Who Goes There?
This past weekend, I attended "Ignite the Light," a church conference sponsored by the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada. I thoroughly enjoyed most of the speakers, and it was fun running into some people that I didn't expect to see there. Among the speakers were Ravi Zacharias (world renowned apologeticist) and David Macfarlane (former pastor at Waterloo Mennonite Brethren, where I occasionally attended). In the finally session of the event, Macfarlane told a story that I will repeat to you:

A rabbi went out for a walk in his communist-era Russian village. Before he knew it, a heavy fog descended on the area, and he became quite disoriented. Soon, he walked into a de-militarized zone, and a soldier saw him. The soldier pointed his gun at the rabbi, and shouted, "Halt! Who are you? What are you doing here?" The rabbi thought for a moment and replied, "I would like to pay you twice what you are earning, to ask me that question every day for the rest of my life."

While I think self-reflection is always a good thing, I've felt more prone to do so lately, so here are some of my thoughts (note that often my "What am I doing here?" section should almost be called "What am I supposed to be doing?" or "What am I trying and/or failing to do?").
Who am I? - Will Loewen, adherent to the teachings of Jesus, with leanings toward Anabaptist understandings of the Scriptures.
What am I doing here? - Trying to advance the kingdom of God, preaching good news to all people, living good news, with a realization of the constraints this world places on us. (In theory at least)
Who am I? - Youth pastor in small-town Ontario, part-time university student, Canadian citizen, hockey fan, novelist, playwright.
What am I doing here? - Offering support and leadership to youth and youth programming, studying religions, literature and peace, cherishing the luxury of life in this great nation, enjoying life through sport when possible, attempting to write a publishable novel, writing two plays with the intention of them being performed publicly at some point.
Who am I? - Son, brother, uncle, friend, boyfriend.
What am I doing here? - Showing my love for my family by offering support whenever called upon, being a listening ear, a comfortable presence, a provider of laughs, generally basking in the glorious presence of Ana Fretz. (She was worried that I hadn't mentioned her specifically here yet, so those of you who are not privileged to the appropriate gossip circles now know. Any embarrassment on her part is deserved. )

   [ posted by William @ 9:51 PM ]