An iPod Tract

Thanks to http://wittenbergs.com/carson for this.

Help A Sister Out

My friend is a great photographer and has an awesome website. She is having problems getting her website to register on a google search. I was trying to help but all the stuff I read on search engine optimization went right over my head.

So, being the old Reformer that I am, I thought I'd try a grassroots approach. I was hoping you would all consider adding a link to her website to your blog. I know that helped my traffic and helped my google search optimization.

If you know anythingthing about search engine optimization, you can talk to her hubby over here.

Got Mac??

Here's an article by Apple. It outlines all the reasons I've switched to the good guys. For all my friends who don't understand why I've switched, read on.

Do you have a MAC yet? NO! What are you waiting for? Are you tired of searching for drivers, or scanning for viruses? Life is easier with a MAC. Below are 14 reasons for you to buy a MAC as your next computer.

1. It just works.
How much time have you spent troubleshooting your PC? Imagine a computer designed by people who hate to waste time as much as you do. Where all the hardware and software just works, and works well together. Get a Mac and get your life back. More

2. You can make amazing stuff.
Every Mac comes with iLife ’06, a suite of software that transforms your photos, music, and video into all kinds of projects. Make high-quality websites, photo books, DVDs, songs, slideshows, music CDs, calendars, cards, prints, podcasts, music videos, documentaries, and more. More

3. Design that turns heads.
You won’t want to hide your Mac in a corner of the den. You’ll want it front and center in your life. The Apple style shows in every detail, from its sculpted surfaces to its gorgeous Mac OS X graphics. More

4. 114,000 Viruses? Not on a Mac.
Mac OS X was designed with security in mind. Windows just wasn’t built to bear the onslaught of attacks it suffers every day. A Mac offers a built-in firewall, doesn’t advertise its existence on the Net, and isn’t compromised within an hour of being turned on. More

5. Next year’s OS today.
Since Mac OS X engineers aren’t busy damming a flood of viruses, they have the time to think up amazing new technology. Like Dashboard widgets, mini-applications offering a world of capabilities just a keystroke away. Or a built-in RSS news reader. More

6. The latest Intel chips.
Intel Core Duo processors put you on the cutting edge. In fact, a Mac with an Intel chip is so fast it surprises even longtime Windows pundits, who keep running benchmarks again and again. Results? Fast. Fast. Yup, still fast. More

7. Instant video chats.
Setting up a video chat with the people next door — or across the globe — should be as simple as picking up the phone. On a Mac, you just click an icon to have a four-way video chat in a full-screen window with amazing clarity and special effects. More

8. More fun with photos.
On a Mac, you don’t need any extra software to make a photo book. You don’t have to leave your photo software to visit a separate website and wait for forms to load. All you need is a camera and a Mac. More

9. One-click websites.
How long does it take to post a photo or video to your blog on a PC? On a Mac, you can shoot a picture or a movie with the built-in camera, then post it on the web in a few clicks. Pontificate, preachify, and publish. The hardest part is coming up with something to say. More

10. Amazing podcasts.
Want to get your message out to the world? Podcast it. A Mac makes it simple to create professional podcasts, complete with artwork. Add sound effects and jingles, even use the built-in radio engineer to make it perfect. So you can be a talk star in seconds. More

11. Rock star tunemaking.
Musicians get all the girls (or guys). And a Mac has the software to turn you into the musician of your dreams. Choose from hundreds of cool riffs and instruments to create your own songs. Get good enough and you could be on iTunes. More

12. Hollywood-style movies.
Connect your DV camera and turn your movies into spectaculars. Add graphics, titles, and sound effects in minutes. Then use your Mac to burn a DVD or post to your website. More

13. No hunting for drivers.
Just plug in your stuff. A Mac includes USB drivers for mass storage, digital cameras, input devices, iPod, and more. It can see Bluetooth cell phones and headsets, as well as FireWire cameras. No rebooting. More

14. Awesome out of the box.
Other computers include software, it’s true. But once you start using that software, you find that you’re hobbled in some way or another. Software included with the Mac, on the other hand, is critically acclaimed as best in class. More

Thanks Friends

Thanks for all your well wishing and prayers as we enter this adoption process. We're taking the first cheque to the adoption agency tomorrow morning. We officially start counting then. That's when the "gestation" period begins.

OK I better stop there before I say something silly.

The Big News REVEALED!!!

OK well I guess there are 2 things:

1.
I made a fantastic Mango Lime Chile Sauce to go with our barbequed salmon last night. I'm really coming along in my cooking skills, especially if I get to try something exotic.

2.
OK OK Here's the real big news. Wanda and I have decided to take the plunge and register with an adoption agency for the purpose of adopting a child. Many of you will already know the journey we've been on for the last 9 years (not a typo) trying to get pregnant. We feel the time is right to adopt. Waiting until today to tell you was because yesterday was our first appointment at the adoption agency. The process is that we'll have a home study done (which takes three months) and then we'll wait up to 1 1/2 years for a baby.

Another exciting part is that this agency specializes in adoptions from China. There is a strong likelihood we will adopt a girl from China. To tell you why China is a good fit for us would take a while so if I actually see any of you in person I'll explain it. We'll have to travel there to pick her up but they have an incredibly organized program and it's almost like having a short holiday in China and picking up your new child at the same time (that might be a little crude but these people really know what they're doing). I can't really tell you how excited I am right now. Even talking (writing) about it gets me to another level of glee. Please pray for our future child.

Think about this; if we adopt from China, our baby may be in her mommy's tummy right now. And the crazy thing is that they don't even want her. I promise to update the blog everytime we have something new to tell regarding this process. Our first and next step is to fill out the application (done) and send in the first cheque to start the home study. The home study is what freaks me out the most because it can feel quite invasive from what I've heard.

A ball park figure is that the whole process from today until we're home with our child may take anywhere from 12-16 months. Stay tuned for more.

Next Week

Well we hope to have some big news to report middle of next week so I hope you all had a great weekend. I'll post on Thursday to let you know our news.

Wow.....

I didn't think I'd post again so quick but I read this and was astounded.

Who is Reading Books (and who is not)

One-third of high school graduates never read another book for the rest of their lives. Many do not even graduate from high school.
58% of the US adult population never reads another book after high school.
42% of college graduates never read another book.
80% of US families did not buy or read a book last year.
70% of US adults have not been in a bookstore in the last five years.
57% of new books are not read to completion.
--Jerrold Jenkins.

http://parapublishing.com/sites/para/resources/statistics.cfm

I'm Back

In true Po-Mo Blog Boy fashion, here's what we've been up to in our absence from blogging :
822 kilometres to Kamloops and back
0 good cups of coffee in Kamloops
39 degrees Celcius each of the..
3 days we were there
2 waterfights with our nephew, Kyan
1 new God-daughter visited (picture to follow)
102 booths visited at Kamloops Canada Day celebration
THEN......
3 nights that friends spent with us at our place after we got back
1 game of Settlers of Catan

So yeah that's about it. Hope yer'all getting the summer started right. Come visit us!!!!!

Rick Warren Article

I thought this article was interesting. Sorry it's a little long. Say what you want about the whole purpose driven thing, Warren is helping establish the Kingdom.

Regarding the Previous Post

After talking with Corrie, husband of Dawn and Jaz husband of Leslie, about the excerpt from McLaren's book that I quoted in my previous post, the comment was made "That's great for describing the mysterious things of the Kingdom but has terrible implications for ethics."

Thoughts?

My Latest Read

Here's what I've been reading lately. It's probably the most cerebral book I've read in a long time. Now I'm not sure I buy McLaren's view on everything, but right now it's helping me decide I need to have an opinion on things. Here's an excerpt that sent chills up my spine.

Is it possible that Jesus was intentionally keeping his message of the kingdom a secret so that it wasn't obvious, wasn't easy to grasp, wasn't like a simple mathematical formula that can quickly learned and repeated? It is possible that the message of Jesus was less like an advertising slogan - obvious and loud - and more like a poem whose meaning only comes subtly and quietly to those who read slowly, think long and deeply, and refuse to give up?


Thoughts?

Dang

My FINAL Oiler Poem Of The Season

It makes me very sad
I'm not so very happy
The 'Canes have won the Cup
But I won't get sappy

My Oiler poetry
Will now be put to bed
Untill next winter when
It will come to my head

If It Works

Close

This will be my second last Oiler poem:

I can't believe we're in it
I feel like I'm 11
I'm so excited for Monday Night
Stanley Cup Game 7

From Vancouver where I live
To St John's (I've lived there too)
The red flag flies over Canada
But on Monday's it's Oiler blue

I Think I Need To Go To The Chiropractor

I feel a little woosy
I think I need to sit
I've jumped back on the bandwagon
And it hurts a little bit

I never left my team alone
I've always been a fan
But if I had watched the game last night
You'd have to call me "Ulcer-man"

I really really think now
The series will go seven
And if it goes all the way
Hockey fans will be in heaven

From Raleigh North Carolina
To Edmonton A-B
On Saturday night true hockey fans
Will be in front of the TV

I'm Not Watching Tonight

I'm not watching tonight
Cuz I won't be alright
It won't be really fine-ah
If we lose in Carolina

I'm not watching tonight
But I think I might
Go out for Indian food
Cuz I'm not in the mood

To lose to Carolina, tonight.



PS - It was a great run

Tonight We Tie It Up

Continuing my series of Stanley Cup final poetry. This one is definely a dramatic reading. With sound effects in the background and maybe a good car chase scene towards the end.










Tonight we tie the series
Tonight we tie it up
Tonight's the night we're halfway home
Halfway to the Cup

We've got to get some goals
From Hemsky, Horcoff and Stoll
We've got to get you going
Get you on a roll

Keep the puck in their end.
Away from Jussi Jussi
Because if they get too many shots
It may just cook our goose-y

Tonight we tie the series
Tonight we tie it up
Tonight's the night we're halfway home
Halfway to the Cup

The Juss Is On The Loose

My Third Oiler Poem. This one could actually be sung as well. Sing it in Db - the saddest of all sad keys.








Jussi, Jussi, Jussi
You played in the big game
You played too "loosy-goosy"
You're driving me insane

You flop around like Flipper
We're in a 2-0 pinch
We need to win one for the Gipper
No 5 hole - don't give an inch.

You need a shut out Saturday
At home in Rexall Place
You need to shut the lights out
To help us in this race

We need to win 4 out of 5
And you're just the man to do it
Unless of course you aren't
And then you'll be the man who blew it

Jussi Jussi Jussi
Play big - big as a Moose
May it be said the Oilers won
And that "The Juss is on the loose"!!!

For All You Switchfoot Fans Out There

Here's an article that leaves me thinking "WHAT THE HECK?"

Oh No!!

The second installment in my Oilers poetry:








Oh no Rollie
My superstar goalie
Oh no Rollie oh no

Holy Holy Moly
No more Rollie
Up in the pressbox you have to go

A great deadline acquisition
Who plays a very important position
And you have been on a roll I must explain

You're no longer called a child
Glad we rescued you from the Wild
The Mighty Oilers goalie named Dwayne

Oh no Rollie
You've a few games you've stole-y
But now it's up to a guy
Named Ty......NOT GOOD.

My Team Is In

At times like this I feel very poetic. I feel like expressing my inner most feelings through rhyme. And so I bring to you the first in what will be a series of poems focussing on the most poetic of all things..... THE MIGHTY EDMONTON OILERS!!!!!!


My team is in the finals
The first time in 16 years
My team is in the finals
It's enough to bring me to tears


I grew up in Gretzky's era
With Kurri and Messier too
With many a cup parade happening
Going down Whyte Avenue


It all seemed so improbable
Just a few months ago
When "the Oil" was sitting in 9th place
With only 10 games to go


So I guess the people to thank for this
Isn't the Wings the Sharks or the Ducks
But the team who choked so we could get in the playoffs
Thank you VANCOUVER CANUCKS!!!!

From One Newfie To Another

Leave it to a Newfie to bring a little bit of wisdom to our current hot button topics. Enjoy!!!!



A Pop Tart Spits Straight In Our Eye
REX MURPHY

Madonna is on tour again.

Nothing new. More of the vulgar same, that tired mix of rough raunch and glitz, laced as always with some overt and unfailing crude manipulation of Christian symbols. Madonna is as predictable as Tim Hortons, but Timmy's is at least always fresh.

This time, it's a scene of Madonna wearing a crown of thorns and being "crucified" on some massive stage cross. The jeer at Christianity by one of the world's most successful and hollow talents is blatant -- as is everything this star does -- deliberate and crude.

It comes, whether by design or by luck, on the tail of the whirlwind publicity of The Da Vinci Code film.

There is, of course, no sense or point in challenging Madonna's "artistic" efforts, and even less than none at all in trying to mount some protest over it. The over-the-hill hipsters who still find some buzz in whatever Madonna does, those who have bought the ridiculous and endlessly repeated estimate of her skill at "reinventing" herself, will only find the factitious thrill of her "transgressiveness" validated by the response of the rubes and the righteous.

I am sorry to see that the New York-based Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights has issued a condemnation. Not because it was wrong to do so, and not because Kabbalah's most celebrated convert doesn't deserve a condemnation, but simply because on the current understanding of religion in this predominantly secular culture it is so useless for the Catholic League, or any other church organization, to be doing so.

Every official mutter from any Christian group will merely sell another cluster of $350 tickets and give oxygen to the success of the Madonna tour machine. Take a jab at the Cross, the central icon of Christianity, accessorize with a crown of thorns, the bitter emblem of the Christian Saviour's suffering, and the cash registers will keep on ringing.

But I do hope that the serious Christians who are watching this latest instalment of free hits against their faith are measuring it against the far greater caution, deference and respect that is being shown to a religion far less common in the West, that of Islam.

Since the horrors of 9/11, we have seen from governments in the West, the media, civil agencies, school boards and political parties a conscious, elaborate and -- let me stress this -- wholly commendable effort to afford Islam and its adherents all manner of respect and sensitivity.

The turmoil over some caricatures of the Prophet Mohammed provides the most recent illustration of delicacy in the matter of a people's religion. The Danish cartoon episode was remarkable, to a degree that has still not been sufficiently acknowledged, by how many of the Western media declined, in the name of sensitivity to the religious faith of Muslims, to publish those cartoons.

But it has not escaped the attention of those who hold the Christian faith that this same sweep of deference and respect is not extended when the tenets or icons of their faith are treated as fodder and, worse, for the cultural grinder. A fading pop tart crucifying herself hardly qualifies as a genuflection.

Are Christians less sensitive than Muslims? Does Christ not occupy a centrality in Christianity more or less equivalent to the Prophet Mohammed in Islam? Is an insult to one faith any less an outrage than an insult to another?

So Madonna's Vegas-style crucifixion will serve as yet another reminder to serious Christians that a double standard of immense differential is operating on the terrain of religion. Her tour might just be the cue for those accommodating and docile religionists to start asking for at least a portion of the respect that their fellows in another faith receive as it seems by right.

I don't think one has to be religious to see the elementary justice of this. We are a society that calibrates rights to the millimetre and recoils, as from the darkest sin, at the thought of one group being "privileged" over another. And nowhere will you find a more hypersensitive social conscience than in the great altitudes of pop entertainment. Some of these deep hearts actually wear rubber bands to signal their devotion to good causes. Such sacrifice.

Madonna is a high emblem of that set. This Confessions tour of hers might just trigger a call on the massive hypocrisy of it all. If only that were so, her vulgar crown of thorns and her vulgar crucifixion, and the more vulgar crass impulse behind them both, might actually do some good.

Rex Murphy is a commentator with CBC-TV's The National and host of CBC Radio One's Cross-Country Checkup.

Historymaker '06 In The Books

Thanks Darcy & Leanne for another great year. It was "wicked awesome" serving with you. NEVER STOP MODELLING!!!

Our Holiday Video

Here's a link to a video I made of our vacation in Puerto Vallarta. Check it out. We're at Google video!!!

Hank Looks For A New Church

Check this video out. It's quite humorous. As a comment thread, let me know what you most enjoy about your current church. What are they doing well. Hope to post some more photos or footage from Puerto Vallarta real soon.

Hola, Mi Amigos!!!

Hello everyone. We're back in Vancouver and rested up good!!! We had a great trip and I will show you a couple of pictures later. I'm planning to make a short picture video this week so I'll post that as soon as I finish it.
I read 1 2 3 books and Wanda read 1 2 . We also read a book together.
Here's a picture of our usual spot at the beach:














Here's a picture of the dessert the restaurant gave us when they found out it was our anniversary:














Here's a picture of our last sunset in Puerto Vallarta:















Well I'm off to Winnipeg for General Conference. I'll try to post from there but if not, I'll catch you next week.

This Is My 100th Post!!!

I think I'll celebrate by GOING TO MEXICO.

No posts for a while. Check back 2nd week of May.

Lord Of The Rings Europop

Those crazy Euros. Theey'll make a pop song out of anything.

Great Article

A great article from Relevant that I found here:


NOT ONE OF THOSE CHRISTIANS
By Cameron Strang – Relevant Magazine


I need to talk about contemporary Christianity. There’s something that concerns me.
We’ve seen so much abuse of the term “Christian” lately that many of us are now hesitant to be associated with it. We may serve God and be followers of Jesus, but we don’t want to be associated with the bigoted right-wing-extremists who are known only for their judgmental statements and boycotts.
We believe Christians should be known by their love. (I think John 13:35 says something along those lines).
We cringe every time we see Pat Robertson on the news. So, we do everything we can to not be identified as one of those Christians. We try to get outside of the Christian bubble, love others, be open minded and live in freedom. So we drink – but just in moderation, of course. We cuss, but just for humor or effect. We watch movies that our pastor wouldn’t, but it’s because we’re a lot more in touch then he is. We criticize TBN, cheesy Christian music and everything else about the Christian subculture. We hang out at bars and clubs, originally to be “light in the darkness,” but now really just for a good time.
And here we are, without even realizing it, living exactly like the world.
Please hear me, I’m not advocating closed-minded, hate-filled Christianity, and I do believe we have freedom in Christ. Moderation is a God-given right. But truly following Jesus is not found in either extreme. After all, Romans 12:2 does say, “Do not conform to the pattern of this world” (TNIV).
So where does this leave us? It’s not an issue that can be resolved in this column’s 600 words, but it’s one that all of us must personally and deliberately answer, because without clarity on how we need to live our lives and impact the world around us, at best we will be inconsequential and at worst, harmful to those around us.
Stewardship is something I’ve grappled with lately. (Go read Matthew 25). God has entrusted all of us with gifts, material things, a calling and a realm of influence. The question is, what are we doing with what has been given to us?
Jesus told us to go into all the world and make disciples. How well are we following that challenge in our lives on a daily basis? Are we making the most of the time and opportunities given to us? Or are we worrying more about this debate or that opinion, when there’s a world dying around us?
We look to one side and see Christianity being mocked in the media because of stupid public statements by leaders who make us all look like idiots.
But so what?
We look to the other side and see a free-will, all-paths-lead-to-heaven kind of Christianity that renders our faith completely ineffective out of fear that we might offend someone who doesn’t agree with us.
But, again, so what?
Neither of those need to define us. What other people do is of zero consequence to how we have to live our lives. The decisions we make and the love we show to others are completely up to us. No one else will account for your life but you.
So how are you using it?
Like most of us, I’m tired of being clumped in with stereotypical, suburban, materialist Christianity. But we can’t throw the baby out with the bathwater. I believe that God wants us to think for ourselves and follow the Spirit. It’s scriptural, we’ve got to deal with it. But if a man came up with it, I give it a healthy dose of skepticism. It’s called discernment.
We need to not only embrace grace and freedom, but remember that we’re called apart, that what we have in our spirits separates us from the world. We are supposed to be in the world, but not of it. We have a hope and a freedom and a faith that the world is looking for, and they need to see that difference in us. Otherwise, what’s the point?
I want to be known for passion, love and a heart that follows God. I want people to see that about me, first thing. There’s something different about my life, and it will also change theirs. I don’t want to blend in.
Our generation is looking for something to fill the void in their lives. We have what they’re looking for. We just need to bring the truth with grace and love. But we do need to bring it. We each have a sphere of influence. Now what are you going to do with it?

Cameron Strang, 29, is the president and founder of RELEVANT Media Group.

Ha Ha Ha

Making fun of George Bush never gets old.

Happy Easter From Paul and Wanda!!!!

A little Easter humor to cap off the season of Lent.

Puerto Vallarta Here We Come!!!

So we've been thinking about going on a holiday to celebrate our 10th anniversary (May 4th). We were looking around for cheap vacations online. We found some to Puerto Plata and then to Cuba but settled on Puerto Vallarta. We leave on the 22nd and we're going to be gone for 14 days. Comparing it to other deals available to this resort, we pretty much got the second week for free. This is a nice 4 star.

So hey we're looking forward to going to Mexico!!!

Colour Change

So I thought we needed to brighten up the blog so I changed the colors a little bit. What do you think.

My Crazy Week

Well my week started as most of my weeks do, on Monday. Went to work at the Well and was feeling kinda funny. Didn't know why but was feeling weird. By about 2pm I had a full blow flu. My coworker made me go home. By 6pm, I'm wearing 2 layers of clothes and inside my bed covered up because I'm freezing. Had NO nights sleep and took Tuesday off to recouperate.

Tuesday night I went to a meeting to investigate the possibility of starting a community group for our neighborhood. Wednesday I was becak to work (probably should have waited another day since I just about passed out). Thursday I worked at the Well and then to Delta Church and then to a meeting regarding Christian ministry initiatives during the 2010 Olympics.

Friday I had coffee with a new/old friend and then helped my friend Jaz with his project NO BOUNDARIES which is an intentionally multy ethnic worship event. I came home pretty tired but I got to play with a couple of awesome musicians.

Saturday, we had an AGM for our condo building. It was mildly stressful but always good to hang out with people from the building. Then we went to pick up groceries which turned into a 3 hour ordeal because of traffic and lots of people at the Superstore.

Sunday, it seemed like the whole church forgot the timechange. Not actually but it did feel like we were all still missing an hour of sleep. Great to finish our week with our Living Room Church crew. That's always restful.

So there's an update from our life. I've got to go.... to work!

Ode To The Yellow Pages

(On Saturday, Wanda and I made the hard decision to get rid of our phone book and Yellow Pages. We never use them because we look everything up on the www. Here is a tribute to the social icon that is the Yellow Pages.)








Oh yellow pages yellow pages
You're big and yellow
Oh yellow pages yellow pages
Can only be lifted by a strong fellow

All of your listings
Are in very small print
If I want to see them
I really have to squint

14 CD's
Or a bowl of bon bons
Will fit on the bookshelf
Now that you're gone

Oh yellow pages yellow pages
In the recycling are ya
Oh yellow pages yellow pages
I bid you sianara

Surveys, I Love Surveys

TELL ME ABOUT YOURSELF - The Survey
Name: Paul
Birthday: August 19, 1970
Birthplace: Grand Falls, Nfld
Current Location: Vancouver
Eye Color: Blue
Hair Color: Brown (grey??)
Height: 6'4''
Right Handed or Left Handed: Lefty Loosy
Your Heritage: Newfie
The Shoes You Wore Today: Asics
Your Weakness: Blogs
Your Fears: Bad Coffee and out of tune guitars
Your Perfect Pizza: Meat. Lotsa meat!!
Goal You Would Like To Achieve This Year: Finish my business plan
Your Most Overused Phrase On an instant messenger: g2g
Thoughts First Waking Up: My back hurts
Your Best Physical Feature: Facial hair
Your Bedtime: 11pm
Pepsi or Coke: Diet Pepsi (I'm from Nfld)
MacDonalds or Burger King: MMMcD's.
Single or Group Dates: Single dates with Wanda or group with DMac and Le
Lipton Ice Tea or Nestea: Snapple
Chocolate or Vanilla: Chocolate
Cappuccino or Coffee: Cap unless you're at Starbucks then coffee
Do you Smoke: No
Do you Swear: Heck yeah
Do you Sing: for a living
Do you Shower Daily: yep
Have you Been in Love: I AM
Do you want to go to College: been there done that sort of (WPBC)
Do you want to get Married: I AM
Do you belive in yourself: Not as much as my wife does
Do you get Motion Sickness: All the time. Especially on the bus
Do you think you are Attractive: No
Are you a Health Freak: No
Do you get along with your Parents: Better now than ever
Do you like Thunderstorms: I live in Vancouver of course I do
Do you play an Instrument: A few
In the past month have you Drank Alcohol: Yes
In the past month have you smoked: No
In the past month have you gone on a Date: Yes
In the past month have you gone to a Mall: Not of my own free will
In the past month have you eaten a box of Oreos: No
In the past month have you eaten Sushi: 6 (YESSSS!!!!!)
In the past month have you been on Stage: At Church????
In the past month have you Stolen Anything: some would say that I got Wanda to marry me would imply some sort of felony.
Ever been Drunk: July 1st, 1987. That will be the last time
Ever been called a Tease: I'm much to blunt for that
Ever been Beaten up: Been over 6 feet since grade 7. You figure it out
Ever Shoplifted: no
How do you want to Die: In bed cuddled into Wanda
What do you want to be when you Grow Up: A Coffee shop owner/pastor
What country would you most like to Visit: South Africa
Number of Drugs I have taken: None
Number of CDs I own: 209
Number of Piercings: None (and probably too late to start now)
Number of Tattoos: None
Number of things in my Past I Regret: I was mean to my sister when we were growing up.

I'm Addicted To Blog Surveys

You Are an Espresso

At your best, you are: straight shooting, ambitious, and energetic At your worst, you are: anxious and high strung You drink coffee when: anytime you're not sleeping Your caffeine addiction level: high

What Kind of Coffee Are You?

Leave a Comment

In reference to the church, I heard a great quote last night:

"It's not WHAT WE DO together, but WHO WE ARE together." - Mark DeHoog

Any thoughts??

I Don't Get It

There's something about this picture I don't understand but it really draws me in. i'm not sure I even know what it is. What do you think?

WORD OF THE WEEK (for me anyway)

Lately I have found great comfort from these words. It makes sense to share them with you, my friends:

Lamentations 3:22-25

NIV
22 Because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail.

23 They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.

24 I say to myself, "The LORD is my portion; therefore I will wait for him."

25 The LORD is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him;


MESSAGE
22 GOD's loyal love couldn't have run out, his merciful love couldn't have dried up.

23 They're created new every morning. How great your faithfulness!

24 I'm sticking with GOD (I say it over and over). He's all I've got left.

25 GOD proves to be good to the man who passionately waits, to the woman who diligently seeks.

Coming Clean

At Conference On The Ministry I made the following statement:

"When you start something new in ministry, you measure success differently"

A friend asked me to unpack this statement a little bit and I thought I'd address it through a post just in case someone else heard me say that and needed an explanation:




I'm not sure why I made that comment because in retrospect I actually don't measure success any differently. I was probably saying it to make myself feel good.

OR, I have always measured success improperly. Maybe I've always cared about what I think success is. Maybe I've been too caught up with "closing the deal" with an unsaved person.

OR, success is a term that is totally incongruent with the gospel. Maybe the heart is not a measurable thing.

Or maybe I'm afraid of failing. Maybe I'm so consumed with the need down here that failing will absolutely devastate me.

I'm not sure.

A Word Picture Of My Mission Field - Part 1

The smell of dried urine / Suits / Canuck fans sad / Lions fans drunk / No sunlight / Beautiful mountains / "Hey baby, do you want to party?" / Good sushi / "Can you spare 40 cents" / "Nice place you got here" / Close to everywhere / 15 minutes to drive 3 blocks / "Hi how are you? Fine. How are you? Fine." / "Hey buddy watch where you're going." / Good coffee / "Where do we store this?" / Pay for parking / No grass / Justice for the oppressed / Faith for the faithless.

What Have We Been Up To??

Well We've been around. We went to Alberta and helped out at a youth conference that some of our old youth put on in Slave Lake. Of course that meant we got to spend some time with family which is always good. We got back and headed right into a couple of conferences. We lead worship at Timeout which is a relationship first conference for next generation leaders. Then I was a presenter at our denomination's Conference On The Ministry. I got to talk about our downtown ministry and how life looks different for us.

Tonight I'm sitting at home and reflecting on the last 2 weeks. I'm not really awake enough to draw too many conclusions but here's a couple:
1. God's only measure of success is faithfulness.
2. The church needs to embrace it's community and investigate other ways of "GO"ing.
3. We are so blessed with great friends.

Posting Video

Video Sharing at DropShots.com

I think I found out how to post video. Here's a short video that tells a little bit about what Historymaker does. Thanks to Dawn Block for the tip.

Whew!! I'm OK??

You Are 16% Abnormal

You are at low risk for being a psychopath. It is unlikely that you have no soul. You are at low risk for having a borderline personality. It is unlikely that you are a chaotic mess. You are at low risk for having a narcissistic personality. It is unlikely that you are in love with your own reflection. You are at low risk for having a social phobia. It is unlikely that you feel most comfortable in your mom's basement. You are at low risk for obsessive compulsive disorder. It is unlikely that you are addicted to hand sanitizer.

How Abnormal Are You?

Truce

Ok, ok. The war is over. Thanks for everyone who posted. I've never had 14 comments on any of my posts. i also met some new people and checked out some really good blogs.

Wanda and I are heading to Alberta (she's already there) to take part in a youth conference. We'll be back next week. Love you all.

1,2,3,4 - i DECLARE A POSTING WAR

I get ok traffic on this blog but a lousy amount of comments. So I'm challenging people to actually stop and say hello when you visit this blog. I will do the same at your blog.

Which Muppet Are You??

I took the Muppet Personality Test. Here's how it turned out.

You Are Animal

A complete lunatic, you're operating on 100% animal instincts. You thrive on uncontrolled energy, and you're downright scary. But you sure can beat a good drum. "Kill! Kill!"

The Muppet Personality Test

What Happened to Jesus

This was a great article I saw in USA Today (I don't read USA Today but the editor at a website I go to does). It really speaks to how the world sees the religious right.

5 for the Grammys in '06

The 5 worst moments of Grammys '06

5. Christ Martin's hair. I saw Colplay at GM Place and I was a gajillion rows away but it was good to see that my eyes aren't that bad because his haircut looked just as bad up close in the camera.


4. Madonna & The Gorillaz. Too much time at home with the kids watching Saturday Morning cartoons.

3. Kelly Clarkson's Performance Dress I think I heard it described as "rescued from a garage sale at Anne Murray's house".


2. Billy Joe From Green Day. I thought he was in a punk band. He looked like a total schmoozer up there presenting an award. Good Lord, whatever happened to being anti-establishment.

1. Kanye West & Jamie Foxx. I'm tired of the freakshow vibe in performances. I didn't get it. If you're going for freakshow, at least have some midgets or firebreathers. Even a clown.

DIS-Honerable Mention: Jay-Z, Linkin Park and Paul Macartney sharing the stage, Sugarland's souless performance, Jennifer Love Hewitt being anywhere near anything to do with music.

The 5 best moments of Grammys '06


5. Mary J Blige and U2 singing "One". A timeless, important song that means a lot. And she actually pulled it off with the R&B voice. And she definitely got the spirit of the song. I thought she was gonna pass out she was so excited.

4. Coldplay's performance. Not great but good enough.

3. John Legend. This guy seems fairly well adjusted for one of Kanye's posse. Glad he won. Good vibe to his music.


2. Mariah Carey's performance. Hallelujah, Praise the Lord, Glory Be To Jesus, Sombody Help Me Now. Like church for the pop spiritual group.






















1. Kelly Carkson's Performance of "Because of You". I actually cried. I think I got what she was trying to say. I'm impressed enough that I will buy her album.

Honerable mention: U2 winning Song of The Year for "Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own", the New Orleans thing at the end, Ellen DeGeneres' (non) introduction of Paul Macartney.

Bono And The Gospel Of Justice

Here is a transcript of bono's comments ant the National Leadership Prayer Breakfast in Washington, DC. Man this guy really nails it when it comes to social justice.


Mr. President, First Lady, King Abdullah, Other heads of State, Members of Congress, distinguished guests …

Please join me in praying that I don't say something we'll all regret.

That was for the FCC.

If you're wondering what I'm doing here, at a prayer breakfast, well, so am I. I'm certainly not here as a man of the cloth, unless that cloth is leather. It's certainly not because I'm a rock star. Which leaves one possible explanation: I'm here because I've got a messianic complex.

Yes, it's true. And for anyone who knows me, it's hardly a revelation.

Well, I'm the first to admit that there's something unnatural… something unseemly… about rock stars mounting the pulpit and preaching at presidents, and then disappearing to their villas in the South of France. Talk about a fish out of water. It was weird enough when Jesse Helms showed up at a U2 concert… but this is really weird, isn't it?

You know, one of the things I love about this country is its separation of church and state. Although I have to say: in inviting me here, both church and state have been separated from something else completely: their mind. .

Mr. President, are you sure about this?

It's very humbling and I will try to keep my homily brief. But be warned—I'm Irish.

I'd like to talk about the laws of man, here in this city where those laws are written. And I'd like to talk about higher laws. It would be great to assume that the one serves the other; that the laws of man serve these higher laws… but of course, they don't always. And I presume that, in a sense, is why you're here.

I presume the reason for this gathering is that all of us here—Muslims, Jews, Christians—all are searching our souls for how to better serve our family, our community, our nation, our God.

I know I am. Searching, I mean. And that, I suppose, is what led me here, too.

Yes, it's odd, having a rock star here—but maybe it's odder for me than for you. You see, I avoided religious people most of my life. Maybe it had something to do with having a father who was Protestant and a mother who was Catholic in a country where the line between the two was, quite literally, a battle line. Where the line between church and state was… well, a little blurry, and hard to see.

I remember how my mother would bring us to chapel on Sundays… and my father used to wait outside. One of the things that I picked up from my father and my mother was the sense that religion often gets in the way of God.

For me, at least, it got in the way. Seeing what religious people, in the name of God, did to my native land… and in this country, seeing God's second-hand car salesmen on the cable TV channels, offering indulgences for cash… in fact, all over the world, seeing the self-righteousness roll down like a mighty stream from certain corners of the religious establishment…

I must confess, I changed the channel. I wanted my MTV.

Even though I was a believer.

Perhaps because I was a believer.

I was cynical… not about God, but about God's politics. (There you are, Jim.)

Then, in 1997, a couple of eccentric, septuagenarian British Christians went and ruined my shtick—my reproachfulness. They did it by describing the Millennium, the year 2000, as a Jubilee year, as an opportunity to cancel the chronic debts of the world's poorest people. They had the audacity to renew the Lord's call—and were joined by Pope John Paul II, who, from an Irish half-Catholic's point of view, may have had a more direct line to the Almighty.

'Jubilee'—why 'Jubilee'?

What was this year of Jubilee, this year of our Lords favor?

I'd always read the Scriptures, even the obscure stuff. There it was in Leviticus (25:35)…

'If your brother becomes poor,' the Scriptures say, 'and cannot maintain himself… you shall maintain him… You shall not lend him your money at interest, not give him your food for profit.'

It is such an important idea, Jubilee, that Jesus begins his ministry with this. Jesus is a young man, he's met with the rabbis, impressed everyone, people are talking. The elders say, he's a clever guy, this Jesus, but he hasn't done much… yet. He hasn't spoken in public before…

When he does, is first words are from Isaiah: 'The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,' he says, 'because He has anointed me to preach good news to the poor.' And Jesus proclaims the year of the Lord's favour, the year of Jubilee. (Luke 4:18) What he was really talking about was an era of grace—and we're still in it.

So fast-forward 2,000 years. That same thought, grace, was made incarnate—in a movement of all kinds of people. It wasn't a bless-me club… it wasn't a holy huddle. These religious guys were willing to get out in the streets, get their boots dirty, wave the placards, follow their convictions with actions… making it really hard for people like me to keep their distance. It was amazing. I almost started to like these church people.

But then my cynicism got another helping hand.

It was what Colin Powell, a five-star general, called the greatest W.M.D. of them all: a tiny little virus called A.I.D.S. And the religious community, in large part, missed it. The ones that didn't miss it could only see it as divine retribution for bad behaviour. Even on children… Even fastest growing group of HIV infections were married, faithful women.

Aha, there they go again! I thought to myself Judgmentalism is back!

But in truth, I was wrong again. The church was slow but the church got busy on this the leprosy of our age.

Love was on the move. Mercy was on the move. God was on the move.

Moving people of all kinds to work with others they had never met, never would have cared to meet… Conservative church groups hanging out with spokesmen for the gay community, all singing off the same hymn sheet on AIDS… Soccer moms and quarterbacks… hip-hop stars and country stars… This is what happens when God gets on the move: crazy stuff happens!

Popes were seen wearing sunglasses!

Crazy stuff. Evidence of the spirit.

It was breathtaking. Literally. It stopped the world in its tracks.

When churches started demonstrating on debt, governments listened—and acted. When churches started organising, petitioning, and even—that most unholy of acts today, God forbid, lobbying… on AIDS and global health, governments listened—and acted.

I'm here today in all humility to say: you changed minds; you changed policy; you changed the world.

Look, whatever thoughts you have about God, who He is or if He exists, most will agree that if there is a God, He has a special place for the poor. In fact, the poor are where God lives.

Check Judaism. Check Islam. Check pretty much anyone.

I mean, God may well be with us in our mansions on the hill… I hope so. He may well be with us as in all manner of controversial stuff… maybe, maybe not… But the one thing we can all agree, all faiths and ideologies, is that God is with the vulnerable and poor.

God is in the slums, in the cardboard boxes where the poor play house… God is in the silence of a mother who has infected her child with a virus that will end both their lives… God is in the cries heard under the rubble of war… God is in the debris of wasted opportunity and lives, and God is with us if we are with them. "If you remove the yolk from your midst,the pointing of the finger and speaking wickedness, and if you give yourself to the hungry and satisfy the desire of the afflicted, then your light will rise in darkness and your gloom with become like midday and the Lord will continually guide you and satisfy your desire in scorched places"

It's not a coincidence that in the Scriptures, poverty is mentioned more than 2,100 times. It's not an accident. That's a lot of air time, 2,100 mentions. [You know, the only time Christ is judgmental is on the subject of the poor.] 'As you have done it unto the least of these my brethren, you have done it unto me.' (Matthew 25:40). As I say, good news to the poor.

Here's some good news for the President. After 9-11 we were told America would have no time for the World's poor. America would be taken up with its own problems of safety. And it's true these are dangerous times, but America has not drawn the blinds and double-locked the doors.

In fact, you have doubled aid to Africa. You have tripled funding for global health. Mr. President, your emergency plan for AIDS relief and support for the Global Fund—you and Congress—have put 700,000 people onto life-saving anti-retroviral drugs and provided 8 million bed nets to protect children from malaria.

Outstanding human achievements. Counterintuitive. Historic. Be very, very proud.

But here's the bad news. From charity to justice, the good news is yet to come. There's is much more to do. There's a gigantic chasm between the scale of the emergency and the scale of the response.

And finally, it's not about charity after all, is it? It's about justice.

Let me repeat that: It's not about charity, it's about justice.

And that's too bad.

Because you're good at charity. Americans, like the Irish, are good at it. We like to give, and we give a lot, even those who can't afford it.

But justice is a higher standard. Africa makes a fool of our idea of justice; it makes a farce of our idea of equality. It mocks our pieties, it doubts our concern, it questions our commitment.

6,500 Africans are still dying every day of a preventable, treatable disease, for lack of drugs we can buy at any drugstore. This is not about charity, this is about Justice and Equality.

Because there's no way we can look at what's happening in Africa and, if we're honest, conclude that deep down, we really accept that Africans are equal to us. Anywhere else in the world, we wouldn't accept it. Look at what happened in South East Asia with the Tsunami. 150, 000 lives lost to that misnomer of all misnomers, "mother nature". In Africa, 150,000 lives are lost every month.

A tsunami every month. And it's a completely avoidable catastrophe.

It's annoying but justice and equality are mates. Aren't they? Justice always wants to hang out with equality. And equality is a real pain.

You know, think of those Jewish sheep-herders going to meet the Pharaoh, mud on their shoes, and the Pharaoh says, "Equal?" A preposterous idea: rich and poor are equal? And they say, "Yeah, 'equal,' that's what it says here in this book. We're all made in the image of God."

And eventually the Pharaoh says, "OK, I can accept that. I can accept the Jews—but not the blacks."

"Not the women. Not the gays. Not the Irish. No way, man."

So on we go with our journey of equality.

On we go in the pursuit of justice.

We hear that call in the ONE Campaign, a growing movement of more than two million Americans… left and right together… united in the belief that where you live should no longer determine whether you live.

We hear that call even more powerfully today, as we mourn the loss of Coretta Scott King—mother of a movement for equality, one that changed the world but is only just getting started. These issues are as alive as they ever were; they just change shape and cross the seas.

Preventing the poorest of the poor from selling their products while we sing the virtues of the free market… that's a justice issue. Holding children to ransom for the debts of their grandparents… That's a justice issue. Withholding life-saving medicines out of deference to the Office of Patents…that's a justice issue.

And while the law is what we say it is, God is not silent on the subject.

That's why I say there's the law of the land… and then there is a higher standard. There's the law of the land, and we can hire experts to write them so they benefit us, so the laws say it's OK to protect our agriculture but it's not OK for African farmers to do the same, to earn a living?

As the laws of man are written, that's what they say.

God will not accept that.

Mine won't, at least. Will yours?

[pause]

I close this morning on … very… thin… ice.

This is a dangerous idea I've put on the table: my God vs. your God, their God vs. our God… vs. no God. It is very easy, in these times, to see religion as a force for division rather than unity.

And this is a town—Washington—that knows something of division.

But the reason I am here, and the reason I keep coming back to Washington, is because this is a town that is proving it can come together on behalf of what the Scriptures call the least of these.

This is not a Republican idea. It is not a Democratic idea. It is not even, with all due respect, an American idea. Nor is it unique to any one faith.

Do to others as you would have them do to you.' (Luke 6:30) Jesus says that.

'Righteousness is this: that one should… give away wealth out of love for Him to the near of kin and the orphans and the needy and the wayfarer and the beggars and for the emancipation of the captives.' The Koran says that. (2.177)

Thus sayeth the Lord: 'Bring the homeless poor into the house, when you see the naked, cover him, then your light will break out like the dawn and your recovery will speedily spring fourth, then your Lord will be your rear guard.' The jewish scripture says that. Isaiah 58 again.

That is a powerful incentive: 'The Lord will watch your back.' Sounds like a good deal to me, right now.

A number of years ago, I met a wise man who changed my life. In countless ways, large and small, I was always seeking the Lord's blessing. I was saying, you know, I have a new song, look after it… I have a family, please look after them… I have this crazy idea…

And this wise man said: stop. He said, stop asking God to bless what you're doing. Get involved in what God is doing—because it's already blessed. Well, God, as I said, is with the poor. That, I believe, is what God is doing. And that is what He's calling us to do.

I was amazed when I first got to this country and I learned how much some churchgoers tithe. Up to ten percent of the family budget. Well, how does that compare the federal budget, the budget for the entire American family? How much of that goes to the poorest people in the world? Less than one percent.

Mr. President, Congress, people of faith, people of America:

I want to suggest to you today that you see the flow of effective foreign assistance as tithing…. Which, to be truly meaningful, will mean an additional one percent of the federal budget tithed to the poor.

What is one percent?

One percent is not merely a number on a balance sheet.

One percent is the girl in Africa who gets to go to school, thanks to you. One percent is the AIDS patient who gets her medicine, thanks to you. One percent is the African entrepreneur who can start a small family business thanks to you. One percent is not redecorating presidential palaces or money flowing down a rat hole. This one percent is digging waterholes to provide clean water.

One percent is a new partnership with Africa, not paternalism towards Africa, where increased assistance flows toward improved governance and initiatives with proven track records and away from boondoggles and white elephants of every description.

America gives less than one percent now. We're asking for an extra one percent to change the world. to transform millions of lives—but not just that and I say this to the military men now – to transform the way that they see us.

One percent is national security, enlightened economic self interest, and a better, safer world rolled into one. Sounds to me that in this town of deals and compromises, one percent is the best bargain around.

These goals—clean water for all; school for every child; medicine for the afflicted, an end to extreme and senseless poverty—these are not just any goals; they are the Millennium Development goals, which this country supports. And they are more than that. They are the Beatitudes for a Globalised World.

Now, I'm very lucky. I don't have to sit on any budget committees. And I certainly don't have to sit where you do, Mr. President. I don't have to make the tough choices.

But I can tell you this: To give one percent more is right. It's smart. And it's blessed.

There is a continent—Africa—being consumed by flames.

I truly believe that when the history books are written, our age will be remembered for three things: the war on terror, the digital revolution, and what we did—or did not to—to put the fire out in Africa.

History, like God, is watching what we do.

Thank you. Thank you, America, and God bless you all.

My [LOUSY} Day

So today I try to go to Small Business BC to do some research for our business plan. As I'm leaving I get this great idea to go to the music store and check on guitar lessons. As I'm walking there I come up to a corner and some guy bumps into me. After I cross the street I reach for my wallet in my coat and IT'S NOT THERE!!

I had my wallet stolen today and I'm not really happy about it or anything else right now. In fact about the only thing that could brighten my day right now would be if the Oilers won the Stanley Cup and that can't happen for a number of reasons, biggest of which is the fact that it's February.

Being stolen from is one of those things that you can't really put into words. Somebody was in your stuff and you can't do anything to really do anything about it. It's gone. You know I'm a pretty big guy and I don't much think about being in situations like this because my sheer girth usually scares people off. But I have to admit it's been 5 hours and I still don't feel right. I've lost my wallet a hundred times in my life and suffered the same consequences as far as having to replace cards and losing cash but this feels WAY different.

I did all the right things and cancelled my cards. None of my cards were used in the interim. Thanks be to God.

So I'm not really whining but I have been usingthis blog to sort of verbally regurge when I'm sick about something so today, I'm sick about this.