Living With Joy

A New Home

2007-05-10T08:39:00.000-04:00

My new blog home on the web.

It's been a fun two years here at Blogger, but it's time to move to a new home.

YouTube's Version of "Soon"

2007-05-10T08:37:00.000-04:00

When YouTube says something will be posted on your site in a few moments, it could be up to a week (as you can by the three that showed up last night).

Chris Tomlin arm wrestles Charlie Hall

2007-05-10T03:40:00.001-04:00

You really have to see this to believe it!

Happy Birthday

2007-05-10T03:28:00.001-04:00

Trying this for the second time!! I want it known that I did not forget Chris Tomlin's birthday. YouTube just ate my post.

Here's Chris and Israel Houghton from Passion 07 singing Friend of God.

Happy Birthday Chris!

How Could I Forget???

2007-05-10T03:24:00.001-04:00

Happy 34th Birthday to my very favorite worship leader.

Here's Friend of God from Passion '07 with Chris and Israel Houghton.

Bye Bye Blogger?

2007-05-06T16:21:00.000-04:00

I haven't been totally happy with Blogger for a while. Too few templates. Not enough flexibility. The beta changes helped, but I was still looking for something more. Along came WordPress. I've been checking it out this weekend and I think it will do everything that I need it to do and give me room to grow.

Here's the link. No word yet on whether the move is permanent, but it's looking promising.

Not for Lack of Trying

2007-05-05T14:33:00.000-04:00

I'm feeling really bad because it looks like I totally forgot Chris Tomlin's birthday. On the contrary. I have tried TWICE to post a YouTube video of Chris and Israel Houghton performing Friend of God at Passion '07. So, if multiple versions start showing up.... sorry..

Happy birthday to my favorite worship leader!

Something Different

2007-05-04T13:19:00.000-04:00

I'm tired of whining about being tired. Need to talk about something else for a change.

American Photo magazine has a great feature right now on Heroes of Photography. At first I wondered what on earth it could mean, but looking through the bios of the people they chose, it's a mix of people who have shown personal courage in continuing their careers despite obstacles and those who have used their cameras to expose injustice in the world.

The one who caught my eye is Hazel Thompson, a British photojournalist who recently shot the conditions in Philippine children's prisons. The images are striking and heartbreaking. The picture at the top of this blog is hers (and yes, those are kids in prison).

What kept my attention longer was a set of photo essays she's done called "Modern Day Crusaders". This series includes Christian Bikers in the US, cowboy church, surfer outreach projects, hip hop church and the 24/7 prayer team doing outreach in the clubs in Ibiza, Spain.

How very cool to find someone who blends their faith with the passion for photography to expose injustice and to record some of the most interesting areas of missions in our world.

Definitely check out her pictures. She's now among my top 10 photographers.

Nothing to Do But Pray

2007-05-03T10:24:00.000-04:00

Remember that amazing opportunity I mentioned last week? Well somewhere between "is this really what I should do?" and "gosh that's a lot of money" I realized, "heck yeah, this is what I should do". Possibly because someone else showed me another option for the summer that was way inferior and possibly because I remembered that I told myself last year that if something like this ever came up I was going to do it no matter where in the world it was.

So, last night, tired as I was, I completed the application. Luckily I had written the essay pieces a couple of days earlier, so that was just cut and paste. I was pretty brain dead while filling in the application. I actually forgot the name of my pastor (I know, I know) and then was stumped at how to describe my relationships with my reference people. Friends? Co-conspirators? Fellow eaters of taco salads? She who regularly slaps me around (my accountability person)? The usual descriptions seem so inadequate.

It was a huge victory to get it out the door. I really had a bad day yesterday. Very physically and emotionally draining. By the time last night came I just wanted to sleep for days. It's a weight off my shoulders to get the application in.

Now there's nothing to do but pray. Please pray for the people reviewing the applications. I really really want to be accepted and get to go on this adventure!!

One More Time

2007-05-02T13:32:00.000-04:00

I'm off in a few minutes to what I hope is my last doctor's appointment for a while. I've been feeling a little less exhausted since Sunday. By that I mean I get winded and need a nap after walking 5 minutes, not two. I'm not sure what my doctor's going to do with that, especially since I still have my lovely cold. Yes, after 10 days of anti-biotics and 7 days of Singulair, I'm still sick sick sick. And tired of being sick. I just want to curl up in a ball and sleep for a month or so.

At least 25% girl

2007-05-01T16:44:00.000-04:00

You Are 28% Girly

You are a pretty hardcore tomboy, and a very free spirit.
Gender roles be dammed, you like to do things your way.

How Girly Are You?

I guess this works with my job, huh?

After More Thought

2007-05-01T16:36:00.000-04:00

A friend pointed out to me this weekend that I don't really believe what I wrote in my Sheep Stealing blog a few weeks ago.

So, to clarify...

I think in a local context Bible believing/Bible preaching churches should not be competing for existing sheep, nor should they see local para church organizations (such as IV or the Navs) as competing for the existing sheep. If we're all in the business of the Kingdom of God.

However...

I do have a problem with para church organizations taking leaders away from local churches with the claim they are going to train them, only to get them out of their communities and teach them that they have to stay in this central location. I think this severely damages the local church and is unethical.

Obama

2007-04-30T12:12:00.000-04:00

I've been looking for a really good article on the faith of Barack Obama for a while. I've seen a couple that were either too generic or too clearly slanted to be of much use. I don't have time to read his books (my reading pile is so large I won't be finished it by next year's elections), but I was interested in the faith that he mentions. Is it "of course I'm a Christian" cultural faith? Is it "I'm running for office and therefore need to go to church" political faith? Is it the real deal?

This article in the New York Times is the most balanced thing I've seen so far. It's still hard to know what's going on in his heart, but at least this article pulls together different snippets from other articles and addresses some of the issues.

I highly recommend reading it.

In reading the article I thought of the article in Newsweek last fall that traced the relationship between the evangelical church and politics. The pattern of groups gaining favor with the evangelical church, getting in bed with politicians to advance their agenda and then having a harsh fall is pretty well documented in the article.

Now we see Obama moving towards power and preaching at Saddleback Church, working with Jim Wallis and speaking at his own super church. I'm all for a truly dedicated man of God being in power, but I think we have to look long and hard at the man, determining if this is really "of God" and then look at what the costs are of getting that close to power. History indicates that those who get close to power get burned.

If you haven't read the NYT or Newsweek articles, I strongly encourage you to take a look. I'm interested in hearing other people's thoughts on the faith of the 2008 candidates.

Not Bad for a Canadian

2007-04-29T17:35:00.000-04:00

You Are Not a Dumb American

You got 8/10 correct.
You know a good deal about American history, but there's some basic facts you have wrong.
Time to go back to history class!

Are You a Dumb American?

What to do...

2007-04-28T13:08:00.000-04:00

While I'm feeling slightly better, it seems as soon as I have any energy, something comes up to take all that extra energy. It feels like a losing battle.

In the midst of this, something has come up that would be an amazing opportunity for this summer. I know I should be excited and jump at it. However, it's hard to be excited when I don't know where I'm going to get the energy to get through the day. Is it a matter of faith that I will be healthy by the summer?

There's also the issue of money. Not exactly sure where the money to do this will come from, but I guess it's a matter of taking the leap knowing that the details will work out.

Congrats

2007-04-26T16:36:00.000-04:00

Last night at the Dove Awards Chris Tomlin won 6 awards (the highest of the night), including Male Vocalist of the Year and Artist of the Year.

Conflicted

2007-04-26T11:57:00.000-04:00

Last night I watched the Idols Give Back special. In a previous life I have watched way too much of American Idol, so what's two more hours? And this one is supposed to be about Africa, so that's good, right? And Bono will be on, right?

First - the negative.

The show was an interlacing of a usual cheesy elimination show, a concert and clips from charities around the world. Interesting mix.
- In the clips of children it seemed like the kids were coached when to start crying. I was suspicious the first time, but the little girl in LA seriously can't act.
- Also, I thought this was about Africa. Since when are LA, New Orleans and Kentucky in Africa?
- Since when is anywhere in the US considered "extreme poverty" on the level with some of the African conditions?
- Why did Ryan have to follow every clip of the horrors in Africa with a comment about half the money staying in America to help American kids? What's wrong with helping African kids?
- Watching Simon Cowell in an African hut telling the family that their "home" was unacceptable was pretty hard to take. I get that the conditions are deplorable, but it seemed uncomfortable to here a rich Brit say that to the family.
- What exactly are Simon, Ryan, Randy and Paula doing on these issues? When Ryan asked Simon that he quickly deflected the question.
- The Quincy Jones song was awful. In a "this is a horrible song" awful, and also in a "love isn't going to fix everything" awful.
- Having Exxon executives pretending to care about Africa turned my stomach.
- How can you cut from the clips of children in poverty to the AI elimination? It was way too jarring.
- Paula, showing us cleavage within millimeters of getting censored is not what I would consider "Idol gives back". Just sayin.

So, having said all that and having steeled myself for the cheesefest that is AI...
yes, I ended up crying. The brother and sister living in a single room because their parents were dead. The "family" of fourteen children (mostly AIDS orphans) living in a room. Carrie Underwood singing to those kids.

Yes, I went through lots of kleenex. Even I'm not cold enough to stay dry eyed during it.

And, I guess if all the AI watchers gained a greater understanding of the poverty issues in our country and the crisis in Africa, then the sacrifice of two hours of my life is worth is. Kudos to Ellen Degeneres for pledging $100,000 on air and challenging the rich friends she watches AI with to do the same. I hope lots of people are really bothered by the show (in the good way) and follow up by asking lots of questions. I know www.one.org was down most of the night because it's servers were swamped. I also hope those 6 finalists on the show were impacted and when one (or more) of them gets famous they remember what their fame and money can do.

$30 million is nothing to sneeze at. I hope the money makes it's way swiftly to buy malaria medication, nets, ARV medication and all the other things they promised last night.

As much as the cheesy stuff made me snicker and some of the "edge of tasteful" stuff made me wince, mostly the show made me want to go to Africa with suitcases of malaria medication and support those communities torn apart by AIDS however I can.

Just So Wrong

2007-04-25T12:52:00.000-04:00

This ad showed up in my Google ads:

Purpose Driven Software

Eady-to-use church management soft- ware for Purpose Driven Churches.

www purposeware.com

A) Please stop with the "purpose driven" everything! I'm begging you.

B) The phrase "Eady-to-use" made me laugh and laugh. Perhaps they can ad a spellchecker to their very easy software.

C) In the layout of the ad, there was no line break between "soft-" and "ware". Seriously.

Bono Sighting

2007-04-24T22:34:00.000-04:00

Though it pains me to promote American Idol, according to the press releases (and the emails I've gotten from the ONE Campaign, Bono will be on American Idol tomorrow night. It's supposed to be a relief show for Africa, so he's there to talk to the contestants about the ONE campaign. Though it's sure to be cheesy, it is bringing attention to the issues in Africa. Tune in, but be prepared with the mute or fast forward button for when you hit your limit of cheese!

Hope

2007-04-24T14:41:00.000-04:00

For those who love worship music and/or want to support all those hurting at VT, check out this link. You won't regret it.

Cute Shoes

2007-04-23T20:13:00.000-04:00

I take a lot of flack for my large shoe collection and for the fact that I love cute shoes. The problem with cute shoes is that often aren't super comfortable. So, if I know I won't have to walk too far, I'll wear cute shoes. However, there are very few times when I know for certain I won't have to walk anywhere, so there are very few occasions to pull out the cute shoes.

I've now found a new use for cute shoes.

Yesterday I managed to drag myself to church despite feeling awful and hoping I could manage not to over exert myself.

Rather than slip on the comfortable shoes, I put on cute shoes. Not only did I look cuter, but I had a real incentive not to overdo it. I stopped for an errand on the way home and I quickly realized my feet weren't going to let me go too far. For once this was a really good thing and helped keep me from over exerting myself.

Score one for cute shoes!

Keeper of Hearts

2007-04-22T20:59:00.000-04:00

I'm continuing to read (and take copious notes on) Ministries of Mercy by Timothy Keller. It's an outstanding book and I can't even tell you how much I've learned from this book.

I came upon this quote last night:

The person should remember that God is the keeper of hearts. If you have a burden, then God put it there; it is not the result of your innate goodness and love.

This really speaks to something that's been bothering me for some time. Is this interest in Africa just a passing thing with me? Is this just something that caught my eye? How do I know that this is just from God and not just a good idea?

Then I read this quote and got hit with some perspective. It's hard to accept that nothing good could be coming just from me. It's just a matter of my motivation in approaching the good things that are from God. God is the keeper of my heart.

How Can I Keep From Singing

2007-04-22T20:26:00.001-04:00

Chris Tomlin from Passion '07

A Change of Scenery

2007-04-21T11:54:00.000-04:00

I'm hanging out at my friends B-squared's house and hanging out on their couch. Nice to have a change of scenery and just lie low for the day. As an added bonus, they won't let me do anything strenuous. Nice to have accountability in your laziness.

Evidently I'm Not "Just Lazy"

2007-04-19T13:20:00.000-04:00

So, I went to the doctor's this morning and she thinks I have mono. They took an awful lot of my blood and she put me on all kinds of medications "just in case". Evidently I'm much sicker than I thought I was. That's the problem with fatigue. You may be really sick, but you just don't care. All you want to do is sleep.

If I haven't been calling you back, returning your emails or responding fast enough - sorry. Hopefully I'll be feeling better in a few weeks.

Prayer for VT

2007-04-18T21:12:00.000-04:00

Campus Crusade for Christ is calling all students and campuses to prayer tomorrow (April 19th) for the students of Virginia Tech. From their website:

"How You Can Pray

The staff team invites the watching world to join with them in prayer. Specifically, they ask people to pray for:

families and friends of the students who were killed, including the 4 students involved with Campus Crusade.
students who were injured during the shooting and are still in the hospital.
survivors of the shootings who witnessed the horrors of that day.
wisdom for the Campus Crusade staff members and other campus ministers and pastors as they seek to counsel and love the hurting students."

Getting to the Bottom of This

2007-04-18T15:41:00.000-04:00

Judging from my past blog entries, my current issues with fatigue started March 8th and have been around in varying levels since then. Right now the varying level is high. I'm exhausted and am having a hard time sitting up at work.

Tomorrow morning I have an appointment with my doctor to try to get to the bottom of this. Hopefully she'll do some blood tests and I'll find out what's causing the problem. More importantly - how to fix the problem. My parents are arriving for a visit in a week and I have a major work event at the end of next week. I simply HAVE to get energy back. Right now there's no way I can have house guests. Don't know quite what to do with the situation.

A Thousand Words

2007-04-17T14:00:00.000-04:00

Though in a crisis moment everyone tends to turn on the tv to see video of events and hear the latest information, I've always felt that still photos do a better job of capturing emotion and creating the lasting image of events. When I think of 9/11 or Hurricane Katrina, it's the still photos that I remember. Video conveys the immediacy, but it's usually franetic and often comes with audio commentary that later proves to be wrong or caught up in the emotion of the moment.

I may be biased because of my own love for photography, but I think it's the photojournalists who really preserve history for us and help us understand tragedy. The talking heads on television end up becoming a blur. As usual, it's the photographs coming out today that have made me cry. The best photo essay I've found is from Time. I think the photos express what even 1000 words could not capture.

The Day After

2007-04-17T11:00:00.000-04:00

I was off yesterday and so I managed to miss what was happening until mid-afternoon. It was hard to take in and hit close to home. I was still grappling with everything when I found something that helped make some sense of the display of evil I was seeing on my television:

Though the darkness closes in, I believe that God is on His throne, and that He is good beyond our wildest dreams. He is the Savior of the whole wide world. Yet we are living in shattered days, a faint image of what He hoped and dreamed for us all. And today, the weight of our fallen race seems too heavy to bear.

There's so much in the world that I don't understand. Days like today I'm afraid that I do understand, and it becomes hard to handle living in the world.

Sheep Stealing

2007-04-16T17:04:00.000-04:00

Lately I've been thinking a lot about how different church would look if we really thought we were working for the Kingdom of God, rather than the Small Principality of __________ (insert the name of your church here). What if we gave to missionaries that weren't just our denomination if they were undertaking strategic work that we felt called to be a part of? What if we supported other Bible-believing/Bible-preaching/Bible-living churches in our area as brothers and sisters?

This came up in a church meeting a few weeks ago when we were talking about stewardship and the radical idea came up to send a chunk of our young families to the church up the road that is doing great things with college students, but is struggling because it doesn't have families as a foundation for the church. What if we did that? What if we blessed people that left our churches because they were called to other ministries (instead of cursing them)? What if we were committed to church planting, rather than growing mega churches?

Last night I was reading Dave Sliker's blog and was surprised to hear him hitting on a lot of these topics. I was especially struck by the following paragraph:

If seeker-sensitive churches are content to play their role on the “team” rather than build the biggest, most successful ode to their giftedness on the block, then everyone wins in the end. If other pastors can come to terms with the fact that “sheep stealing” is a farcical notion birthed from insecurity and sinful ambition rather than the word of God, they would then be fine with people shifting to different expressions of the the body reflected in the different corporate gatherings throughout their cities. Different seasons of growth, maturity, and development demand that believers run with different groups that best fit those seasons. Pastors that are willing to serve, launch, and recognize their limitations can be free of heart and pleased to have played a role in loving a member of the broader body of Christ that is valuable to Jesus. Pastors that seek to be “all things to all men” in a vain effort to gather all peoples to themselves will be sorely disillusioned and frustrated with the passage of time.

If we saw different churches having different roles in the community, things would look quite different. If we stopped trying to create the perfect mega-church on every corner and learned how to be a really good hand or a really good foot (in the body of Christ), how awesome would that be.

Anyhow, I was very excited to hear someone from IHOP saying this as it directly addresses some of my recent concerns about them vacuuming up all the "serious" Christians and holding them in the only "true" church. Kudos Dave. Good points and a good message. I think IHOP has a really important role to play in the North American church. I'm looking forward to seeing them engage more with other churches in the "team ministry" that Dave talks about.

Random

2007-04-16T11:52:00.000-04:00

I love having random days off. Especially when going into work would have meant building an ark!

Life in the Center

2007-04-13T09:11:00.000-04:00

Growing up in Canada I always felt a little outside the center. It was always clear that the US was the center of Western culture. From a global view all of the US, Canada and Western Europe are the center.

I read a great article the other night. I was going through my old magazines as part of spring cleaning and stumbled on this article in a Christianity Today from last summer. It's exactly what I've been looking for.

Rt. Rev. Dr. David Zac Niringiye talks about the dangers of being at the center. He explains that throughout scripture God was always outside the center. Jesus came to earth far out of the center.

As North American Christians he says we are at a disadvantage in understanding Jesus because we don't have that experience of being at the margins. His suggestion is that all North American Christians spend time globally at the margins - not to "fix" the rest of the world or to "bring God" to the rest of the world, but to realize that the margin is where God is and if we want to be with God, that's where we need to be.

I've been trying to explain to my church that sending people to Africa isn't to try to evangelize Africa (the church there is growing much faster than the church in my area), it's to transform our people by stepping outside our comfortable world and seeing God working in other parts of the world.

"One of the gravest threats to the North American church is the deception of power - the deception of power - the deception of being at the center. Those at the center tend to think, 'The future belongs to us. We are the shapers of tomorrow. The process of gospel transmission, the process of mission - all of it is on our terms, because we are powerful, because we are established. We have a track record of success, after all.'"

How often do we the US as shaping the world? How often do we say things like "the future belongs to us"?

If God is working far from the center, let's go be with Him.

Signs of New England Spring

2007-04-12T16:51:00.000-04:00

This morning I saw a beautiful robin on my lawn. It was running around trying to dodge the falling ice pellets.

Sigh.

Small Friend

2007-04-11T16:03:00.000-04:00

Sugar Sweet Sugar

2007-04-10T15:30:00.000-04:00

Is sugar really worthy of it's own blog entry? YES.

I'm sitting here at Panera working (okay - taking a break) and munching on a caramel pecan brownie. Totally yummy. These things have mocked me from the counter when I went up to order my sugarless food. Now the brownie is mine. Mine I say!

So, what's with the sugar? Well, I was thinking on what I learned over Lent (aka - those horrible weeks when I had no sugar).

1. I'm a little too dependent on sugar. I use it as a stimulant. I use it as a pick-me-up. I use it as a reward. Not a good thing

2. This year I went with the tradition of taking the Sabbath off from giving things up for Lent. More simply stated, I ate sugar on Sundays. I didn't run out and eat 3 candy bars each Sunday, but I also didn't avoid sugar like I did for the rest of the week. This had the result of making me look forward to Sundays and be a little sad when the sun started going down on Sunday. It's a really cool thing to anticipate the Sabbath.

3. Giving up something for Lent isn't nearly as effective if you just substitute something else just as bad. As in "okay I won't eat that cookie because it's Lent - I'll have some potato chips instead".

4. Giving up something for Lent isn't as effective as fasting.

5. Fruit is yummy and very sweet. Perhaps I should eat more of it.

One of my favorite memories from Lent will be me and my friend Trish (who had also given up sugar) at her window on Saturday asking each other if we thought the sun had officially set yet (making it the Sabbath). Too funny!

When I Count My Blessings...

2007-04-09T14:58:00.000-04:00

at this time of year, I always count Clariton twice. This is a bad year for allergies and I'm almost thankful when it rains hard or gets cold because I get a break from the itching and sniffling.

Yesterday was especially fun with the pollen, Easter lilies and the perfumy people at church.

Another blessing? I wasn't in Halifax for the Easter Blizzard of '07. That really sucks.

Had a nice relaxing afternoon with friends eating Easter Dinner (and Easter dessert - no more Lent - yay). After dinner I got to see a whole new side of my friend Bert as he put the smack-down (literally) on my friend Jen's huge teddybear Snuggles. It was like a WWF show. Poor Snuggles just laid there and took it.

Got more books and resources for the justice study. It's going to be a spring of reading for me. I have to head out tomorrow and look at buying another bookcase. Or, buy a table cloth to drape over the piles of books and start using them as furniture.

New Life

2007-04-08T00:11:00.000-04:00

One of the great thing about this justice project has been the new authors I've been reading and seeing the questions they are asking.

One of these new authors is Timothy Keller. His Ministries of Mercy has this great quote that is perfect for Easter:

"The kingdom of God is the means for the renewal of the entire world and all the dimensions of life. From the throne of Jesus Christ flows new life and power such that no disease, decay, poverty, blemish, or pain can stand before it."

Mark Your Calendars

2007-04-06T10:57:00.000-04:00

The official leak (is that an oxymoron?) on the 268 blog this morning is that Passion is coming to Boston October 12-13th (Chicago October 19-20). A Passion conference within driving distace of me - I can't wait.

So, mark your calendars now. Great preaching and worship is coming to New England.

A New Voice on Africa

2007-04-05T16:32:00.000-04:00

Living in my little Protestant bubble, I had no idea Pope Benedict was interested in the development issues of Africa. Evidently he has a new book coming out April 16th that includes the following quote on the application of the parable of the Good Samaritan to the issues of Africa:

"If we apply [the story] to the dimensions of globalised society we see how the peoples of Africa, who have been plundered and sacked, see us from close-up," he wrote. "Our style of life [and] the history in which we are involved has stripped them and continues to strip them."
The Pope wrote that the damage was not just material. "We have wounded them spiritually too," he said. "Instead of giving them God - and thereby welcoming in from their traditions all that is precious and great - we have brought them the cynicism of a world without God in which only power and profit count."

In the book he also discusses human trafficking, sex tourism and consumerism. Good to see these issues being discussed openly.

Maundy Thursday

2007-04-04T22:12:00.000-04:00

No, not Monday Thursday. Maundy Thursday. It's an event I had never heard of until I went to Park Street Church in Boston. A celebration of the Last Supper and the beginning of the final events leading to the Crucifixion. I've always thought it's a great way to prepare for Good Friday.

For all the people who have been asking me what Maundy means, this description from wikipedia:

The word Maundy is derived through Middle English, and Old French mandé, from the Latin mandatum, the first word of the phrase "Mandatum novum do vobis ut diligatis invicem sicut dilexi vos" (A new commandment I give unto you, that you love one another as I have loved you), the statement by Jesus in the Gospel of John(13:34) by which Jesus explained to the Apostles the significance of his action of washing their feet. The phrase is used as the antiphon sung during the "Mandatum" ceremony of the washing of the feet, which may be held during Mass or at another time as a separate event, during which a priest or bishop (representing Christ) ceremonially washes the feet of others, typically 12 persons chosen as a cross-section of the community.

Beauty

2007-04-03T16:33:00.000-04:00

CCM magazine has an interesting article on beauty and image in the Christian music industry. She interviewed many top artists on how they feel about the push for beauty in a sector that claims that beauty is on the inside. It's a worthwhile read.

When I got home last night the hard copy of the magazine was waiting for me and the article had an extra sidebar that wasn't available in the online edition. The title was "Made to Worship Who?" and the subject was, of course, Chris Tomlin. He tells the story of flying to his first photo shoot and the letter Louie Giglio gave him to read on the plane. It read, in part:

"Everyone was coming to John the Baptist in John 3 and saying, 'You're it. You're the deal... You're getting quite popular here.' And he responded, 'I am not... there's One that's coming. I can't even tie His shoes. That's the One you need to go to. And when you see Him, you're going to know that He must increase and I must decrease.' And as they're taking your pictures today, I just want you to hold that in your heart.... 'you don't even tie this guy's shoes'."

Just one more reason to love John the Baptist and to apply him to a modern context.

White Almost Pink

2007-04-02T09:49:00.001-04:00

Whatever you think of Bono's methods, you can't help but be inspired by the last minute of his speech at the NAACP last month. Clearly he was born to preach.

His truth IS marching on.

It's April!!

2007-04-01T23:21:00.000-04:00

I'm sure that doesn't mean much to most of you, but in the last few years when I've endured a March full of pain and fatigue (from fibromyalgia), the arrival of April is always something to celebrate. Hope for recovery.

This year it's something to celebrate because I had no big flair ups of my fibromyalgia. My fatigue came from overwork and skimping on sleep - not the usual causes - and was remedied with some down time. Little to no pain this year.

It's definitely something to celebrate!

More Thoughts on AIDS

2007-03-30T21:26:00.000-04:00

I'm reading a great new book called "The Hope Factor: Engaging the Church in the HIV/AIDS Crisis". I'm preparing for a fundraising dinner tomorrow night and trying to figure out what to say.

John Piper has an article in book. He's given me a lot to think about.

"The fact that any of us is healthy after sinning is owing to Christ's mercy. Therefore, the fact that some are sick after sinning should bring out Christian mercy. And there is need for extraordinary mercy. Christians should pray and work toward research into cures, medical and hospice care, orphan ministries, education, moral challenges for abstinence and recovery, and above all, the spread of the gospel of Jesus Christ."

It's something I don't think a lot of us consider. It's not a matter of some people deserving to have a disease because of their sin. We all deserve reserve consequences of sin. Some of us just don't get it. Rather than looking down at those who have a disease, we need to be thankful for God's mercy in our own lives and extend that mercy to others.

How Much Are Your Eyes Worth?

2007-03-29T15:57:00.000-04:00

I just got back from the eye doctor. Bad news - everything the doctor told me last year is true. Actually, it's worse. This doctor thinks I've had these problems my whole life. They did a bunch of testing and my eyes are healthy, they just don't know how to work together. That's bad news.

So, I have a series of future appointments for more testing and then to start therapy on my eyes. Whoo hoo.

The downside? My insurance doesn't cover it and the tag is going to be $1000+.

How much is your sight worth to you?

End of a Long Day

2007-03-28T16:05:00.000-04:00

Ever have one of those days that is VERY VERY important, but ends up being a big letdown? What's worse, the long, tense drive and general horribleness of the day have made me groggy and numb. The terribleness is over and I can't seem to shake it to go out and enjoy the rest of the day!

Further Proof That God Has a Sense of Humor

2007-03-27T09:09:00.000-04:00

As if I needed more proof....

Yesterday I was running late on everything and I was about to go into a meeting, but I really needed to print out the UPS shipping slips for the latest round of Caregiver Kit boxes. Of course, I couldn't find the sheet with the list of how many kits were in each box. I knew I had brought it that morning and I remembered putting it in my purse.

Of course, being in a hurry, I couldn't find anything. I grew more and more frantic as I started tearing apart my office in search of the scrap of paper (anyone who's seen my office will know that's a bit of a fruitless search).

As I'm becoming more frantic I realize I've got a song stuck in my head, in the bad way. I'm too busy to figure out what it is because, darn it, I'm busy. And frantic. THIS IS IMPORTANT.

Finally I take a breath and stop to figure out what it is. It's "Great is Thy Faithfulness". Over and over in my head. While I'm tearing up my office and getting increasingly angry at why there have been so many little stumbles on this project and why it keeps eating up more and more of my time.

Finally I see the irony in my franticness, frustration and the song in my head.

And, of course, immediately I find the slip of paper.

Sigh. You would think that I'd learn. It was like God giving me a smack and saying "Listen Goober".

Books Books Books

2007-03-26T17:31:00.000-04:00

For those who love to stock up on books as much as I do (and hopefully you do a better job of reading them all!), you need to check out the Relevant book sale. Red Moon Rising is there for $5.99 as well as many other great deals. They even have some classics in there for really reasonable prices. Enjoy!

Freedom Day

2007-03-25T09:46:00.000-04:00

March 25 has been declared Freedom Day to spread the word about human trafficking and to work to eliminate modern slavery. Tell a friend, tell two. Pray! Sign the global declaration.

Physically versus Spiritually Tired

2007-03-24T09:57:00.000-04:00

Here's a great quote from Louie Giglio's blog last night:

We are officially wiped...but God has never been intimidated by our weakness, rather He relishes in the opportunity to breathe through weary vessels. And, as though there was ever any question, once a night like tonight is done it is clear that anything of power that was left behind is of God and not of man.

It was the second to last night of their tour (Chris Tomlin, Louie Giglio, Matt Redman).

Having been so wiped out this week after the Caregiver Kit project, this quote really hit home. There's a lot in there about being physically tired, but still being willing. I had been feeling weird this week about being so tired out by serving. Shouldn't I have unending energy for serving God if I'm doing it for the right reasons? What about Isaiah 40 ("run and not grow weary"). This quote was a good reminder that of course we're going to get physically tired at times, that's just human weakness. It's a matter of not letting that get in the way of God using you.

Product Alert

2007-03-23T15:19:00.000-04:00

In the category of "what would ever possess you to buy a product that does this???" is a sandal with a flask in the heel. I know, some of you may be thinking "oooo, instant access to alcohol in any circumstances". However, I'm hoping that's soon followed by "Dude, I'm not drinking something that I pour out of my sandal."

I'm really scared to know who would buy this...

Does it come with a free membership to AA? A coupon for stomach pumping?

Exhaustion Sets In Part II

2007-03-23T11:14:00.000-04:00

I thought a good night's sleep had cured me earlier in the week, but it's pretty obvious today that I'm not. I'm getting tired and achy, which is a pretty good sign that fibromyalgia is flaring up. Not entirely unexpected (since it's March), but still painful. And there are a lot of things (like packaging up the Caregiver Kits to get them to World Vision, an upcoming visit from the parents and other projects) that really need energy. Energy that I just don't have right now.

So, if I disappear for a little while, that's why. Work is demanding a lot more from me and that may take every ounce I have for a while.

My preference, sleep for a month and then re-emerge ready to take things on.

The Friends

2007-03-22T10:27:00.000-04:00

Got some interesting shots of the friends at a party last weekend.

These are the folks that keep me sane (note, not all the friends are here - these are just the best shots).

Truth by Committee

2007-03-21T11:22:00.000-04:00

Have you had one of those experiences when you read the title of a blog entry and you do a little dance of joy? I had one of those last night when I checked David Sliker's blog. The entry was The Dangers of Consensus and it pulled together a lot of thoughts that have been running through my head.

Our world decides truth by consensus. Whatever the most people think is what has to be true. For example, global warming. It's on all of our televisions, it must be the most important issue. If most people don't have a problem with abortion, why shouldn't we allow it? All of politics seems to revolve around influencing public opinion to allow politicians to do what they want.

The dangers of this are a whole other blog (how do you establish universal human rights in a moral vacuum? by majority opinion? by the rule of the world superpowers?).

My real concern is this as an issue in the church. The people who are supposed to believe in absolute truth now seem obsessed with the rule of the majority. Our meetings are by congregational vote. We make our decisions by consensus.

Now, I'm not advocating a human dictatorship (absolute power corrupts absolutely), but I don't see anywhere in the Bible where we have a right to air our opinions or that we each have a right to an equal voice in decisions. In fact, in the Beatitudes I see a lifestyle of walking away from your rights and letting God fight for you. Throughout Acts I see a community that valued God's guidance and followed the teachings of those annointed by God. I see no public opinion polls. And before the arrival of the Holy Spirit they used lots, believing that God would control the outcome of the lots.

The thing is that we have the truth. Why do we still stumble around in the dark as if we don't know how to find the truth? Why do we act as if God's leading is just one option in our decision making process? Why do we have to hurry along God's leading by deciding by consensus? If we aren't getting leading, why aren't why looking in to why not? Why are we working on back up plans for God?

I've got this on my brain this week after this week's class in the Omega study where we learned about the final 7 years of the earch and how as the anti-christ brings a false peace and prosperity to the earth. The church will take a stand that will be unpopular and even within the church, the stand against the anti-christ will be unpopular, to take tough stands. If we don't believe in the truth internally, how can we stand for it in the world? If we're more worried about our rights in the church, how can we demonstrate a Sermon on the Mount lifestyle to the outside world? If we don't stand for anything solid now, how will we stand when the heat is on?

Exhaustion Sets In

2007-03-20T16:29:00.000-04:00

Something went wrong today and I burst into tears. In Panera. In front of a bunch of people. Fantastic.

Looks like all the events of the last few weeks have worn me out more than I realized. Time to catch up on some sleep and grab some down time.

A Great Quote

2007-03-19T22:23:00.001-04:00

John Piper is always good for a quote:

The greatest enemy of hunger for God is not poison but apple pie. It is not the banquet of the wicked that dulls our appetite for heaven, but endless nibbling at the table of the world. It is not the X-rated video, but the prime-time dribble of triviality we drink in every night.

–John Piper (A Hunger for God)

Not For the Faint of Heart

2007-03-18T20:51:00.000-04:00

So, today was the celebration Sunday for our Caregiver Kit project. 174 kits and counting. It's a pretty big pile of boxes. And exciting when you think of the 174 (at least) people that they will help.

Pretty simple - an exciting day to celebrate the end of a project that has exceeded all my expectations, right?

Not quite so easy. The problems started with a big snowstorm on Friday and the supplies for the boxes didn't come until we were well into the storm. After we got the truck unloaded, it took 2 hours to drive what would take 20 minutes on a clear day. Then I watched and waited to see if the storm would stop before our party to assemble the kits. It did and I dug out my car for a half hour only to find that instead of starting it made a nice clicking sound.

For some reason this threw me into a complete panic that I didn't really recover from all night. Add to that some smelly soap going into the kits and a party that went until pretty late (I was exhausted) and I wasn't in good shape by the time I got home (note, car is still dead at this point).

Overnight I couldn't sleep and whenever I'd snatch a moment of sleep I'd hear nasty things. And they were nasty things that built on the nightmares I've been having for the last couple of days. And the nasty things go something like "If you don't drop this Africa project, you won't be getting any more sleep" and "if you continue with the campus stuff we're going to kill you". Evidently spiritual warfare wasn't working, so we've switched over to spiritual terrorism.

Over the last few weeks I had started having some doubts and wondering if maybe consumerism was really so bad. Wondering if the sacrifices were worth it. Wondering if I was taking things to seriously.

This is not a joke. This is not a test. This is the real deal. This is a war and any weakness will be used. Pretending you can be a half-hearted Christian is a joke. Faith as a spiritual insurance policy is a joke. All this stuff happening is more than a coincidence. I realized this morning that I have to stop letting myself get isolated and just trying to deal with it on my own. This is serious stuff and I have to treat it seriously. I had some friends pray over me this morning. The good news is, I already know I have Victory on my side.

Justice Part I

2007-03-16T21:55:00.000-04:00

Since last November I've had justice on my mind. It's taken different forms - the Caregiver Kit project, researching fair trade with my small group, reading whatever I can get my hands on to get a better grasp on how to balance social justice within all that I've been learning on prayer and holiness, and learning more about Africa and the many layered crisis there.

The first book I read was Pete Greig's "Awakening Cry". The book traces the historical patterns of revival and ties it in with what we know of God's character and intent for our relationship with Him. The book was amazing for that, and then I got to the chapter on social justice. I have always had a heart for social justice, but I never really understood exactly why. Greig ties together revival and social justice as inseparable. He says that if you're praying and preparing for revival, you can't separate that from working for social justice. Revolutionary.

I feel like there's a whole library of materials I still need to read. Where to turn next?

My current crisis is just being overwhelmed. The Caregiver Kit project is a nice start to mobilize and educate the church, but it's a really short term project. The more I read about the crisis in Africa, the more overwhelmed I feel. Like this article. How can I read this stuff without screaming? And watching the movie Amazing Grace didn't help much. How did Wilberforce do it? And I'm no Wilberforce. How do you take on the huge issues of our world?

I'm praying for guidance, vision and next steps. I'm also praying for what I'm going to say to my church on Sunday to build on the momentum on the AIDS/Africa issue.

Any advice?

You Know You Need To Slow Down When....

2007-03-14T10:46:00.000-04:00

Only half the clocks in your life reflect the actual time. The other half are in another time zone somewhere. I think that zone is called either "I'm too lazy to manually change my clock" or "I'm too lazy to download the Microsoft patch".

Substance???

2007-03-12T14:37:00.000-04:00

In looking over my blog on the weekend I realized I've had very little of substance lately in my blog. I assure you that it doesn't mean I've gone all shallow (I was there to begin with) and have had a couple of good deep conversations lately. However, my thoughts always seem to be in the process of forming and they never seem ready to write down. Also, I seem to have a sinus infection. I'm sure there were a few days of health in between the Great Flu of February and the Sinus Misery of March, but right now I don't remember them. Add to that a healthy dose of "too-much-work-to-do" and you get my life.

A couple of things:

- The Caregiver Kit project is wrapping up this week. Still some details to nail down, but it looks like we'll have lots of kits. We're doing a big celebration on Sunday.

- With the Caregiver Kits project coming to an end (at least part of it), I'm left wondering where the stage 2 vision is. Of course, right now I don't think I'd recognize vision if I tripped over it. Unless of course it came in a box of Kleenex. Then I might find it.

- I've discovered an interesting new blog: http://www.heisatthedoor.com/wordcast/
He tries to be controversial, but there's a lot of good teaching in there.

- I've determined my good humor is dependent on my consumption of sugar. Check back with me after Easter.

- Storkbryt thinks sugar is evil. Ha!

- I have to figure out what to do about vacation this year. Originally I thought I'd go to Seattle, but that seems less likely. Don't know whether to go up to Canada or try for something more exotic. Or, save the money because I'm clearly heading to Africa sooner rather than later.

That should bring things up to date. I'll let you know when I start thinking again.

For Fans of Jack Bauer

2007-03-11T22:43:00.000-04:00

Some funny things (stolen from Facebook):

Killing Jack Bauer doesn't make him dead. It just makes him angry.

If Jack Bauer was in a room with Hitler, Stalin, and Nina Meyers, and he had a gun with 2 bullets, he'd shoot Nina twice.

If you wake up in the morning, it's because Jack Bauer spared your life.

Superman wears Jack Bauer pajamas.

If it tastes like chicken, looks like chicken, and feels like chicken, but Jack Bauer says its beef. Then you better believe it's beef.

1.6 billion Chinese are angry with Jack Bauer. Sounds like a fair fight.

Jack Bauer was never addicted to heroin. Heroin was addicted to Jack Bauer.

Jack Bauer played Russian Roulette with a fully loaded gun and won.

When life gave Jack Bauer lemons, he used them to kill terrorists. Jack Bauer hates lemonade.

Jack Bauer once won a game of Connect 4 in 3 moves.

Osama bin Laden's recent proposal for truce is a direct result of him finding out that Jack Bauer is, in fact, still alive.

When you open a can of whoop-ass, Jack Bauer jumps out.

When the boogie man goes to sleep, he checks his closet for Jack Bauer.

Every mathematical inequality officially ends with "< Jack Bauer".

Jack Bauer killed so many terrorists that at one point, the #5 CIA Most Wanted fugitive was an 18-year-old teenager in Malaysia who downloaded the movie Dodgeball.

In kindergarten, Jack Bauer killed a terrorist for Show and Tell.

What color is Jack Bauer's blood? Trick question. Jack Bauer does not bleed.

Guns dont kill people, Jack Bauer kills people.

If Jack and MacGyver were locked in a room together, Jack would make a bomb out of MacGyver and get out.

People with amnesia still remember Jack Bauer.

Jack Bauer literally died for his country, and lived to tell about it.

Jack Bauer has been to Mars. That's why there's no life on Mars.

Superman's only weakness is Kryptonite. Jack Bauer laughs at Superman for having a weakness.

When Batman is in trouble, he turns on the Jack Bauer signal.

If Jack Bauer was gay, his name would be Chuck Norris.

Jack Bauer was conceived by torturing the other sperm until they gave up the location of the egg.

The State of the Union Address was originally scheduled for Monday night. Jack Bauer made the President change it to Tuesday.

Jack Bauer makes onions cry.

Jack Bauer once ate an entire bottle of sleeping pills. They made him blink.

Get Involved

2007-03-09T15:07:00.000-05:00

Ever wondered how ONE person could do something to help with the issues of AIDS and Africa (besides putting together a Caregiver Kit, of course)? The ONE campaign is organizing people to meet with their Federal representatives while they're in their districts on recess. They're organizing the whole thing, you just let them know you want to be involved. Never underestimate the power of a personal visit! It's worth many many emails!

An Inevitable Result

2007-03-08T11:32:00.000-05:00

For the last couple of weeks I've been VERY stressed out at work. Too much to do and too much criticism of everything gets done. It's frustrating for me. Plus, it's always hard to constantly be working in "emergency" conditions.

Today we had an important event and ..... surprise, surprise .... I'm sick. Nothing too serious. A cold (though my sinuses hurt) and nausea. My body's way of saying "Enough is enough". Time to catch up on sleep and take it easy.

My Favorite New Crusader

2007-03-07T21:19:00.000-05:00

I don't think she wears a cape, but my friend Janet has become a crusader. Proof that telling the story, even if you think it will make you look extreme, is worth it.

It's funny when you read those things about how important it is to raise awareness, but it always seem like too small a thing. However, that's how things get changed, one person at a time.

Did You Know???

2007-03-07T00:16:00.000-05:00

Mohegan Sun is having an exclusive pre-sale on Heaven and Hell tickets?

I swear I didn't see the word "pre-sale" anywhere in Revelations and I just finished reading it. I also didn't know there would be tickets. I got the idea somewhere that there was a book. With writing in it.

I'm also a little sketchy on how Mohegan Sun got the exclusive on Heaven presale tickets. Hell.... well, yes, I can see those going through a casino. I'm a little surprised about Heaven though....

Time to go to bed!

Brrrrrrrr....

2007-03-06T18:03:00.000-05:00

Never underestimate the power of a strong windchill. Just sayin'.

BRRRRRRRRRRRRRR

A New Theory

2007-03-05T13:48:00.000-05:00

Here's my new theory formulated while walking back from a meeting. It's about fasting.

No food = hungry = cranky = tick off friends and co-workers = alienate friends = no one to hang out with or talk to = more time for God

I'm not entirely sure this is the ideal set up for getting closer to God, but it definitely does the trick.

Melodrama

2007-03-01T12:06:00.000-05:00

Is it just me, or are weather forecasters put on this earth to cause me stress? Do they have to pass some kind of test to prove that they can over react to anything? Do they feel their worth is proven by their power to make us cower on command?

I ask because weather.com seems to be having some kind of a fit. Yesterday I checked and there was something yellow across the top of my screen. And it was blinking. In effect the message is "hey idiot - if you haven't been paying attention something's going to happen soon." This I find useful. This tells me to be careful what I plan and make sure I'm wearing suitable shoes (that could be my mantra for every morning).

This morning the banner is flashing orange and tells me something major is about to happen. So, I go and read the warning. 3 inches of snow. Okay, I'll bring my laptop home tonight and be prepared. Not exactly what I would call major. And why must everything flash?

Now I went on and there's a red blinking banner telling me there's a SEVERE WEATHER ALERT. Same storm as this morning, upgraded to 5 inches.

While I appreciate that I should take some precautions, is this really SEVER WEATHER? Seriously? Where does that leave us to go with say tornadoes, hurricanes, major flooding or anything else that might be severe? How do you make it more attention getting than red and blinking?

I appreciate that the kind folks at weather.com are trying to warn me, but given the state of my nerves this week, flashing something that indicates that the world is going to end is a little too much drama for 5 inches of snow.

Or maybe it's just that I'm Canadian.

Down Home

2007-02-28T23:46:00.000-05:00

Got some welcome relief tonight from all the pressure with some down home Cape Breton fiddle music. Nice to get a little touch of home down here in the US.

Head Exploding

2007-02-27T23:50:00.000-05:00

I'm currently going through one of those weeks (or series of weeks) where I'm getting really overwhelmed. I'm on the road for work a lot and have something going on every night. The evening stuff is all good, there's just a lot of it. The day stuff is pretty bad right now.

So if you're calling me and I'm not calling back - sorry. I'm desperately hanging on to the threads of my sanity. I'll get back to you as soon as I can.

Tancookisms

2007-02-26T18:56:00.000-05:00

If you recognize any of these phrases or use them in regular conversation you may just be from Tancook, or drunk. This is from my aunt.

This is your heritage. Teach it to your children. They won’t respect you anyway so you
have nothing to lose.
Barney’s horse gulp – eat too fast
Butz – to hit , bump
Doudle – to jiggle
Flutched – tired out , done in
Gramma Doots – unkempt , bedraggled
Gutzin – eat a lot
Herbie Herbie – You’ll be sorry
Klutzy – thick , heavy ( as in a cake )
Krutz – cut ( as with scissors )
Kooss - kiss
Loompygutz – feel sick ( as in ate too much )
Misgabor – misshapen , something that didn’t turn out right
Mollysogged – all messed up , bedraggled , ruined
Mootz – in a bad mood , moody , feelings hurt
Mowled – tangled
Mowlygooch – talkative
Rootch – wiggle or squirm
Row in your guts – looking for a fight or to pick a fight , upset
Sadie Arch – didn’t turn out they way you thought it would , “ now are you satisfied ? “
( as in : “ you’ve been up to Sadie Arch’s” )
Sallywynder – slap
Seen off – cheated
Shushally – silly, giddy
Sisagie – dilemma , a mess
Sivy looks good in anything – you always look good no matter what you wear
Souddle – rinse out , slosh , to lose something
Stood off - stale
Stoof around – stand around being useless , idle
Swift day for Eugene – had a really good time
Tearing a dirty gutter – going really fast (as in how Grampie does everything)
Yaymer – to whine , complain
With a roosh and a bang – to do something haphazardly , in a hurry

And people wander why I'm more than a little bit crazy!

Evil Snowman

2007-02-24T23:14:00.000-05:00

Icicles

2007-02-24T23:13:00.001-05:00

Finally.... The Weekend

2007-02-23T17:47:00.000-05:00

I don't know why this week dragged, but it did. I had Monday off, but the rest of the week felt like running underwater. Nothing bad, just draggy.

Tomorrow I'm off on a road trip with some friends, which should be fun. I know I have a camera somewhere....

Sunday (besides lots of church) a bunch of us are going to see Amazing Grace. I'm excited. I've been waiting for this since last summer. Here's a great article to get you prepared for the movie when you see it (I say WHEN because you must see it).

What are you up to this weekend?

Are You Paranoid If.....

2007-02-22T16:06:00.000-05:00

I was pretty disturbed at this news this morning. Yes, to the outside world it might seem like the not-so-surprising expansion of the American Idol franchise into summer camps.

What disturbs me is that this is on the campus of Northfield/Mt. Hermon. This is a school that was founded by Dwight Moody. From the website:

When Moody founded the Northfield Seminary for Young Ladies (1879) and Mount Hermon School for Boys (1881), he selected students who were talented but came from impoverished backgrounds. As he did in his revival campaigns, Moody drew his students from all over the world, from all over America, and from every race.
Dwight Lyman Moody died in Northfield on December 22, 1899. Condolences were mailed and wired from around the world, and an estimated 3,000 people were on campus during the day of the funeral, held on December 26 in the Congregational Church. He is buried on a hill called Round Top on the Northfield campus, the site of both his birth and death.

I know that there were other options for this unused part of the campus, including an international missions center.

So, a school that was set up by Moody with the intent to fuel international revival and missions is now being used to fuel "American Idol". Hmm.... no, that's not disturbing at all.

I've always been torn about American Idol. The name always makes me cringe. But, then there are some people that have come out of it who say that they are Christian and have released Christian (or crossover) music (Carrie Underwood and Clay Aiken, for example). Then there is the Canadian Idol who took a stand and sang "I Can Only Imagine" on Canadian network television. It seemed like God was playing a good joke by using American Idol to allow Christian young people to talk about their faith on popular television.

But this just really hits me the wrong way. Somehow it just screams of the work of the enemy. Laughing at the godly tradition of this place and twisting it.

Lent

2007-02-21T13:29:00.000-05:00

My ever-humorous brother (who else sends Sarcasm Wednesday cards??) sent me a note today asking:

What are you giving up for Lent? Your New Year's Resolution? Your sobriety? Your good judgement and personal restraint?

which was a nice follow up to the suggestion at my small group last night to give up sin for Lent.

Nice!

I read a great blog the other day about Lent which points to the importance of fasting, prayer and acts of service during Lent. I'm pretty sure fasting from your sobriety wasn't what they were thinking about.

Anyhow, in answer to the question that's been weighing on all of your minds, I'm giving up refined sugar for Lent. Seems like a small thing, but to someone who appears to live on muffins, diet Coke, etc, it's a big thing. No sucralose. No asperatame. No sugar. No cane syrup. No high fructose corn syrup. Which makes having a bad sweet tooth a bit of a drag. So, kudos to all those companies who don't fill their products full of sugar. You're making my life a whole lot easier. Did you know dried fruit is full of sugar?? What's with that? It's fruit. Fruit has it's own sugar - why do you need to add more? Pasta sauce is full of sugar. Huh? Salad dressing? This is a conspiracy people!

Off to the Ash Wednesday service tonight. I'm thankful that the season of Lent is here. It's a good time to stop and focus again. I've been feeling a drift and it's time to get re-centered.

Worship at the Cathedral

2007-02-20T13:12:00.000-05:00

So, I haven't been to a mall in a VERY LONG TIME. By very long time, I mean in Joy time, not necessarily in real person time. Like over a month. Probably not since Christmas.

I ducked into a local mall on the weekend because I needed to pick up my hair product at The Body Shop. I did duck into DSW for a minute, but for the most part I managed to avoid temptation.

Yesterday I went into the city to see an old friend. We met at THE MALL. That being, not just A MALL, but THE MALL. Hundreds of shops. Shops that we don't have near me. Shops full of all sorts of things I NEED to have. Seriously. How have I survived without that really cute top kind of need. Cute shoes need. Expensive kitchen appliances need. $20 cupcake mixes need.

And the place was packed. Full of people all carrying their many shopping bags, eating at the restaurants and generally worshipping consumerism.

In some ways it was fun. When I ducked in on the weekend I picked up a smoothie and thought about how going to the mall used to be fun. In the days before I had to go to the mall because shopping was the distraction in my life.

Yesterday at THE MALL I had a lot of fun because I was with my friend, but I was struck again with how easy it would be for me to go back to shopping every weekend or every evening. There's a lot of cute stuff out there and it's not buying itself.

It was quite a contrast to the weekend retreat with my small group when we talked about fair trade and the need to reduce how much we buy to what we need.

I managed to get out without too many purchases - 2 notebooks for work, 6 small bowls (to replace the ones Sir Mouse decided to defile with droppings), a travel knife and a business card holder (now that I actually have business cards). Perhaps there's some hope for my self-control yet, but I don't think it's a good idea to keep testing it.

Tattoos

2007-02-17T12:20:00.000-05:00

I'm speaking in church tomorrow morning and I now have a Superman sign tattoo on my hand. Ha! I also have a tattoo on my arm, but I think it's too cold to wear a short sleaved shirt tomorrow.

Craptacular

2007-02-16T08:29:00.000-05:00

I have a zit on my lip. What's with that? It's the oddest thing. There's no way to cover it up - it's half on my lip and half on my upper lip. Can't cover it with make up. Can't cover it with lipstick. Instead I look like I'm in a Halloween costume or something.

Aren't zits for teenagers???

I'm just really thankful I don't have any big meetings today.

Chocolate Day

2007-02-14T11:23:00.000-05:00

Since today is one of the biggest chocolate day of the year, I thought I would bring over a website that I recently found about chocolate. It's a pretty disturbing thought that our snack favorite is dependent on children being kidnapped or sold into slavery. Suddenly chocolate doesn't taste so good. I've done a little research and Newman's Own and Green & Black brands are both slavery free. I still need to write to Hershey's, Nestle and Cadbury to grill them on their policies.

So, enjoy Valentine's day, but take some time to think about what the real expense of your chocolate.

New Comfort Food

2007-02-13T14:47:00.000-05:00

At lunch today I needed to run to the grocery store to pick up some stuff for the storm tomorrow. I decided to pick up a sandwich while I was there. Good choice - something new and a new favorite.

tuna, avocado, cheddar and tomato on wheat bread panini

Essentially it's a tuna melt with avocado. Very rich, but very good.

Hibernation

2007-02-12T20:04:00.000-05:00

Every year I vow that this winter will be different. This year I won't drop all my hobbies after Christmas and slowly retreat to my house - not to be seen again until April. Every year it happens again. I walk past my photography equipment and sigh. I'm sure there are nice things out there to photograph, a) I'm lazy, b) it's cold out there, c) I'm lazy. This year I'm not even cooking or baking that much. Yet, none of my hobby stuff comes out.

The first big storm of the season is supposed to hit tomorrow night. I'm guessing that won't help curb my instinct to crawl under the covers and not emerge until spring!

The Reality of 24/7

2007-02-10T21:56:00.001-05:00

This afternoon a bunch of friends and I went to take part in a local week of 24/7 prayer.

Now, I've read Red Moon Rising and done 24/7 as part of a week in Liverpool, England, so 24/7 isn't new for me. I went on the 24/7 site and found that a local group was doing it and decided it was important to give it a try on American soil and also to support them.

Walking into the room it was nothing special - it was pretty spare. An old couch, a chair, a bench and a table with a CD player. A sheet of newsprint on the wall and a map of the world on another. No special formula and thankfully no scented candles.

Yet somehow there was something special in that room. No distractions. Nothing else happening. Nothing else to focus on. We spent 2 1/2 hours in that room spending time alone and then praying as a group. Pretty amazing.

It was exciting to see that happening in a non-descript building in the middle of a non-descript town. Equally exciting to me was that it was a Salvation Army activity. The Salvation Army that I grew up with didn't do 24/7 prayer. I'm glad to see I was wrong.

While the setting was underwhelming, it was good to see 24/7 starting to come to life in the real world. No bells and whistles.

A very cool way to spend a Saturday afternoon.

Back to "Normal"

2007-02-08T16:29:00.001-05:00

So, I've started eating real food again. Last night I had a sandwich with a little turkey in it. Nice and bland. Ease back in to life. Still no sweet tooth, but I'm considering that a plus.

Today I have a lunch meeting at a nice restaurant and I have to choose something I think won't irritate my body. What do I choose? Crab cakes. Yes - those fabulous nuggets of crab, peppers and whatever else was in there, DEEP FRIED and then dipped in a spicy mayo. That sounds reasonable. I have no idea why I ordered them. So far I'm not sick again, but it's clearly not due to any common sense I might possess.

Amazing Grace

2007-02-07T13:21:00.000-05:00

In the summer of 2005 I heard Gary Haugen, President of International Justice Mission, speak at Soulfest. After a long day of good music, too much sun and enjoying ourselves, it was hard to take in his information about the world of human trafficking, slavery and the sex trade around the world. It was awful to think that you could be pretty well informed about the world and yet be oblivious to this whole other world. Why was no one talking about this?? He told stories about children in India who were indentured slaves for the rest of their lives to pay back a trumped up debt of their parents. Other stories were much worse. At the end of the talk they took an offering and we went back to the next concert.

But his talk stuck in my head the next year. I would occasionally go to the IJM website to check on their latest news or make a donation. Nothing huge, but it was stuck in my head.

This summer at Soulfest the Amazing Change campaign was there as part of the promotion for the upcoming Amazing Grace movie. If you want to feel humbled, listen to a 14 year old (Zach Hunter) talk about how he's changing the world and won't stop until he gets there. Again, more information about the horrors of human trafficking. This time there was a petition to sign that they are going to take to the US House and Senate (go to the Amazing Change site to download and sign it).

It's hard to understand the statistics because they make no sense to me. 15-20 thousand people trafficked into the US as slaves each year? How can that happen? Bonded labor is even more appalling:

Bonded labour affects at least 20 million* people around the world. People become bonded labourers by taking or being tricked into taking a loan for as little as the cost of medicine for a sick child. To repay the debt, many are forced to work long hours, seven days a week, up to 365 days a year. They receive basic food and shelter as 'payment' for their work, but may never pay off the loan, which can be passed down for generations.

Imagine being born into bonded labor and knowing this is your whole life.

I've been searching for some tactile thing to do and have found nothing so far. The Amazing Change site has a list of 10 things you can do, but they seem a little weak to me in light of the problem.

In the meantime, I'll definitely being going to see the Amazing Grace movie when it comes out in two weeks. I'm excited to learn more about William Wilberforce and how he took his heart for justice and spearheaded change. Awesome stuff. I hope the movie helps to raise awareness on this issue. Once you know about it, it's hard to forget.

New Pictures

2007-02-05T12:52:00.000-05:00

While I've been off dealing with Nasty Virus '07, I've been working on left over pictures from Soulfest last summer. Here are a few of them.

Third Day

Kutless

Never Ending Nausea

2007-02-04T22:30:00.000-05:00

I thought I was feeling better. I thought I could return to real life.

Not so fast. Now I'm nauseous again. Argh!

While I appreciate the time to work on pictures from last summer, I'd really rather be on my feet doing normal stuff. I'm hoping tomorrow brings a normal day!

Or.... Not

2007-02-02T08:22:00.000-05:00

I had big plans for this weekend. Today was a big work conference. Tonight a big prayer event at church (and I'm leading) and then the weekend sleepover/retreat with my small group. Lots packed in, right?

Except that I woke up at midnight violently ill. Like really violently ill. Haven't even been able to drink water since 9 pm last night. Not good.

You'd think I wouldn't be so cocky about big plans after reading this in James 4 the other day:

13Now listen, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money." 14Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. 15Instead, you ought to say, "If it is the Lord's will, we will live and do this or that." 16As it is, you boast and brag. All such boasting is evil. 17Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn't do it, sins.

So, it looks like a "quiet" weekend here. Yuck. I hate viruses.

Knock knock

2007-02-01T10:16:00.000-05:00

Has anyone else been having the problems I've been having with blogspot? For the last week or so it's been adding an extra backslash to all my blogspot links and so I get an error message. Both from this page and also from my bookmarks.

This morning all blogspot blogs were down and giving error messages. I felt like the crossed BETA was mocking me. Now that it's no longer a beta nothing works..... hmmm....

Cyber Housecleaning

2007-01-31T11:31:00.000-05:00

Why is it so much easier to houseclean online spots than it is my real life house?

You may notice some changes on the side. Some older links taken down (Keer - if you start blogging again I'll put you back up) and a link to Louie Giglio's blog added. And a new color on top. Nothing huge.

Bigger news is that I finally took the plunge yesterday and picked up a webhost. My smugmug account for my photos is due to expire in March and I'm not keen on spending $60 a year for a hosting service that doesn't let me do things the way I want to do them or have things look the way I want them to. I'm sure the new site will have lots of challenges (challenge #1 - designing the new site), but I'm looking forward to having something more professional and in my control. I'll let you know when there's something worth seeing.

The Plan (a Continuation of The Project)

2007-01-30T12:53:00.000-05:00

So, now I have this great World Vision project idea in my head and can't get rid of it. So I prayed about it some more. Slowly it started taking shape in my head.

I already had a planned meeting with one of the church deacons that week and added the project at the end of the discussion. "Happened" that the deacons were meeting that weekend and would bring it up. That weekend I talked to the pastor (who, by chance is on sabbatical until March) and got his approval. Got the approval of one of the leaders willing to take it under their "umbrella" and got at least passing approval from a member of our African congregation.

And this thing is just over a week old.

Before I leave for Christmas I write a few more emails and contact the World Vision folks to let them know we're doing this. They ask what # of boxes is the goal. Without thinking I write down 100. Don't know why now, but it was definitely 100.

Fast forward to after Christmas. I ask my prayer group to start praying. This is when things start to speed up. I hear back from my friend who's a member of the African congregation and not only are they on board, but they want to be a big part of this happening. He asked what work could be done. This is a huge answer to prayer, since I need help and I also felt I needed visible support of the African congregation. When I talk to the whole African congregation they are very excited and ask me how what my goal of boxes filled for the church is. I'm a little afraid as I admit 100 boxes (which seemed ambitious to me). They laugh and say they will fill 100 boxes and will challenge the church to match that. Keep in mind each box costs about $25, so 100 boxes is a lot of money.

My friend who's an IV leader on campus signs up to bring this to the campus.

I present the plan to my small group. One of my friends in the small group had previously commented that our group should commit in a big way and go for 50 boxes (our group has 12 people). Seems impossible. Group members start signing up and someone comes to this friend and offers a matching donation of up to $500. Um.... wow!

Then I go to visit the youth group. I blogged about this. They are a pretty terrifying lot - about 40 of them and most junior high boys. As I'm talking they're talking, throwing things, eating, etc. Yet, at the end of the night they commit to 40 boxes. The youth leader puts down a $100 bill and tells them it's only their's if they can match it. Then, during the week another $500 matching offer comes in to the youth group.

Seriously??

I'm not even announcing this to the church until February 18th and already we have $1100 in matching funds put up and almost twice my original goal commited.

It's a bit odd to be on such a runaway train. Exciting, but overwhelming. As the days pass since I first realized this was what I had to do I've learned more and more and felt the burden heavier and heavier on my heart. Each and every time there was something I needed and I prayed for it, the answer would be right there. "Coincidences" keep happening that can't just be coincidences. And through it all it's been so obvious that this has nothing at all to do with me. It's been a fun way to learn that lesson.

So, for those of you out there who have read the saga, care to join the runaway train? We still need money for shipping and I'm quite sure the youth group or my small group would be happy to take donations as well. All the money is going through my church, so it's tax deductable. I also really need people praying. Let me know know if you want to do either so I can fill you in with more details.

Something big is happening and I'm just so excited to be a witness to it all.

I was kidding....

2007-01-30T09:59:00.000-05:00

I was kidding when I said Jack Bauer (24) was the ultimate moral authority. This gu y is not:

You don't need to watch "24" as a kind of primer on moral philosophy, but you probably should.

Not Helping

2007-01-29T13:46:00.000-05:00

I must interrupt this very important blog series to feature the DUMBEST PRODUCT EVER alert.

This is a truly stupid idea. "Stop HIV: Spray to Change Attitudes"???? Because a "rougeberry" smelling perfume will change the world? Seriously? I don't think it's just that this product would kill me that makes me hate it with every fiber of my being. Well, maybe that makes me hate it more than I ordinarily would, but I would still hate it. Makes a mockery of real work in HIV. Almost like a mock-product, only for real.

Shut up Body Shop! Shut up MTV! Go be cool somewhere else.

The Project

2007-01-29T12:10:00.001-05:00

If you're a regular reader you know I think a lot of Bono. I've always thought he was interesting, but in the summer of 2004 I read the book Bono In Conversation. I thought I was just going to learn more about the band, but I ended up with a lot more than I bargained for. Finishing the book I couldn't look at Africa the same way again and I couldn't get the AIDS crisis out of my head.

The burning question was, what could one person do about it?

Flash forward to the Perspectives class last year. Got a whole new perspective (no pun intended) on being a global Christian. Still didn't see how this worked in with the other issues I was concerned about. Meantime, I'm reading up on DATA and some other organizations. One of the key things I got out of the course (in regard to social justice issues) is that I'm called to be a mobilizer. Not that I shouldn't do things too, but I'm good at putting things together that will get people to examine what their call might be.

Flash forward to my trip to England and my time at the Northumbria Community. One night at dinner I was sitting with a man named Roy who's involved with End Poverty Now. So, I ask him "what can one person or a small band of people do to make a difference?" So glad I asked. Roy talked about the people in Birmingham who had prayed about how to impact global poverty issues. They received an answer that seemed small in human understanding, but they were faithful in executing it and it led to big impacts. He talked about doing things, that the impact of small things is often much bigger than we know.

So I prayed about it.

In late November I was preparing for Night Watch and my section on World AIDS Day. I was reading through statistics, the latest news and key issues we should be addressing. One of the sites I visited was World Vision. In the midst of lots of great information, cool projects and initiatives I found something small. It was the Caregiver Kits project. Nothing fancy. Won't cure AIDS or change the face of the world.

And I couldn't forget about it. For days. Then a week. Couldn't get to a month because I had to do something about it.

Continued next with The Plan....

Yesterday

2007-01-27T23:16:00.000-05:00

Watched an amazing movie tonight called Yesterday. It's about a woman in rural South Africa with HIV. Definitely took me out of my white middle class American mindset. I highly recommend it. Bring kleenex.

Frigid

2007-01-26T14:23:00.000-05:00

It should tell you something about the weather here today that everything I own either says "Figure Skating" or "Canada" on it. Today is not a day for mere mortals or fashionable attire.

Leaving my house this morning I was wearing an LL Bean turtleneck (from Maine where people know how to make clothes for the cold), a figure skating fleece vest, a Roots Canada fleece sweater and my winter jacket. That's layering people! The problem came when I got in the car and a) had a hard time getting behind the steering wheel, and then b) had a hard time driving due to my bulkiness. Shoulder checks had the interference of scarves, collars and hats. It generally is hard to maneuver when you're twice your normal width. Added to that, when I was zipping up my jacket I accidently caught my nose in the zipper. How do you do that?? Seriously? It takes an unprecidented level of clumsiness!

For those not here, the temperature when I left my house this morning was 2 (that's -17 for those playing along at home in Canada) with a windchill of -10 (-23 in Canada). Too cold! Of course, I should be thankful I was going to work as I really can't afford to heat my house on days like this!

Hope everyone's safely inside and warm!

Revolution

2007-01-25T13:02:00.000-05:00

Relevant magazine currently has an article up about the release of George Barna's Revolution in soft cover.

This book first came to my attention last November when I was looking for something that might grab my father's attention to buy him for Christmas. Barna is a well known Christian pollster and is always tracking trends in the church.

Here's Relevant's take on the key message of the book:
Barna’s research has identified an unsettling trend: Increasing numbers of Christians have become fed up with the Church and are not taking it anymore. This may not sound like news to some, except for the fact that these people do not seem to be your typical "bedside Baptists," but passionate followers of Christ. In fact, Barna sees them as the leaders of an entirely appropriate revolution, which he likens to the Reformation itself. He paints an urgent picture of the situation:

Existing churches have a historic decision to make: to ignore the revolution and continue business as usual, to invest energy in fighting the revolution as an unbiblical advance or to look for ways of retaining their identity while cooperating with the revolution as a mark of unity and genuine ministry. My current research suggests that the latter approach will be the least common.

Pollsters are very good at identifying trends, and often at putting their finger on the problem based on the data. I don't doubt that there are people pushing at the constraints of "church", but I think it's more helpful to ask why. And not in a sound bite. Comparing the current situation to the Reformation is pretty dramatic. If things are truly that extreme, why don't we see it more evident?

This is not to say that I don't agree that there is a growing group of people who aren't satisfied with how things have always been done. I know I am. I'm tired of prayer meetings where we don't pray and worship times when we don't worship. I'm tired of the expectation that church is a social obligation and nothing more. I'm tired of lowest common denominator small groups.

What I disagree on is that what's happening is a unified revolution. I think people are walking away for a variety of reasons and not one thing that everyone's getting wrong. I don't think one person can write one book that will sweep the nation and fix everything. Churches aren't responding well because (at least in my case) what's wrong is so fundamental they don't know how to address it and a radical response is out of the question.

I also don't agree with Barna's conclusion that the answer is to sit outside the church armchair quarterbacking and picking and choosing the small bits we agree with. Christianity isn't a hobby. You're not picking out the country club that best fits you. Christianity isn't something you do in isolation. We're called to be in community. If the North American church isn't working then we have to figure out what is a better response to the teaching of the Bible.

The Reformation? Probably not. A time to look what being a passionate follower of Christ looks like? Absolutely.

Discipleship Journal

2007-01-24T22:57:00.000-05:00

Has anyone heard of the magazine Discipleship Journal? I've never heard of them before, but I got a subscription offer in the mail today and it scared me a bit.

There's a picture of one of the covers with the following headlines:
"You May Already Know GOD'S WILL"
"20 Ways to WAKE UP Your Quiet Time"
"When It's WRONG to BE RIGHT"
(capitalization theirs)

Seriously? Doesn't that sound like any other sensationalized magazine cover? Or a sweepstakes offer? Are they mocking magazines or is this for real? Should I be scared?

Boring Life

2007-01-24T10:39:00.000-05:00

January is definitely here and everything has fallen into a fairly dull pattern. Given all of the recent excitement, the drama unfolding, etc, boring is actually a decent spot for a change of pace. It's interesting to see my weekends stretching ahead without being crammed full of events and it's nice for a couple of hours to feel like the drama might be subsiding.

So, nothing much new to report for now. The Francis Chan talk from Passion is now up on iTunes and I highly recommend getting it. I'm listening to it now for the second time and catching things I didn't hear the first time.

Oh, and I cleaned my house on Saturday. I guess that counts as news in my house. Found $50 in cash and checks. You'd think I'd be motivated to clean more often with that kind of a payoff.

Ethics

2007-01-21T23:06:00.000-05:00

Over the last week I've had to do some ethics training at work. This consists of long boring modules of online reading followed by silly quizes. Quizes that they make it shamelessly easy to cheat on.

Anyhow, since my ethics are set by God, not some governing board, I felt free to amuse myself while reading the dry text. Turns out these things are much more interesting if you start keeping tally of ethical violations by Jack Bauer (24), Dr. Gregory House (House) and the gang on Grey's Anatomy. The bad news is that television is probably not the best place to learn ethics. Who knew?

The good news is that tv kept me amused enough to keep me from cheating on the ethics course. I may be the first to do the whole thing legitimately!