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On Pastor James Macdonald.

On the Firing of Pastor James Macdonald,

I was deeply shocked when I heard the news of the dismissal of evangelical Pastor James Macdonald. I was a member of Harvest Bible Chapel in York Region for about six years. I left the church because of an accusation from one of the elders online that I was promoting mindfulness meditation. In my youth, I was a strong believer in transcendental meditation and was following the path of an Indian guru named Paramahansa Yogananda. I was 21 when I became a born again Christian, and understood that is was through the cross of Jesus Christ that my sins were forgiven. I had a crisis of faith, after my girlfriend broke up with me, and didn't understand why God allowed that to happen to me.

I have been a Roman Catholic from birth, so my adult conversion was a revelation of the Lordship and saving work of Jesus Christ, applied personally to my life. Looking back now, I see how important it is to be in a State of Grace, and the emergency of having a life changing relationship with God the Father. I believed in God from my youth, but even as a Catholic, never fully repented of my sins. To a certain degree, I loved God and had a relationship with him, however in College I became very sinful. For the first time in my youth, my conscience was pricking me and I knew I had to repent or I would end up in hell.

I had to forgive those who I lead a life of sin with, and I had to be willing to forsake my sins to be forgiven. Being that it is Lent right now, my awareness of my current condition begs me once again to offer my life to Jesus Christ. I am learning that once we become a real Christian, our lives must show continuous fruit in the form of penance or repentance. Repentance is not just a scary word, it is a gift and work of God even in the face of the entire world forsaking us. We must continue down the path of holiness to see Heaven, and where we are now can always change.

When the church believes that they are full, they deceive themselves into thinking that their good behaviour will be pleasing to God. Without faith, it is impossible to please Him, because he rewards those who diligently seek him. In the bible, Moses lead his people out from slavery, but because of their unbelief the were not able to enter God's rest, or Heaven. Only their children, who still suffered, because they believed God, were able to enter the promised Land.

In the 21st Century we still need to do what the children of Israel did, and that is to have faith. Those who were disobedient failed because they didn't share the faith of their elders. We are more concerned about discipline now, rather than giving each other grace. No one is perfect yet, and learning to walk with God takes practice. In the church, in times of crisis we must look to our traditions. The Church has a long history of making mistakes and no one is immune. If the Church is going to live in victory, she must extend this grace to all men and women. No one excluded. Jesus went out of his way to reach those who society rejected, and he made those outcasts part of his Kingdom. And he still does that today.

Jesus' teachings and methods can't be copied identically, but those who say "I am his follower " must live the ways that Christ lived. That means embracing all classes of people, and giving dignity to the poor. This is Mike.

Since writing this, I have come to understand that Mindfulness meditation is a spiritual form of focused concentration which can be used as a spiritual exercise or for secular reasons that is not a part of church theology. Therefore I would advise caution for any Christian practising it seriously. 

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