A New Year's Poem

T'was the night before New Year's In the Lower Mainland
I'm sitting here listening To David Crowder Band

With friends I love dearly And some I just met
On New Year's from my wife A kiss I'm gonna get

I had a great holiday From here to up North
The best trip yet From here and henceforth

Lot's of Skidooing And lots of my fam
Lot's of roast turkey Potatoes and ham

So as I end yet another 365 days
To the Lord up above I give much praise

For a wife who is wonderful For family and health
And, when measured against the rest of the world Incredible wealth

A city to serve in A calling to fulfill
And peace everlasting In the turmoil still

So for 2007 I hope you see pass
Everything you pray for And love that will last

A Christmas Poem

T'was the night before Christmas
And all over my blog
I'm sitting her with
A cup of Egg Nog

Thinking of all of you
Home with your kin
Knowing your Christmas
Is soon to begin

I'm up in Alberta
With Wanda my wife
Where people live
A very different life

-10 is balmy
Snow is accepted
A blizzard is just life
Not ever rejected

And by the next picture
You'll be able to
See that transport includes
Snowmobiles too

But this is the place where
Wanda's family has roots
Even if you can go outside
Without Sorel boots

We'll be soon of to Kamloops
To see all my klan
Stay for a few days
At least that's the plan

Then off to the coast
For a New Year's Eve party
With Nick, Ben, Leanne
Robin and Darcy

And I hear that a few
Other people are coming
That we don't see to often
Won't that be something

So as I sign off tonight
I just want to say
How all of my blog friends
Brighten my day

To Postal and DMac
You guys let me vent
And if I want a good laugh
I go over to Two Cent

Carson & Simone
Always interesting stuff
Kempner and Dehoog
They don't write no fluff

So I bid you adieu
With this poem of letters
I got to go upstairs
And play me some Settlers

The Human Race Has Hit A New Low

Here

I gotta go throw up.

When Bloggers Babysit For Bloggers - Next Time On Jerry Springer

Well we had quite a week actually it was 11 sleeps.

We took care of Gabriel & Grace, who are the children of the C & D Block, whilst C & D were away on plusiness (pleasure/business).

Lots of you know about our journey towards adoption. Having an extended period of time to give care to a 5 year old and a 20 month old taught me some very interesting lessons. Here's what I learned:

1. Thank God for cereal!!!! Only 1 dish dirty per child and they love it. Whoever invented cereal... THANK YOU!!

2. Children who are loved, are lovely children. In 11 days, these kids NEVER cried for Mom and Dad and always were polite with us. I mean the 20 month old was a little terror sometimes but nothing we couldn't handle. Gabriel was AWESOME!!! I think they have been loved well. I mean at their age, you'd think they'd be asking for candy all of the time. Their favorite snack is apples.....APPLES!!

3. I'm very selfish. I couldn't believe how many times I had to catch myself reacting emotionally rather than thinking, "What's best for the child". I really feel like I learned to give more of myself.

4. I love them. I know I'm not their parent, but I feel like I learned how to be one. I feel like I learned how to love someone differently.

5. I miss them. I slept 'till 8:15 this morning. That wasn't happening last week. Children are a real blessing and I understand that more now than I ever EVER have.

6. I can't wait..........

The Bible Either Sounds Like A Tolkien Book or A Metallica Song To Someone Who Has Never Set Foot In A Church Before.

Hope you all can take time to read this article.

If you're a lady, stick through the sports analogy, the article is worth reading!!!

ps - I had this picture as a poster in my bedroom when I was 14 or 15.

The Truth

You may have heard by now, and I'm ashamed that I didn't say anything sooner but I need to set the record straight about something really important in my life.

I'm drinking tea...... and I LIKE it.

You see, when you do something as a job you often lose the joy of this endeavor. You become a drinker only for the purpose of determining if your customers are enjoying a consistently great tasting cup rather than for your own enjoyment.

I've lost the wonder of espresso :(

I've become so obsessed with creating the perfect espresso shot and the best latte art that I've completely abandoned the joy of the bean. Which leads me to my new love..... Yeah I said love! Deal with it.

Peppermint Tea. I really like it. I feel like I'm drinking a good drink and chewing a stick of Extra gum all at the same time. Sometimes (make sure there are no children in the room) I even put 2 tea bags in one cup.

But what of espresso? Shall it be my Ex forever? Not forever but for the forseeable future. I did have an Americano just this morning made by a fantastic barista and it was very good but I found myself wanting the cool tingle of peppermint rolling over my gums instead of the "dark chocolate" bitterness of espresso crema.

This all has got me to thinking about the way I treat the Word of God. Do I lose the wonder of it because I'm "in the business"? When was the last time I partook in the Word of God for me (like, really) and not to pass it on to someone else? Because those 2 things ARE different.

Anyway, now you know the truth straight from the horses (which eat grass) mouth.

Everything You've Ever Needed To Know About Blogs

Here I'm going to attempt to shamelessly pigeon hole every blog in the world:

Mommy Blogs
These are big. They generally are run by (you guessed it) moms and consist of tales from the playground or the last family outing. A good example of a mommy blog is here or here.

Mommy Blogs Plus
Similar to the mommy blog but usually run by a mom who should have been a standup comedian or Jim Carey impersonator. Personality reigns supreme in these blogs. Here is a good example of Mommy Blog Plus.

Musings On Life
These are people who are just giving their opinion on life or telling a story of something challenging or interesting in their day. They don't make any major claims on life but you feel like you're seeing into their life in their blog. This blog and this one are good examples of this.

Chick Blog
This is nasty territory. It's like Beaches, a box of Kleenex, an episode of Dr. Phil and Oprah plus a day at the mall all rolled into one. These are blogs that have the sole purpose of making people cry. I know some blogs that venture into the chick blog realm but have only ever truely been to one chick blog and here it is.

Family Blogs
These are blogs that start out as family websites (usually run by the guy) and quickly degenrate into Mommy or Chick Blogs because the guy doesn't follow through on keeping up with the blog. Here is are a couple of classic family blogs.

The Theology Blog
This is usually an "inside joke" type of blog in that it's a closed group of people that comment. Sometimes these blogs receive no comments at all. Which is generally OK because theologians usually don't like to be disagreed with. I won't list a link to a Theology Blog in fear that I might tick that theologian off.

Honest Dialogue Blog
Or the "HDB" for short. These are usually blogs that bring up good questions and let people "have at 'er". The joy is not in the answer in these blogs but rather, "What's the next question we should be asking?" This blog attempts to be an HDB from time to time but the best one I visit is this one.

Special Interest Blogs
These are blogs devoted to small niche topics like sports or cafe reviews or restaurant reviews or faith and politics.

This really should be a Wikipedia article or a Webster's definition because it's so exhaustive.
Anyway, if I've incorrectly labeled any of you, or if you know of some blogs that fit into any of these categories, I'd love to know.

Did I set a record for the most hyperlinks in a post?

Wet

It's very wet today. Hmmm, it was very wet last week this time as well.

The rain does some really good things, don't get me wrong. It gives our city a really good cleaning when it needs it. It also helps get rid of the dried pee smell that permeates downtown when it's dry for too long.

What I DON'T like is I can't walk around downtown as much, which is my favorite thing about living down here.

Hope everyone has a fantastic weekend wherever you are.

These Are A Few Of My Favorite Things

Coffee + the 80's = Funaaay!!!

Adoption Update #3

Well I just got back from the Adoption Agency and we have officially done all the paper work for our adoption. We've finished the homestudy (with the social worker) and done all the other paper work that China needs. Next steps are sending everything to Victoria to be approved and then off to be translated into Mandarin and then off to China. The next time I update you on our adoption journey will be to tell you that we are officially in the "lineup" in China and just waiting for the next available baby.

So we're still looking at 12-13 months from now until we travel to China but all of our paperwork is done. It's just a waiting game from here on in.

Wanda's gone to her mom's for a week for another "Scrapbook Bender" as I call it So I'm batching it for a few days. Looking forward to a visit from my friend Phil. Love you all.

So Late October

Remember how I said brown is the new black? Well it turns out that light purple is the new brown.

HELP!!! I'M ADDICTED TO BLOG TEMPLATES!!!

New Look

Being the fasionable guy that I am, added to the fact that "brown is the new black", I've updated ny blog look. What do you think??

Just Being Straight With You

If you come to Vancouver and come to downtown..... and DON'T call us, I'm seriously questioning your walk with God. I mean, let us show you around, let's go for a coffee, and ESPECIALLY if you're going to a game or concert, DON'T PAY FOR PARKING!!! My visitor parking is free and it's closer to the stadiums than most of the pay parking. If you're gonna pay $20 for parking, THAT'S SILLY!!! Come on!!!!


p.s. - you know who you are!!!

Time Out

** IMPORTANT NOTE - This Post Is For Christians Mainly**

You know how in church how they teach us that tithing is something we should do even if we can't afford it and that if we do, God will bless and take care of the rest?

Why don't we teach evangelism the same way? It's every bit the biblical imperative that giving is. What if everyone of us MADE time to spend with people who don't know Jesus?

I've heard a lot of people lately vent frustration about not knowing any unchurched people or people who aren't a part of their church. What if we just cancelled something in our church sched and got in to our community? What would happen? Would God forsake us and our lives fall apart if we spent time with people in our community? I doubt it. But what do YOU think???

The Beard Is Back

(If you choose to sing it, sing it in Db, the saddest of all sad keys)


One morning I arose
And thought, "No need to shave"
Much to my wife's chagrin
This way I would behave


And a mere 2 weeks later
Look what's on my face
It's a full on scruffy beard
Instead of a baby face


I hard to put into words
The way a beard makes me feel
More manly, more animal, more wild
Like I'm made of steel


But alas it won't last long
Maybe 'till December
These things are itchy as heck
Much more than I'd remembered

Turkey Recap

Well we had a great weekend in Kamloops. Hung out with family and friends and had lots of great turkey. Came back on Monday and had ANOTHER turkey with our Delta Church staff. So we had lots of turkey.

I hope your weekend made you more thankful, for your family and friends and the many blessings God has given us.

A NEW Blog!!

I've started a new blog. It's www.vancouver-cafe-reviews.blogspot.com. Basically I figured since I go to so many cafes and drink so much coffee, I should begin reviewing these cafes. I'll put a link in my links section as well.

Finding Family In A Greek Restaurant

So last night we had the WIERDest experience. There is this great couple upstairs, Greg & Gillian. We've been getting to know them this year by going out to dinner at various ethnic restaurants, Thai in February, Indian in May, Japanese in August and Greek last night (Mexican in November is the plan).

Somehow we got on the topic of Mennonites. Greg pipes up and mentions that he' s got Mennonite heritage (I hadn't already realized this because we do all our correspondence through Gillian, who uses here maiden name still). So I ask him his last name and he tells me. And then I say "Wanda's mom has an uncle with the same last name". IT'S THE SAME GUY!! Wanda and him are related on different sides of the family. Then it turns out that Greg's brother married Wanda's mom's cousin. So there's actually 2 family connections. Wanda has stayed at Greg's brother's house (which Greg and Gillian helped build).

Hence the title of my post. It got me to thinking, is my view of the world getting smaller or bigger, and which is more preferable? Are there people close to me that should be (or, in this case, actually are) like family to me?

The first part of Hebrews 13 says:

"Stay on good terms with each other, held together by love. Be ready with a meal or a bed when it's needed. Why, some have extended hospitality to angels without ever knowing it! " - The Message

In this case we entertained FAMILY without knowing it. The crazy thing was, realizing someone so close to us (geographically) was so close to us (in family relations) was like receiving a visit from an angel.

Help A Brother Out!!!

With the help of the Misfit, I uploaded our church site last night. I need some help. If you could add a link to our church site to your blog or website, that helps with the Google searches. I'd really appreciate it. It's www.livingroomchurch.com.

THE Question

Thanks for all the good dialogue on the last post (especially Jer and Sam dB). It caused me to want to back up a bit and do a definition or maybe a re-definition. What is a Christian? I'm sorry to implement this rule but, if you read this you must respond.