We've decided to switch blog homes. Our new blog can be found here:

http://movementquebec.wordpress.com/

Why did we decide to switch?

1. Wordpress is a lot easier to use
2. Commenting on this blog can be difficult (with the exception of one genius... Cam). So instead of someone commenting on the blog, I recieved e-mails stating how frustrated they were in not being able to comment.
3. To jump out of a blogging sidestream into the blogging mainstream

We hope to see you over there soon!

 -Rob, Martine, Caleb, Constance

Martine and I try to frequent the same places, both individually and as a couple… in order to build long-term relationships with eternity in mind.

As I sat down at Prêsse Café not far from our place the owner came up to me and asked “So, a new look for 2009?”, referring to my beard.

His name is Kevin, his brother’s name is Jimmy (they are co-owners and both from Cambodia). It’s pretty cool that even though we are not here all the time, we have enough of a relationship with the owner that he would notice a detail like that.

Yes, we pray for them too. Would you?

Here's a look into his personal diary as he recounts his conversion (fromthe book George Whitefield, by Arnold Dallimore)

What fascinated me is the fact that his assurance of forgiveness of sins came from his conversion experience and not from any kind teaching:

I was receiving pardon on account of that blood. I lost my burden; I went home leaping for joy! I knew that my sins were forgiven: Oh blessed day! Would that I might remember it gratefully evermore!

...

All thoughts of human applause were quite vanished from my sight; the spiritual world and eternity began to appear; now I began to have other views and motives; I felt some insatiable desires after the salvation of poor sinners; my heart longed for their being convinced of their sin and misery.

I also found myself a stranger here; all my heart was drawn from the world and visible things, and was in pursuit of more valuable riches.

I now began to be more happy, and could not help telling... that I knew my sins were forgiven me, though I had never heard anyone make that confession before, or say it could be obtained; but I was so deeply convinced, that nothering could shake my assurance of it...

I've just added this as one of my pointless but fun life-goals:

Hit: Justin Buzzard
wingsuit base jumping from Ali on Vimeo.

I have never met anyone who sought Christ as ardently as Charles Wesley did prior to his conversion.

From the pen of Arnold Dallimore in his phenomenal biography of George Whitefield:

The Wesleys were not men to do anything by half-way measures, and, spurred on by their fear of being eternally lost, they made their search for faith the passion of their lives. Charles, grasping for any straw of help, refused the comfortable surroundings of the reverend John Hutton's home in Westminster, and went to live with a William Bray, of whom he speaks as, ' a poor ignorant mechanic, who knows nothing but Christ; yet by knowing Him, knows and discerns all things'. He spent the next few weeks in a bed-ridden condition, but his spiritual search continued. His journal reports:

May11. We prayed together for faith. I was quite overpowered and melted into tears... I was persuaded I should not leave his house before I believed with my heart unto righteousness.

May 12. I waked in the same blessed temper, hungry and thirsty after God... This day (and indeed my whole time) I spent in discoursing on faith, either with those that had it, or those that sought it; I joined with Mr. Bray in prayer and the Scripture, and was so greatly affected, that I almost thought Christ was coming that moment. I concluded the night with private vehement prayer.

May 13. I waked without Christ; yet still desirous of finding Him... At night my brother came, exceeding heavy. I forced him (as he has often forced me) to sing an hymn to Christ, and almost thought He would come while we were singing...

May 14. The beginning of the day I was very heavy, weary, and unable to pray; but the desire soon returned; ... I longed to find Christ, that I might show Him to all mankind; that I might praise, that I might love Him.

May 16. I waked weary, faint and heartless... In the afternoon I seemed deeply sensible fo my misery, in being without Christ.  

May 17. To-day I first saw Luther on the Galatians, which Mr Holland had accidentally lit upon. We began, and found him nobly full of faith. My friend, in hearing him, was so affected as to breathe out sighs and groans unutterable... I spent some hours this evening in private with Martine Luther (his commentary), who was greatly blessed to me, especially his conclusion of the 2nd chapter. I laboured, waited and prayed to feel 'who loved me, and gave Himself for me.'  

May 21. '... The Spirit of God strove with my own and the evil spirit, till by degrees He chased away the darkness of my unbelief. I found myself convinced, I knew not how nor when, and immediately fell to intercession... I now found myself at peace with God, and rejoiced in hope of loving Christ. My temper for the rest of the day was mistrust of my own great, but before unknown weakness. I saw that by faith I stood; by the continual support of faith, which kept me from falling, though of myself I was ever sinking in sin. I went to bed, still sensible of my own weakness, yet confident of Christ's protection.

Charles became a man of rich spiritual emotion and vehement zeal. He prayed continually, prayed anywhere and prayed with strong cryings and tears. He spoke the Gospel with boldness and power wherever he was adn to everyone he met. Of a coach ride to Bexley and another to Oxford he says, 'We prayed and sang and shouted all the way.' In his new liberty he could not be held by forms of prayer and written sermons, but broke forth into free supplicationa dn extempore preaching. His life was filled with spirtual activity and he had time and thought for nothing else.

This Christmas our church in St Jérôme adopted two orphanages that our good friends Titus and Stephanie Folden work with.  We placed names and photos of each child on a table and each child was "adopted" by someone. In all, around 60 gifts were sent to Guayaquil, Ecuador from Quebec.

Here is the result as the children opened their gifts (clicking will open a new window):

Is that amazing or what?

I recently ran into the somewhat new Vimeo HD. There are some amazing videos of artistic depictions of nature, the changing of the seasons, and other things. Sure, you've gotta use discernment, but check out these and see if the heavens do indeed declare the Glory of God:

Eclectic 2.0: Earth, Water, Sky from Ross Ching on Vimeo.
When the Snows Fall from Paul Frederick on Vimeo.

Within the next few days I'll post photos from our church's Christmas banquet where around 110 people attended... 15-20 who do not yet know Jesus Christ!

But for now, Merry Christmas from the Karch family and our two official spokespeople!

We pray that your Christmas is joyous and centered on the birth of our Savior as He took the first steps toward Golgatha.

 in Christ,

Rob, Martine, Caleb, Constance

Over a foot of snow fell Sunday afternoon. Here's a photo from La Presse near the Old Port of Montreal. This must have been taken during the storm as we don't see a whole lot of accumulation yet:

Hit:Justin Taylor

Here's an inside look at the end of one of our Sunday morning services in St Jérôme.

Jacob is finishing up one of his sermons, and we have a great view of the congregation, as well as the room we are renting.

If you are ever up visiting Montreal, you are more than welcome to visit us at 10am on Sunday, at 712 rue St Georges!

No, this is about being distracted, fleeing peace, constant noise. Here's Don Carson's (who was born and raised in Québec) take:

 D. A. Carson:

Scarcely less important than speed of access is the Internet's sheer intoxicating addictiveness–or, more broadly, we might be better to think of the intoxicating addictiveness of the entire digital world. Many are those who are never quiet, alone, and reflective, who never read material that demands reflection and imagination. The iPods provide the music, the phones constant access to friends, phones and computers tie us to news, video, YouTube, Facebook, and on and on. This is not to demonize tools that are so very useful. Rather, it is to point out the obvious: information does not necessarily spell knowledge, and knowledge does not necessarily spell wisdom, and the incessant demand for unending sensory input from the digital world (says he, as he writes this on a computer for an electronic theological journal) does not guarantee we make good choices. We have the potential to become world citizens, informed about every corner of the globe, but in many western countries the standards of geographical and cross-cultural awareness have seriously declined. We have access to spectacularly useful information, but most of us diddle around on ephemeral blogs and listen to music as enduring as a snowball in a blast furnace. Sometimes we just become burned out by the endless waves of bad news, and decide the best course is to turn the iPod volume up a bit.

I ran into a "King-James-Only" French-speaking quebecker last week. He aspires to begin an English-speaking church in St Jérôme aimed at French-speakers... thereby allowing them to use the "Authorized Version" (that's right, converts will have to learn English in order to participate in this church).

This particular fellow became a Christian as he sojourned near the U.S.-Mexican border. His crusade now is to bring the "real" Bible to Quebec.

Somehow, I doubt that his evangelistic strategy will be very effective in the heart of French-speaking snow-country.

(Honestly, I was stupified as I heard the above words spoken).

I am beginning the two-volume biography of George Whitfield by Arnold Dallimore. His intention expressed:

Yea, this book is written in the desire--perhaps in a measure of inner certainty--that we shall see the great Head of the Church once more bring into being His special instruments of revival, that He will again raise up unto Himself certain young men whom He may use in this glorious employ.

 
And what manner of men will they be? Men mighty in the Scriptures, their lives dominated by a sense of greatness, the majesty and holiness of God, and their minds and hearts aglow withe the great truths of the doctrines of grace. They will be men who have learned what it is to die to self, to human aims and personal ambitions; men who are willing to be 'fools for Christ's sake', who will bear reproach and falsehood, who will labour and suffer, and whose supreme desire will be, not to gain earth's accolades, but to win the Master's approbation when they appear before His awesome judgment seat.

They will be men who will preach with broken hearts and tear-filled eyes, and upon whose ministries God will grant an extraordinary effusion of the Holy Spirit, and who will witness 'signs and wonders following' in the transformation of multitudes of human lives.