Hi Folks:

Wow! It feels like forever since I've written. My last letter was July 3, and now its August. We've been on vacation on PEI with my family and Jan took an extra trip with her mother to see Clay Aitken in New Hampshire. The quick summary of vacation is that the weather was half-decent, with cool nights for good sleeping. We visited with my family, especially my grandmother (mother's mother) for evening snacks. Mark discovered the joys of the canoe and so we paddled quite a bit on the river. Ian and I golfed some free holes at Mill River Resort. I'm such a bad golfer I'm glad I didn't have to pay. But it got better. My "worm-burners" went further and my slice improved.

I spent a number of early mornings at Tim Horton's working on the book. I've roughed out chapter 2. The funny thing is, now I feel like I'm just ready to write it. I heard someone say one time that easy reading is hard writing. I believe it. I've been working on this for a year now.

Jan and I got away for a few days on our own. It was nice to tour around and we had supper with a college friend. We also did our annual dinner theatre visit my father and brother. Alas, two weeks flew by. We arrived back last week, and I've spent the time catching up.

Facebook - some of you will be familiar with the internet networking group. I'm on there and have enjoyed connecting with people from school and previous churches. Look me up or join the OnFire Letter group.

Today we start a new series on Peter.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

First impressions are lasting impressions, as the saying goes. Yesterday I met the Minister of Tourism for Nova Scotia, quite by accident. I dropped in to see a friend at the Dory Shop Museum in Shelburne, and while I was there I discovered that the minister was coming in as part of a tour of the province. My impression was that he was a humble guy, full of fun, genuinely interested in the people he met.

Sometimes first impressions are accurate and sometimes they need adjusting. Some starts are smooth and create a great first impression, while others are a little rough, but grow into good things. Somehow I created a bad first impression with the church secretary when I went to my first church. Fortunately she was willing to reconsider as we got to know each other and we have remained very close to this day.

A family of OnFire readers will remember the first time we met, by phone. I had an inquiry from a woman and I called back. A man answered the phone sternly: "What?" he demanded. I was taken back. What kind of situation was I calling into? Who were these people?

I had no choice but to continue. "I'm Troy Dennis. I'm calling from the Baptist church in Shelburne."

"Oh my goodness," he replied, as he started apologizing all over himself. As I found out later, they had a full day and hoped to get a few minutes to themselves by going out to eat. The children had called their cell phone a few minutes earlier, and he thought they were calling back. That was why he reacted the way he did. It was kind of a weird start, but that family came to be a real blessing to us and our church.

I'd like to know Peter's first thoughts upon meeting Jesus. Peter first met Jesus near the Jordan River, where John the Baptist was baptizing people. It was not, as we are prone to think, at the Sea of Galilee when Jesus called him and the others to follow him. "I will make you fishers of me..." (Matthew 4:19; Mark 1:17; Luke 5:10). Rather, his brother Andrew brought him to Jesus after telling him, "We have found the Messiah." It seems that Andrew and Peter were disciples of John the Baptist, and Andrew overheard John say about Jesus, "Look, the lamb of God" (John 1:35). Andrew spent the day with Jesus and then fetched his brother (John 1:39-41).

I'm sure Jesus' first words to Peter created quite an impression: "You are Simon son of John. You will be called Cephas" (John 1:42) In the ancient world, names were thought to reveal character. Its not too different from our fire department, where a lot of men have earned nicknames. I get called "Preacher." No surprise there. Simon meant, "Hearer." Cephas was the Aramaic word for Peter, meaning "Rock."

In other words, the days of his spiritual listening and searching were at an end. Through Jesus, he would become rock solid in his faith.

Peter had no idea what this was about, and he wouldn't know until after the death and resurrection of Jesus. A few years later the event would come back to mind. After telling Jesus, "You are the Christ," he heard Jesus say, "on this rock I will build my church" (Matthew 16:18; and parallels). The growth of the church has always depended on the truth of Jesus and the character of his followers. We need a rock solid faith based on the Rock of Ages.

What Jesus had in mind for Peter he also has in mind for us. He wants to take our faith and make it solid. Jesus had Peter's attention. Does he have our attention and cooperation?

I hope this helps. Be OnFire,

Troy

ON FIRE is a weekly letter of encouragement by Troy Dennis. To be added to or removed from the ON FIRE list contact him at onfire@eastlink.ca . This letter published August 1, 2007.