Bio

There’s a story in Matthew’s gospel that until recently, I’ve never noticed.  In Matthew 12:22-23, Jesus has just healed a demon-possessed man who was blind and mute.  It says that Jesus healed the man and then it makes the statement, “so that he could both talk and see.”

Deficient in the areas of sight and speech, after encountering Jesus, this man is now able to use those broken faculties made new.  Brokenness transformed, is the source of ministry.

This is what I think being an artist and church planter is all about.  It’s about restored sight and having a clear vision of the glory of God.  It’s about seeing those who nobody sees. It’s about seeing connections, both the ugly and the beautiful and working for all things to be reconciled.  And it’s about communication: speaking and embodying a living hope as faithfully and creatively as possible.

We’re seeking to grow in all of this, as we co-plant at Artisan in downtown Vancouver.  We’re enjoying being part of the Artisan community and living as urban missionaries, whether its with our kids on the playground or performing at a music venue.  The learning curve has been steep and we’re eager to see where all of this is leading!

Matthew’s gospel goes on to say that after seeing this man talking, people began to ask, “Could this be the Son of David?”. This kind of healing doesn’t just happen.  The result of living and working out of these broken faculties made new, is that people recognize redemption.  This is why we’re involved in church planting: so that others might ask, “Could this be…?”, and eventually come to share in seeing and speaking of the Son of David.

Lance & Aimee recently planted a parish of Artisan in the East Van neighbourhood of Vancouver.