Good News!

It is with great excitement that I add authors to this blog! What that means is that in the future, I will not be the only one that is posting - so keep an eye out !!

You'll find the author's name at the bottom of the post ("Posted by ____").

I'll let the new authors make their own debut....

Comments

You know, the world of blogging can be a lonely place without comments.

Up until now, you had to register your email to comment on a post - this is no longer needed! In order to maintain some kind of order, I'll have to rubber stamp each comment to ensure that the content is appropriate for this blog, but you can now comment freely.

To comment on a post, find the "comment" link at the bottom of the post. Click the link to open the comment box. I'll encourage you to click on the "name/url" icon so I know who is posting, however there is an "anonymous" icon as well.

Like I said, the world of blogging can be a lonely place... feel free to leave a comment!

It's been a week....

...and I've successfully managed to avoid the "Merry Christmas" blog that always seems necessary. I DO hope that everyone had a very good, safe and relaxing Christmas (and boxing day).

I always look forward to getting books for Christmas, and I thought that I would list some of the authors that I'm excited to read this year. The first book is a book on marriage that Kristin and I are going to work through together, slowly reading and discussing (as it includes questions!) over the next few months. It's called "Sacred Marriage: What if God designed marriage to make us Holy more than to make us Happy?" by Gary Thomas.

This is not to imply that we're not happy (we are!), only to suggest that Kristin and I intend to always seek God in our lives - and we'd like to seek to honor and know God more fully through our marriage. As we work through this book, I'll be sure to drop quotes and thoughts for your encouragement.

Other authors that are "on deck" are DA Carson, CJ Mahaney, JI Packer, John Piper and RJ Foster. Should be a good year! I also hope to pick up some fiction from Dekker and/or Peretti. As always, I'll keep you posted.

I also hope to enjoy past and future editions of TableTalk and Christian Research Journal magazines!

What will you read this year?

I hope to post my reflections on Chapter 1 of Sacred Marriage in the next day or two, titled "The Greatest Challenge in the World: A Call to Holiness More Than Happiness", but in the meantime, here's a quote from WH Auden that appears at the beginning of the book.

Like everything which is not the involuntary result of fleeting emotion but the creation of time and will, any marriage, happy or unhappy, is infinitely more interesting than any romance, however passionate.

Coming Soon...

Now that all the information for the Missions Conference has been posted, we'll be getting back to "regular" blogging. So, to entice you back... here's a few things that we're planning for October/November:

1. At least 2 (maybe 3) guest bloggers!
2. An in-depth look at the popular book The Shack by William P. Young.
3. Some follow-up information from Westside's Adult Sunday School class.
4. More study, encouragement and reflection

What else?

• Do you have other thoughts or ideas?
• Wonder about the content of a book, movie or cd?
• Have questions about the Bible, theology, sermons, or Sunday School?
• Or maybe you'd like to get to know Westside's leadership teams? Who would you like to get to know better?

There are all kinds of options, but I'd like to hear from YOU! Please register your email on the blog (don't be afraid!) and add a comment, or, email me ...



Enjoy what remains of the Fall season... I took this picture near the French River a few weeks back while we were camping.

The Beginning

Blogging. I never thought in a million years, that I - Paul - would be ... a blogger. I have to suppress a slight shudder at the thought of jumping on the blog-wagon (hah, bandwagon/blogwagon, get it? ... nevermind... *sigh*). In any case, here I am, writing my very first blog entry.

So why blog? Many of you may be acquainted with the work of John Piper and the Desiring God Ministry. On their website, they list 6 reasons why pastors should blog. Though I am not a pastor, I believe that a blog for our church family could be extremely valuable. From the Desiring God website (www.desiringgod.org), here's why:

1. ...to write.
2. ...to teach.
3. ...to recommend.
4. ...to interact.
5. ...to develop an eye for what is meaningful.
6. ...to be known.

At the desiringgod.org website they go into more detail about these ideas, but in brief, we (the leaders at Westside) want to write - to encourage, to inspire, to be transparent, and to inform. We want to teach - to help our family grow in their faith and in their relationship with The Creator, The One True God. We want to recommend authors, musicians, podcasts and other media that will help you in your walk with God. We want to interact - to build community and to foster honest and meaningful relationships. We want to develop an eye for that which is meaningful - to be discerning and find truth. And finally, we want to be known - we want people in our family and community to know us - that they may know our Saviour through us.

My hope is that this blog will help, teach, convict, inspire and encourage us as we navigate our daily lives, trusting in Him.

Stay tuned... I encourage you to bookmark this site, and make it a part of your regular "internetting". More to come shortly...