Pastor John Van Sloten

I just read a review of a recent performance of Messiah in Ottawa. All it talked about was the quality of the soloists, choir, and orchestra. I couldn’t help but think, “Really, is that all?…”

After preaching on this oratorio over the past month, and being deeply moved by how the music elucidates and enlivens the text – the words, the prophecies, promises and narrative of Christ, I was taken aback by what seemed to be a very superficial look at this famous piece of art. The power of Messiah is not merely in the music, nor is it merely in the text. The power of this piece lies in how the music talks to the text, and vice versa, and how their conversation moves us into a real-time, renewed sense of the presence of God. Handel took ancient inspired God text, painted them with newly inspired God notes, and created what seems to be an eternally powerful God word.

Three times tonight a cry welled up from some deep forgotten place inside of me. I’m standing behind Edward doing up one of my neckties – the one he’s wearing along with my blue shirt – in preparation for his high school grad photo tomorrow, and for just a split second I lose it…

Then, a few minutes later, as I’m helping him shave, after cutting his hair, it happens again. It kind of feels like I’m going to throw up; pushing itself out. And then, after he’s showered he comes down the stairs and plops himself down on the couch, clean shaven and cut, fresh shirt on, and a huge, proud smile on his face. His eyes are filled with innocence. And he has no idea what he’s missing…

How is it that I can still experience such pain, while at the same time know so much joy and contentment regarding this boy? Is this kind of event going to catch me off guard for the rest of my life?

The following comments are owned by whomever posted them. This site is not responsible for what they say.
grad photo tears
Authored by: Anonymous on Saturday, December 05 2009 @ 02:34 AM PST
Beautiful.

grad photo tears
Authored by: Anonymous on Sunday, December 06 2009 @ 04:28 AM PST
Hi John & Fran,
Nice to see Edward’s graduation picture!
Acceptance, possitive reinforcement from ALL their friends makes their lives complete! We have retired from “FriendShip Groups” and now live in Brantford. A month ago Derek (deaf/mute/no balance organs) come home injured and in distress, had an operation yesterday to trim an ACL in his knee, now for rehabilitation and further repairs, how what when unknown. We are always parents!
Jack & Mary Jagt

grad photo tears
Authored by: Anonymous on Sunday, December 06 2009 @ 12:04 PM PST
Thanks guys.
j.

grad photo tears
Authored by: Anonymous on Sunday, December 06 2009 @ 08:28 PM PST
dear john…in a word…yes, yes you will be caught off guard by this kind of thing for the rest of your life because that (thankfully) is who you are, ever present to moments like these.
carol

Too often in recent months I’ve experienced stress over the pace of change in our church. It comes and goes, and often revolves around a question like this, “Why is it taking so long for this idea of God-revealing-Himself-everywhere to catch on?” I read something tonight that helped me understand…

In His book, Culture Making, Andy Crouch writes this (quoting another author; Stewart Brand) about cultural change,

“Brand’s most important insight is that there is an inverse relationship between a cultural layer’s speed of change and its longevity of impact. The faster a given layer of culture changes, the less long-term effect it has on the horizons of possibility and impossibility. My life as an American citizen is profoundly shaped by centuries of development in our political system, especially the ideals of governance ratified by the Constitutional Convention in 1787 and shaped by countless legislative and judicial decisions since. But my life is not at all affected by the fashions for men’s wigs in 1787. By the same token, any change that will profoundly move the horizons of possibility and impossibility will almost always, by definition, take lots of time. The bigger the change we hope for, the longer we must be willing to invest, work and wait for it.”

This is a huge change that we’ve embarked on as a church. So big that its easy to miss, misunderstand, or ignore. Patience and hard work are in order.

This Sunday I’ll be preaching on Regina Spektor’s hit song, “Laughing with…” It’s a poignant commentary on God and faith. Here’s the link – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rov3pV9PsRI What do you think God is saying through this artist’s musings?

The following comments are owned by whomever posted them. This site is not responsible for what they say.
laughing at God

Authored by: Anonymous on Thursday, November 12 2009 @ 12:03 AM PST
Wow, I was hoping if I left this a few days someone might comment…
I guess not!
The main thing I get out of her song (which is probably the most obvious
thing) is the idea that when life is peachy keen we don’t need God, and so
the idea of a creator and saviour is laughable. I mean, who needs God when
you’ve got more money than you need, a perfect house, delicious food, and
all the fun you can handle? It’s like the man who stored up all the food in
his barns and thought “I’ve got it made.” In our affluence it is easy to feel
like we’re in control and that we can handle anything.
Of course when things go wrong it’s like the floor falls out and people
wonder what they’ve done to deserve it. All of a sudden they HOPE they’re
not in control, because they have no idea how to fix it. That’s when the idea
of God maybe isn’t so laughable or unneeded. All of a sudden it’s like
“Somebody save me!” Of course when things go well again it’s just as easy
to forget the one that helped you out. You can convince yourself it was
really you.
But back to the guy that built up his barn… we can’t forget that God said,
“You FOOL! Tonight you die, and then what will become of your wealth?”
That line makes me think of “we’re laughing with God.” Maybe we think
we’re laughing at him, but ultimately he is in control and maybe he is
laughing with us because of our ignorance. Not that I think he would take
pleasure in our suffering or ignorance, it’s more the meaning behind the
words than the literal interpretation.
It’s easy to believe there is no God when you walk through life meeting all of
your own needs and feeling like you’re the center of the universe. Maybe
another Galileo needs to come along and say, “Um, actually, you’re not in
the centre. You’re just a part of a huge galaxy.”
Again, this seems to be the very base, surface meaning of the song, but that
is what hit me about it first, so I thought I’d share since no one else did. I
know there are probably a lot deeper interpretations out there and I hope
someone posts one or two!

laughing at God
Authored by: Anonymous on Sunday, November 22 2009 @ 06:00 PM PST
This song tells us to always have fellowhip with God–not just when we need Him.

Cool Site
Authored by: Anonymous on Saturday, November 28 2009 @ 03:51 PM PST
I have always enjoyed your site and this article is no exception. I have never commented here before but thought this was a good time to give you some props. Keep up the good work.

There was a point on my ride back along hwy #8 where the conditions were perfect. I was cycling full tilt at the exact speed of a Chinook tailwind- 50ish km/h. There were no cars around and I could hear the wind whistling through the dried grass in the ditch…

There was something about the speed alignment that made the moment magical. And I must have been in it for 3 or 4 km. It felt great, and I imagined it as analogous to my life. Right now things are just hard work. I need to bear down and finish the final two chapters of this book while continuing to work hard at my day job at the church.

Life right now feels like the 25 kilometers of head wind I endured on the way out this morning – averaging 11km/h. But I’ve learned how to respond in times like this. Head down, slow down, stay within yourself and keep peddling.

I’m very excited to finish this book. I keep getting the sense that God is all over it. In creating the story in the first place. And even in it’s re-writing. Thursday night I fell asleep thinking a chapter was going to be removed from the book. I woke up Friday and told Fran that I thought that needed to happen. She told me to wait on feedback from the publisher. I checked my email an hour later and my editors strongly suggested the removal of that chapter. It was like the blow was being softened. God nudged and pre-convinced me.

I can hardly wait to see where this thing goes.

“It’s a sacred thing that’s happening; the crisis is opening people’s minds.” (Brazillian Prime Minister Luiz Ignacio Lula da Silva, at the G20 meeting yesterday). I just came back from a dual purpose trip to the States…

First I met with my publisher. That went well. We decided to rewrite a few chapters and work the book even more… “we want a home run” my editor said. I’m daunted and excited about putting the work in to make that happen. We need to have all the writing done by Christmas, book printed by March, then sent out for critique/pre-marketing, and then formal release in the fall.

Second I attended a denominational/church board meeting. I heard the word crisis many times. What’s hit the world has hit the church. And this is a huge time of opportunity. What the Brazilian PM said about the sacredness of this time I’ve been hearing all week. And its not just words. Church agencies that used to operate quite independently are now leaning into one another, holding each other. People seem to be open to new and radical ideas. Crisis is the mother of invention.

This morning I woke up with the distinct sense that now is a great time for the book to be released. There is a huge openness to new ideas in the church, and in the world. The thought of this makes me very excited.

For the next two weeks I’m going to be speaking on God’s good gift of alcohol. I’m hoping to better understand why he gave it to us and what it means to imbibe in a Christ like way. Jesus clearly drank, so what does his example mean for us today? And what it is about alcohol…

in particular, that makes it such a gift? What can we learn about the mind and heart of God (it’s maker) through it’s nature and effects? If you have any thoughts, please comment.

-Part 1 can be found here -

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Jesus and the joy of drinking
Authored by: Anonymous on Tuesday, September 08 2009 @ 08:00 PM PDT

I have to be honest, I have never really made the connection between God and alcohol or really considered it as a gift from Him. Appreciate it as I do at times, I often have a bit of an internal conflict when it comes to alcohol. I have seen too clearly the damage it can cause…like any good thing I suppose, we (people in general) have a capacity to grant it this unwarranted power in our lives.
There is this wonderful aspect to alcohol…a beautiful wine that can be just so perfect with a wonderful meal…with its ability to warm your soul a bit and bring this calm, or an ice cold beer after a day of yard work under the sun, or a perfectly blended margarita overlooking an ocean sunset. There is something about not only the flavours, but that little bit of a buzz that you can just kind of melt in to. I sometimes try to imagine, when I’m drinking a perfect wine, what it would feel like to break bread and sip a dark red wine, or even a bubbly white wine with my friend Jesus and it always kind of makes me smile. And for that, I have this rather holy appreciation for alcohol.
But…I’ve also walked close to that place of really needing it, using it as a crutch to see me through a stressful day or to numb me to something that I don’t feel like facing. I’ve seen people I love and care about unable to control how much they drink…and I’ve seen how ugly it can be. I’ve walked in on people passed out in the middle of the day because they couldn’t (or wouldn’t) stop drinking. I’ve watched grown men make fools of themselves, and young men almost kill themselves…(and actually, at times successfully kill others. ) I’ve seen love turn to hate, wisdom turn to folly, brilliance become obscured. I’ve seen young women lose their dignity, their security and their innocence because of it. And for that, I have this very holy loathing towards alcohol.
It is a conundrum.

As for what it reveals to me about God…well…I haven’t arrived there yet, but I look forward to hearing other perspectives.

Authored by: Anonymous on Saturday, September 12 2009 @ 07:55 AM PDT

(I just previewed my comment and don’t know why it shows I wrote this on Dec 31/69 … technology)

I have just read Pastor John’s article in the newspaper and would just like to comment as I have wrestled with the question whether it was wise to drink as a Christ follower. Let me tell you my conclusions:

- Having a glass of wine is not a sin unless we’ve been convicted by the Holy Spirit to not drink.

- The problem is though when someone sees me with my glass of wine they have no way of knowing whether it’s my first or fifth and my goal is to be a testimony and not possibly cause someone to stumble.

- Drinking in the privacy of my home … my kids see me and think it’s okay … kids copy us and there is no way a teenager can drink responsibly.

- I want to be available, be obedient and serve my Lord 24/7 and after having alcohol I have found that my mind is not as sharp. If I have opportunity to be used by God … I’m not available.

- Yes, I believe Jesus drank, but, our precious Lord was sinless and I do not know where that line is when I drink. Do I sin after 1 glass, 1 1/2, 2? This is one sin that I can totally avoid by abstinence. I, of course, have other areas that I struggle but I can totally shut the door on this one.

- You say in your article to drink in moderation but what is moderation? It actually is the point of sin and for each persons body that is different. I cannot count the number of get together/parties of all Christians where alcohol was served and seldom did people drink as Jesus and his followers did. People had many drinks, got louder, laughed more, did silly things … sounds like the world. We’re to be in the world not of the world.

- Really, what good comes from drinking? The buzz? I believe that Satan has put a big red bow on drinking and that we as believers think we can handle it but often times fail miserably. We open a door that allows the Devil a foothold that can be the beginning of all sorts of heartache.

- My conclusion, abstinence is a wise way to live.

Authored by: Anonymous on Saturday, September 12 2009 @ 07:02 PM PDT
I just got this email from another commentator…

Hey John,

How negligent of me! I meant to comment on your blog earlier this week, but then the week happened. Anyway, it will take too long to get an account to comment on your blog.

I didn’t drink until I was 29. Grew up in the SDA church where drinking was abstained from, though I had had beer and wine before, but like once a year or less. I think I was old enough to have decided on a balance and what could be consumed so that it wouldn’t be detrimental to my health or anyone else’s.

Now, I am between ambivalent and excited about alcohol. I don’t NEED a beer when I get home from work, but I do enjoy a couple a week. I don’t NEED a glass of wine at every meal, but I do enjoy a few a month when it’s special. Usually, when AMber offers me a beer, I reconsider and take water instead. I like the taste, the feeling, but it’s not the best taste nor the best feeling.

What I am excited about is being able to share a drink with a friend.
The knowledge that both parties are going to let down their guard a bit and enter a more intimate conversation is very appealing to me. I met a Bulgarian guy who wanted to introduce me to a friend of his. I went over to his friend’s house and before we could visit we each had to take a shot of some Bulgarian liquor – kind of a trust thing I think, but it was multipurposed – they offered me some of their best, a pinnacle of Bulgarian culture and they showed that they weren’t going to hide anything and neither was I. We didn’t get drunk, but we were open. Again this past summer, I was at a stag/staggette party which was really just a drinking party a couple days before a wedding.
Most people’s intention was to connect with others and alcohol helped that happen – some really memorable conversations about Chile, the education system, Obama, music, travel and purpose.

One of the comments on your blog and several of my friends bring up the “stumbling block” issue. I prefer setting an example to my children or my students or my friends as to how alcohol can be enjoyed in a God honouring way. I hope that my son or daughter will never find me like Noah’s sons found him. Instead I hope that when they partake, they will follow their parents’ lead and drink in moderation (or even a little more when it’s safe) with good intentions and a desire for relationship.

… And I think people can easily tell if it’s your first of second glass or your seventh or eighth glass of wine.

I look forward to hearing your talk. Should stir the pot a bit.

Authored by: Anonymous on Friday, September 18 2009 @ 01:14 PM PDT

i grew up seventh day adventist in one of those churches of can’t eat or drink anything good. i have since enjoyed studying judiasm (note i am and will always be christian.) and the jewish perspective is completely different than the conservative christian view. we are all too enjoy life, and the gifts given to us in life. i applaud you in teaching the enjoyment of living. life is wonderful, and so is your message.

(originally sent at an email to NHC)

Authored by: Anonymous on Saturday, September 19 2009 @ 12:12 PM PDT

After reading the article that ran in the Calgary Sun today entitled “In the name of the father, son, holy spirits,” I found myself both surprised and annoyed by the issues presented within the article. I understand the need to make a church “relevant” and accessible, however, I do not believe that we do this by means of watering down the word of God or twisting it to suit our own needs. Alcohol was not meant, in my opinion, as a gift from God in order to help us relax or cover pain. Far too many people have fallen into the trap of self medicating their own pain as opposed to going to God with it, and knowing that God is not far off from us when we are in pain and emotional distress. My fear is that people who are young and impressionable, ones who look to you for your guidance and leadership, will now find themselves with an excuse to use alcohol in a way that is damaging to their own well- being. God never meant for us to cover our pain, by means of anything, but to go to Him with our pain and know that He is our healer, and “ever present help in time of need.”

You stated that ” No drinking and driving, and we want to avoid the debauchery.” Yet you also stated within the article that alcohol is a gift in which it “lubricates communities and allows us to drop our walls and inhibitions.” The fact of the matter is that when our inhibitations are lowered by means of alcohol, the brain and body do not function they way that they do sober, and you will end up with people who drink and drive, people who fall much easier onto paths that they should not go down, and end up with regrets. You will also have individuals who find themselves addicted to the easy, fast and cheap way to cover their pain, and not know when to stop.

I believe that you need to consider these factors, your audience and the rationale before such a message is delievered. Without a doubt, there will be people in your audience who are wear and vulnerable, and do not know when to put down the bottle. There will also be people who do not yet know that one night of drinking may be too much and find themselves struggling…their struggle beginning in the roots of your message.

I do not think that a drink here and there is necessarily wrong. What I do strongly believe, however, is alcohol is NOT a gift in covering pain, as you say. It simply draws out the healing process and instead of going to a bottle, people should know how they can go to God and close friends to help them heal from their pain.

Jesus and the joy of drinking

Authored by: Anonymous on Wednesday, September 23 2009 @ 11:01 AM PDT

As someone who was present for Part 1 and Part 2 of the Sunday messages that Pastor John gave I can tell you that the Sun article does not give a good representation of what he is actually saying. The tone is completely different. It looks like they just picked out pieces that they thought would make an interesting article. I suggest you listen to the messages online. I do believe, however, that alcohol IS a gift from God, just like sex is or food. It almost seems like the greater the gift, the greater the possibility for abuse is. God gives us these gifts and its up to us to practice self control. As a society we tend to over-indulge on just about everything and then we blame the product instead of our own lack of self control.

Reading the obituary page of the Globe and Mail today I was struck by the similarity of the gazes of two men…

Athlete Sam Etcheverry had outstanding hand/eye coordination and was one of the best CFL quarterbacks. Art critic James Lord had superb mind/eye coordination and was a famously astute observer of the Parisian art scene. Both men possessed a keen sense of observation; Etcheverry for the moving target of his reciever and Lord, for the deep truths in both art and artist. Studying their eyes I couldn’t help but see how both possessed a unique ability to see far afield. Lord connected what he saw to his critical mind, and Etcheverry transferred his observations to his right arm. Lord saw deeply, Etcheverry saw long.

God’s gift of sight rightly used.

Well, it took me 19 days to rewrite/edit the book. I have never worked more intensely than I have over these two and a half weeks. Not physically – I barely moved – but mentally I pushed myself hard. It’s been both exhausting and exhilarating…

And now this phase is done. I had to call home just to share the news with someone I loved. Now the tougher part. I have to try and read my own book. How do you do that when you’re so close to the text? I don’t even know if it’s possible. I’m going away with Fran for the weekend. Maybe that will help.

Well, it’s almost been a week of writing. And things have gone spectacularly well. I’ve re-written four chapters so far; better progress than expected. The surroundings here at Kingsfold are very inspiring, and I’ve even gotten two bike rides and a whole bunch of photography in. A typical day…

…begins with me waking up at 5:30 am, this morning I awoke with the first line of the next chapter fully articulated in my mind. Barely able to open my eyes, I knew exactly what to say; how great is that. After dressing I headed over to the kitchen to brew a coffee, then I walked over to a building called the Greenhouse – great chairs with a mountain view – and as I’m making my way over all I can hear are birds singing, and the water from the Ghost River flowing in the valley below. When I get to the Greenhouse I make a small fire in the pot bellied stove, plug in my laptop, and usually listen to a song or two. Yesterday, it was a Mendelssohn tune that sang about finding God’s strength by lifting your eyes to the mountains. As this beautiful aria is playing out, I’m watching the sun rise on a few of those mountains. Needless to say, it gets the creative juices flowing.
Then I write until breakfast at 8:00 am, and then work again until 12:30, then take a break for a few hours before slipping some more time in. It’s quite draining but very fulfilling. I can’t believe I get to do this.