The Pilgrimage

“Better is one day in Your courts than a thousand elsewhere”

— Psalm 84:10

Following Christ is a journey. In my previous blog, I wrote about God revealing Himself in our “journey” moments. As I walk into 2024, I continue to think about the journey we all are on as we follow Him. Through much reflection, I’ve come to realize that our only destination on this journey is when we get to be with Jesus in eternity. Every other “destination-like” milestone is just a pit stop along the way. 

This is a challenging concept for me to understand because I love the idea of “being done”. As a list-maker, my favourite thing to do is to complete everything I’ve planned. Both in my work and personal life, I have mental and physical lists of tasks and goals that I strive to complete in a timely manner. I often find myself determined to get things done because I don’t like having a running list of things to do. 

The setback with this type of thinking is that it doesn’t translate well when applied to a relationship with Christ. As stated in my previous blog, I often get disheartened when God puts me through trials because, a) I feel far and set-back from my self-identified destination, and b) I have another “thing” to unpack, process, and endure. 

In this idea of “journeys” and trials, I was taking a Psalms class in school. We were examining Pilgrimage Psalms which are about Pilgrims who journeyed to the temple in Jerusalem yearly.[1] Tremper Longman argues that these journeys are both physical and spiritual since they were going to the place where “heaven met earth”.[2]

While sitting with this concept, God reminded me of the Pilgrimage Psalm, Psalm 84; specifically, verse 10 which reads,“Better is one day in Your courts than a thousand elsewhere”. In some seasons, I often want to discontinue the call the Lord has given me because of the challenges it comes with; or I try to power through the intense emotions that are tied to trials in order to “get over” it. Yet, every time I face these sentiments, the Lord reminds me of this verse and the endurance of the Pilgrims. They stayed the course to the temple amidst climate barriers, physical obstacles, and spiritual battles. They knew that they had to endure the course and walk the path that got them there. Each day, they faced the challenges and the joys that came their way and kept going. They knew that it was better to walk the path that led to His courts than it was to live a thousand “better” days outside of Him. 

We are called to endure the ongoing struggles that are associated with being a disciple. I’ve had to learn that as we follow Christ, we can’t take the approach of a “list” mindset that strives to “check off” all the challenges so we can finally be done putting in the work. The Pilgrims faced the challenge of travelling to the temple yearly. They did whatever it took, regardless of the weather or how they felt, and didn’t stop after one year of doing it.

Consequently, there will never be a day when I’ll be “done” refining my character and growing deeper in my relationship with Christ. Regardless of what I achieve or where God takes me, I won’t ever get to a place where I can sit back and look at my “to-do” list with the Lord and have nothing there. Nevertheless, He reminds me that it’s OK because we aren’t supposed to be “there”. God hasn’t called us to be perfect or to have it all together. Therefore, the more I fight these experiences and have a “checklist” mindset that strives to get things done, the less I learn and experience God along the way. 

Then, what is being a disciple of Christ? For me, in this season, it’s that our true destination is eternity with Him. As long as we are on this earth, we will never truly “arrive”; and even if we think we have because we achieved a goal or a specific life stage, it’s just a brief pit-stop along the way in light of the Kingdom that is before us. Though we aren’t pilgrims walking towards the temple, we are disciples journeying our way to be with Him in eternity. We are called to walk daily in His presence regardless of what is thrown our way because it is better to persevere one day in His courts than to have a thousand “perfect” days without Him. 

Outreach Worker Perspective: Journey in the Process

After completing my first full year of KIC, EPIC, and Sonshine Day Camp, I look back with overflowing gratitude. Before onboarding the TCM team, I wasn’t sure how everything would pan out. Jesse Ketchum was a new site, I was a new staff member, I would be working with an entirely new team, and doing my first ministry job. However, in all of this, I have seen how God works in the journey.

When we first started programs in 2022, we ranged from two to eight kids. On top of that, not many of our kids came from Christian homes. Therefore, when teaching the Bible, it was a struggle to keep their attention. I would often sit in our weekly staff gatherings and hear about how many more kids other sites had and hear about all the incredible God-centred conversations they would have and wonder if we would ever get there. Summer Camp then came around and our numbers began to go up. We were averaging 12-17 kids a week and teaching Bible became easier. We also found out that our kids love worship. It got to a point where they would ask to play worship songs during their free time so that they could dance. On top of that, I also was growing. I better understood the role of an outreach worker and what it meant to build relationships with families and the community. In those moments, I was already so thankful for the work God was doing.

Then Sonshine Day Camp came back around in 2023. This time, we had a full staffing team of six people and averaged 25-34 kids a week with a running waitlist. To say that I was surprised was an understatement. We went from having an attendance of eight kids wondering if we would ever have more, to having a list so long that we had to make a wait list. Beyond the numbers, we were standing by  TCM’s mission statement by targeting families who were either new to Canada or expressed a need for free programming. 

In all of this, I learned that God works in the journey. Oftentimes, I want things immediately and become disheartened when it doesn’t happen. An example of this was when we opened programs and we didn’t have upwards of 15 kids right away. When the kids were not that interested in our Bible lessons, I felt hopeless. When it felt like we were working overtime to promote our programs to the community and not get a response, it was discouraging. But what I didn’t realize at the time was that God doesn't always answer prayers with immediate results. Sometimes, we have to run the course to see the fruit of our labour; and sometimes, running the course is hard. There will be days when we don’t feel like running, or days when all the work we do seems pointless. I’ve realized that this testimony isn’t about the number of attendees but about God’s faithfulness. Specifically, it’s in these “journeys” that He teaches and refines us. As we wait on Him and wonder what He’s doing, He continues to show us where we need to grow. I’ve learned to enjoy these “journey” seasons because I now know that He is preparing something for us that is much greater than we can ever think, ask, or imagine (Ephesians 3:20). Therefore, I believe that we are called to fix our eyes on the One who has called us to serve His people and allow Him to strengthen us in our “down and out” moments, so we can see the promise that is to come. 

“Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep His promise.”

— Hebrews 10:23

The Desires of the Heart

“Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.”

— Psalm 37:4

As 2022 ended, I reflected upon all the incredible things God showed me in the past year. I learned that Sonshine Day Camp is my absolute favourite season, He reminded me that I love teaching the kids the Bible, and He even pointed out that I need to be better in the kitchen through our cooking activities. Yet, beyond all that, in His kindness, He revealed my passions to me and what I hope to do someday.  

The questions that arose after this realization were “how do I get there?” and “are these ideas too impractical?”. God has done this incredible thing by enlightening me with dreams and aspirations that I’m passionate about but didn’t give me a map or blueprint on how to get there. 

But it was in a moment of worship with the children where I was reminded that God is in full control of my future. The song Never Let Go of Me by Lifetree Kids is a song that we sing during our KIC program; and this time, when we sang it, it was so evident that God was speaking to me through its lyrics. 

“Cleared up my mind when You erased all doubt You made me strong when I was weak / You rescued me…

…You are the God who holds / my future, all my dreams so I am holding on / You never let go of me”.

Upon hearing these lyrics, I started to dig deeper into this idea of “dreams” and “desires”. I asked the question, “does God simply give us whatever we want?”. Psalms 37:4 says that he gives us the desires of our hearts; so, does this mean that if we desire luxury items or highly regarded positions He will give them to us? Tremper Longman in his commentary on the Psalms looks at Psalms 37:4 and poses this argument,

“[The] one who delights in the Lord will have desires that conform to God’s will for their lives. God will grant what they request”. (Longman III, 2014). 

As I read this, I learned that my job is to delight in the Lord. When my doubt starts to discourage me and I think my desires are too grand, my job is to delight in the Lord. When it feels like God is taking me the long way to what I think my God-given aspirations are, my job is to delight in Him. When my life starts to unfold differently than I expected, my job is to sit in the throne room and delight in the Father. Why? Because not only is He the one who holds my dreams but the one who gives them to me. 

So, delight in the Lord and allow Him to give you the desires of your heart. Delight in the Lord and let Him erase the doubt you have in His timing. Delight in the Lord and trust that he will mould and refine your God-given dream as it aligns with His perfect will. Delight in the Lord because He is both the giver and the holder of your future and all your dreams.

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 ¹ Tremper Longman III. (2014). Psalms : An Introduction and Commentary. IVP Academic. p. 177

Outreach Worker Perspective: God is at Work

Jason was one of the first children to join Jesse Ketchum with his younger brother when we started the KIC programs in January 2022.

KIC is an afterschool program where children have the opportunity to hear the life-changing news of the gospel, some for the first time. Jason is one of our students who was introduced to the gospel through our programs. In addition, one of TCM’s core values is relationship building. Consequently, as the children engage with their Outreach Workers and volunteers, they are exposed to people whose lives have been transformed by the gospel.

Jason is an artistic and creative thinker. He likes to draw and colour during his free time and enjoys passionately sharing things he is excited about to his peers. In addition, he also loves gym games and is not shy about being around other kids and joining in on activities with them. 

Through Jason is often a lively kid, Abi (Outreach Worker at Jesse-Ketchum) realized that he does not like praise and worship or listening to Bible lessons. She often finds that he is not attentive to the Bible lesson as he hides behind chairs, or sits away from the group. Earlier last year, he mentioned that he “hates God” but then quickly said he was joking.

However, One day in October 2022, Jason had a change of heart and began becoming more curious about the Bible lesson and participating in praise and worship. One day the Bible lesson was about God’s promises to the prophets of the Bible. Jason was actively listening and participating in the discussion. He asked questions about the trinity, specifically, the Holy Spirit, and how we can talk to God personally. He also began to request specific worship songs and danced and sang along. One day, Jason’s dad asked us for a list of worship songs we sing during KIC because he noticed that his sons were singing them at home. His favourite song is "A Million Reasons” by Lifetree Kids. 

Abi and Karen were surprised with Jason’s change of heart. Seeing him enjoy worship along with the other kids brought them joy and encouragement. Their goal is to integrate worship music in all parts of the program so the children are exposed to it even in “non-worship” environments. Further, we hope that Jason and his brother minister to their parents by continuing to listen to the songs at home. Specifically, that their parents will hear the lyrics and begin to think about the meaning behind them and wonder about the God that their children are singing about. This shows us that although we are ministering to children, they are bringing the Gospel home and have the power to influence their parents. 

Through this experience, we witnessed God’s working power even when we don’t see results right away. Although we cannot pinpoint exactly what the switch was with Jason.  We are thankful that God opened his heart to have the desire to learn about Him and bring His presence home through music.

God Promises to Take Care of All Your Needs

In my most recent blog I wrote about answering “The Call” from God, reflecting on Moses’s hesitation as he dwelled on all the reasons why he couldn’t obey instead of trusting that God would strengthen him. In the season I was in when I wrote the blog,  I was Moses. When God flips the switch on your life and calls you into ministry instead of the career path that you envisioned for yourself, it can be incredibly challenging to choose obedience. 

Like Moses, my days were spent focusing on all the reasons why I couldn’t be in vocational ministry. In spite of my mindset, I made the leap. Then, when I was faced with challenges that seemed to confirm my doubts, I once again allowed myself to believe that this wasn’t for me. What I wish I realized at the time was that God was on the other side making sure that all the needs I had were going to be met.

This season, TCM’s curriculum theme is ‘The Promises of God’; one of God’s promises to us is that He will supply all our needs. Scripture points to this in Genesis 45:16-28, through the story of Joseph. Joseph had eleven brothers; but Joseph differed from them because he was favoured by his father. Alongside that, God had also given him dreams about being a great leader who his family would all bow down to. Joseph’s brothers didn’t like that so they sold him into slavery out of jealousy. Joseph likely felt a multitude of emotions as the people who were the closest to him envied God’s desires for him. However, in spite of all of this, he stayed faithful to God and the environment that he was placed in. The story ends in Joseph being able to interpret the dreams of the Pharaoh which led him to being a great leader in the house he worked in. Further, because of his gift of interpreting dreams, he also was the reason why the people of the land had food to eat during the famine that arose years later. 

Joseph had many reasons to not trust God in providing all his needs. He was sold into slavery by his brothers and faced endless challenges in the years he was held captive. It would have been easy to take a look at his life and focus all on the things that weren’t going right- but Joseph stayed faithful to God and knew that He would take care of him.

When you first answer the call, there are so many questions on how things will come together and how God will manage to make it work; but know that in accepting the call, you’re also accepting the promise that God will provide everything you need. Like Joseph’s story, it might not come in the way you imagined, but it will be in a way that pushes you to trust Him. That’s the beauty of God. He doesn’t just send you to places to fend for yourself, but He sees every aspect of your life and little by little reveals the things you need at the right time. Therefore, as you learn to trust Him and His provision, you begin to see that our God is not one to break promises. 

This is the hope I have for the children and families that we serve at TCM; that they would be so aware of God’s love and character that they would know that He is not one to lie. Specifically, that this knowledge of God taking care of all their needs won’t be a statement that is simply told to them, but one that they can trust and confidently rely on. 

If I could go back and tell myself what I know now, I’d say, “answer the call because God will provide”. It isn’t easy in the moments where provision isn’t in sight, but rest knowing that God keeps His promises. In this season of trusting, He’s given me the best ministry experience with the best team, and an incredible outreach worker- but beyond that, He’s shown me a depth in my relationship with Him that I have never experienced before. 

The one take away from this blog would be that God is a God who does not lie; so, His promise to meet all our needs is one that He will not go back on.

“God is not human, that he should lie, not a human being, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill?”

— Number 23:19