Jesus & Everybody Andrew Ironside

Paul Bartley joins us this week on the show! Paul works with me at Youth Unlimited here in Toronto, specifically serving in the Jane & Finch community. 

For most of his life, Paul has made it his goal to partner with youth in his neighbourhood and help them reach their full life potential. As a Community Youth Mentor, he runs two programs in the Jane-Finch area, and also focuses on dedicated one-on-one mentoring time. This includes Iron Fruits, which is a fitness mentoring program that teaches character skills through the discipline of fitness. 

Another significant initiative Paul is involved with is the Hoop 2 Hope basketball program, which has over 60 young men in attendance. Through this program, participants are supported in their journey to manhood, by mentoring, field trips, and sports activities. 

Paul is also Youth Unlimited's Mentor Specialist for the newly launched BECC internship program, where he walks closely with interns to develop their growth into young community leaders.

To make a financial donation to the important work Paul is doing on the ground, visit:

https://www.yugta.ca/our-team/paul-bartley

Our guest this week is Linda Martin. Linda is an Ojibway-Cree woman whose words, wisdom, faith, and experiences cut to the heart as you listen. Linda and her husband have worked for over 20 years providing care and healing to indigenous people groups in Canada, and she brings her own journey, education, and teaching to help many of her people.

I will be the first to admit that I have so much to learn about the stories of individual unique people like Linda, as well as the stories of the broader Indigenous community in Canada. But as Linda says in the episode, a good place to start is by listening to individual stories. So that’s what we’re going to do today.

This is a very difficult conversation to listen to at certain points, and it is so important that we listen.

Please note that there is a strong trigger warning for this episode, as we speak many times about traumatic experiences and results of trauma.

Lastly, if you would like to support the incredible work Linda is doing along with her husband Rick, please visit the Missionary Services Canada website. You will not see their names specifically listed for privacy reasons, so be sure to spell out their names (Linda and Rick Martin) on the giving section:

https://www.msccanada.org/

Today’s guest is our very good friend, and someone I’ve worked with now for over 13 years at Capstone Church in Toronto: Rob Cripps.

There is a passage in the Christian scriptures where the author is writing to his friends, recapping their origin story. 1 Thessalonians 2 says: "We loved you so much that we shared with you not only God’s Good News but our own lives, too."

When I think about the kind of person that Rob is, both as a Christian minister, a mentor, and a friend – this is what comes to mind. What I mean is that he speaks about Jesus to others, and he also gives his very life in service to God and people.

Vocationally, Rob has worked for over 20 years in a ministry context, from Huntsville, to King City, and now here as the lead pastor at Capstone church in the city of Toronto. He has a deep love and knowledge of comics and the Marvel universe, is a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black belt, and has a very similar humour to me – which has gotten us into many uncomfortable situations over the years.

In addition to his role with the church, Rob also works as a professional conciliator, which he speaks about on the show today.

I am so grateful to have known Rob and his wife Becky (on episode 6) for so many years now, and I am excited that you get to hear some of his story today.



For more information about Capstone Church in Toronto, visit: capstonetoronto.com

For information on Pathway Conciliation, visit: https://www.pathwayconciliation.com/

Today’s guest is a very good friend of ours and my coworker at Youth Unlimited here in Toronto: Becky Cripps!
Recently a mutual friend put together a word-board for Becky’s birthday, and asked people who know her to compile a list of words that define her well. Not surprising for anyone that knows Becky, words like humility, prayer, serving others, hospitality, faith, resiliency, and family were at the forefront.
As you’ll hear in the show today, Becky is a person of great integrity who loves God and others well, and is committed to the mission and vision of Jesus. She has worked in many capacities serving youth – often the most vulnerable -, has trained for untold hours in BJJ, and has a passion for all things creative. Most notably, Becky has the special gift of forgetting her phone and keys everywhere!
Having worked alongside Becky and her husband Rob for over 13 years now, I can say that she is truly a significant person in our family’s life, and I am excited that you get to hear her story today!
If you are interested in hearing more about the amazing work Becky is doing with Youth Unlimited in South-Central Etobicoke, visit: https://southcentraletobicoke.yugta.ca/

Today we have my very favourite guest: My mom, Lynn Ironside!

My mom is a strong, compassionate, giving, hard-working person, who cares deeply for others. She lives out her faith in God privately and publicly with genuineness, devotion, and wisdom, and is respected by just about everybody that knows her. She also has several degrees and was the valedictorian for her graduating class at Tyndale University (unfortunately her smarts were passed on to my sister and not me – but I have forgiven her in my heart).

Vocationally, my mom worked a large part of her life in nursing and long-term care. She also served as many years as the pastor of Harvest Family Community Church up in Keswick – where I’m from.

Recently I was asked by a friend about the most important things my parents taught me growing up. For both my mom and dad, I would say more than anything that they taught and exemplified service to others, kindness, generosity, prayer, and doing their best to love God and others in everyday life.

My mom and dad are both now retired, but still spend a significant amount of time doing things for other people, as well as watching their dumb British shows.

Truly, my mom is a person who follows Jesus in all of her life, and I hope you'll be encouraged by what she shares today!

It's a little intimidating trying to find the right words to describe a guest who is so brilliant and thoughtful with her own. But alas, you will have to listen for yourself as our friend and guest today - Jess Janz - so wonderfully takes us on a journey into faith, mystery, food, art, and more! 
The conversations today are honest and heartfelt, and what more could you want in a podcast? We also cover a lot of ground as you'll see, and yet I'm certain you'll get to the end without even noticing the time. This episode will make you think, wrestle, and feel, and you'll come out better for it! 
As an added bonus, we've interspersed some of Jess' poems throughout the episode, including one at the very end - so make sure you don't leave early! 
To find out more about Jess Janz, follow her on Instagram and Twitter @jessjanz
You can also check out her website: visitjessjanz.com
Thanks for listening to the show!