The Attention Economy (Rick Hiemstra and Andy Gabruch)

In Elizabeth Oldfield’s book ‘Fully Alive’, she wrote, “For most of the week, my value is in what I produce and what I consume. If I’m not careful my main goal in a day becomes impressive and competent, subtly signalling my status with the things I buy, say and post. Sabbath is the opposite. It is a line in the sand. Today I am just a person, and a person is beyond price. Sabbath is about valuing, fighting for and fiercely guarding rest.” [1]

What are the things that demand our attention and distract us from being fully alive in Christ? My guests on this episode are Rick Hiemstra and Andy Gabruch.

Rick is the director of The Centre For Research On Church And Faith at The Evangelical Fellowship of Canada.

Andy is the author of Infobesity: How To Be Followers Of Jesus in an Information Overload World.

[1] Elizabeth Oldfield, ‘Fully Alive’ p. 110.

Links:

Rick Hiemstra – Evangelical Fellowship of Canada

https://www.evangelicalfellowship.ca/RickHiemstra

Infobesity Book

https://www.infobesity.ca/infobesity-the-book

Andy Gabruch Website

https://andygabruch.com/

Increase in Bible sales

https://www.wsj.com/business/media/sales-of-bibles-are-booming-fueled-by-first-time-buyers-and-new-versions-d402460e

Igods: How technology shapes our spiritual and social lives 

https://www.amazon.ca/iGods-Technology-Shapes-Spiritual-Social/dp/1587433443/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2S9HZCBUQI4AB&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.aU0UvmNAvigfu5nWqrKrFEHSnGQ3khC7TdlsGEpma7Dh2AL0SQBTynVWPDJdNxiGKBFG4NGYwFYf12HG0uaIRBtYpGkjNDVLOJHh49psynjr5KKvlDMNu7MN3SM321BEta6Qgse8spoyMRskcBQ6LA.8jP7J3hj5dwOXlJLWRq1VxLP1EByMu0-bHGFuMjti0c&dib_tag=se&keywords=igod%27s+book&qid=1738874432&sprefix=igods+book%2Caps%2C130&sr=8-1

How to Break Up with Your Phone 

https://www.amazon.ca/How-Break-Up-Your-Phone-ebook/dp/B072J77B68/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2GGZXH7IPGOBT&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.BrxH8fEW3onrWcfbpGanIrANsvt6MSIDPqgn5-pSmVTH2GUIK3bWrZs3artkG3YW1j4acqps1fo-SxngnRPaTSYwNS8OYM8R0otTX9mQUkjrebv2r4n8qq26vqiXMXSBmXvnORQva9XAHK_DTOAHBbapuY-WwCtpSfNLmAEw3DcQU0QxlmfhULzrvgWhgAcZL1R4IOIvYZgiqfTK71A1M9TbhNFuuM6FVtZSQDJODca9stta5nkG29p7pEk2t2-pdj5CzDiV7XZ51BmaNuEhP-FnevnRKzMuFaDx0Di147zdbV2QFg_hNiO66zzy_3PIt5kbfNwkdrLWMoaG4ahPUoc8ZOHZ7BBi148PniSPR1nngKF6Np7sSRU7zoJDNrLMGw-9kC_N-wxHHoG3kVxXtbfWQoqWfJ5_mw9LuY1ELKvw5tGHg4Z4WBb_FqmC5ble.D5txhFM3pS0OoIUgFcyslqJ2opGcqJ9nEifsapFD7vE&dib_tag=se&keywords=catherine+price&qid=1738874618&sprefix=catherine+price%2Caps%2C155&sr=8-1

Sidewalk Skyline Podcast – Season 5, Episode 19

https://www.sidewalkskylinepodcast.com/sidewalkskylinepodcast/infobesity-techicism-and-tekton-andy-gabruch-interview

Hope And Light In Cobourg (Leigh-Ann & Thomas Davidson)

After a couple years working in Mission Canada with Street Level Advocacy (Peterborough), Leigh-Ann Davidson felt the call to launch new initiatives in Cobourg, Ontario. Along the way, her biggest supporter (who happened to be her husband Thomas) joined in her efforts in reaching out to the street-affiliated and homeless population in the small city of Cobourg.

Together they are ‘Hope And Light Urban Outreach’ making a difference in a place of intensifying need.

Links:

Mission Canada Profile

https://paoc.org/donate/leighanndavidson

Facebook Page

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61564632950348

Intensity In Tent City - Sidewalk Skyline Podcast - Season 3, Episode 22

https://youtu.be/BD7j0NqRwgo?si=X0K8asD0YQ5HyK3U

The Nine Lives of Joe Ritchie

Joe Ritchie grew up with a history of trauma and abuse that nearly killed him. At age fifteen he was in a car accident that left him quadriplegic and without hope. After three times of dying and being resuscitated, it would be a vision of Jesus that would change his life trajectory.

Today Joe serves as part of the pastoral team at Windsor’s New Song Church. Listen as he shares transparently about his struggles with addiction and the journey to freedom.

Why I Help People Take Drugs (Dr. Meera Grover)

Today, I’m talking with Doctor Meera Grover who works in Calgary, Alberta extensively in the field of addiction medicine.

Working in Vancouver’s notorious downtown eastside to pay for her theological education at Regent College, Meera Grover was faced with questions about whether or not providing people who use drugs with sterile supplies and a place to inject contravened her faith. She knew she wanted to care for people with addiction but did not know how to do so in a way that fit with her own moral code.

She wrestled with these questions over the years and through her transition, from nursing to becoming a fully licensed physician who specializes in addiction medicine.[1]

Meera has written a book entitled “Why I Help People Take Drugs”. In this interview we delve into the often contested practice of harm reduction and the importance of the human connection in addressing addiction issues.

Link:

Dr. Meera Bai Grover

https://meeragrover.ca/

[1] Benjamin Perrin, flyleaf of ‘Why I Help People Take Drugs’

Complex Trauma And RE/ACT (Tim Fletcher interview)

Tim Fletcher is the Founder and President of RE/ACT (Recovery Education for Addictions and Complex Trauma). He used his skills as a pastor and counsellor to develop a program to help the people he cared for overcome addiction. He realized the need for individuals to first become equipped with tools, and then put those tools into practice in a healthy, safe and loving environment - and herein lies his unique skill.

During his early years, he learned that everyone has a loved one who struggles with addiction, and many people struggled with unrealized addictions and unhealthy coping techniques. He found that 97% of addicts also struggled from Complex Trauma (C-PTSD) - corroborating the research of Dr. Gabor Maté. After researching C-PTSD which was identified as, “A series of events that occur where a victim feels unsafe, and as such, develops mental disorders which inhibit them from coping in stressful or harmful circumstances”, he concluded that research was showing that there is a physical difference between the brains of those who grew up in loving and nurturing homes and those who didn’t – before any addiction became prevalent.[1]

Links:

Tim Fletcher Website

https://www.timfletcher.ca/

Theo Von Interview

(language warning. Theo is a comedian and a spiritual seeker)

https://youtu.be/K60u6ObDsrI?si=_Oc2yXE9OfWqS7lf

[1] https://www.timfletcher.ca/about-tim-fletcher

Infobesity, Technicism and Tekton (Andy Gabruch interview)

This is my interview with Andy Gabruch. Besides being a husband to Annick and father of four teens, he is the pastor of Home Church, formerly known as Vancouver Chinese Pentecostal Church.

 Andy has his Doctor of Ministry in semiotic studies on Christ, culture and the Church from George Fox University and teaches the Contemporary Communication Course at Summit Pacific College.

 Dr. Andy Gabruch has a mentoring ministry called DUCO, meaning “to lead for today.” Since 2016, DUCO has intentionally mentored forty plus young leaders towards full-time ministry, coached dozens of churches on leading, reaching, and discerning younger generations, various strategic projects with non-profit organizations, and planted five next-generation ministries when he was the Next Generations Director with the PAOC British Columbia and Yukon District.

He has written dozens of resources on ministerial leadership and discipleship and is  releasing his first book, Infobesity: How to be Followers of Jesus in an Information Overload World.

Links:

Infobesity Assessment (Promo Code: DUCO)

www.andygabruch.com/redeemdigitalspaces

Infobesity the Book 

www.infobesity.ca

Redeeming Suffering: Contact Andy at duco@andygabruch.com

You’re Not Listening by Katie Murphy

https://www.journalistkatemurphy.com/#ynlbook

The Organized Mind by Daniel Levitin

https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/313653/the-organized-mind-by-daniel-j-levitin/

Grit by Angela Duckworth

https://angeladuckworth.com/grit-book/

More Of The Maury Story (Maury Blair interview)

This is part two of my interview with Maury Blair as we revisit his traumatized childhood in Paris Ontario and the journey to wholeness through coming to faith in Christ.

If you have not yet listened to part one, go to https://www.sidewalkskylinepodcast.com/sidewalkskylinepodcast/revisiting-child-of-woe-maury-blair-interview

Links:

Breakthrough Ministries

https://overcomingabuse.ca/

Revisiting Child of Woe (Maury Blair interview)

Years ago I read Maury Blair’s autobiography ‘Child Of Woe’. I was shocked at the severity of the child abuse he suffered from his step-father. How could a man be so filled with contempt for an innocent child and more miraculously, how could a child of violence grow up to be so compassionate and well-balanced?

In this episode I visited Maury at his kitchen table in Cambridge, Ontario as we revisited his faith journey and ministry. We walked on the streets of Paris, Ontario to see the old homestead, the church and the streets he lived on.

This is part one of two episodes.

Link:

Breakthrough Ministries

https://overcomingabuse.ca/

The Heaviness Of Loss (Kim Court and Mike Morency)

(Recorded at Our City Windsor 2024)

No one is exempt from the impacts of grief and loss. When serving others in community it is imperative that we learn to recognize when and how their grief is showing up. However, it is just as important to learn how our own grief impacts our ability to serve others. Kim Court and her husband Mike Morency help participants better understand grief and provide tips on how they can help others, and themselves.

For the past 25 years, Kim Court (M.S.W., R.S.W.) has provided a safe place for individuals and families to reflect and experience personal growth. She values the uniqueness of each individual’s journey, and supports people of all ages as they become empowered to reach their goals.

As a Christian counsellor, Kim is experienced in helping people with struggles related to trauma, separation/divorce, anxiety, depression, attachment, parent-child, and family conflict, all through the lens of evidence-based practice and the Gospel. She is a certified Grief Educator, and is trained in, Brief Solution Focused Therapy, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, and Collaborative Problem Solving.

Alongside her husband, and on her own, Kim provides engaging workshops and lectures on a wide array of topics.

Mike is Executive Director of Matthew House Refugee Centre which provides temporary shelter and settlement services for Refugee Claimants. He is a team pastor at New Song Church and a frequent speaker at conferences and retreats. Mike is passionate about helping the people of God find ways to “live out” Christ in the world.

He is also Lead Strategist for Synergistic Solution Groups where he assists churches and community charities develop effective strategies to increase their impact.

Additional resources:

Exploring the Companioning Model of Grief Care

https://youtu.be/pOlgifO9TEA?si=WcnesOUS2Q8uH9wS

My Grief

https://mygrief.ca/

Back To The Shack (Bobby Reaume interview)

Bobby Reaume is the lead operator with Feeding Windsor-Essex’s Soup Shack. Every night from 7-9 pm he ensures that up to 140 people are served with food, snacks, clothing and personal care items. The food is prepared in the kitchens of Feeding Windsor-Essex, a charitable department of New Song Church.

This interview at the Our City Windsor 2024 Conference is filled with stories of hope and the continuing miracle of Bobby’s journey to recovery.

As an update, Bobby and some interested parties are attempting to start a charity of their own to provide a greater platform of services to Windsor’s homeless and street-affiliated population. The Soup Shack would be enhanced by a building where more than food would be served.

In the meantime, donations to help fund current operations can be sent to Feeding Windsor-Essex. Find out how at admin@feedingwindsoressex.ca

Links:

Feeding Windsor-Essex

https://www.feedingwindsoressex.ca/

From Fentanyl To The Soup Shack (Season Four, Episode 18)

https://www.sidewalkskylinepodcast.com/sidewalkskylinepodcast/from-fentanyl-to-the-soup-shack-bobby-reaume-interview

Church At The Community Table (Connie Jakab Interview)

Connie Jakab is planting a church at a new housing initiative in the Ogden neighbourhood of Calgary. As a long time community energizer, Connie has built an enduring presence in Calgary through her work within the arts community, mental health and business sector.

Now her attention has turned to the neighbourhood she lives and grew up in. Ogden Church meets in the common room of a housing development created by The Mustard Seed, a faith-based organization that exists to eliminate homelessness and reduce poverty.

Ogden Church values breaking bread together around a table rather than sitting in rows as passive listeners.

Links:

Connie’s Website

https://conniejakab.com/

Ogden Church

https://www.ogdenchurch.ca/

Ogden Hub 29

https://muchmorethanahome.ca/

The Mustard Seed

https://theseed.ca/

Gospel Transformation In An At Risk Neighbourhood

For 10 years, New Song Church has been alongside one of Windsor’s more challenging neighbourhoods of social housing. What we affectionately call the Glengarry neighbourhood is a series of four high rise apartments, several rows of townhouses and an assisted living facility. It experiences the most tragic of life experiences as well as a quieter majority that are just trying to survive.

Through collaboration initially with The Downtown Windsor Community Collaborative and partnership with Windsor Essex Community Housing Corporation, we run a 4 day per week drop in centre, a community garden, the cafeteria contract in the assisted living facility along with a weekly Bible study and prayer meeting for residents with spiritual desire.

In this episode, Kevin Rogers interviews Kevin and Paula Saunders as well as Elizabeth Anderson.

Restoring Women At Risk (Julie Hunter Interview)

Julie Hunter is the executive director for Windsor Life Centre, a residential, faith-based treatment centre for women recovering from drug and alcohol addictions. The Centre began 10 years ago on the property of Windsor Christian Fellowship under the vision and leadership of Cathy Ciaramitaro.

Windsor Life Centre aims to provide healing to the whole person, giving them tools to live out lasting recovery.

Grounded in compassion, we are designed to empower every woman to reach lifelong sobriety. We help women with their physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, and social wellbeing so they can live healthier lifestyles after graduating from the program.

Windsor Life Centre understands addiction is complicated and unique for each individual. We provide customized treatment plans as a key feature of our program by examining each woman’s strengths, treatment needs, and coping abilities. Upon admission to Windsor Life Centre and throughout the treatment stay, our team evaluates their progress and adjusts the treatment plan as necessary. We also offer 12 step facilitation, social activities, life skills training, and multiple forms of therapy.

Link:

https://windsorlifecentre.com/

Vancouver Downtown East Side (Aaron White interview)

Today on the podcast we are taking a virtual walk on the sidewalks of Vancouver’s Downtown East Side and having a conversation with Aaron White.

Aaron is a pastor, justice worker and prayer instigator in the Downtown Eastside of Vancouver for the past 20 years, where he lives with his wife and four children in a community home. He’s part of the team at Jacob’s Well, an ecumenical Christian centre of hospitality where his job description is resident theologian.

He is the co-author of Revolution and The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Kingdom of God; co-creator of The Creative Way Down discipleship resource; and author of his newest book Recovering: From Brokenness and Addiction to Blessedness and Community.

Along with one of my previous guests Dave Carrol (Captain Kindness), he co-hosts the Two Wise Fools podcast, a light-hearted and sometimes emphatically, truthful conversation about all things sacred and profane.

Links:

Recovering Book

https://bakeracademic.com/p/Recovering-Aaron-White/41667

Jacob’s Well

https://www.jacobswell.ca/

Two Wise Fools Podcast

https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/two-wise-fools/id1547557549

From Fentanyl To The Soup Shack (Bobby Reaume interview)

Three years ago, Bobby Reaume walked into my office and said, “Hey remember me?” It took me awhile before I would remember that he and his wife Grace attended the church briefly a few years prior. When Bobby walked in, he had been released from prison, returned to addiction, and was living in tent city. He came to see me with John Button the founder of Launch Pad Recovery Centre as he was entering into a Christian recovery program.

Today Bobby is working full-time, sober, spirit-filled and serving the homeless population in our city of Windsor with the Soup Shack, a trailer set up to distribute food and basic supplies to people on the street.

 Links:

Soup Shack organized by Feeding Windsor-Essex

https://www.feedingwindsoressex.ca/

Launch Pad Recovery Center

https://launchpadrecovery.org/

Healed Of Schizophrenia (Josh Tamblyn interview)

When it comes to medical conditions and healing, Christians hold a range of views from the intervention of doctors and medicine, alternative practices and healing that comes from God. I am not a doctor, so I would never give medical advice but would always encourage people to take a threefold approach to getting help.

First, we ask God for help in all things. Secondly, we investigate and utilize good medicine and thirdly we look at alternative methods when the first two are not yielding a result. Some will try alternative before mainstream and that’s their choice.

I bring this up today as we consider that the spiritual life of a person may be affected by physical and mental conditions. I believe that God heals, and today’s guest passes the test in my mind for a verifiable miracle from God.

Josh Tamblyn was healed of schizophrenia. We’re going to hear his story and also learn about his present involvement in ministry.

Links:

Mission Canada Profile Page

https://paoc.org/donate/joshtamblyn

University Christian Ministries

https://www.joinucm.org/

Serve Campus Network

https://paoc.org/serve-campus

Ministry Spotlight

https://youtu.be/LtTXs724Fpw

Mental Health In Ministry (Sath Arulvarathan)

Sath Arulvarathan is a Registered Social Worker who has experience working in community and hospital mental health organizations. He is also involved in church planting.

Sath is skilled in supporting individuals experiencing anxiety, depression, substance use, trauma, life transitions and relationship breakdown.

He believes that the relationship between the therapist and client is the foundation for any intervention to be effective, and works from a trauma-informed, strengths-based, and anti-oppressive perspective. A firm believer in the benefits of short-term counselling, Sath aims to support clients to develop the skills and self-understanding they need to live better.

Links:

Sath’s blog posts for Trinity Life Church, Scarborough

https://www.trinitylife.ca/people/sath-arulvarathan/

Toronto Church Planting Video:

https://vimeo.com/77222798