Walking with the King

I opened my book, Walking with the King, with a story about my granddaughter Madeline. While planting a cherry tree together I realized how much like me she is. After giving her explicite instructions about how to plant the cherry pits in the ground, Madeline proceeded to ignore my wise counsel and do it her own way! In contrast, Victoria and I had a wonderful bonding time as we worked in the garden this week. Once again I gave her exact instructions as to how to shovel the dirt into the bucket so I could carry it. Victoria listened carefully to my instructions and did precisely what I told her to do. Every once in a while she'd ask, "Is this right Papa?" and of course I would encourage her "Yes honey, you're doing great!"

That's the theme of my lesson this Sunday morning. I've called my sermon, Walking with the King, because I'm introducing book 2 of my series. I'm using the words, walking, watching, listening and learning for an outline. For the word, watching, Jesus told us about the man he healed of blindness. It was his only living parable about our progressive healing. When Jesus first touched the man's eyes, he saw, but not clearly. After a second touch, he saw with clarity. I used a graphic .on powerpoint to illustrate how we don't always see the full picture at first glance. This learning stage will last a life time. I compare Dancing with the King to the theory part of our education, Walking with the King to the course practicum, and Sitting with the King to our internship.

Sunday May 13 Mothers Day

Tomorrow is mothers Day, but it is also the Sunday that I begin the second book of my Kingdom Series, Walking with the King. I'm starting our study of the Gospels with the miraculous story of the angel Gabriel coming to Mary and announcing that she'd been chosen as the mother of Jesus.

Although it's probably impossible for us to conceive of all that Mary must have been thinking at that moment, I'm using the incident as a picture of the wonderful reality that we've all been chosen by God to give birth to a miraculous destiny. God is looking for fertile heart soil to implant his miracle seed in. I think you'll be challenged and encouraged if you listen to my talk via the Audio Program available on my web page. May you be blessed beyond what you have imagined as you listen and consider the fact that you, as well as Mary have been chosen to give birth to a miracle! You'll find my notes under Nothside Church's webpage. www.northsidechurch.com

Happy Mothers Day

I'm one of those very blessed people who has been privileged to have 3 moms. My first mom, Agnes was my birth mother. She has had more influence on who I am than any other woman, except Susan. My mom died of cancer when I was only 18 years old so she never even knew that I went to Bible College the next September or that I wanted to become a pastor. A few years ago I was conducting a funeral at our church, and after the service I met a woman I'd never met before. She surprised me when she said that she had been one of my mom's best friends! She also told me that my mom had been praying that I would be a pastor. That was a very enlightening and encouraging piece of information. I'm not sure if mom can see what's going on down here or not, but if she can "M om thank-you for your love, your strong example and your belief in your very backward young son. I love you!"

My second mom came into my life not long after my 1st mom's death. Suprisingly, the day my dad met my birth mom was the same day he met my step-mom. On a church picnic, to which he'd been invited by his sister, he met my mom. She was only 16 so when he asked her if she wanted to go for a rowboat ride in the lake, my protective auntie said, "Allan you're not going to take Agnes on the rowboat by yourself. (dad was 21) It wouldn't be proper. The only way you can take Agnes is if you take Audrey too!" Audrey was 13 and so she chaperoned dad and Agnes on their 1st date.

26 years later, just before mom died, she told dad to look up Audrey after she was dead. Audrey had lost her husband a couple of years earlier to cancer, so the last thing my mom did was to pick out her husband's second wife! Thankfully dad listened to mom and asked Audrey out . Because both were widows they had a lot in common. A few months later they were married. I could not have asked for a better step-mom. Audrey is a beautiful, dignified and loving mom.. Can you imagine anyone agreeing to take on our family of 6 kids in addition to her own two?
My sister was already married, but after a couple of years the next 5 of us were married too, within 8 months of each other!

My 3rd mom is Nancy. She's Susan's mom, but when I met Susan in 1967, my mom had already died so she began calling me her son. It was a good thing that I married her daughter a couple of years later, because mom would never have forgiven either of us if we hadn't. Mom has been one of those rare gifts to our world. Because her own mom had been a very unhappy, bitter, meddling mother, mom decided that she would be the opposite! She became a Christian just before Susan was born and Jesus gave her the grace that she needed to be all that her own mom was not. She is truly a saint! Mom has loved us and our children unconditionally for every one of these past 40 years. At 91, she is still one of the most servant-hearted, ministry orientated, loving and generous people I've ever met!

Thank-you Lord for your grace and favor in my life for giving me my 3 moms, Agnes, Audrey and Nancy. Happy mothers Day!

We're Back

Susan and I returned on Tuesday from our vacation in Mexico. It was a very restful couple of weeks lounging under the desert sun and waving palm trees. Neither of us are very athletic so we content ourselves with relaxing, reading, walking and eating. In my case I get a lot of time to catch up on some writing. This year I spent a lot of time thinking about where I will be leading the Foursquare Church in Canada and writing out my vision and plans for July. I'm looking forward to stepping in to my new role on the first of the month.

This picture is of the last 2 presidents of the Foursquare Gospel Church Victor and Dorothy Gardner, Tim and Laurene Petersen, and also my brother Rob who serves as President of Pacific Life Bible College. Now Susan and I will serve our Canadian denomination.

PLBC Graduation

Last evening we celebrated the Graduation of a bright group of students from Pacific Life Bible College. This has been a very rewarding year of teaching.

The new facilities seem to have added a very inspiring atmosphere for learning. I'm always thankful to have successfully completed another semester (I've been teaching for over 30 years) but at the same time I've thoroughly enjoyed both reviewing the Pentateuch and the Synoptic Gospels. This year I was even able to use Dancing with the King and Walking with the King as texts.

It was so thrilling for me to see the many Grads last evening who will be serving and leading churches in Europe, USA and across Canada. What a great and influencial investment we've made in the future of the church. I love what J.L. Kraft said "the best investments I have ever made which have continuous returns is the money I've given to the church!" Kraft has given over 25% of his income to the kingdom throughout his business career.

Love and blessings to all our Grads as you pursue God's best!

Letter to the Editor

To the Editor,

I was interested in Sunday’s Face to Face column about teaching the Bible in our schools, by O’Neill and Sims. I agreed with both writers.

Why would we not study the best-selling book in all of publishing history? Fully two billion Christian people in our multi-cultural world believe the Bible holds vital truths for living. Although it does not claim to be a history or science manual, the Bible is a sound, ethical, moral plumbline for all people.

In Canada, 67% of us report to believing the basic teachings of Christianity. Our Jewish friends use the same Old Testament as Christians do. If Muslims make up 2% of our population, Buddhists, Confucists and others are another 5%, why not at least give their sacred writings an appropriate overview in our schools?

Obviously, the amount of time given to various teachings should relate proportionately to the percentage of the students in each school who identify with a particular religion. I would love to have learned about the beliefs of my classmates when I was in school. Afterall, that’s what pluralism is.

Barry Buzza

Kings and Queens

Today, in church, I spoke on the subject material of chapters 10 and 11 of "Dancing with the King". There are many life-lessons that we can learn as we look at the successes and failures of the Kings of Israel and Judah in 1 and 2 Samuel, 1 and 2 Kings, and 1 and 2 Chronicles. Some kings reigned very well and some failed royally. What intrigues me is how one king did so poorly and his son, who followed, did excellently. It makes a fascinating study. From my reading, among the many life-lessons their lives teach, I talked about 3 of them today.

~Like king, like people. As the kings of Judah did, we all have a domain over which we rule in the spirit realm. It may be big or small. It includes how we handle our money, time, people within our influence, attitudes, words, gifts, and talents etc. The fruit that comes from our lives will ultimately be the evidence of how we have ruled in our personal domain.
~All kings were tested to prove what was inside them. We also will each be tested in three areas: lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes and pride of life. Our most vulnerable points will show up in our seasons of success.
~The Word of God will anchor us during the storms of life. Our knowledge, study and our obedience to the Word of God will determine our success during times of testing.

Next week I'll continue the series and look at 3 more life lessons. Meanwhile, did you know that you can listen to the Sunday sermons by clicking onto the audio portion of my web page, barrybuzza.com? The notes for each message can be found in our church web page northsidechurch.ca. Some listeners are downloading the messages weekly into their MP3 players. Happy listening!

Sitting with the King

Over this last couple of weeks, Ive set aside some time for writing my 3rd book in the Kingdom Trilogy. Now that book #2 "Walking with the King" (which you can purchase from our church office) is ready, I must start the 5 month process of publishing the next one. So far I've been able to write 13 of the 16 chapters of "Sitting with the King", and I am very hyped about finishing it.

After writing and typing it, the book has to be proof read and edited several times, then type-set, edited again, and finally printed. It will be for sale in late July. I always send several hundred as gifts to the Filippino pastors whom I see in November, so to arrive on time, the 2 new books will have to be shipped by mid-August. I get so many gracious and positive thank-you's from the pastors who receive them. I plan on doing 3 leadership conferences in Manila, IloIlo and Davao this fall.

Next week I'll finish my writing project. It's challenging for me to keep up with my goals. As fast as I knock off a book, I receive inspiration to write 3 more. I actually have about 5 on the go as I write this, but I'm not sure how my new responsibilities as President of the Foursquare Church in Canada will affect my writing and publishing. We'll see.

Iron sharpens Iron

On April 14 we enjoyed the well anticipated Men's Dinner at our church. Dave Anderson has been giving leadership to our neglected Men over this past year. In addition to our Men's Prayer group and our many sports teams (We have hundreds of men and women who play hockey, baseball, soccer, pickleball, floorhockey and golf), Dave has been giving leadership to Friday Knights as well as our Tuesday Evening Group.

When he told Pastor Terry that he fully expected 200 men to show up for dinner, Terry cautioned him to not be too disappointed if not as many show up. After all, we've never had more than 70 guys at any men's gathering.

As the pictures show, we had over 22o men who came to dinner. Wow! I've never seen such amounts of testosterone in one place at a time. I was rather suprised, but very pleased when I walked in to the lobby of our nice church to see some powerful motorcycles lined up on display. On the other side of the room was a large table of mighty power tools. Guys were all over the place! It was great. Dave had organized a whole team of men to cook huge steaks, lots of vegetables, salad and freshly baked bread. There was as much as we wanted to eat.

Thank-you Lord for giving us so many good men who are willing and ready to lead others down the path of Life! I know that this is just the beginning. Dave and his team have a vision for reaching the men of our Tri-Cities area and then of Canada. Now Terry and I believe him when he tells us of his dreams!

Madeline and Victoria's visit

On Good Friday, our 2 granddaughters visited their Nana and Papa. We had a wonderful time. As per usual, the girls put on a play for us, using all their little people. They tell stories like I do--make it up as we go along! Then in the morning after breakfast, they decorated Easter cupcakes with Nana.

At lunch, while we were eating, I took advantage of our time together to teach them about the Easter lesson that I was going to present on Sunday. We were eating soup and crackers together, so I grabbed some Matzo bread to explain how it represented the body of Jesus. When I got to the part about the no yeast meaning Jesus was without sin, I showed them the difference between regular soda crackers with baking soda in them, and Matzo with no leaven.

Suddenly Madeline (the girls are both very dramatic) screamed and ran out of the room. I asked, "What's wrong, Honey?" and she responded "Victoria (who was munching on a cracker) is eating sin. I can't be in the room! I can't eat with her!"

After lunch we picked up the 4 boys and went to see the new kids' movie, "Meet the Robinsons". I'd recommend that movie to anyone. It was packed with worthwhile life lessons about how each of us is important, and that we should always be thinking forward, rather than living in the past.

Finally, after church, we all went to Jeremy's and Kristy's for our turkey and ham Easter Feast.
After dinner we lined all of our very cute kids up for some family photos, which of course I'll share with anyone who asks, or even those who don't ask!

I'm Back!

I'm sorry that I have not updated my blog in the past couple of weeks. My computer has been in the repair garage. Now I've got it back but I still have not figured out how to download and e-mail pictures with the new "simpler" program! I'll give you the news and will work on the matching pictures later.

We zipped by Easter, but enjoyed some terrific special events on the way. Sunday April 1 was no Fool's Day. Rather it was a memorable Palm Sunday. Our 3 Kids' Church choirs gave concerts that were not only full of good teaching, but were delivered in a fun 70's style of music. The grade 1-6 kids dressed in tie-dye t-shirts and bellbottoms and mop-top wigs, and sang songs about all they had learned over the previous 10 weeks to the tunes of 70's Pop songs. My favorite was "Paying your Tithes" to the tune of "Staying Alive" by the BeeGee's.

Palm Sunday was of course followed by Easter, when we were favored by the Holy Spirit inspired music of our Choir. Wow! Maureen and her happy minstrels, with full band, brought down the house at all 4 packed services. I taught in the remaining time about the lessons inherent in our Communion services. The matzo bread we use, for example, is packed with teaching about the life of Jesus.
~It is unleavened to illustrate that he lived a sinless life. Leaven or yeast is a picture of being puffed up and full of ourselves.
~During preparation, the bread is striped and dotted with a small wheel to keep it from puffing up, but the stripes and holes are a reminder that Jesus was pierced with nails and striped by the Roman lictor's whip.
~The matzo bread is also broken with jagged edges. That is to remind us of the jagged stones that mourners leave on the graves of those whom they love and are visiting. Many stones on the grave marker are a sign to the remaining family members that their deceased loved one is still remembered. When Jesus held the bread, he was saying "remember me".

Wee College Graduation

Today was one of my favorite days in our church life--Wee College Grad. Our daughter Kristy began the program several years ago and now we have a waiting list to get in each year. She can only take 20 children 4 years old, 20 5 year olds and 20 6 year olds so every semester is able to graduate 20 and make room for more.

This is not a play school, but a well-oiled college where the kids learn well over a hundred memory verses as well as all the sections and books of the Bible.

Much of their learning is through songs so the verses stick deep in their souls for a life time.

And that's exactly what the Bible tells us to do. Teach the Scriptures diligently (like shooting arrows at them) to our children. Thank God for our many gifted teachers and may God's grace and power rest upon our precious children!

The way it's supposed to work

This evening I met with Joslynn, our new 12 Step leader. The story of our 12 step groups and the hundreds who have been healed through the steps would be a worthy book to write, but because the stories are confidential, I can't tell them. But I can write about this one.

Debbie Prokosh was trained by our late Pastor Carol Smith to lead our 12 Step Ministry. Having walked the path herself, Debbie has been an enthusiastic leader for about 10 years. Because of other life commitments Debbie had to pass on the Baton. And that's the beauty of this story. I have taught our church leaders for years that one of their primary responsibilities is to make themselves promotable by discipling someone alongside of them to do what they do. (sometimes better) Carol did that, and when she died the church mourned but the ministry did not skip a beat.

And that's exactly what Debbie did. When she resigned we didn't have to find and train another leader or close the ministry down because Debbie had already trained 2 women, Joslynn and Norma, to pass the baton to. The ministry will keep moving on and Debbie is released to do even greater things. I love it! Blessings on all of our 12 Step workers and participants!

A happy Story

I love a good story. Almost every day someone I haven't met before comes into my office to talk. Today I sat with a lovely East Indian lady and I asked her to tell me how she became a believer.

Jasmine told me that she came to Canada with her husband and both of them were followers of an Eastern religeon who worshipped 24 gods. One Sunday morning she came into the TV room and caught her husband watching a Christian show. It was an Oral Roberts Special. She told him that these TV Evangelists were fakes and only wanted their money so he'd better turn it off.

He refused and so she walked out of the room in a huff. As the program was ending Oral said that anyone who wanted to be healed simply had to receive, and through his prayer God would heal them. Jasmine had been very ill for a long time, but it seemed too simple to believe. Because she was in so much pain she did it. She placed her hand on her body and prayed along with Oral. And she was instantly healed! She could hardly believe what happened, and he wasn't even asking for money.

The very next week she turned him on again and his prayer was that God would supply the needs of anyone who prayed with him. Jasmine had being trying to get into a course for a job change for months and was told it would take more than a year more of waiting. But in faith she prayed to a God she didn't even know. The next day the school called her and told her there was room for her if she acted quickly. She enrolled that day and started working soon after! All of this happened before Jasmine was even a Christian, but because of her answered prayers, she and her husband soon believed in Jesus as their saviour.

My Pastor friends

Every month the Pastors of our Tri-City Churches get together for social interaction and to pray together. There about 65 churches in Port Coquitlam, Coquitlam and Port Moody and we all work together in the understanding that we are really one church. Today was my turn to host the pastors in our Coquitlam Campus. We bring our own lunch and then the host pastor shares his or her story. I love telling the story of how God has allowed us to partner with him in our community, and I think it was encouraging to some of my friends who are going through dark valleys. God bless the Tri-Cities Church.

Another Baby is born

I'm not talking about a real kicking and crying baby-- It's too late for human babies to be produced by this old guy. Rather I'm talking about my newest book Walking with the King. This week the presses are running madly and by Thursday, I'll pick up my baby from the printer. I still find it exciting to flip the pages of a freshly produced book with my name on it. Counting the children's books, this is number 16.

Walking with the King is about the 3 year journey that Jesus' 12 disciples took beside him as they traversed the 90 miles between Tyre and the Southern towns of Judea. We get to listen in beside him as he told stories, taught life lessons, encountered demonized victims, healed blind men and lepers, and shocked his weary disciples when he walked toward them on the waters of Galilee. ( I can hardly wait until our International Copnvention in Israel, in July, when Susan and I will get to walk on the same dusty paths!)

This 2nd book in the Kingdom series will help teach us how to live life in the Kingdom of God. Compared to our upside-down world, Kingdom values are mind blowing. They are well summarized in one of Jesus' teachings "You can't live until you die!" The disciples who walked in Jesus' big footsteps didn't even get it until after he rose from the dead, I'm working now on the 3rd book of the Trilogy, called Sitting with the King. That one will be about sitting beside him on his throne and actually practising using our Kingdom tools. It'll be a blast!

Light and Darkness clash

Tomorrow I'll be speaking about the time recorded in Genesis chapter 3 when Adam and Eve met the Prince of Darkness for the first time. They had been given their job descriptions to cultivate the Garden, protect it from outside intrusion, and subdue the animals (all with the ultimate purpose of learning how to rule so they could reign besidwe King Jesus in eternity) but now they were ready for the introduction of opposition. The truth is we only grow through opposition.

I heard a cute story from Merelyn Webber when Susan and I were with her and Garry in Calgary last week-end. In the fall she brought her gold fish inside from the outdoor pool because of the impending freezing weather. She put them all in a large tank together, but one of the fish was especially agressive and mean to the others. To discipline the badly behaving fish, Merelyn removed him from his friends and placed him in a small glass bowl of water all by himself. Then she butted the small bowl up to the other tank so the fish could see what fun he was missing. He seemed sad, but Merelyn persisted until she felt that he had learned his lesson. After a good amount of time by himself, she put the little goldfish back in with the others. He behaved perfectly from that moment on! Lesson learned! Now that's what I call taking authority over the fish of the sea!

So Adam and Eve met Nachash (formerly known as the angel called Lucifer, the Enlightened one) They were strolling hand in hand through the center of the Garden of Eden, just looking at the very beautiful Tree of the knowledge of good and evil, when a very bright and shiney angel slipped in beside them. "What are you looking at kids?" he sweetly asked.

"We were just looking at this delicious tree that God planted in the middle of the garden."

"Have you tried the fruit yet? It's sumptuous!".... We'll pick up the story tomorrow morning. It is one of the most life changing scenes in all of history.

Susan and I have just returned from a very exhilarating trip to Alberta. Leaving our church in Terry's capable hands (he and Gord and a strong team of young adults left on Sunday for Costa Rica) we left on Saturday for Airdrie, just north of Calgary.

On Saturday evening we ate dinner with Pastor Barry (Barry is a far too popular name in the FGCC) and Audrey Marsten. Barry has just been appointed as Unit Supervisor of our Alberta churches. He has an awesome pastor's heart.
On Sunday morning he allowed me to preach in his delightful church, and we also layed hands on him, appointing and anointing him for his new work. We loved the WaterBrook church. It reminds me a lot of Northside-very warm and gracious people.

After church we took Youth pastor Brad and his fiancée Yvonne to lunch. They are a very sharp young couple. The future of the Foursquare church in Canada looks bright

That evening Susan and I drove to Calgary to the home of Pastors Garry and Merelyn Webber. They prepared a sumptuous dinner for is and we had a refreshing visit.

This morning we drove up to Red Deer to have brunch with Pastor John and Carol Klooster from Millet. It is so good for is to get to know the pastors and see them in their own unique neighborhoods. I'm very proud of our family of Churches and our fellow leaders

Cultivate & Guard

1942 Dad in his B24 Liberator Bomber


(Dad and Mom (Agnes) 1965)

My dad died this past week. The timing could not have been better. Although dad was 89 years of age, he was in surprisingly great shape. Never having drunk alcohol or smoked, being a tireless worker (still chopping and hauling trees into his late eighties) and being a heath conscious eater. Dad was surprised when his doctor told him that cancer had thoroughly invaded his vital organs. By January dad knew that he wouldn’t last more than a few weeks. Each of us 8 kids, our spouses, children and grandchildren had time to visit him, tell him we loved him and say good-bye. Dad used our visits wisely too. I wrote a book last year, called “Dying Well” in which I recommend that we all say what is necessary to say before it’s too late. Saying “I’m sorry” for anything that may linger as a blockage in our relationship; “I forgive you” to clean out the other side of damage incurred; “Thank you” for all that has been lovingly given to make our life and death more fulfilling, “I love you” of course; and most important “I trust in God”. The assurance that a dying person knows that he’s in right standing before God is the best gift he can give to those he leaves behind. In each of our conversations with dad he remembered little things that he’d forgotten to apologize for. “I know I hurt your feelings when you were 15 and I said that I didn’t have time to help you on that school project—I’m so sorry son.” He also told each of us how much he loved us, how thankful he was to have been our father, and how proud he was of each of our achievements. We had the privilege of praying together during those last visits. My dad died well. The one regret that he had was that he was going to be buried in the winter. Dad loved God’s creation. Every insect, bird, animal or flower was a reflection of the love and beauty of God. In January, as he lay in the hospital and looked outside, he saw the dark cold drizzly rain and lamented. “It’s going to be a very dreary site where my body is laid to rest. I only wish that I could have lived until the flowers started to blossom.” He made it to his birthday on February 19. That was a milestone—but on March 9, he looked out his bedroom window in Abbotsford and saw the pinkish hew of the cherry blossoms and the first budding of crocuses and daffodils. It’s Thursday today as we lay his body in the graveyard. The flowers are popping out of their shells. An early spring is upon us—just in time. Just before dad died this week, he spoke to my mom, who was caring for him right up to the end. It was hard for him to speak, but he looked at her very tired face (she was wearing a pretty gold blouse, because she didn’t want him to see her in dark colours) and said, “Honey, you look so beautiful.” Then he managed, “Thank you so much for being such a wonderful wife and for caring for me up to the very end. I love you.” And with a final whisper, dad said, “I’m going to heaven now. Good-bye,” and he died. My dad died well. It was such an honour to give his eulogy at the service on today.

(Dad & Mom (Audrey) 1995)
My siblings, Susan and myself at funeral service.

Jenn, Sam and Katie

Susan and I have just arrived home from a very encouraging trip to Courtney and Powell River. After Sunday church we headed for the Horseshoe Bay Ferry. The rain was beating down on us, but we were excited to get away and visit some very dear friends on the Island. We braved the storm all the way up the Island Highway and finally arrived at the very beautiful Crown Isle resort, where we spent the night.

Monday morning I returned to the Northgate Foursquare Church in Courtney to finish teaching through the Old Testament with the very bright-eyed students of the Masters Commission. At our lunch break, Susan and I had a delightful lunchtime visit with Ken and Eunice Gaglardi who serve their son Scott as pastors of the church he leads. It is so encouraging to have seasoned elders like the Gaglardis undergirding the ministries of younger Pastors.

After I finished covering up to Malachi with the young leaders, Susan and I met Fred and Janet Farren for dinner. We both sat fascinated with the colorful stories that our dear friends shared with us . As retired pastors (Fred was formerly an ordained Catholic priest), having served as pioneer pastors and unit leaders in the Atlantic region, Fred and Janet have experienced about everything a pastor comes up against. Through it all they have not been wearied or hardened; rather they both are among the most gracious soft-hearted pastors I've ever met.

On Tuesday morning, we sailed aross the Strait to Powell River to visit with our lovable friends Sam and Katie Alescio who have both worked with us at our church. Katie's sister Jenn Wright is the pastor of the church they now serve. Over lunch we got to know Jenn a bit better. She is terrific! Like her sisters Katie and Tina (who will be working with us at the National Office) Jenn is a gifted leader. She actually reminds me a lot of what I've read about our denomination's founder Aimee Semple McPherson. Thanks guys for a very refreshing and encouraging visit!

Until we meet again Dad

ALLAN GEORGE BUZZA
February 19, 1918 – March 10, 2007


Dad has been an imitable model as a man, Christian, husband, father, grandfather, friend and business man. He has positively influenced many thousands, yet he remained quiet and humble throughout his 89 years of life.

Ten words that describe him are gracious, gentle, encouraging, intelligent, kind, teacher, solid, peaceful, selfless and winsome.

Dad loved God faithfully; loved his wife romantically; loved his family proudly; loved work diligently; loved nature passionately. He has left a strong legacy for us who have known and loved him, which will be remembered and treasured for generations to come.

“Thank you Lord for your generosity in giving this great man to show us the right way to love and live”.

Something's not right

I can't think of another time when God said that something that He had done was not good, but that's exactly what he said after he'd created Adam and then given him his assignment of cultivating and keeping the garden of Eden. "It is not good that man should be alone." God knew that for Adam to be successful and to fail in his work, he needed help.

And that's when He fashioned Eve from Adam's rib. God used the part of man's body that protected his most valuable and vulnerable organs from which to build a partner in ministry. He used the same word that David used to describe the Holy Spirit, our helper. On this Sunday I'll be talking about the importance of women in the life of every man. We would not be who we are and could not do what we do without women. Men and women both are made in the image of God. It takes a biblically balanced view of both sexes to understand God.

Cultivate and keep

Probably the question that I am asked more than any other is "What is my purpose in life?"
Especially after I say that we are all going to be asked by God "Did you do what I told you to do?"
We're given a couple of very strong clues as to what our purpose is in the first couple of chapters of Genesis. Genesis 1:26 and 27 says that Adam and Eve were both given an assignment to practise rulership. That hinted at the fact that we are in training for ultimate rulership.

Then in the next chapter of Genesis, Moses wrote that Adam's specific assignment was to cultivate the garden and to keep it (or protect; build a hedge around it) Cultivation has to do with his being fruitful, or accomplishing his assigned work. The assignment each of us are given has to do with our basic gift that was wired into each of us when we were conceived. It will relate to our family, our work and our ministry. Keeping (or protecting) has to do with our vigilant care and protection of that assignment from the invasive schemes of the enemy. I'll talk more about that in my message tomorrow.

Maureen turns 40?

One of my favourite people in this big world of 6 billion people is Maureen Reid. She is the lay-pastor who leads all the Art ministries in Northside church. Whether it's directing the choir, hosting an Art show, overseeing and producing a skit or a full scale drama, Maureen does what she's so gifted to do with cool grace. She also happens to be (along with Susan) one of my very favorite singers.

As I said at her suprise party, Maureen reminds me of John the Baptist. It was said of him that "when his disciple heard John speak, that they followed Jesus." (Most of us preachers would do well to emulate John's preaching motives.) As for Maureen, when we hear her sing on Sunday mornings, people tend to follow Jesus. There's no greater compliment.

Several of us were asked to roast Maureen, but couldn't think of any weaknesses we could kid her about. I think she may just be one of those angels the author of Hebrews wrote about that lives quietly among us to point us to God. I cried as I heard her and Greg's daughter eulogize her mom. There is no greater honor than for a daughter to desire to be exactly like her mom. (And Jessica is acheiving her aspirations!) Happy Birthday Maureen. We do love you and we really believe that you are only 40!

Hope for tomorrow

One of the saddest verses in the Bible is found in the book of Judges. It says that the new generation, after Joshua died, did not know the Lord. Joshua had been one of the greatest Bible heroes, but for whatever reason he did not teach his followers to pass on the Faith of our Fathers. A new generation grew up in relative peace, but with no knowledge of God. It isn't hard to guess how quickly they fell off the path into very dire circumstances.

I feel at my new age that one of my highest privileges is to pass on what I've learned to the new kids on the block. The older I get the more I am cognisant of the reality of the brevity of life. That's why I took more than half of my week to teach this bright group of young adults about how to grow a healthy church. These 8 men and women are all in their last year(s) of Pacific Life Bible College, and most of them are already serving as Children's or Youth pastors in their local churches. We had a fun time Monday through Friday leatrning why some churches continue growing while most others have put a lid on growth. I pray for continued enthusiasm and wisdom as each of them passionately pursue God's best intentions.

Happy Anniversary

Today (Wednesday - February 28) is Susan’s and my 38^th wedding anniversary. We were attending a friends’ wedding last week-end and were reminiscing with the others who were at our table about our own weddings.
Susan and I were married in February of 1969 largely because from the time she was a pre-teen, Susan had had her wedding thoroughly planned. She’d always imagined that her bridesmaids would be wearing red velvet dresses and come down the aisle of our church with white fur muffs on. She had the flowers chosen, the decorations preset, certain love songs to be sung on cue—all she needed was a guy to stand in the groom’s spot. Thankfully, that was me!

We first met in church. (That’s a great place to meet your prospective spouse.) She was a very mature 14 year old and I was a slowly budding 19 year old. A year later we had our first date. (I was so nervous that I had written a note listing several things that we could talk about—thankfully Susan was a good talker and I was a good listener!) A year after that we were engaged, and the following year we were married. Even though we were young, we knew that we wanted to spend the rest of our lives together--so why wait?

Here we are, 38 years, two children and six grandchildren later, and even more delighted than ever with the choice we both made. People have asked me, “What is the secret to a long and happy marriage!”

One day I’ll write a book about that important subject, but I can summarize it in the same three words we use to describe our church motto—knowing, growing and sowing.

In the church, the secret of success is our knowing God, growing in maturity by doing what we were created to do (like an apple tree that grows apples, a sheep who produces wool and a cow that makes milk, a successful person fulfills the purpose he was created by God to fulfill) and finally sowing, or giving away what we produce.

In marriage it’s very similar. It begins by getting to really know one another. It’s not about me—rather, it’s about the one I married. Who is she? What are her needs? What is her purpose? What fulfills her? The answers come to the man or woman who sincerely listens to their spouse.

Secondly, a healthy marriage continues by growing together. Don’t wish away your days by longing for the past or the future. Enjoy who you and she are today. We are constantly changing. A young married couple with no money, but with lots of hopes and dreams is a very different person than the 35 year old with a young family, too much work to do and a demanding mortgage.

The challenges of each phase of life are what press us out of our comfort zone into growth and maturity. Enjoy each decade for what it brings.

And finally¸ sow generously. True fulfillment comes through giving. “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” Give love, time and encouragement (whatever the moment calls for) generously. Don’t stop giving sacrificially to your wife—but expand your giving beyond your own family as you age. As the Psalmist wrote, “True happiness will follow a cup (life) that is not only full, but runs over to add to the fullness of others around him.”

Three little magic words – know, grow and sow will add wonder and happiness to our marriage relationships.

Angels all around us

Tomorrow in church I'll continue pulling back the curtains on the unseen world that God calls the heavenly places. We'll look at some of the zillions of angels that God has created to serve him and us. Someone asked me this week if we'll become angels when we die. The answer is "no". In truth, human beings are a higher order than angels are. They have been created by God as servants to minister to us. The author of Hebrews calls them "Ministering spirits".

I guess we could write a book on angels, but in brief there are a few different types mentioned in the Bible. The highest order of angels are called cherubim. Lucifer used to be the lead cherub before his fall, but there are at least 4 others who surround the throne of God. They are awesome creatures that Ezekiel describes by using terms such as "full of eyes" and "wheels inside of wheels". Jewish legends tell of their being 30 feet tall!

Then there is at least 1 Arch-Angel, whose name is Michael. His main job seems to be as the guardian of the Jewish people. Gabriel is the only other angel mentioned by name. He's the announcing angel, who with his trumpet and loud voice, makes proclamations for God. Seraphims seem to fall in line next . Isaiah describes them as having 6 wings and standing near to the holy presence of God.

Finally there are the millions times millions of angels who are encamped invisibly around every human. It seems we all have some who walk and ride with us every day. The Bible does not describe them, does not say they have wings, but does tell us that they can take on human form. Many of us have seen them and talked with them without even knowing it. Whenever they are seen in the Bible stories they are described as looking like men.

Alive and well

Don't you love it when you go for a physical check-up and the doctor gives you a good report! I do too. But I also love it when I put a stethascope to the body of Christ and I hear sounds of a healthy heart beat. Just in these past 2 days I've heard many stories which tell me the church is alive and well. I got so excited by a couple of testimonies today that I decided it would be good to publish a Good News Paper consisting of stories of how God loves to do good things for us. Keep your eye out for good reports and let me know so we can publish them, and then watch for our first issue.

Yesterday I was at the church, and came across 2 small groups of people praying for each other. I love that and so does our Father. I know its just a small reflection of all the prayer that's happening throughout the week. Then I saw another of our young adults teaching worship through dance to an enthusiastic group of young women. I didn't know we had a dance team, but I did suggest that they dance for God some Sunday morning soon. Then as I went to my car I met another man, who'd stopped by the food bank to pick up some sweets. He told me that daily he goes down to the front of PoCo City Hall to meet with street people. Up to a dozen come to him every day and receive Starbucks coupons and a treat. I left the church feeling so good about the life that is eminating from the Body-- what a treat it is for me to serve this living church!

Winter Wonderland

One of the most priceless gifts that anyone can have on earth is good friends. Susan and I thank God for his generosity in giving people such as Vern and Diane to add joy to our lives. This week we were invited, for my birthday, to join our dear friends up at their home on Big White Mountain. This has got to be one of the most beautiful havens in our magnificent province. We're not skiiers, or much else that involves too much energy, but there are tons of things to do on the snow-capped paradise.

I snapped a couple of pictures to share with any who care (not to make you envious, but to give due honor to our genius Creator) One is of the trees and snow, another of "snow ghosts", that appear as a result of snow icing the trees, and the 3rd of a couple of very beautiful snow bunnies whom I managed to get to pose for me (Susan and Diane if you didn't recognize them in their duds)

Count the stars

Today I've been preparing my sermon for Sunday. I work on a year at a time to determine where I am leading the church, but then each week I decide on Wednesday how much of the big picture I will unveil. On Saturday I nail my message down and add illustrations and an application. My message for this week is a huge concept-- We're opening up the invisible realm to peek inside and see the things that God is planning for the Church. Wow! I'm overwhelmed!

The thought that came to me which I'll use in my introduction was the scene when Jesus and Abraham were talking about God's plans for his future family. All Abraham could see was that he had no son. In his mind he was asking, "How can God even suggest that He has plans for my family when my wife can't even give me a child!" That was as far as he could see.

Jesus was not frustrated by Abraham's short-sightedness. He simply took him outside and told him to look at the stars. At that time Abe would have seen about 5000 stars with his naked eyes (no pollution!) Jesus said to him "Your spiritual descendants will be as many as the stars of the heavens!" Abraham must have said "Wow, I was thinking far too small, but now I understand!"

Wrong Abraham! He may have seen 5000 stars but the fact was that there are at least 3 thousand, million, billion stars. (That's a 3 with 16 zeroes) Like Father Abraham, we think we've got a picture of what life is all about, but we way under-estimate the dimensions of God's plans. As Paul wrote "Eyes have not seen nor has ear heard the things that God has prepared for those who love Him." Now do you see the dilemma that I face tomorrow as I attempt to pull back the veil on God's plans for us? It's going to be a fun challenge.

PLBC Banquet

I was so impressed with my Alma Mater on Saturday evening when Susan and I went to the annual Valentines Banquet. We've come a long ways baby! I graduated with about 5 other young adults back in 1971 from what is now known as Pacific Life Bible College. Although I think I got a pretty good education, compared to todays school and student body we were pretty unsophistocated. The students that performed in music and drama were both talented and hilariously funny. We were well entertained.

And the food was awesome. Thanks to the staff and students for a wonderfully romantic Valentine celebration. This picture is of the couple who won the best dress-up prize. Believe me it wasn't fixed, but this handsome couple just happen to be my nephew Randall and his wife Suzanne. The theme of the evening was Hawaii so we all were asked to come in our vacation clothes.

The kicker was that if we bought a $10.00 rose for our sweetheart, we had a chance to have our name drawn for a hundred dollar dinner out. I realize that my brother is the President of the Bible College, but again, just because Susan and I won the big prize doesn't mean that the winners were predetermined!

I was a bad boy

That's what the lady behind the counter at the passport office told me this week. Susan and I got my passport application filled out and signed, had my pictures taken and then we quickly drove out to the Surrey Passport Office to get in the long line-up. After 3 1/2 hours of patient waiting, I finally got up to the nice lady behind the booth. She looked over my meticulously filled out documents and asked, "Where are your tickets?" She went on to explain that I could not have my passport extended without tickets in hand. I would have go home, purchase tickets and return another day!

So home we went. The problem was that I have had a few problems with my passports. Two have gone through the wash and one was stolen during our trip to Spain last year. The government saw me with my record of loss as some kind of a terrorist, so they would only issue me a passport for one year at a time. Then you can only travel to a foreign destination if you have 6 months left on your passport. W e are planning to be away about 3 times in the next few months so Susan ordered tickets for all 3 trips.

Tickets in hand I returned to the Passport office on Wednesday morning. After waiting in line again, I stood before another stern-faced clerk. She looked over my records, first of all handed me back my application and pictures, saying "You don't need these!", and then she said very seriously, "You are a bad boy. You'll be very lucky if they even renew your passport. I'm taking your passport and you probably won't get it back till June."

I left the building head hanging in shame, without my passport to freedom. I should never have gone there in the first place. I guess I'll be home for a while.

Staff/Council Summit

There were about 30 of us who set aside this one day to be inspired, stimulated and encouraged by God in Northside's Annual Staff/Council Summit meeting. Our staff meets regularly to talk and pray about the vision, plans and programs of the church; and our 9 member council meet monthly to think together about the facilities and finances. Then, of course we all do our own things over the days in between-- but every-time I hear all the good stuff that's going on I wish we could all have the benefit and joy that we who are present get to have. So that is the reason we spend this important day together.

After I shared some of my own vision and thoughts, Pastor Rebecca spent an hour or so teaching some invaluable leadership/followership principles. I was amazed at how much we learned together about vision, planning and shifting with the culture of our day. Once again I was wishing that all 500 or so of our workers and volunteers could have been there. Finally, before lunch we broke into small groups of matching interests and analysed our ministies, what are we doing well and how could we do better?

At lunch, served by a very gracious family of godly servants, Pastor Gord surprised me with a birthday card and gift from the group, and a delicious birthday cake. It could not have been a better or more profitable way to spend our day. I left there brimming with Godly pride in our church family and humility regarding the assignment we have been entrusted with.

Masters Commission

I've had a fun time these last 2 days doing what I love to do. The Masters Commission is a hands- on discipleship and ministry training program that runs alongside our Pacific Life Bible College. At least a couple of our Canadian Foursquare churches offer this intense practical program. Students usually board with church families, take intensive courses, while at the same time doing a whole variety of practical ministries in the church. It's a very worthwhile 1 to 3 years, much like Jesus put his own 12 disciples through.

My assignment has been to teach the entire Old Testament in 3 days. I couldn't imagine a better or more fun thing to do, but what made it even more enjoyable for me was this particular group of enthusiastic young adults. The students were from Canada, Guatamela, USA and as far away as Brazil. What a delight I've had getting to know them. I will try to finish the rest of the OT next Thursday.

Kristy moves up another year

It's amazing to me how fast time flies by--it accelerates as we zip through each decade. Our second daughter Kristy turns 34 this week. Wasn't it just last week that we brought her home from the hospital. Kelly was only 15 months old at the time and she had no intentions of sleeping through the night. What were we going to do with two of them? I said to Susan at the time "If you take care of Kristy at night, I'll handle Kelly." What a mistake that was! Kristy slept through the night almost immediately, while Kelly demanded my attention for months to come!

Kristy was a delight to raise; a little challenging from about 11 to 15, but a breeze after that! She completed Grade 10 piano as a young girl, taught up to 52 students music, while attending university full time; paid all of her own way, and graduated by 22 with a teaching degree. She married her childhood sweetheart, Jeremy, that year and they've been happily maturing since then.

Now 12 years and 3 children later, Kristy not only is a mom, teaches at school and is the President of our 60 student Wee College, but she also serves as Lay pastor of our Kids Church, Nursery to Primary ministry. Wow, I'm tired thinking about it! And besides all that she is one of the two best daughters in the world!

Yesterday after church our family celebrated both, her and their 3rd child, Jordan's birthdays. Because Jordy is one of my helpers in any building projects I undertake, Susan and I bought him a tool box and many real tools (at 3 he's ready to graduate from his plastic tools--but I am a little worried about this hammer and their glass coffee table!) "Kristy and Jordan, my prayer is that both of you will continue to walk and work in the sunshine of God's love and in the protection of his strength!" Happy birthday.

We're going to Israel

One of my life-long dreams has been to go to Israel. I've been teaching the Bible stories for over 40 years, have been describing the sights, smells, sounds and feel of the land over and over, but Susan and I have never been there.

This last year Jack Hayford announced that our International Foursquare Convention would be held in Israel, so I suggested to my beautiful wife that we try to go. And that was when the fighting started--in Israel that is. All summer the missles sailed back and forth between enemies. It was in October, when the battle subsided, that Pastor Jack reaffirmed that the Convention was still on, with a money back guarantee if we can't go because of imminent danger.

The dates of the actual Convention are July 22 to 25, 2007. But there is a choice of 5 tour options in the package. If you are interested in joining us on a tour (ours will go from July 19 to July 29) please call the church for info and registration forms. Juliet Martinson has offered to help with the dispensing of any information. Her number is 604 461 2670. All who want to join Susan and I on our tour are welcome to, or you can make your own plans. Whatever way, we are going to have a memorable walk down some of the same trails as Jesus walked 2000 years ago.

Miracles

It's not often that we see genuine miracles face to face. Or maybe we just don't recognize them when we do, but this week I witnessed at least 3!

On Tuesday night I was invited by Alpha Canada to do some videoing for an Alpha commercial they are putting together for churches in Canada. A generous donor had given a significant amount of money to do some necessary promotion, so a film crew were hired from Toronto to travel across the country taping testimonies of what Alpha has meant to them. We had gathered 3 young men, at the church, and then there was me.

When I finished my interview, I sat and listened to the 3 guys tell their stories. Wow! What an inspiration to hear! Fatty is an Indian by family and raised in the Sikh culture and religion, but had strayed into the grip of alcoholism and drugs. His boss attends our church and because I was teaching on the 12 steps, asked him to come to church with him and his family. Fatty came, was deeply affected by the services and quickly enrolled in the Alpha program which was just beginning. He told how welcome he'd felt, how he quickly responded to the Gospel, received the Holy Spirit's fulness and has seen miracle change in his life. He's been freed from addictions, his marriage has been renewed and he has an obvious joy that he cannot keep to himself! He now attends an Indian fellowship in Abbotsford.

Cam is only 17. No one in his family has ever attended church or talked about God, but when his friend Jordan invited him to Alpha to sit at a Youth table, he said "yes". A year later with a huge grin on his face, Cam told how he received Jesus, has invited his friends to church, teaches Kids Church, and co-leads a youth Alpha table. I've marked this kid for Bible School; he's a rising Pastor!

I loved listening to Carl. Neither I nor the others who were listening, could hold back the tears as he described his journey from atheism to evangelism. His wife, who had just finished Alpha herself and had become a believer, challenged Carl, "How can you say you're an Atheist when you don't even know what Christians believe?" With that Carl came to Alpha and a few weeks into it, became a deeply committed Christian. I had the privilege of baptising him a few weeks later. A week after his baptism Carl was serving as an usher and I remarked how great it was to see him serving. With that, he joked that in a few weeks he'd be after my job! I loved it.

Thank God for Alpha and our dozens of enthusiastic leaders and workers!