldn’t be afraid of citing their faith as a reason for their actions, he adds. “I think…oftentimes we do because we feel that because we’re in a public office or in a position of what we consider to be highly esteemed that no, we can’t say we’re people of faith. I think we really deny everything we believe when we do that. So I’d like to share that journey, just to impact people and hopefully inspire them to live out truly what they believe on behalf of whenever we find ourselves,” he says. “Just imagine what the world would be like if we just did that.”
/ ROB HORSLEY is the managing editor of SEVEN, former managing editor of ChristianWeek, and a born-and-bred True Blue Winnipegger who now makes his home in beautiful Saskatoon. You can reach him at rhorsley@promisekeepers.ca.
FEATURE
n o i s s i M h H c C A a O e R P r P t S A S u E W N E O N KE SN
O K E R E S DING B N E IN M H
E A L IN
HE A E H T G
RT
BY
EG IN R F O S
RT W RO BE
HI T E
A’S
CI INNE R
TY
WHEN PEOPLE GET REAL WITH THEIR LIFE, IT’S OVER A CUP OF COFFEE WITH THEIR BEST FRIEND. WHY CAN’T CHURCH BE LIKE THAT?
A
part of the Healing Hearts Ministry from the beginning, Nick and Vivian Helliwell’s story begins in a mire of anger, abuse and addictions. Their biography on the ministry website tells how Nick “experienced numerous foster homes growing up and [came] out of a notorious crime family” and how Vivian endured abuse which started in her childhood and “carried on into her life as a young
expressed his desire to see the Church as a place where people could bring their problems, addictions and pains to the cross. Selke agreed. “I recall the original conversation went something like ‘when people get real with their life, it’s over a cup of coffee with their best friend. Why can’t church be like that?’” says Nick. After looking at various healing models for a church—the website says seeds were planted at a Rising Above
ABOUT HEALING HEARTS MINISTRIES Healing Hearts Ministries Inc. is a non-denominational Christian ministry that works with local ministries and/or individuals helping to bring the healing touch of Jesus to wounded hearts.
>
We are a ministry that grew out of a local church and now have missionaries in the three Prairie Provinces. Our ministry has focused towards First Nations people but is not restricted to being First Nations only. It is our goal to help individuals or groups capture a vision for the ministry they are called to and to equip, empower and help facilitate that ministry. That can be done through providing seminars and workshops for local churches, partnering with churches to help reach a lost people group in their community, or to provide a spiritual umbrella for individuals who feel called into ministry. (From www.healinghearts.ca)
28 SEVEN JULY / AUGUST 2016
Nick Helliwell
adult and almost destroyed her life.” Life changed for the Helliwells in January 1994 when “Jesus Christ saved and redeemed their lives” from the streets of Regina. But they soon found themselves disillusioned with the Church. “It wasn’t connecting with who we were. They wanted us to change to become like them rather than get to know who we were and help us where we were at.” recalls Nick. Connecting with another couple, Walter and Cindy Selke, Nick
seminar—Healing Hearts Ministries began in September 1994 with Walter as the community’s first pastor. The ministry began, as Nick suggested, with a few people sitting around a table with a cup of coffee, sharing their pain and praying for each other. Healing Hearts next evolved into a local church before becoming a mission organization in 2010 with church plants and ministry partnerships across western Canada. While Healing Hearts has been focused towards First Nations people,
it doesn’t restrict itself to working only with First Nations. The Helliwells joined the Healing Hearts Ministries staff in 2005, serving as full-time faith missionaries to Regina’s First Nations and innercity communities, sharing their own stories of God’s forgiveness and healing. Nick is also the Healing Hearts pastor of men’s ministry and prison ministry—two areas that frequently overlap as he tries to establish a oneon-one relationship with to whom he ministers. “We have to earn the right to speak into people’s lives,” says Nick, noting that many inner city people (of which, he says, about 60 per cent are First Nations people) constantly deal with authority figures—police, social workers, etc.—who question them. “There’s a feeling of powerlessness. If I, as a pastor, assume I have the right to speak into their lives, I’m putting myself in the same category as the police and street workers,” says Nick. “I have to assume I don’t have that right and that I have to earn the right to speak into men’s lives.” Recognizing the issues inner city men face is key to effectively ministering to men, and the largest trend suggests Nick, is fatherlessness. He says, when talking to men from a Christian perspective, encouraging them to pray “Our Father,” can lead to “connotations that are either nonexistent, destructive or offensive. “The root question is the same: ‘does God love me?’ But the way that question is explored in the inner city is different from the suburbs.” Which also means the traditional approach of sharing the “Four Spiritual Laws” and encouraging men to accept Jesus in order to go to heaven “is not what First Nations people, or the people of the inner city are looking for. “Jesus didn’t go to the cross so we could go to heaven, He went to the cross so we could be forgiven. If we change the message to, ‘accept Jesus
and you can be forgiven’ that deeply affects and connects with First Nations men and men of the inner city,” says Nick. And Nick takes this message of forgiveness to the men, going where they are. “I literally walk the streets and visit men,” says Nick, noting this is where the street ministry and prison ministry overlap. “So many of the men in the inner city have experience in jail.” Nick says he may have worked with someone for a while only to find they’ve landed in jail. When he visits the Regina Provincial Corrections Centre, it often completes the connection. “I recently had a man who had been in and out of jail for four years,” recalls Nick. “It took roughly two to three years of ministering to him to get him to the point of accepting Jesus and asking Him for forgiveness.” Nick says the man has now been out of jail for three years, where he’d never been out of jail for more than six months in the past. The former drug dealer has had death threats and huge sums of money offered, but he continues to consistently live a life dedicated to Jesus. While it may take Nick years to reach someone for Christ, he says he only has to remember his own story to keep faithful to the ministry he’s been called to. “This is what God took me out of, what God saved me from,” says Nick. “But for the grace of God, there go I.”
/ ROBERT WHITE is an Ontariobased freelance journalist who has been writing about men’s ministries since the mid 1980s. He also blogs about the intersection of faith, the arts and Canadian culture at www.rdaleleslie.wordpress.com.
HEALING HEARTS’ APPROACH Healing Hearts Ministries’ principles deal with our approach in working with people who have gone through the various types of abuse which are prevalent in the community in which we deal with and in society as a whole. FIRST PRINCIPLE: All wounded people.... > Go through levels of powerlessness. > Try to rob others of power to fill the void in their own lives. > Have difficulty making self-decisions but enjoy making others’ decisions. > Have difficulty in trusting self, others, and God. SECOND PRINCIPLE: Helping these people means.... > Allowing them to feel the consequences of their actions (sins). > Being able to show them that the road to change is easier than the road to stay the same. > Providing education to develop direction as the motivation of experienced consequences comes into play. > Avoid making decisions for them but encourage individuals to make and follow through on personal decisions. > Show tough love including strategic interventions while avoiding rescuing. THIRD PRINCIPLE: Reaching these people means.... > Praying for the thorough convicting power of the Holy Spirit. > Painting realistic pictures of the price to pay to be a disciple of Jesus Christ. > Being honest and open about personal struggles and journeys. > Maintaining relationship regardless of decisions made and the consequences thereof. (From www.healinghearts.ca/about_us/ ministry_values)
JULY / AUGUST 2016 SEVEN 29
SPORTS SCENE
CONSTANT PRAISE, WIN OR LOSE
TWINS’ DOZIER STAYS OPTIMISTIC AMID TEAM STRUGGLES BY CARTER BROOKS
A
ll praise goes to God in victory, but much too often it is forgotten in defeat. Worship and thanksgiving in times of success are often linked with glory, but in times of loss, is the exaltation still there? For Minnesota Twins all star second baseman, Brian Dozier, the praise is constant. From his morning stretches to his bedtime snack, the 29-year-old knows that it is his task and duty as a Christian to influence those around him in an uplifting manner. “How I look at it is like this,” Dozier says. “My job, each and every day is not that of just a baseball player— don’t get me wrong, I love baseball— but, it is to impact even just one person’s life every day. In instances when people come up to me and tell me that being outspoken about my faith has directed them in their walk of life, to me…that is the victory. It isn’t about going out there and beating the Blue Jays or something… that is the ultimate thing.” Dozier—as his Instagram bio reads—is “a Christian playing for the Minnesota Twins on the side.” But according to Dozier, what hasn’t been put on the side is his ever-competitive nature and drive to succeed. That
30 SEVEN JULY / AUGUST 2016
pressure to achieve success hit a major roadblock back in 2012, and as Dozier recalls, it was one of the biggest turning points for both his baseball career, and his life as a Christian. “Growing up in a Christian family I always heard about glorifying God in all I do, but only in 2012 after being sent down to the minor leagues did I really come to embrace what that actually meant,” Dozier says. “I went through a lot of struggles during that time period, and came across an important verse in First Corinthians.” 1 Corinthians 10:31 reads, “Whatever you do in life, whatever you eat, whatever you drink, do it all to glorify God in heaven.” “It is a really deep passage,” Dozier says. “Being that whatever it is you are doing, to do it all for God. From that point on I really dug deep into what it meant to do everything for God. Because I am living for God, I can handle going [zero] for 20 at the plate, I can handle making errors, I can handle the five or ten game losing streaks. But when I really took a hold of that in 2012, it just made my job that much easier because from then on I haven’t had to worry about any kind of results or anything; God takes care of that.”
It is no secret that the Minnesota Twins are struggling this season, and Brian Dozier’s stats have dropped from the numbers that sent him to the MLB All-Star Game last year. But now as an experienced veteran in the clubhouse, Dozier is being looked upon in a new way by his younger teammates. “We’re a young team and we’ve had our fair share of struggles, especially on the mental side of the game,” Dozier says. “I’m at that point in my career where I am taking on more of a leadership role, and it’s my faith that helps drive that. Not everyone on the
Photos courtesy of the Minnesota Twins
team is a believer, but they can all see the struggles that I am personally having out on the field, and that our team is having. So if they can still see Christ living in me amidst these struggles, I think of that as being a leader.” When playing on a team that is losing many more games than it is winning, frustration tends to be a constant issue. Everybody deals with frustration, male/female, Christian/ non-Christian, but how it is dealt with is of great importance to Dozier. “I try my hardest to be a leader on
the field, but that is not saying I never throw my helmet, or I never come in the clubhouse and flip the tables, because there are a lot of passages where Jesus did the same thing,” Dozier says. “To me it isn’t about drawing a crowd while I’m angry and putting on a show, but there definitely are some leaders who may do that, and it might help their team. Even in the Bible it is not like Jesus was mild in every single instance. But there definitely are ways to try to control your anger during those tough stretches.” For the sake of Brian Dozier, his
Minnesota Twins, and the clubhouse tables, one can only hope for a second half rebound as the Twins look to build off of the Christian leadership that a player as prominent as Brian Dozier brings forth every day.
/ CARTER BROOKS is a news writer and sports columnist situated in Winnipeg, Manitoba. On top of reading and writing, coaching hockey is his favourite pastime. Carter can be reached at carterbrooks1994@gmail.com.
JULY / AUGUST 2016 SEVEN 31
THE SINGLE LIFE
MAKING A SINGLE DIFFERENCE
RECOGNIZE THE OPPORTUNITIES THAT HAVE BEEN GIVEN TO YOU BY PAUL BOGE
F
ew people would have given him a chance. Six-year-old Kenyan Charles Mulli had the worst of beginnings. He was abused by his father and woke up one morning to discover his family had abandoned him. He went from hut to hut begging for food, and got kicked out of school because he did not have sufficient fees. He had no family. No future. And no hope. As a teenager life became so pointless to him that he considered taking his own life. But a friend of his invited him to a youth rally at a church. For the first time he heard about a God who loved him and who had a purpose for his life through Jesus Christ. Mulli put his trust in Jesus. And in that moment he felt true peace. He even forgave his father. And all the bitterness and hatred he had felt towards him those many years, suddenly left him. As a teenager he started a small taxi business. The business grew and he branched out to oil and gas distribution, property management, real estate and insurance. Mulli created a vast business empire to such an extent that he even knew the president of the country. Mulli had arrived.
32 SEVEN JULY / AUGUST 2016
And then one day God called him to sell everything he had, to go into slums in Kenya, and rescue street children. To date he and his wife Esther have rescued more than 12,500 children. I met Charles Mulli in 2003. I had finished an engineering project in northern Manitoba and wanted to teach physics and math at his home for rescued street children. When he found out that I was a writer he asked me to write his biography. I felt totally unqualified to do this. But God convinced me that I was the one for the job, so I wrote it. Since then I have written two more books about Mully Children’s family with another in the works. What does all this mean? As single people, we are uniquely qualified with time to be able to support ministries. We have gifts that God has given us that we can use to help ministries and people around us. Our singleness is not by accident. It is by design. And it’s up to us to respond to God’s call to make sure we are making the most of every opportunity he gives us. We need to ask ourselves: Are we using our time wisely? And are we as singles listening to
the Holy Spirit and recognizing the opportunities? Charles Mulli is making an impact. A massive impact. And sometimes we can think that our lives, by comparison, don’t equal up. In this world that overemphasizes success, it is dangerous to presume that a faithful life equals a successful life. It does not—at least not by the world’s definition. The reason Charles Mulli’s life is successful is not because of all that has been accomplished, but because he has allowed Jesus to live His life through him. As Christians we know that our lives are already a success not because of anything we have done, but in spite of it. We share in the victory of Jesus. And this allows us to be free and confident in His calling on our lives. So be encouraged in the calling of God on your life. And ask the Holy Spirit if there is a person or a ministry making in impact that he is calling you as a single person to support. You never know where saying yes to God can lead you.
/ PAUL BOGE is the author of Father to the Fatherless: The Charles Mulli Story. He lives in Winnipeg.
OUT OF MY DEPTH
BE 12
THERE ARE NO SIDELINES FOR FOLLOWERS OF JESUS BY PHIL WAGLER
I
live a couple hours north of Seattle, Washington, home of the Seahawks. Over the last number of years, the ‘Hawks have been a topflight National Football League team. They are led by an all-star scrambling quarterback, a daunting and punishing defense, and commanded by a rah-rah coach. What has really made them thrive, however, are their fans; who are known simply by the number 12. Teams in the National Football League field eleven men. Yes, that is an unholy number compared to Canadian football where a more complete team of twelve must navigate a larger field. This is football numerology at its best, but we digress. Back to Seattle, where Seahawks’ fans proudly wear 12 on their jerseys and cars. Even in the Lower Mainland of British Columbia the number waves as autumn winds whip up another football season south of the border. Fascinatingly, a number 12 flag is proudly raised before every home game recognizing that extra player— fans of all shapes, out-of-shapes, ages and genders—who fills out that incomplete roster of eleven. Perhaps every church should fly a number 12 flag to remind us of what is easily forgotten. Most North American churches function out of alignment with what the New Testament teaches about the nature of the Church. This is beyond unfortunate, and it’s no game. It is a practical heresy you can sniff out every time you hear the word “laity” used. The word “laity” supposedly describes the people who are not pastors or
preachers (a.k.a. “clergy”). To return to a sporting metaphor, the “laity” would be the poor shmucks in the stands while the “clergy” would be the stars on the field doing all that exercise most of the couch potatoes could use. You know what I mean about this—and I’m the pastor-“clergy”-guy calling it out at the risk of my own hypocrisy. I agree completely with the wise old theologian Karl Barth, “The term ‘laity’ is one of the worst in the vocabulary of religion and ought to be banished from Christian conversation.” In the Bible “laity” never refers to non-professional Christians who are just common folk—in fact, you can’t even find it! Go ahead and look. Furthermore, on your word search, you won’t find “clergy” either. There may be a differentiating of gifts and callings and responsibilities, but there is never the level of divide and dichotomy that has slipped into the practice of many churches. The New Testament provides zero grounds for the Church to be understood as a place to go to where we consume services and watch a few people do most of the “work.” That we have come to think of the Church so quickly this way is a sign of dire straits. The Church, to mix many metaphors, is a diverse team that is only successful when each part does its work like a healthy body and always keeps in mind they are incomplete unless they are “12.” Baptism into Christ is, as others have said, your ordination into ministry. Frankly, it does not matter if you think you’re unqualified. Get qualified. Study scripture. Be in commun-
ity. Make disciples. Live for Jesus in whatever vocation or station in life he found you and be the 12th man. Neither does it matter if you lack an official role within your fellowship. Get serving. Respond to a need. Visit the sick. Make money and practice radical generosity. Take in an orphan. Live for Jesus in whatever vocation or station in life he found you and be the 12th man. Honestly, we’d have healthier churches making more radical Kingdom of God impact if we’d be far less concerned about bragging up our coolly branded church and hip pastor and simply be enthralled with the joy of being the Church. Every one of us should be contributing to the unified life of the body; giving and receiving gifts from one another, radically loving each other so we can love even our enemies, and realizing that the Church is the people of God and ministry belongs to every believer. This is what will make us complete like the number 12. We don’t have churches to provide jobs for a few and spiritual inspiration for the rest. We are the Church so that in our life together in the footsteps of Jesus, He is more clearly seen and known through us all. If just a few more of us get this, our pastors will be doing back flips in the end zone!
/ PHIL WAGLER is privileged to work with amazing people who have given their lives so that new churches can be planted where there are none. He lives in Surrey, BC where the 12 th man flags will soon be flying.
JULY / AUGUST 2016 SEVEN 33
POWER PLAY
TOYS / TOOLS / TECHNOLOGY FROM PRIVACY PROTECTORS TO GIANT JENGA BY SANDY MCMURRAY
ATOMIC TRIMMER
// fredandfriends.com
Have you noticed any unwanted hair in your nose or ears? As we age, our bodies seem too tired to grow hair all the way on the top of our heads. Lazy hair just sprouts wherever there’s room. Fortunately, there’s a solution. Pull the trigger on Fred’s retro-styled ATOMIC TRIMMER and stand back as unwanted hair gets blasted away! Safe-to-touch stainless steel blades are housed in sturdy plastic. One AA battery (not included) powers the trimmer with lightning speed! Packed in a “futuristic” window box—a perfect gift for every aging spaceman you know.
Pull the trigger on Fred’s retro-styled ATOMIC TRIMMER and stand back as unwanted hair gets blasted away!
34 SEVEN JULY / AUGUST 2016
BOOMSTICK
// boomcloud360.com
Most phones and music players come with a basic set of headphones or earbuds. The sound is okay if you’re in a quiet room but it’s far from excellent. Boomstick is sound optimizer device that promises “a richer world of detail and envelopment for music, video, and more.” It’s hard to explain the effect but reviewers use words like “fuller” and “richer” to describe it. Whatever magic happens inside, Boomstick makes average headphones sound good, and good headphones sound even better. Boomstick sells for about $100.
It’s hard to explain the effect but reviewers use words like “fuller” and “richer” to describe it.
MUSIC CRATE
// bestsound.ca
Vinyl is back, baby! If you’re part of the new generation of audiophiles, just discovering the value of a great set of speakers, this all-in-one solution might be for you. The Music Crate from Klipsch Audio is a complete plug-and-play vinyl listening solution. The kit includes two Klipsch R-15PM powered monitor speakers with built-in pre-amp, a Pro-Ject Audio Klireftt turntable with Ortofon cartridge, plus all the necessary cables and connections. Setup takes about five minutes then you’re ready to rock. The R-15PM powered monitors promise roomfilling sound without taking up much space. Loaded with features including Bluetooth wireless and IR remote control, these speakers have ultra-low noise amplifiers and a frequency response of 62Hz—24kHz +/- 3dB. The Music Crate bundle is available from Klipsch Audio dealers including Costco for about $1,100.
NOTE WORTHY
// getseenote.com
SeeNote is an electronic sticky note that you can update and customize with important information like weather, traffic, and personalized notes. Unlike its paper counterpart, SeeNote is digital & dynamic, with an ePaper touchscreen that reads clearly at any angle, even in direct sunlight. It ships with an apartmentfriendly mounting system that uses 3M adhesive for easy and damage-free sticking and unsticking. SeeNote connects to WiFi to get new information then updates the display as needed. When something important is added, the LED strip on the edge lights up to get your attention. It glows when you need to know. SeeNote is always on, with easy access to notes, updates, and controls from your favourite apps. Its high-capacity Lithium-Ion battery provides up to one month of continuous use before you need to recharge (via USB). SeeNote is available for pre-order now, at a cost of $99 US each.
GIANT JENGA
// biginteractivegames.com
Jenga is a classic game that’s fun for all ages. Players take turns pulling one wooden block out of a tower, then placing it on top of the pile. The game ends when the stack topples over. If you Google the phrase “DIY Giant Jenga” you’ll find more than one set of instructions, including a plan from Home Depot. Since the playing pieces are just blocks of wood, many people have figured out that it’s easy (and not too expensive) to make a big version of the game you can play outdoors. Big Interactive Games sells pre-cut and hand-sanded pieces you can use in your own backyard or at the cottage. A full set (60 blocks) goes for $130, and you can buy an extra 15 blocks for $30. If it’s cold on the beach after the game, you can throw a block or two on the bonfire.
CASE CLOSED
// silent-pocket.com
The iPhone card holder case from Silent Pocket may look like other wallet cases, but it has a hidden feature: Silent Pocket blocks radio waves and radiation. You might not be concerned about this, but many modern credit cards have embedded chips that can be scanned from a distance, without your knowledge. Silent Pocket blocks scanners that use NFC (near field communication) and radio-frequency identification (RFID), so your personal info stays secure. If you’re paranoid about your privacy and worried about cell phone radiation, you’ll be glad to know that Silent Pocket also protects your body by blocking thermal radiation (heat) & Extremely Low Frequencies (ELF) from your phone. Silent Pocket sells for about $80 US. Sure, you could use aluminum foil, but leather looks better.
36 SEVEN JULY / AUGUST 2016
CHAMPAGNE GUN
// champagnegun.com
The word magnum comes from the Latin magnus, which means large. The 357 Magnum is a big gun. One and a half litres litres is a big bottle. And putting them together might be a big mistake. The champagne gun might seem like a ridiculous invention, but consider all the possible uses: it can spray champagne, pour champagne, or simply hold a magnum of champagne and make an impression. Actually, I guess that’s it. If you like squirt guns and you have way too much money, this party weapon can be yours for just $500.
NORIA COMPACT AIR CONDITIONER
// noriahome.com
Window air conditioners have been around for decades but they haven’t changed much. They’re big, loud, ugly, and can be difficult to install. The team that built the Noria air conditioner set out to make a better, more convenient window unit. It’s less than six inches tall and small enough to fit in a 21-inch wide window, but powerful enough to cool a room up to 160 square feet. Noria has a cooling capacity of 5,000 BTU/hour and uses approximately 460-480 watts. The unit itself draws approximately four amps during operation. Noria uses environmentally and ozone-friendly R410a refrigerant, and it comes with a free app for iOS and Android, so you can control the cooling schedule remotely. If you’re tired of lugging your window unit in and out of storage, and having your view blocked for the entire summer, the low profile of the Noria will be a breath of fresh air. The Noria is expected to ship in early 2017, and will sell for about $400.
/ SANDY MCMURRAY writes about games, toys, and gadgets at funspot.ca.
NEXT ISSUE
For Her Despite making up roughly half the global population, women in the world today still face a number of challenges that we guys may never fully understand. But as men of God, we’re called to see our sisters in Christ as made in God’s image every bit as much as ourselves. Coming this September, it’s “The Women Issue” of SEVEN, featuring stories of triumph and redemption, a look at the uniqueness of father/ daughter dynamics, and more. See you next time!
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