Book Review: Singles at the Crossroads

Singles at the Crossroads, A Fresh Perspective on Christian Singleness,
by Albert Y. Hsu

One day on my Facebook newsfeed, I read the words,

Rebecca thinks everyone (including all those "marrieds") should read "Singles at the Crossroads.

I fell for it!

I was frustrated by the first half of the book as it connected Scripture passages that aren't necessarily connected and used The Message to prove theology.

Hsu wants singles to feel "normal" and not special in any way. He equates singleness AND marriage, when it is obvious in the Bible that singleness is a gift of a better way.

The problems of singles and marrieds are the problems of human nature: temptation, loneliness, worldliness, selfishness.

Truth be told, Paul said he wished everyone could be single, but agreed that it would be better to marry that special someone than to fornicate. And the apostle DID say that singleness is a gift. Hsu complicated this concept, and I'm not sure why!

Just because you are single, doesn't mean you have the gift. The Bible presumes the most common state is going to be married, but is up front about a special group of singles that are eunuchs for the Kingdom.

This book carries a victim mentality, and is obviously written to placate singles who are unhappy and wishing they were married, assuming this will solve their issues of loneliness, isolation, lack of deeper companionship and personal significance.

The second half of the book picks up and, while it dwells far too much on what mainstream media is promoting, it does have some good advice for those who are struggling in their singlehood:

1. Serve God.
2. Get involved in a church!
3. Stop focussing on dating and romance.
4. Fight loneliness with friendships.
5. Slow down and learn to be alone with the Saviour.

Media Release: Harbour House Grand Opening & BBQ - TOMORROW!

MEDIA ADVISORY FOR Tuesday, August 19th, 2008, 11:00 am

SOULS HARBOUR RESCUE MISSION, in partnership with MELROSE PLACE NORTH and the AFFINTY CREDIT UNION, to host the OFFICIAL GRAND OPENING OF HARBOUR HOUSE!
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Come join us in a Celebration Barbeque, for the opening and dedication of this 30 suite affordable housing initiative!
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WHAT: This is the official opening of Harbour House: a low-income 30 suite apartment building complex. The morning’s agenda will include a variety of guest dignitaries, a ribbon cutting ceremony, and a fellowship barbeque to follow at noon.

WHO: This event is open to all media, Harbour House residents, all project relevant trades people, and the public in general.

WHEN: Tuesday, August 19th,2008 – 11:00 am
(Media can arrive at 10:00 am for a private Harbour House tour, and early interviews)

WHERE: 1610 Angus Street, Regina, Saskatchewan –
(If raining, location to be moved to Good News Chapel at 1380 Elphinstone St.

WHY: “Harbour House” is the end product of a collective vision, through the partnering of various levels of government, individuals, groups and organization, to address the need for affordable housing here in the City of Regina. We will also be announcing our Affinity Endowment Fund, a joint initiative to provide educational assistance to the residents of Harbour House.

PHOTO/INTERVIEW OPPORTUNITIES:

• 10:00 am – Harbour House is open to media only(suites available for viewing as well.) Current residents can talk about what having a place of their own means to them.
• Honourable Donna Harpauer, Minister of Social Services
• Chris Lygouriatas of Melrose Place North (catering and preparation of the BBQ)
• Affinity Credit Union personal including the following: Kevin Haas, Manager of the Scarth St Branch and Barb Rasmussen, Manager of the Hill Ave and Rochdale Branches
• Rev Ken & Michelle Porter, Founding Directors of Souls Harbour RESCUE Mission can talk about the continuum of care Souls Harbour provides to Regina’s less fortunate.

Souls Harbour RESCUE Mission is in its 18th year of operation, and is an amalgamation of Souls Harbour Soup Kitchen, and Regina RESCUE Mission’s Recovery Programs. We now offer a full continuum of care in our 6 facilities, providing food, clothing and shelter, life changing programs and the Gospel Message to those in need.

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From Rory Allen's Website

July 25th (Friday) – Rory Allen will be joining many other talented Canadian Performing Artists for the 2nd Annual Fix-Beug Souls Harbour Rescue Mission Fundraiser. This event was a huge success last year and sure to be sold out again. To be held at the residence of Sandy Beug and Karl Fix in Regina, SK, the goal is to top the $15,000 raised last year to benefit Souls Harbour Rescue Mission in Regina.

Most of last year’s entertainers will again donate their services for this community event. As well, there will be a few new additions - here is what the lineup is looking like so far:

Host - CTV's Corner Gas star Lorne Cardinal, Regina’s Juno award winning vocalist/guitarist Jack Semple and family, country recording star Sheila Deck, Russian born violinist and Regina Symphony concert master Eduard Minevich , Regina vocalist, songwriter and guitar player Sam Minevich, Regina vocalist and guitar sensation Dan Silljer, Saskatchewan cowboy poets Ken and Slim Mitchell, renowned Cuban pianist Liana Fernandez, Toronto singer/songwriter Cheri Maracle (who was a finalist in the Canadian Aboriginal Music Awards), Vancouver singer/songwriter James Thomas, Regina vocalist Lisa Welder, Regina vocalist Mason Beug, Moose jaw vocalist Gary Gould, and Regina's legendary musicians Don Young, Bruce Conley, Arnie Davis, Gary Dunitz and Keith Bomphray, and, of course, Rory Allen! Together they form an all-star cast, performing from a wide range of musical genres.

Ticket price is $75/person. This admission fee includes entertainment, along with all your food and drink. The event runs from 6:00pm to 11:00pm.

All cheques should be made payable to “Souls Harbour Rescue Mission” (you will be issued a tax receipt by them.)

There will only be 250 tickets printed - put in your request by mailing your cheque, made payable “Souls Harbour Rescue Mission”, to: East End Dental, 2069 Park Street, Regina, Sask., S4N-6S2. Please ensure that you have included a mailing address so tickets, and later, receipts, can be sent.

Click here to see pictures from last year’s event.

Second Annual Chili Night

Chili dinner a fundraiser for Regina's Souls Harbour
Regina Leader-Post
Braden Husdal

REGINA -- A meal of chili and rice isn't often associated with private parties and a night of high-quality entertainment.

That thought might soon change though, thanks to the second installment of the Souls Harbour Rescue Mission fundraiser, hosted by Karl Fix and his wife Sandra Beug in their Regina home.

The fundraiser is a $75 per ticket evening with 100 per cent of the proceeds going towards the Souls Harbour Rescue Mission. According to Fix, the night has been sold out for months already thanks in part to the success of the 2007 event, which helped raise $15,000.

"We call it a chili night and we feel it's more appropriate because a lot of times people go out and there's fine dining and all that, but for the people at Souls Harbour, chili is a good meal," said Fix, the marketing force behind the event. "As much as the night is a fundraiser where people can have fun, we also want it to raise awareness for the organization."

Besides the dinner, guests at the fundraiser are being treated to an evening of musical entertainment which is scheduled to begin around 5:30 and finish up at midnight. The musical guests are from a wide variety of genres that include Regina Juno Award winner Jack Semple, acclaimed vocalist Rory Allen, country star Sheila Deck and Regina Symphony Orchestra concert master Eduard Minevich.

Fix and Beug have received a permit from the City of Regina to construct a stage in the park behind their house, allowing guests to enjoy the entertainment while in the spacious backyard or from the balconies of the residence.

Fix said that more than 250 tickets have been sold to Friday evening's fundraiser and he has already had to turn down approximately 80 requests for additional tickets. The total amount of people at the event will be around 350 because musicians' families as well as the families of those preparing the meal will get in for free.

"Next year we're looking to scale back the number of tickets and raise the price to about $150," said Fix. "As much as it's a great thing to have this many people out, we're kind of worried that it might have an effect on our house."

Besides the money raised for the Souls Harbour Rescue Mission, a truck will be parked outside for guests to drop off donations of foods or practical goods. Since Souls Harbour and the Regina Rescue Mission combined their services, a need for many household items has arisen.

"We compiled a list of items needed and Karl sent it out along with the tickets," said Michelle Porter, the executive director of the Souls Harbour Rescue Mission. "Some people are surprised to learn that we're now more than a soup kitchen and that awareness is another reason why the event is so important."

The volunteers preparing and serving the chili for Friday evening are from Beug's workplace, Eastend Dental. She and her employees are taking the day off to prepare so that the evening goes ahead without a hitch.

"This whole fundraiser was my wife's idea from the start and I'm just doing the best I can to help her out," said Fix. "She wants to help people and this fundraiser is a good way to do that."

Humility

We've been discussing attitude on the Joy Club. That's our missionary staff e-list. It's pretty tough to have a good attitude when you haven't humbled yourself, removing your pride, setting aside assumptions, and putting on a sweater of love. You know, that warm feeling of aloha. (Yes, still wishing I were back there!)


Imagine if I come to you, and tell you there's a small scab on your face that needs to be picked off. But as I approach, you hear me saying the words, but you can't believe it. My face is oozing with puss and cuts; I'm a bloody mess and it looks like I haven't tended to my wounds in days. But here I am telling you to clean up the little dried up scab on your cheek. You can barely even understand what I'm saying because this hideous deformation is so distracting.

You know, as horrid as it sounds, that is the example Christ was setting for us when he told us not to judge each other beyond what we are willing to first change about ourselves. He said to take the beam that is sticking out of our eye OUT before complaining about the sliver in someone elses' eye.

How do we do this? By humbling ourselves. By admitting that we are not perfect, and by checking that our motives are right when we approach one another about a flaw. It's about loving the other person closer to Jesus.

For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith. -Romans 12:3

Go Riders! Go Geri!

SUGGESTION:
Pay tribute to Geri the
founder. Picture?
Brief History
She was so Great -
along with God they were Real

PS. I felt this could have
been a Rider dinner --
not so much
emphasis
on them!

We had a note put into the offering basket at our annual Love Your Neighbour Fund Raising Banquet in May. It was a wonderful time, with full sponsorship and great attendance! I'm sad that Miss Mystery did not see how we acknowledged Geri during the event, and in case others feel we are dishonouring her wonderful heritage, I wanted to share a bit of my heart about Geri.

I didn't know Geri very well, but the one thing I knew was that she heard the voice of God, and obeyed. Starting from it's humble beginnings in 1990 with a prayer, a pot of coffee, and a few wooden milk crates for chairs, she established this ministry as the main source of help for the hungry in Regina.

I am honoured to follow in her footsteps, and to take over her leadership since she went to be with the Lord. I often think what a big responsibility it is to fill her shoes. Geri overcame so many personal obstacles in her life and yet gave all she had to Jesus.

I remember each time I would see her in her office, she offered to pray with me. She asked how I was and how the ministry of the Regina RESCUE Mission was doing. Geri truly was a servant and I am thankful our two works have combined to become the Souls Harbour RESCUE Mission. And how wonderful to have her son, Donovan, be a central part of her legacy by serving as our Chief Operating Officer and my partner in leading this Mission.

So, yes, Geri was a very real person. And we continue her legacy by feeding over 100,000 each year at the Geri Carroll Hope Centre. If you are ever interested in helping us give food and hope to the poor, please contact Aaron, our Emergency Services Manager, who served under Geri's leadership.

Be Wary of Spiritual Disciplines

Today Ken preached from the book of Matthew, focussing on spiritual disciplines of reading the Bible, fasting, and prayer, and the fact that we are promised rewards for doing this. He encouraged us to join the "Chapter a Day" club, because even reading one small chapter a day from the Bible will have huge payoffs in our lives.

One thing that caught my attention is how Ken focussed in on three main disciplines. As we walked in the park later today, he suggested that our temptation to add disciplines in our lives is similar to buying the latest gadgets and machines to exercise. Perhaps you've heard that Richard Foster's books on discipline have been surrounded by controversy?

My concern with Foster is that he promotes as disciplines, things which may or may not be good ideas, but are man's ideas, not God's. Take journalling, for instance. I personally have had a journal for years. However, it is a form of praying, and is not in and of itself one of the disciplines Jesus exhorted us to practise. Foster has some other good ideas, including simplicity and solitude. But, while these are examples Christ set for us, they are not commands Christ called us to.

Jesus said, "This is how you should pray." He said, "When you fast." He never once said, "Live in simplicity."

I know that Jesus wants us to read our Bible and pray every day, and to fast in order to loose the hold the flesh has upon us, and to give more power to our prayer life.

It is important to us at the Good News Chapel to maintain a purely Biblical perspective on our worship and fellowship. Man made ideas, while good and helpful, often lead to rifts and traditions which do not belong in His House.