can't find normal

A long walk...

2012-01-16T13:49:00.000-08:00

The left coast obviously doesn't get much snow. And every time the fluffy white stuff falls from the heavens I find some minor entertainment in watching how the entire Lower Mainland deals with it. Here are my observations from our most recent wintery adventure.

Cool Truck Guy

Yes, I can see your truck. Everyone can see your truck. I'm fairly certain it can be seen from space with the naked eye. It is big and impressive looking and all of the rest of us half-lifes bow in awe. We are well aware that your tires, which are larger than our cars, will not be held back by any road conditions. But last I checked honking your horn at me will not cause the vehicle currently stopped in front of me to magically float up into the heavens and clear a path for you.

Minivan Mom

Yes, it is definitely a good idea for you to not brush the snow of your windows. Yes, you will make it up that hill that everyone else is failing to advance on. Yes, you have the inner conviction that is stronger than the other 3 vehicles that are presently turning around. Yes, if you apply more pressure to your gas pedal when attempting to climb that hill you will make it. What? You didn't make it? Oops. My bad.

Snow Chains

I can't remember ever seeing a snow chain in all my Prairie days. And I know full well that we don't have to contend with all the hills, so I will concede that fact. But here it seems like the magic solution to moving a vehicle is to just put the chains on. Stuck on a hill? Put chains on. Driving across town? Put the chains on. Only 1 inch of snow? Put the chains on. I kid you not, two years ago I saw someone driving around town on snow-free roads with chains on! That being said, if I get stuck at the bottom of the mountain, I'll be wishing I I had chains.

Facebook

Is it really snowing?!?!

Kids

If you can convince your parents to keep you home from school, then you rule!

Parents

If you keep your kids home from school, then you also rule! But just admit it. It's not for their personal safety. You just want to play in the snow. How do I know? Because that's where I would rather be! And I'm looking forward to getting home and snow-suiting it up.

Watch this...

2012-01-14T19:23:00.001-08:00

An old soccer teammate from my college days posted a link to this video on Facebook and it was too good not to share.

The Irresistible Church (Review)...

2012-01-11T12:30:00.000-08:00

Can I admit that I have developed some terrible reading habits? In reality I could probably say that I have just failed to develop proper reading habits, but either way the end result is that I get a book, read a chapter or two and then it spends an inordinate amount of time on the bookshelf until I remember it is there.

This is one book that broke the pattern, mostly due to it's alignment with a teaching series we were working on at church, but also due to the fact that once I started reading it grabbed my attention. In the end I ended up reading the book fairly quickly (by my standards) and our pastoral team used the book as one of our references for a teaching series last fall.

The Irresistible Church has a slightly misleading title as one begins to think this is a book about how you can make your church irresistible to people. I admit to thinking that this was going to be another book telling me how to "do church properly" and what our church could do to attract more people to it.

Instead this was a book focused on what character traits churches should foster so they can create a place where God would want to show up and do His thing each week. It is not just for the sake of making your church the next big draw in town and getting people into the pews, but rather for preparing your church to get out into the world and make a difference for Jesus. Wayne Cordeiro says it best with this statement:

"The point of an irresistible church is never to simply see its members attend church each week and then do nothing. It's to attend, be equipped, and then go out and live purposeful lives for God. A church must be a place where disciples gather--and then scatter." (pg 22)

Cordeiro has a very straight forward style of writing in which he can clearly articulate with an apparent level of humility what he has learned over he 30 plus years in ministry. He never comes across condescending or arrogant and His personal stories of how he has come to discover that each trait is important shows a man who is letting God do a work in Him. I never once felt like I was being berated into some gimmicky quick fix. Instead I felt genuine words of compassion with some very straight forward action statements like "seek the presence of God".

This book speaks a great deal about what should ultimately be the heartbeat of the church. He paints a picture of a church that actually hungers for God's presence, a church that places a priority on people and relationships, a church that is committed to learning and a church that actually takes the time to come up with a plan. A healthy mix of heart and practicality.

I enjoyed this book and found it was an inspiring read that had me identifying with the picture he was painting and thinking to myself, "I'd love to be a part of a church like that!"

FYI, I had previously read Cordeiro's "Leading on Empty" and enjoyed it a great deal. I think it's a book that every pastor should read!

***Book has been provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc. Available at your favourite bookseller from Bethany House, a division of Baker Publishing Group

Don't cry...

2012-01-09T15:28:00.002-08:00

I held the front door to the church open as the older gentleman stepped out of the car and made his way into the building.

"Good afternoon. How are you?", I inquired as we shook hands.

The hand shake was a long one as he carefully chose his words.

I watched his eyes slowly fill with tears.

"Fine," he said. "But we are sad that you are leaving us. We appreciate you."

And with that he carried on his way as I went on mine.

.......................

I'm kind of gutted from that. It hurts to know my leaving causes tears.

Feeling loved...

2011-12-20T16:23:00.005-08:00

I try to remind my students each week that they are loved. It seems to be sinking in because they are returning the message. This note was floating around yesterday in the mailboxes of the rest of the pastoral staff...

Student Ministry Christmas...

2011-12-13T16:00:00.000-08:00

At Christmas we hit the brakes with our student ministry. We give everyone three solid weeks off. No midweek Bible studies, no big events, no New Year's lock-in, no small groups. Nothing.

Personally, I have never been a fan of cramming more events into the Christmas season for our students and their families. It is already busy enough. Christmas concerts, work parties, traveling, family shindigs, exams, longer work schedules, shopping trips...do I need to go on?

I also believe that the break is healthy for us, and here are the main reasons:

It allows our leaders to rest.
Our leadership team works their collective butts off week in and week out. They show up early, they stay late. They lead small groups. They go for coffee. And this is all in the midst of their own lives of classes, homework, jobs and relationships. One way I can say I'm thankful for them is to give them some time off.

It builds excitement for the new year.
Isn't there a saying that "absence makes the heart grow fonder?"
It's a lot like summer vacation when you were in school. You were always happy to have a break, but usually at some point you actually looked forward to getting back to school so you could be around all your friends again. Our break gives us all that more excitement when the New Year finally lands. Instead of being in a rut from routine, we are looking forward to being together again.

It gives me more time.
Believe it or not, I gain from this too. And I'm not ashamed to admit it. I get a few more office hours to get ahead on planning for the upcoming year. I have space to grab coffee and lunch with people. And I get a few extra nights at home with my family. It's not like I'm overworked with my hours. My church has been great about that. But it's still a nice change of pace to be able to be home for a Monday or Wednesday evening.

I always imagined that a decision like this would be met with concerns from parents and students. But I have never received much in the way of push back the decision we have made, which leads me to believe that this might be healthy for everyone.

(I imagine I'll get an email about it this year now that I've written this...)

Cello...

2011-12-09T10:07:00.001-08:00

Just watch. And stick around for the part where Darth Vader plays the accordion. Seriously.

Questions About Resignation...

2011-12-08T12:00:00.000-08:00

Here are a few of the FAQ's that have been asked since my resignation was made public:

How long have you known?

This is not a decision made overnight and it's been in the works for some time. But I can say that we committed to it on October 29th. My lead and exec pastors were informed after a staff meeting on November 1st. The rest of the pastoral team found out 2 days later. And then it was all a matter of timing about when the news went public on a bigger scale.

Why February 15th?
There's a few reasons for this. First, it will mark 6 years for me here at Sevenoaks.Second, who wants to be saying a bunch of goodbyes during the Christmas season? Nobody. It will give us lots of time once the Christmas season is over to say goodbye and to make sure we have everything in place for our students & leaders before we leave.

Will you reconsider or change your mind?

I'm amazed how many people wonder if we will change our mind. I'll take it as a compliment. But no, we're not looking at changing our mind on this one. Six figures might get us to consider it though. Just kidding! (Or am I?)

(I hope it's not too soon to joke a little about this...)

What will you do next?

I'm not 100% sure, which is a little frightening. I have a packet full of MDiv details to wade through this week. Maybe that. Or maybe start looking for a new ministry position. I did hear of an opening in Hawaii...

Will you still be a youth pastor?

I don't know. This is one of the questions I have about my own ministry fit. I've been working full time with students for almost 11 years. I have not just enjoyed it, I have loved it. I could probably do it again. But I'm not convinced that God isn't going to lead me to do something else. Why? Youth ministry is safe for me. I know how to "do the job" and I have been led to believe that I can do a good job at it. But I also feel God may want me to take on something else so that He can continue to shape me and so that I can increase my ability to trust Him and rely on Him. This is something where I feel I need to at least ask some of the big questions before I jump straight into a new youth ministry position. That said, if God says to keep working with students, I will.

Are you moving?

Most likely. We're just not sure when. Our house is up for sale, but believe it or not that is currently unrelated to our resignation. For now, even if the house sells, our plan is to remain in Abbotsford for the remainder of the school year as Erin and the kids need to finish out the school year. Where we end up after that is a complete unknown.

Will you still attend church here?

As of Feb 15 we will be taking some time off. I feel it is important, as much for me as for everyone else, to create some space. We don't expect to be strangers though. Our hope is to be able to visit in the future! And the loving and affirming responses we are receiving from everyone lead us to believe this won't e a problem.

Will the church hire a replacement?
That will be a decision that is up to the board of elders. I would guess that they would probably try to hire someone at some point. But your guess is as good as mine as to when or how that will happen.

If you have another question, fire away and I will try to answer it if I can.

Resignation...

2011-12-02T16:08:00.000-08:00

I'll try not to be cliche with this.

It's been a crazy couple weeks...

I don't know how to put into words...

There are so many emotions...

(I think cliches may actually fit.)

I'll get to the point. I have officially resigned as Pastor of Student Ministries at Sevenoaks.

The last few years have been particularly difficult and I find myself weary and worn out. I also find myself having questions about my own ministry fit here. I could probably write separate posts about each of those facts (and maybe I should), but let it suffice to say that it has become clear that this is a chapter of life and ministry that needs to come to a close.

We will be on staff until February 15 which will give us plenty of time to enjoy Christmas without having to say too many goodbyes. It will also give us plenty of time in the New Year to get things in order for the student ministry to transition as smoothly as possible after our departure.

This shouldn't be too difficult since our volunteer youth leaders are solid gold. They are very good at what they do and I think they have everything they need in order to continue on long after I step away.

What's next? At this stage we are still trying to figure that out. I have a few ideas bouncing around in my head. I'm asking some questions. I'm looking for answers. And I'm just trying to listen carefully. I'll probably be a bit more proactive about this in the weeks to come as the news starts to settle down a bit.

I don't feel as though God has not released me from my calling to full time ministry. I don't feel like He is asking me to start cutting lawns (at least not yet). But I do feel like He might have something different for me. I won't lie. I'm a little nervous. But I'm confident that this is the step that needs to be made.

Reviewing The Voice...

2011-12-01T10:57:00.001-08:00

I've had a copy of The Voice sitting on my shelf for long enough that I had almost forgotten about it. As a Pastor to students I am often on the lookout for Bible translations that will help engage students in the Word of God. I'm not keen on the gimmicky nature of many of these "translations" that in reality do nothing more than just try to make the Bible look like it belongs on the shelf of the local 7-11.

The Voice at first glance doesn't seem quite as gimmicky. They pride themselves on bringing together voices of scholars, artists, pastors and writers to provide a fresh translation. They attempt to set up the New Testament to read a little more like a drama script while adding boxes of subtext to further explain the content in a particular passage of Scripture.

For the most part it reads as a hipper, less gimmicky translation for artists. I didn't find much by way of content (it seems a little strange writing that about the Bible, but I'm actually talking about the extra-Biblical content here) that had me struggling with what they were doing. I'm sure that some people would read it and love it and engage with it. But I have yet to find myself in a position where I was suggesting that one of my students pick a copy up.

*Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive or negative review. The opinions I have expressed are my own and may not be all that good. Take it for what it's worth...

One hour & counting...

2011-11-09T17:37:00.004-08:00

Wednesday usually ends up being my longest day of the week. Erin takes Becca to soccer during the supper hour and Aidan then heads off to his practice, so I just camp out at the office all day.

I eat at my desk and finish any prep work that needs to be done. (Which reminds me that I need to run to the photocopier.)

I've got just under an hour until the crew starts to show up.

Leaders will be pounding down the door.

Students will wonder in, bypassing the sign-in sheet and heading straight for the box of leftover candy.

Stories will be shared.
There will be laughs.
And high fives.
And hugs. (But not from me because I'm not much of a hugger.)
We'll play a couple of silly games that can't compete with anything in the entertainment world.
We'll give away a few prizes that won't compete with anything most of these kids will get for Christmas.
We'll tell them about our special events.
We'll take a few phones away.
We'll pray for some of our crew that are away on missions trips.
We'll read some Bible.
We'll talk & write notes.
I'll tell them they are loved.
We'll all go home.

That's a typical Wednesday. No bells and whistles. Just some simple things that allow us to be present with one another.

I'm not sure why they come sometimes. We don't have thee coolest youth group. We don't have the coolest building. We aren't oozing forth with students from all over the city. We don't have some sweet band that rocks it out every week. We don't throw live animals from the balcony. And I'm not thr most captivating teacher in the world.

We have a Wii in the corner that hasn't been turned on in months.

We have a rickety old sound system with speakers that make iPod tunes sound like it's played in a tin can.

We do have some beat up furniture to sit on.

And we have some leaders that love to be around the students.

I'm 36 minutes away from it all and praying like crazy that something tonight will sink down into the hearts and souls of our students.

Comment of the month...

2011-11-07T10:39:00.002-08:00

One of the great joys of working with middle school students is the things they will say.

A few weeks ago we were studying Luke 7:36-50 and there is mention of "a certain immoral woman".

"We all know what that means, right?"

But I was met with blank stares. (Uh oh...I should stop making assumptions about the base of knowledge that a 12-13 year will have. You'd think I'd know this after 11 years.)

"You know what a woman of the night is, right?"

One grade 7 boy shoots his hand up before answering, "Nocturnal?"

Dust it off...

2011-11-07T10:37:00.001-08:00

Time to dust off the old blog.

Stay tuned...

Flip side of the coin...

2011-07-27T10:30:00.002-07:00

I arrived in the office this morning to find a phone message awaiting me.

I dial in my intricate 4 digit password and discover one of our elders has left a message.

"Uh oh. What did I do?", is the first thing to run through my mind. (I should probably be less paranoid.)

It's about my sermon from Sunday. He was just calling to say that it was good. In fact, he stayed for both services. And then he shared how someone else he talked with had made the decision to "stay in the boat".

I don't do this to pat myself on the back. But I do it to remind myself that after the rough comment I heard a month or so ago, it's not always like that.

But I can't get too cocky because I have to do it again this upcoming Sunday. But I don't think I can recycle last week's sermon.

At what point...

2011-07-15T08:00:00.001-07:00

I'll usually be the first in line to tell you when something has run its course and it's time for it to be laid to rest. I think it's similar to Andy Stanley's (at least I think I heard it from him) concept that every once in a while you need to throw out the couch that has been lying around.

Nobody uses it.

It's out of date.

It smells funny.

It's a mess.

Does that apply to a blog?

At what point is it time to close the book?

At what point is it time for something new?

Google or Facebook...

2011-07-14T11:15:00.004-07:00

I jumped on the Google Wave bandwagon pretty early.

That wagon crashed.

But that didn't change my desire to try out the new Google+. I'm skeptical that they will overtake Facebook any time in the near future, but I'm really liking some of what I'm seeing so far.

Basically it's fairly similar to Facebook but it appears to come with more control over which posts/photos/videos are seen or not seen. It almost seems like a more organized version of Facebook.

The trick will be whether enough people will catch on to actually make it worth using regularly.

In the meantime, I'm just going to jump back and forth between the two.

Wow...

2011-07-07T16:01:00.001-07:00

Now this is just plain cool.

Ocean Sky from Alex Cherney on Vimeo.

Meltdown...

2011-07-06T12:56:00.002-07:00

My brain isn't sure what is going on.

It's summer. The sky is blue. The sun is shinning. And I'm stuck in the office?

Normally I take my vacation during the summer months. But since we went off gallivanting in Maui back in May, it means that most of the summer will find me with regular office hours.

Right now I'm trying to do some prep work on my sermons that I'll be preaching at the end of the month.

Oh...and I'm anticipating a playoff game for my soccer team tonight. We're currently in 3rd and we play the 2nd place team. Have I mentioned that I haven't played in weeks? And that my bathroom scale called me fat?

Kawkawa Escape...

2011-07-05T12:52:00.004-07:00

I love Camp Kawkawa.

I've spent some time in silent retreat in one of their lake front cottages.

I've spoken for their high school camp twice.

I've take my own students out for an all-nighter and a weekend retreat.

And this is all in spite of the fact that I never even grew up at the camp. I have no childhood memories attached to it. (Although my own kids now kind of do.)

I just wish that sometimes I had a little opportunity to be involved in what they are doing. Not only is the camp slowly getting a much needed facelift, but Wayne Stewart's leadership development strategy for his workers and volunteers is well thought through. I think it's a step that will be great not only for the camp, but also for any church who sends people out to volunteer.

Last month I got to talking with Wayne about our student ministry taking over the camp for a Saturday in August. Since Saturday is typically their turnaround day while they wait for the next group of campers to arrive, he obliged.

And as we started planning the Kawkawa Escape, we started to see that there might be some potential for a church wide event. So the rest of the staff got brought into the loop. They loved the idea. So now we're running this as an event for the whole church.

If you're around that day, why don't you drive out and join us for part of it? It'll be fun. I guarantee it.

Kawkawa Escape
Saturday, August 6
10:00am to 10:00pm
Cost: $8/person (includes hod dog supper with pop & chips)
Swim, kayak, hike, play, canoe, rest, relax.
End it all with a campfire.

I just hope it's nice out.

Make more music...

2011-07-02T18:58:00.000-07:00

These guys should make more music. No?

School's Out...

2011-06-30T17:00:00.000-07:00

We wrapped up our student ministry school year with a movie bash last night. Now, I should mention I'm not the biggest fan of movie events. (That's a post for another day.) But seeing as though most of our crew spent the last week and a bit writing exams, it figured like a good way to end things off.

It was great to hear the laughter (thanks to Megamind and part of Rocketman). It was great to see so many bodies crammed into our stuffy little youth room. And it was great that we didn't end up with a popcorn apocalypse on the floor at the end of the night.

But seriously...who ate all my cream puffs?!?!

We are now officially into our summer schedule. We intentionally take our foot of the gas for the summer so that everyone can catch their breath. I've decided that I'm not a big fan of fighting against the summer schedule, so we scale it down. We have even removed our annual "big camping trip".

We expect to see a fewer number of students. We expect that leaders will be away on vacation. We expect that there will be jobs and camping trips for everyone. So we plan things that work better for smaller groups.

Next Saturday we're hiking Teapot Hill.

Monday mornings in July we'll have breakfast and some Bible study.

In August we'll got to Camp Kawkawa for the day with a a pile of others from our church.

At the end of August we'll take a day trip out to White Rock.

Inexpensive, yet highly relational. Should be fun. Even if the sun doesn't show up!

Preaching in the Crosshairs...

2011-06-28T16:00:00.000-07:00

I am a preacher.

At least I try to be.

That puts me in the crosshairs of anyone who may think differently than myself. It comes with the job. And, if I'm being honest, sometimes it sucks.

I hate the awkward emails that will consume an entire morning (or days) of my thoughts. I hate the insecurities that rise up within me. I hate drafting and redrafting my "formal" response. And I hate the anticipation of that next random encounter with the individual who fired off the email.

"Hate" is such a strong word....but I use it deliberately.

I've been criticized for many things over my ministry career. Wearing the wrong clothes. Praying incorrectly. Speaking too long. Missing a passage of scripture. Not having enough depth. Not being encouraging enough. Playing guitar poorly. Picking bad songs. Wearing sandals. The list goes on.

So in an attempt to enlighten you, here are a few things I'd like you to know about me before you hear me speak next:

You will not like everything I say.
I don't do this so that I can be liked. Yes, I'd love to be known as a great preacher. But hopefully that is due to my ability to communicate the truth clearly, not because everything I said made you feel good.

I will miss things.
I only have an allotted time to speak within. (One which I already regularly go over.) Please know that this is not my attempt to bring you a step further to enlightenment. You should leave with more questions and a desire to dig a little deeper on your own.

You will be able to live this out.
This needs to engage your life...not just your brain. I'd rather you and I were both able to live this stuff out than just tuck it away and pat ourselves on the back for just knowing more information.

I am intentional in how I prepare & present.
I study. I read. I pray. I angst. I doubt. I ask questions. I write. And rewrite. And then I repeat. This does not happen in 30 minutes on Saturday night. You should also know that I prepare in such a way that my students can understand what I'm saying. My favorite compliment (if there is such a thing) is when I find out my middle schoolers got it.

Welcome Back Jets...

2011-06-25T12:58:00.002-07:00

You know that I've been watching the news like a hawk looking for any hint of what the new NHL team in Winnipeg would be called. My dad and I had a conversation last week on the way to a Whitecaps game about our own feelings.

He was in the camp that felt a new start with a new name and a provincial wide inclusion would be the best bet. But I think years of watching the Manitoba Moose play actually brain washed him.

I was in the camp that has absolutely no ties to the Moose or the idea of the team being referred to as Manitoba. For me, I've been hoping for a return of the Jets.

So, when the owner Mark Chipman took to the platform and introduced Cheveldayoff with “to make our first pick on behalf of… the Winnipeg Jets", I had let out a little cheer and the smile crept in as I waited to see if they would unveil a new jersey, or at the very least bring out a retro one.

No such luck. But at least I know who I'll be cheering on when my Habs aren't playing.

Bring on the sun...

2011-06-22T11:59:00.000-07:00

Perpetual clouds have covered the land and sucked any hope out of pretty much all of us in the Lower Mainland. This has, without a doubt, been the worst year for weather since we traded the Edmonton blue skies for this nonsense in late 2005.

Don't get me wrong. I love that the summers usually end up beautiful. I love the mountains. I love that I can play outdoor soccer year round.

But the clouds can just die for all I care.

I'm sure that would wreck something though.

So thankful for the arrival of sunshine and warmth yesterday. It is actually starting to feel like summer. Although my mind is telling me I should be on a beach...

Here's what I'm looking forward to this summer:

Manchester United in Seattle in July. I get giddy just thinking of it.
Date night with my beautiful wife to see Owl City and Mat Kearney.
Friends & family visiting. I'm not even sure when they are all coming, but the pool and the BBQ will be ready at all times.
Going to Toronto for my friend (and former intern) Ryan's wedding in August.
Slowing down...fewer nights out. More time at home.

Why do I have the feeling this will all be over way too quickly?

Tune-age Tuesday...

2011-06-21T18:04:00.000-07:00

What are you listening to these days?

Ban them. Ban them all...

2011-06-20T20:30:00.000-07:00

My son stared speechless at the screen as chaos unfolded.

"What are they doing Dad?"

"What's that Dad?"

"What does that policeman use that stick for?"

"Why is this happening?"

And then he went to play in the park with some of our high school students who had no interest in watching the resulting carnage.

Can I say I'm shocked by what happened? Not really. I mean, you hope for the best, but 1994 kind of set the precedent. Add in too much alcohol to our Facebook/YouTube culture that fuels stupidity, and I find it highly unlikely that anyone really can sit back and honestly say "There is no way we saw that coming."

So here's a little thought for the NHL.

Why not take a page out of European football who has dealt with this problem for years? They are by no means perfect, but they have gotten way more aggressive to combat hooliganism. And ultimately that's what we're talking about here, right? Hooligans.

So...

What if each riot resulted in a certain number of home games being played behind closed doors next season?
What if they had to play their next playoff series entirely on the road?
What if each person found guilty of rioting got a lifetime ban from the arena/stadium?

Now...discuss.

The Cello is cool...

2011-06-18T12:47:00.002-07:00

Two cellos and Welcome to the Jungle? It works...

Video Friday...

2011-06-03T13:07:00.002-07:00

You need a little break from the routine right?

Enjoy! (Thanks YouTube Trends)

And this one is for the Schutte's and for anyone who works with middle school students. (Thanks Ryan!)

Eventful Coffee Break...

2011-06-01T12:30:00.000-07:00

I missed them in 2004, when I would have had to make the drive from Devon, AB.

Being so much closer to Seattle this time, I was determined not to repeat the situation.

I've been scouring the interwebs trying to find tickets. June 1 was the day they officially went on sale to the general public, but there are always ways around that. Buy a package of 3 games. Be an official member of Manchester United's Supporters Club. Buy from a season ticket holder. So I started clicking, sending emails and making phone calls.

The 3 game option was a little too pricey. Sure, you get 3 games at a good price, but when you add in the travel it just didn't seem wise.

I joined the official supporters club and then called the Sounders Office. I was somewhat disappointed to find out that the tickets they give you are in the nosebleeds and closer to the endzone in Qwest Field.

Craigslist would get me some sweet seats, but I might have to sell 3 kidneys...and I think I only came with 2. And finding anyone with 4 tickets (yes, the kids are coming to this too) is impossible.

So I took the gamble. I waited like the rest of the general public.

My coffee break this morning consisted of running two computers and 4 Firefox tabs trying to find (and ensure I held on to) decent seats.

The first selection was somewhere near the endzone. Fail. The second, third and fourth attempts netted similar results. I'm resigning myself to the fact that it might be endzone seats.

But then it happened. That magical refresh button brought a smile to my face. 4 seats in the middle of the field. (Maybe a little higher up than I would have liked, but then again I'd prefer to sit directly behind the bench. At this point I can't boo too choosey, right?)

I scrambled to fill in the required information. I tried password after password. Rejected. What?!?! Why is it you can never remember login passwords when you need them?!?! Work brain...work!

Then it finally came and the purchase was CONFIRMED!!!

I am now the owner of 4 tickets to see Manchester United, current Premier League & Carling Cup Champions, play in Seattle on Wednesday, July 20th.

Can you say excited?

Go Jets...

2011-05-31T20:04:00.000-07:00

Thank you Atlanta for being unable to support an NHL team.

Being a Manitoba boy, I grew up attending Winnipeg Jets games with my dad. I remember going early for the pregame warmups and chasing down pucks that flew into the stands. (This is back in the day when you could get hit in the head with a puck and feel like you were the luckiest person in the stands.)

I remember watching the Jets take on Gretzky after he had been traded to the LA Kings. (I'm sure the rest of the Kings were there too, but who really cares.) I remember some of the awe I felt when I saw him skating around with that jersey tucked into his right side.

I remember when I had officially become a fan of Patrick Roy & the Montreal Canadiens, my dad would take me to the matchup at the Winnipeg Arena. I remember the letdown each year that I saw Patrick sitting on the bench instead of starting the game between the pipes. I still have the ticket stubs.

I remember heading down into the darkest corners of the arena hoping to catch an autograph or two from the visiting Habs only to find disappointingly that very few of them would interact with the fans. But I also distinctly remember my dad pointing out one player, decked out in his suit, lurking in the shadows away from the crowd. The one and only...Andre "Red Light" Racicot. (Two mention in one week. That must be a record!)

I remember parking blocks away from Winnipeg Arena on some side street so we could avoid the parking chaos. I remember making that hike countless times.

I remember loading up the hockey cards and heading to the arena with my dad for the Jets Wives Carnival. We'd wonder around getting autographs from any of the players we could. Teemu Selanne. Thomas Steen. Randy Carlyle. Bob Essensa.

I remember when they left. Although my Habs shirts and jerseys were worn with pride, I still felt bad. It didn't seem right that Winnipeg would be without the Jets.

I'll admit that every rumor of a return to Winnipeg has sucked me in. I've watched. I've waited. I've hoped this day would come. I yelled semi-inappropriate things at Gary Bettman on TV when they announced that Phoenix was going to keep the Coyotes around for another year. (Because we all know that it's all Bettman's fault!)

But at long last it has ended.

The Jets are returning.

And they better be called the Jets.

(But my Habs still come first.)

Middle School Mondays...

2011-05-30T23:02:00.003-07:00

One of the things that I enjoy about what I do is that I can never be sure of what is going to happen next on one of our youth nights. Rarely a week goes by without some sort of event or conversation that I would never have expected heading into the evening.

Tonight's moments consisted of:

Our middle school guys discovered a spinal backboard in a stairwell, so they promptly Velcroed one of the guys to the board
Impromptu game of Pylon Soccer in the field (with a pool noodle for added excitement)
A discussion with some of our 8th grade guys about dating and what 1st, 2nd, 3rd and home base mean today. (Is it just me or did 8th grade get way too knowledgeable way too quickly?)

There is something to be said about how you can do all the prep in the world for a particular event or lesson only to find out later that you weren't prepped at all.

There's no such thing as normal student ministry.

Ordained...

2011-05-29T21:30:00.000-07:00

Got to saw my friend and coworker get ordained today. (For some reason the wording of that just doesn't seem right. Did I just watch? Or was I part of it? Either way, I was there today for this momentous occasion.)

The best comment of the day happened at a celebration BBQ where one of my youth leaders casually asked "Does this mean that he is your superior or something now?" (Natalie...I still don't know if you were serious or not.)

This led to some group joking about how Youth Pastors couldn't possibly be ordained.

I responded with the fact that I've been ordained since 2003 so that actually makes him my minion.

Funny stuff!

Guess I have to get Jamie his coffee from now on.

Maui Day #2-5...

2011-05-29T17:52:00.000-07:00

What do you do with endless hours of free time and sunshine? Jump in the Jeep, throw the top down and explore.

Pull over when the sign says "Scenic Overlook" and take some family pics. (It's time like these that I wish I had better photography skills.)

Whenever you need a break from that you head to the beach whenever you can convince the kids to get out of the pool.

Seriously, I still can't understand why my kids can have an entire ocean and endless beaches at their disposal, but they would rather jump in a swimming pool that is barely within eyesight of the ocean. They could chase crabs on the beach, follow fish through the coral, but we had to twist their arms to get them out of the chlorine. How does that work?!?!

Here's the view we had from our room. A nice deck with patio windows that would completely open up so you could have an unhindered view of the ocean. It was also a great place for having our dinner each night and for playing the occasional game of Ticket to Ride.

Found a little craft fair in Kihei on the side of the road where we could wander around and act like tourists and the kids could spend a few dollars on miscellaneous items, a few of which are already broken.

Highlight: Kids trying to eat a bowl of shaved ice that was almost as big as their head.

Surgery Update...

2011-05-28T18:21:00.005-07:00

My wife's been having abominable pain for the last couple of years. Sometimes the pain will come and go quickly. At other times it will leave her in agony as she lies on the couch and tries to grit her teeth and hope that it passes.

After some bad medical diagnosis she was able to find a doctor that knew what he was doing. This resulted in tests, and more tests, and the some exploratory surgery where they were finally able to diagnosis the problem. The doctors words about what he found was, "You're a mess."

The wait for surgery then began. She was a trooper through the school year as she plugged away at her studies and her practicum. Long after any normal person would have called it quits, she was still bringing her A game and doing it all while keeping family life organized around here.

We were able to get 2 weeks of family vacation (pics to come shortly, I promise) in Maui where she was relatively pain free. And then we arrived back home so she could officially head under the knife Monday afternoon.

The surgery was successful. She had her left ovary removed, which was starting to grow down into her abdomen and was overall just creating a mess. The doctor figures he got everything cleaned up and now we just await the pathology reports. (Praying that there's nothing abnormal in there.)

The recovery process has been way more difficult than probably anyone would have expected. It took them over four hours to get her out of the recovery room when they usually only want patients in there for one.

I believe we lost count of the combinations of drugs they have tried to use to help get her pain under control. But it has to be in the double digits.

Did I mention the hospital food? (The garlic bread was orange!!!)

Or then there was the student nurse that took out her IV. I probably could have done a better job. And I am terrible with all things medical.

And then there was the nurse who wouldn't call the surgeon to change a prescription before we left and told us to take her to the walk-in clinic if it got worse. Walk-in? You do realize they just sliced open her abdomen right?

So Erin called the surgeon herself. Problem solved.

Until we got to the pharmacy and they mixed up the prescription.

Needless to say, it's been a long week. But at long last she is at home where she belongs. She's still hurting, but the prognosis looks good. She's been told that when she is better that she will be completely pain free. I think that is hard for us to believe right now.

Prayers are appreciated.

Believe...

2011-05-28T08:00:00.001-07:00

So stoked for the game today.

Also a little nervous. (Hey, it is Barca after all.)

I'm hoping it's good football and not a repeat of 2009.

I'm pulling for a goal by Chicharito and some stellar setups by never-aging Ryan Giggs.

I'll also accept a Van de Sar clean sheet for his last United game.

Oh...and if it's not too much, another long range boomer from Scholes would be nice.

Believe.

Stanley Cup...

2011-05-27T20:12:00.006-07:00

Part of me would like to say I don't care. But it just wouldn't be true. I'm still Canadian. I still have hockey in my blood. Sure, I'm still bitter about my Habs getting put out by the Bruins. But I'll bounce back by fall of this year and it will start all over again.

I remember parts of my Habs winning the cup in 1993. I remember the overtimes. I remember St. Patrick winning the Conn Smythe. (Can you hear the Superman theme?) I remember "Red Light" Racicot (who I had grabbed a couple of autographs from after a Jets/Habs game once). I remember the McSorley stick incident.

Carbonneau. Damphousse. Muller. Keane. Savard. JJ. Bellows. LeClair.

And now here I am in 2011. My own son absorbed in hockey, yet rejecting my favorite team, instead choosing to follow the crowd and cheer for the "hometown" Canucks. While I shouldn't be surprised I will admit that I do have some disappointment that we couldn't share the Canadiens. (Although I have always told my kids that they can pick their own favorite team., except when it comes to football. It's Manchester United only in this house.)

We've traded more smack talk this year than ever before. We even came close to attending a game together, but sadly those last ditch attempts just weren't affordable. But I finally came to embrace (at least from a distance) his Canuckism and rewarded him with his very first non-Canadiens jersey before their school's annual Hockey Day.

Now we ready ourselves for the Stanley Cup finals, Boston vs Vancouver, and I'm unsure who I am supposed to cheer for.

I can't stand the Bruins. They put my team out. Chara is still forever going to be labeled a goon from that Pacioretty hit. And it's the Bruins for crying out loud! Despite being Original 6, I just can't do it.

I can't stand the Canucks. Correction. I can't stand most of the hoopla from the bandwagon jumping fans out here on the coast. Honestly, they are so fickle and uninformed it makes me want their team to lose.

But then I remember what it was like to watch my team hoist the cup. I want my son to have that. I want him to experience the joy of jumping up and down yelling until he is hoarse. I want him to wear his jersey for days on end. I want him to have memories of this that he can share one day with his kids.

I want to be able to take him out on South Fraser to celebrate with the rest of the province. I want to be able to sneak him out of school to watch a parade through the streets. I want him to have what I had (minus the parade & South Fraser).

And for that reason I have made my choice:

I'll cheer for my son.

It's The End of the World As We Know It...

2011-05-21T07:00:00.000-07:00

I hear that the world is supposed to end today.

In that case, I wish you all the best in your future endeavors.

But so far I feel fine.

Almost Ending...

2011-05-21T00:46:00.003-07:00

The vacation end is nearer than ever.

But I don't wanna go home...

(Yes, I am whining.)

Oh...and in keeping with Knott tradition we found a little restaurant tonight that we wish we would have found much earlier in our vacation.

Oh...and it's Mexican.

Oh...and I had a burrito there that blew my mind.

Oh...and I'm trying to mastermind a plan for getting us to eat there tomorrow despite the fact that there is leftover spaghetti in the fridge.

Staying...

2011-05-14T19:28:00.004-07:00

Today we spent 5 hours on the beach building sandcastles, hunting crabs, snorkeling, swimming and reading.

I also rescued a fly away umbrella for some family who decided to abandon their stuff during the lunch hour. I think I should be on the news.

I'm getting used to this life outside the office.

I joked with our pastoral staff before I left that they might want to start looking for a new youth pastor because I was seriously considering not coming back from vacation.

I'm not joking anymore.

I'm staying.

Seriously.

And you cannot change my mind.

But you can support me. Email me and I'll let you know how to contribute to my new life.

I've got to go swim in the pool now.

Good shopping...

2011-05-13T16:00:00.001-07:00

I shop like a man. I know what I want. I get in. I get out. If I need to try something on I take the minimal amount of time possible. I hate shopping. Unless it's a guitar shop. But let's be honest, that's not really shopping as much as it is bringing Heaven to earth.

But one sign will always catch my eye: Going Out of Business!

So on one of our island excursions we saw that enticing sign on the window of a local Borders book shop. The signs are hollering "Everything Must Go" and "All Books $2.99 or Less". I'll admit that at this stage there is always some sort of reluctance. Will I be able to find anything? Or will this be a waste?

But the curiosity almost always wins out.

I step foot into the store and it does not look promising. There appear to be more shelving units for sale than actual books. And the shelves are getting sparser by the minute as others like myself try to find themselves a sweet deal.

It starts slow. I find a book about Bacardi Rum. Hey, it's only $2.99. It can't be that bad.

Most of the shelves contain self-help books that were likely popular 7-8 years ago. So, I head over to the music section.

In amongst the Hawaiian artists I find Swell Season, The Rescues and O.A.R.

The religion section is next. A couple more finds and I'm starting to feel like I've conquered.

Combine that with Erin's find and the last minute impulse buy of season one of The Middle, and we walked away with 4 books, 3 CDs and a season of TV for $33.

I win.

Neat....

2011-05-11T12:13:00.000-07:00

No reason for this. Just thought it was kind of neat.

And wondering why we don't call more things "neat", because that would be neat. No?

Beaching...

2011-05-10T11:09:00.003-07:00

I've spent the last few months counting down to this vacation and awaiting the arrival of sunshine, so I'll be honest and say that I was a little disappointed to find on our first day here that a current weather system has blocked out most of the blue sky.

But if there's one place I'll accept some cloud cover, it's here. We still managed to turn bright red despite our best efforts to use the sunscreen. It would appear that our skin does not know how to respond to sunshine after months and months of living in some sort of post-Apocalyptic vampire world.

I digress...

Yesterday we broke out the snorkeling gear.

We took a stroll through Lahaina.

Climbed the Banyan tree.

We also enjoyed a steak dinner on our deck.

Now we're waiting for one sleepy head to awake before today's adventure begins.

Parkour...

2011-05-09T09:28:00.000-07:00

It's also called FreeRunning. But is it just me or doesn't it just look like a cooler version gymnastics?

Happy Mom's Day...

2011-05-08T06:00:00.000-07:00

Happy Mother's Day to all you Mom's!

i love my mum from Si on Vimeo.

Mustache...

2011-05-07T09:00:00.000-07:00

It's a little lengthy but I assure you it's worth it for your weekend viewing pleasure.

Is it summer yet...

2011-05-07T08:26:00.004-07:00

Seriously, this whole rain thing is getting ridiculous. I know it's supposed to be wet out here, but I can't remember the last time we had 2 days in a row with blue skies and sunshine. I can hardly remember a day that it didn't rain. And this is the forecast that is looming:

It's the beginning of MAY!!

That's it. It's time for a vacation.

Grace...

2011-05-05T16:08:00.003-07:00

Every once in a while my capacity to extend grace wears out. (Ah...who am I kidding...it happens quite often. I'd like to think I'm more loving than I probably am. I should probably work on that...)

But for some individuals I find that I dig a little deeper. I stick it out. I put up with more. I give 2nd chances and 3rd tries. I hope a little more.

Sometimes I wonder what drives that.

But what happens when stupidity reaches an all time high? What happens when the grace tank is dry? What happens when "what next" has turned into "I give up"?

I hope others don't give up on me as easily as I may give up on them.

(Rant complete.)

Old Guys, Young Punks & Football...

2011-05-03T18:00:00.000-07:00

Last Thursday night I headed out to the football pitch (aka the school yard soccer field covered in dirt & sand) to play my first game of our new Spring season. I arrived to find a squad of U21 guys that was nearly 20 members deep ready to play against our 11 member "aged" squad who was mostly interested in the Canucks game.

We've pretty much resigned ourselves to a night of being run into the ground but our team is in good spirits and just wanting to play some football.

10 minutes in I send a ball between their defenders where our winger (who has spent the last 2 season nursing a host of injuries) runs onto it like Ryan Giggs, sidesteps the remaining defender and slots it home. Advantage: old guys.

Their tackles get harder. They start mouthing off a little more. It's obvious that they weren't used to being on the receiving end.

They start lighting up shots. Our keeper, despite his Liverpool tattoo (which has me always questioning his ability to play the game!) , is able to make some of the most amazing saves I've seen in a rec game.

The half ends with us up 1-0 and knowing that the second half would be much harder than the first. With another 45 minutes looming I would imagine that most of us would have been happy to escape with a draw.

The second half gets underway their testosterone-driven aggressive play is taken to a new level. More tackles. More mouthing off. Cards are being handed out. Our guys hold on and tackle back, letting them know that we're not going to be pushed around by some young punks.

They score to tie it up. Advantage (unfortunately): young punks. Discouraged, but not without some faith in our own skills, we keep on plugging away.

They mistime clearing a ball out of the box and one of our midfielders runs onto it to slip it past the keeper. Advantage (once again): old guys.

This is where things go from insane to stupid. They start making more comments about us and how we play. As we start to cramp up (remember, we're old) they complain about time wasting and tell us to carry guys off the field, as if we have some sort of medical staff and stretcher.

Then one of their players makes a racial comment towards one of our defenders.

Unreal. I haven't heard such garbage on the soccer pitch.

I credit our team with not enforcing martial law right there on the spot.

It's time to end it. With the game finally resuming, a ball gets pushed through the back and the race is on. I'm not as quick as I once was but I manage to keep free of the defender and get into the box.

The keeper is rushing out as ready to tuck it to his left.

A shoulder comes crashing into me from behind.

I stay on my feet to watch the ball bounce off the keeper, then off the defender and out the back of the field. Opportunity squandered!

But then I hear the whistle.

I look back and see the official pointing to the penalty spot.

It would appear that we just got the benefit of the doubt after a game filled with nonsense. I'm not convinced I was fouled. I wasn't even looking for one. But we'll take it.

I pass off the potential scoring opportunity to another teammate due to my inconsistency and lack of confidence about scoring from the spot. (Give me the ball 20 yards out and I'll gladly have a go. Let me line up on the spot and I find a way to overthink it and miss.)

Next thing we know the ball is in the back of the net with a shot hard enough that it would have knocked the keeper over if he had been anywhere close to it.

Advantage: old guys.

In an anticlimactic moment, with less than 3 minutes on the clock, the field lights went off (thanks to the late starting & late ending coed game played before us!) and left us up 3-1. We were forced to abandon the match. And in what can only be a moment of both great timing and bad luck, we were unable to shake hands.

We were able to escape without more verbal abuse.

But we were also unable to shake their hands with that grin on our face as we remind them that a bunch of old guys can still let the football do the talking.

Post Sermon Reflections...

2011-05-02T11:59:00.000-07:00

On Sunday we started a new series at church called Practical Atheist. Yes, we're completely unoriginal and stole the idea from a book/other church. But I'm still stoked about the series and think it will be great for our church family. (Also a little disappointed that I'll miss 3 parts...but somehow I think a beach in the middle of the ocean will comfort me.)

I started us off with "I believe in God but still worry all the time." Long sermon made short is this: I say I follow Jesus, but by worrying all the time I am ultimately saying I don't trust Him. Therefore, my actions contradict what I say. Change is needed.

A couple of observations:

I likely should not mock the Canucks losing during a service where we have placed rocks in everyone's hands. In the past when I made silly remarks about BC sporting teams I usually had my mic shut off. Today someone tossed a rock at the stage.
It is hard to see the massive clock at the back of the room. I had no idea about times, so we're lucky we got out of there before supper. We should probably look into the clock thing.
I actually read all the right passages and remembered all my main points for once. We seem to be making memory progress now.
Hearing a compliment about the sermon is confusing for me as a preacher. Dozens of thoughts drift through my head with any kind word someone says. (Another pastor said it was one of my best, but somehow I'm left questioning how bad my other ones were...silly little brain of mine!)
Trying to remember how the service is supposed to end when you've preached a little long and still need to lead Communion is mind-boggling. I missed announcing a community care offering, so I trust God is big enough to help us out with the poor over the next month in spite of my mistake.
If the stars somehow align themselves so that the annual Men's Retreat happens to fall on the 2nd official day of sunshine in the lower Mainland, you can expect low numbers. (Or we blame the fact that someone let it slip that I was preaching and people stayed home.)

Hope your Monday is good.

I'd say get out there and vote for me in the polls, but most of you aren't in the country, and technically I'm not sure that I'm supposed to campaign on election day.

Post #1000...

2011-05-02T09:54:00.003-07:00

No kidding. This crazy journey began on December 15, 2004. I was working elsewhere. My kids were lots littler. My face had no chin fur.

Thanks for being here. I know that many of you plan your week around this blog, so I want to do something memorable in honor of you for post #1000.

Watch this...

Game 7...

2011-04-27T17:01:00.002-07:00

Must. Make. It.

I'm having trouble watching. Spotting Boston 2 goals to begin the game wasn't helping matters. Now we're only down 1.

Is this what Canucks fans felt like yesterday? (Minus the being down by a goal part.)

And I'll likely miss the last few minutes because I have to be at youth tonight. So, it would be helpful Montreal if you scored 5 in this period. I'd also accept 4 as long as you keep everything else out.

Big night...

2011-04-26T15:01:00.003-07:00

As much as I would love to see an all Canadian Stanley Cup final between the Canadiens and the Canucks, I will admit that I am slightly curious as to just how Canucks "fans" would react if they were to lose tonight's game.

And by "fan" I am not directing this at the lifers. An "actual fan" would know who Kirk McLean is. They know why the white towel gets waved. They also know that Trevor Linden spent time in a Habs jersey. And they know there is more than one Bure. I do not wish to see the legitimate pain you would feel. I do wish to see what happens to the bandwagon "fans" though.

I won't cheer too hard though because I know they are likely to reciprocate with negativity towards my team of choice (or towards my office).

Should be an interesting hockey night nonetheless.

Oh Monday...

2011-04-18T14:30:00.005-07:00

I'm fighting with all my might to avoid taking a nap in the office.

I. Am. Beat.

Every part of me craves caffeine. I'd love to crack open a Coke. Or head on over to Tim Horton's and grab a large French Vanilla cappuccino. I'm even tempted to grab a Pepsi out of the mini fridge. (Yes, that's how low I would sink right now.)

But, I'm currently at day #34 of caffeine sobriety. I'm trying to hang in there until vacation in May when I will celebrate by have an ice cold Coke (or Cokes) on the beach. (Yes, I fully intend to leap off the wagon.)

In the meantime I am proving that caffeine is not my master, but a friend that I miss greatly.

I am instead settling for a hot Iced Tea. I'm kicking the window open. And I'm going to try and finish up details for middle school youth tonight.

Drop a comment. Say hello.

Dating Advice...

2011-04-14T10:14:00.005-07:00

We're in a month long teaching series called "Flirt" (totally stole the title from Brian Berry, so props to him & his crew!) for our students about sex, sexuality, dating & relationships. I had some fun with our high schoolers last night as we talked about dating.

I came up with a fun (yet practical) list of 10 Rules For Saving Your Dating Life that set the stage for our actual healthy dating advice.

I did not expect the major push back on the McDonald's and rollerskating date. I added it because I once had a date at McD's who refused to eat. And then on another night I went rollerskating with our youth group and she wouldn't skate with me during couples skate. I figured it was a bad date idea. Maybe it was just me?

What we actually settled down on for healthy dating advice was this:

Be INTENTIONAL instead of RECREATIONAL - Who am I dating? What are they about? What do they believe? Why are we dating? What are we doing on the date?
Be RELATIONAL instead of PHYSICAL - Recognizing that it's easier to be physical than relational, what boundaries do I have? Where will I be tempted?
Be CHRIST focused instead of SELF focused - What if I was willing to pray about my date and for my date?

I'll admit that this series is pushing my creativity. The easy thing is to just tell them what not to do. But they've mostly heard it all before and I don't think that really helps them. I'm trying to encourage them to use their brains and think about what they are doing. I'm trying to get them to ask themselves lots of questions.

If you had some advice about dating for high schoolers, what would it be?

What's New...

2011-04-12T15:27:00.002-07:00

It's been a while. Here's what's new here:

I have become a lazy reader. Every book I pick up is kicking my butt.
I have become a lazy athlete. Played 3 hours of soccer for the first time in almost a month on Sunday...and my body hates me for it.
After escaping the responsibility of coaching soccer for so many years, I've finally been volunteered to co-coach the summer league that Aidan & Becca play on.
Got to lead worship on Sunday with 3 other talented musicians. Safe to say that it was the most fun I have ever had with a band since my Youth Conference days.
Teaching our month long dating, relationship & sex series for our middle school and high school students. Hectic, but fascinating to see the questions being asked. Particularly by middle schoolers.
Counting down 24 days to some much anticipated vacationing in the sun.
Started conversations about a missions trip for our students. It's been 5+ years on the list of things to do, but it looks like this time it might just stick. Need to rally the parents & students together for a meeting now.
Erin's almost done exams but then gears up for her practicum. That'll take life to whole new level of crazy for a few weeks.
Got to do some prep work now for my May 1 sermon.

So...what's new with you?

Did you know...

2011-04-04T16:42:00.004-07:00

April is sex month.

Actually, I have no idea if that's true. I'm also smart enough not to Google it. So let's just say this is unofficial for the time being.

Tonight we begin our month long series on dating, relationships and sex with our students. It's been two years since we last taught on these subjects and gauging on the questions that showed up in our "Question Box" last month, I can only guess that this series is overdue and will likely be full of surprises.

I also expect that our attendance will increase over the month. It almost always has anytime we start talking about sex.

Fooled Again...

2011-04-03T14:07:00.008-07:00

On Friday morning I get a message from one of our elders that reads like this:

"Just curious, do you really love Justin Bieber? Cause I according to your office window you are proclaiming your love for him to the world"

I'm well aware that it's April Fools Day, so I figure he must be messing with me. And then I arrive at the church this morning and see this sign from the parking lot.

I will make it known that this sign does not hang in my office, but rather in the window of the youth room that is next to my office. This is an important fact.

I walk into the youth room to meet my students for Tangents (our Sunday morning youth class), and find that all the furniture has been piled up in the corner and the whiteboards have been scribbled on. Oh, and they set up the mini Christmas tree.

Then I unlock my office door and find this. Most of the cups have an inch or two of water in them.

It took a minute for me to notice something was askew with the books on the shelves.

Plastic wrap, defaced wall hangings, misplaced degrees, a missing mini fridge, a shrink-wrapped guitar case, a random stuffed Disney character, beach balls...this will take some time to clean up tomorrow.

And then a note led me to the church kitchen where I found my Michael Scott Office mug. I should express my personal displeasure at this since I just only recently found this mug in the staff room after months of it being MIA.

Now the culprits are currently at large.

And staying with the cowardly act, "they" have refused to accept responsibility while swearing others to secrecy.

Also, I can't help but wonder why I have keys for the lock on my office when apparently anyone who wants access can gain access.

Friday on Saturday...

2011-04-02T13:40:00.002-07:00

Best. Version. Ever.

Thank you Stephen Colbert.

I beg your pardon...

2011-04-02T13:08:00.003-07:00

When did playing soccer become so ruddy expensive?!?!

Aidan officially enters the U11 program next year which takes youth soccer to another level. Today was his first "try out" where they get the boys together and see where there skill level is at. Ultimately the idea is that they pick 24-36 boys to form the Select teams. The remaining players, or the players that don't choose Select got into house league, which is basically just "rec" soccer.

Aidan's already signed up for fall, which means he'll at least play rec, so this is just to determine whether he wants to, or has the skills, to play Select level. (I may be biased, but I have no doubt that he has the skills. He's got a knack for putting the ball in the net and he's got a great set of wheels on him. He doesn't have the load of tricks in his pocket that some of the hardcore kids seem to have, but he doesn't seem to need them.)

Today we show up in the pouring rain to the first of three tryouts and discover that should he make the team it's going to cost an extra $400 for the program! $400? Yes, that's on top of what we already dished out to register him!

Uh...what the what?!?! We're talking youth soccer right?

On the plus side, after the tryout today they told all the kids that they had "made the team" (it was a small group, so I'm not entirely surprised). I'm proud of him, but I just joked that he might need to start working part time to pay for it!

Apparently if he gets selected by the Whitecaps residency program in the next few years they will start covering those costs.

The things we'll do...or pay...for something we love.

In our house it's soccer. What's it in your house?

Post Youth Conference...

2011-03-30T07:30:00.000-07:00

In our staff meeting yesterday I was highlighting our recent trip with some of our high school students to Calgary to be a part of Legacy Youth Conference put on by Ambrose University College.

I was commenting on how I could easily place this as one of the top trips I've had the pleasure of being a part of during my student ministry career. The group of students and leaders was perfect. The drive was a blast. The memories we created were priceless. There was lots of laughter. There was significant conversation. Great worship. Quality teaching. The list goes on.

After our meeting I headed downstairs and find a little card in my mailbox. I open it up and find $250 of gift cards for Best Buy. Apparently we won "Youth to the Booth"! I don't even know what that is. But I do know there is no complaining here.

After fighting the temptation to stuff the cards in my pocket (hey...I'm just being honest!) and say it was my reward for yet again giving up an entire weekend of my life to be stuck in small spaces with students , I started wondering what on earth we would spend it on.

I'm stumped. Any ideas?

Yes Please...

2011-03-29T20:03:00.004-07:00

They...are...coming...to...Seattle...oh...my....goodness...

I will likely sound like a 13 year old Bieber fan, but I don't care. Manchester United are coming to Seattle on Wednesday, July 20th!

I missed out when United was here in 2004 because I didn't like the tickets I was given during my first phone call to Ticketmaster. And then the game sold out before I could even find a second batch of tickets.

You better believe that this date is marked on the calendar!

It's Friday...

2011-03-25T07:00:00.000-07:00

Please tell me you've seen this video. I doubt you've made it all the way through. I know I haven't.

There's some pretty funny remakes kicking around that you need to check out.

This one is my personal favorite:

Going Mobile...

2011-03-23T10:58:00.000-07:00

Just changed some settings around so my blog can now go mobile. Practical? Probably not. But it's cool, and I'm all for that.

Recovering from a youth trip...

2011-03-22T13:16:00.002-07:00

I spent the weekend in Calgary with 7 students and 2 of my leaders at Legacy Youth Conference. All in all it was a great weekend. Good speaker. Good music. decent food. Great memories. Lots of laughs. And now I get a couple of days off to try and recover. How do I do that?

I watch stuff like this...

See more funny videos and funny pictures at CollegeHumor.

Growing...

2011-03-09T10:16:00.003-08:00

Speaking as someone who has always been skeptical of the whole "coaching phenomenon", I think this is a great idea! (Probably because it's striking a chord in my world.)

I'm glad to see people like Marko investing more into youth workers than just "How to make your games grosser and bigger".

Wish I could be a part of it...

I'm curious...what do YOU do to grow?

Jets Meter...

2011-03-03T17:18:00.002-08:00

Saw this on the TSN site.

I'd love to see the NHL back in Winnipeg...but only if they call the team The Jets.

Prayer (and why I quit coffee)...

2011-03-03T14:39:00.005-08:00

I'm terrible at praying. I pray too little. I pray too weak.

I'm self-conscious when I pray. My brain slows down. My words jumble together.

Two weeks ago I made an agreement with someone that we would pray for each other (and our families) for the following week. I knew I'd have a terrible time remembering to keep at it every day. Yet, I knew I needed to do it.

So I quit coffee.

Every time I was tempted to head to the staff room to fill up the cup or to grab a Coke from the fridge I remembered to pray.

Then on the 11th day I caved and enjoyed a French Vanilla from Tim Horton's.

My prayer life...much like the rest of me... is a work in progress.

Normal Goatee...

2011-03-01T17:05:00.001-08:00

I meet the Youth Pastor stereotype of having a goatee.

However, I do not grow it to be cool. I grow it out of necessity.

You can only be asked the question, "Where's your Youth Pastor?" so many times before your confidence is shattered.

I know you didn't ask for it, but here's some little known facts about the fur on my face that you might find interesting:

I started growing it in July 2006 because I thought it would be a fun change of pace for someone who has rarely ever needed to shave more than twice a week. (And one of those weekly shaves was just so I could say that I shave more than once a week.)
Yes, I do trim it. (Usually after someone mentions that it looks like my chin threw up.)
Most guys see my beard as an accomplishment. Random guys comment "Nice beard" or "Cool...how long has that taken." Most females think it's gross and say mean things about it.
My wife tells me that she doesn't mind it. But I think that's because it makes me look older. (Women apparently do not like being seen as old or older.)
Yes, it does trap food. The worst culprits are ice cream and pie.
I usually get a couple of comments at church each week about it. Most of those comments revolve around how to remove it from my chin.
I do have people ask if they can touch it. Seriously...and I don't understand this one. Why?!?! But, if you must, I prefer you ask before you try and grab at it.
My old intern Ryan used to love pulling at it to see how many hairs he could pluck out. I think he once got 5 and I may have shed tears. This is why I don't like people grabbing at my chin.
Erin & Becca have placed berets in it on different occasions. They usually don't last long.
It has been braided...just not properly.
One of my students offered to make it into a dreadlock. (Yes, singular.)
I got called Senor Goatee by a little girl on the Island in the Sun.
I tell people it will come off as part of a fundraiser for a youth group missions trip. (Or maybe for me to attend NYWC in the fall. Maybe I could swing both...so start saving and make me an offer.)

What I do all day (part 3)...

2011-02-28T08:30:00.000-08:00

I get a chuckle out of my students when it finally registers that I work at the church and that I'm here more than just the two nights a week that they might see me. And it's almost always followed by, "What do you do all day?"

Well, in the midst of emails, teaching prep, organizing events, Facebook (yes, it's a ministry tool!), filling out references, studying, meeting with students & leaders, picking out music for worship, cleaning up pens taped to my floor, and anything else I missed, I have few meetings that I need to be at each week.

Weekly Meetings:

Monday Leadership - I meet with a few other pastors each Monday to watch a leadership related video or listen to a podcast. That's followed by some healthy discussion on what we're learning, how we need to improve, and how any of what we heard fits with our current ministries.
Monday Youth Leadership - This is the newest addition, but I get together with 2 of my youth leaders who help with the teaching and we go over our upcoming teaching series, discuss the calendar and basically talk youth stuff.
Tuesday Staff Coffee - The entire church staff hangs out and eats snacks. We all take a turn bringing something in (usually cinnamon buns from me). And every other week we end the time praying together.
Tuesday Pastoral Staff Meeting - This is the big one. 2.5 hours of discussion about everything church related. We evaluate the past services, we look ahead to the next ones, we plan preaching schedules, we talk about door stops, we have animated conversations, we joke, we dream, we pray. We cover a lot of ground. And we're changing the loaction starting this week and I'm looking forward to that!
Wednesday Youth Worship Practice - A weekly opportunity to work with the students on music as we try to prepare them to lead in upcoming Sunday services as well as just give them a place to grow in their musical abilities. Autotune made an appearance at the last one which was good for some laughs.
Thursday Stand Up - We used to actually stand up at this meeting so we could keep it short. But then we added a few more elements to it, started sitting down and never changed the name. This is basically a last chance for us to go over things for the upcoming Sunday and make sure everything is in place. Songs, timing, lighting, people, announcements. We end it with some prayer time for each other and the church.

Occasional Meetings

Board Meeting - Once a month the pastoral staff is invited to join the Board of Elders at their monthly meeting. I don't go often, but it's nice to know I have the option.
Worship Practice - If I lead worship on a Sunday morning I need to be at a 3 hour rehearsal/practice on Thursday evening and then a 45 minute run through early Sunday morning.
Youth Leaders - I hesitate to call these "meetings". We usually talk a little shop but mostly we just like to get together and have a lot of fun.

Birmingham brings joy...

2011-02-27T14:11:00.003-08:00

I love watching Manchester United win. But I also find immense joy in watching some of the other "big" clubs lose. So I found a sense of satisfaction today when Arsenal lost the Carling Cup final to Birmingham, who have been without a trophy since 1963.

I also got a laugh after reading a headline from yesterday about how one Arsenal player wanted Cesc Fabregas, who is currently out injured, to lift the trophy when they won.

Upon reading it yesterday all I could think was, "I hope they lose".

So consider this a little PSA: It's best not to talk about who will lift the trophy until you've won it.

Thank you Birmingham for bringing me some joy today.

Whew...

2011-02-26T13:13:00.004-08:00

These last few weeks have been a blur. When you throw sick kids into a mix of school, work, and various medical ailments and top it all off with what seems to me to have been 2 straight weeks of meetings, my brain is mush.

I know I'm in trouble when I actually get a night at home and I have no idea what to do with myself. I literally wander around and try to see if something sticks. Read a paragraph of a book. Watch a few minutes of a hockey game. Try to play PS3. Bother the kids. Re-read a paragraph of the same book. Pester Erin. Pick up the guitar. Nap. Play Tetris on the phone.

So today is a welcome change of pace. All 4 of us slept in. Waffles & strawberries & whip cream for brunch. Soccer highlights have been viewed (Go United!). There's only one commitment for the day which involves getting Aidan to a soccer windup at Boston Pizza. I love days like this.

So what will I do?

Blog. Taunt the snow. Try to clean up our bunker. End up playing guitar. Who knows.

The kids have currently opted for playing quietly together, so maybe I'll take advantage of this time and play a little PS3.

What I do all day (part 2)...

2011-02-23T16:15:00.001-08:00

I have arrived twice in the last few weeks to find pens everywhere in my office. The latest one found them taped to the floor, under chairs and behind doors.

Am I bothered? Only in as much that I don't know who keeps letting them in.

If there's one place that I live up to some of the Youth Pastor stereotypes, it's my office. But here's a few things you need to know:

Office Hours
I'm in the office by 9:05 each morning after I drop my kids off at school. You'll find me here Monday through Thursday, as I get Friday's off. What time I leave depends on the day. I occasionally pick up my kids so I get to actually see them on Mondays & Wednesdays. Otherwise I usually try to get home for around 5:00pm.

Office Attire
I have a long, protracted argument for what I wear...and what I do not wear. But the basic idea is that I wear what I'm comfortable wearing, and I'm grateful that I have this privilege. (And no, I'm not comfortable wearing sweat pants.) Same thing goes for Sunday mornings. I remember a long time ago being told I should never wear sandals in the office because I might need to go on an emergency hospital visit. (That one still confuses me. Maybe hospitals have more visitation rules than I thought?) Anyway, that was the past and now I regularly wear flip flops when the weather allows.

My desk
I have a tendency to make piles. I also have an inability to understand how a filing cabinet works. This leads to semi-organized chaos. I consider it a miracle if there is one pile on my desk. As I type this there are more than 3. That is a sign that life has been crazy and I need to clean the office.

Next up: What would YOU like to know?

Dwindling Creative...

2011-02-15T10:43:00.005-08:00

Are you less creative now than when you were younger? I know I am.

I've played guitar for 16 years. I used to keep a binder of songs was writing. Now I don't write. I think I have only ever finished 3 songs. And only 1 song in the last 5 or 6 years alone. And it was about our intern, Swarley.

I'm scared of not being as good as someone else.

I'm scared of what others will think of my music.

I'm scared of failing at it.

Book #1 (Chazown)...

2011-02-10T08:00:00.000-08:00

Chazown
Craig Groeschel

When I look back at my college days I can remember that I had a goal. I wanted to graduate. I wanted to get into the working world. I wanted to find a church where I could start doing what I felt God was calling me to do.

It didn't happen on accident. I had to work for it. I studied, I read, I volunteered. But it was worth it because I knew what I was aiming for.

It's amazing that 10 years later I can actually be in ministry, doing what I was trained for, when I suddenly realize that a lot of the purposefulness of my life has vacated the premises. That's not to say that my calling to ministry has changed, or that I've not been doing what I was hired to do. It just means that I've become less intentional with a number of areas in my life.

I grabbed this book by Groeschel and as I started reading it became apparent that this book would be more than a superficial read. This one was going to cut into the surface.

Everyone ends up somewhere. Few people end up somewhere on purpose. That's a theme that is repeated throughout the book. This is a call for people to step out of the accidental living of their lives and to step into living out a life with some purpose. A life with vision.

Groeschel encourages you to look at past experiences, your Spiritual gifts and your core values as you try to determine what your chazown (or God-given vision) is.

As you're walked through the process via the book or subsequent website, you are encouraged to come to a place where you try to put into words what it is that you exist to do. All the while paying attention to some key areas of life that Groeschel states are important for keeping ourselves on track: our relationship with God, our relationships with others, our financial health, our physical health, and our life's work.

What this book did was open my eyes to the fact that I, in many of these areas, was not being purposeful. In addition to reading the book, I'd recommend checking out the website. It sounded a little cheesy to me at first, but after I started to try some of the tools out, I saw a lot of potential. Both for myself, and for recommending this to others.

I think many of us could benefit from some more intentionality in our life, whether it be in our relationships, our physical health, our Spiritual walks or our knowledge of stats for our Fantasy sports league.

What I do all day (part 1)...

2011-02-09T14:35:00.005-08:00

I discovered my office littered with pens this morning and the youth room covered in Nerf guns and sticky notes. The white board contained vague references to how awesome my job is (see photo), while one comment (not pictured)states I will receive a $5 reward for discovering what is actually missing.

Anyways, moments like these remind me of what a great job I have. And that ultimately gets me thinking of how many times I've heard someone say to me "What do you do all day?!?!" And rest assured that I've heard my fair share of jokes about the youth ministry stereotypes:

I only work one night a week
My car is littered with McDonald's garbage
My primary food group is pizza & Coke
I'm always up to 3am playing Xbox
I can't show up in the office on time
my office is a mess
I have a Rolodex of games that result in barfing, belching or farting
I only wear shorts and flip flops
I need to become a real pastor

So, I thought I could spend a few blog posts debunking some of these myths while possibly perpetuating a few more.

Working Nights
Youth Ministry can be a lot of fun, but I'm officially "on the clock" Monday & Wednesday nights. My leaders show up between 6:15-6:30pm, with students arriving shortly after. I leave when they leave, which ranges between 9:00-10:00pm. I have 2 separate groups of students that I am responsible for, but that doesn't mean I do everything myself on a given night. I have some great leaders who are stepping up in some big ways to help out. Set up, teaching, games, music, clean up, prayer times, small groups...you name it. But, at the end of the night, it's my butt on the line to ensure that certain things happen: sound Biblical teaching, a safe environment (physically, emotionally and relationally), fun and connecting with parents, students and leaders.

Beverages
My office fridge is stocked with pop. And while I occasionally partake of the delicious caffeinated fizzy beverage, my students know the rule: if you show up in my office outside of a youth night, you can help yourself to the fridge. I do not live off Coke, but I do start most mornings with a French Vanilla cappuccino.

Pizza
This I can't escape. I love pizza. It is the food of choice at youth & leader events alike because it's convenient, relatively cheap, easy to clean up and it doesn't require me to book the church kitchen or be certified as "Food Safe". Also, on the rare occasion when there are leftovers, my kid's get a special lunch for school: cold pizza!

Video Games
I do not own, nor do I play Xbox. I occasionally attend a Halo night one of my youth leaders hosts, and I am usually guaranteed to be in the bottom 3 of the 12-16 people there. I do however play PS3. I can stand my ground in Call of Duty or FIFA, but my 9 year old will beat me at NHL 10.

Anything else you're dying to know about what I do all day?

In my next post I'll fill you in on my office.

When to read Twilight...

2011-02-02T15:48:00.001-08:00

Agreed?

iPhone...

2011-01-18T17:30:00.000-08:00

Got one of those fancy little machines that all the kids are talking about these days. You know, the iPhone. In what can only be described as one of the greatest Christmas conspiracies ever, I unwrapped a box filled with old boxers to find the familiar looking box buried within. (So that's where all my old boxers go?!?!)

I've been tooling around lately and trying to figure the machine out. It appears to have no end to useless, trivial and even mind numbing possibilities. And I must admit that it's been a pile of fun.

Most interesting discoveries so far:

FaceTime chats, whether within the office with Jamie (who is two doors away) or with Brad (who has now had a first-class FaceTime tour of the castle that is my office), is completely impractical but joy giving.
Angry Birds. I must fight Erin and the kids to keep them away from my phone, lest they complete levels that I have not yet completed.
Movie/TV trivia is important in our house, kind of like food is important in other houses. I can't tell you how often we've had to start up the computer to find out what other movie "that" person was in, so that one of us could be declared trivia champion yet again. Now I grab the phone and hit up IMDb. I still lose the game, I just lose faster now.

As for practicality...I installed a calendar which is so far keeping me organized. I was able to opt out of purchasing a new Moleskine Weekly Notebook for the year as I attempt to go without a paper trail. So far, so good.

Anyway...all this was a lead up to ask what apps I should be installing. If you've got some recommendations please let me know as I also received a few iTunes gift cards that I should spend before my wife does.

You aren't in the iPhone loop? No worries! I'll still accept you. And I won't even judge you. But maybe you can make a music/album suggestion?

Snow Day...

2011-01-12T16:40:00.005-08:00

It's so rare to get much snow around here, but the last week has made life interesting.

On Saturday we all headed out to the church to here some friends talk about their past (& upcoming) missions experiences. It was just starting to snow when we left and Becca remarked about how great it would be to walk up the hill later that night. (Side note: living on a mountain means that we usually have 1 or 2 times a year that we can't get up the road due to slick roads.)

We head out from the church around 9:30pm and it's not looking good. Sure enough, we can't get the car up the hill so we make the 40 minute hike. Good memories, but it's a little tiring.

Then it starts snowing again last night. The phone rings just after 6:00am to inform us that the schools are closed. I hang up midway through the automated call, which means I get another one 15 minutes later. And then another one. ( Like I can't figure out the school will be closed when I won't be able to make it down the hill.) I check Erin's classes on the phone. Cancelled. Time for an old fashioned snow day!

So now, no youth tonight (we cancel when the schools cancel) and I figured I should dust off the blog. And then I realize I'm falling further and further behind on my blog reading. Then I realize I didn't even evaluate my 2010 goals. Then I realize I don't write much anymore. Then I realize there's a hockey game on...

Unwrapped...

2011-01-01T12:03:00.004-08:00

Christmas was good...no, lets' say great. And not just because I got some cool gifts under the tree. (And by cool I actually mean "re-freaking-diculously awesome".) I've had two weeks of nothing but hanging out with family and friends. I should do this more often.

The last 9 years have seen me having some sort of Christmas responsibility at Church. Not that I begrudge it, but you start to realize pretty quickly that needing to preach or lead worship 2 days after Christmas will quickly eat up some of that other "vacation" time.

So this year I was a little selfish and took it all off. And I am glad that I did.

Can I be honest? I don't really want to think about going back to work on Tuesday.

Day #11 of the Not So Normal Christmas...

2010-12-24T13:41:00.002-08:00

Random Christmas facts...

I miss snow on the ground at Christmas.

I like having the Christmas lights on all day.

I think I wrecked my first attempt at making Christmas fudge.

The kids are watching Home Alone.

Santa is being tracked.

Oh...Merry Christmas!

Day #10 of the Not So Normal Christmas...

2010-12-20T13:18:00.006-08:00

Friday was our annual youth Christmas Bash. We had a really good turn out for our last youth event of the year, and it was a lot of fun eating pizza, watching students build gingerbread houses (and then watching them get demolished by head butts), and then wrapping things up with the used-gift exchange.

My personal highlight though had to be the end of the night when I was presented with this gift from my students. I've promised to wear it the next time I'm on stage at church.

And then last night it was off for our other annual outing. Christmas Lights with the Schutte's. The train rejected us, but Santa did not.

Book #36...

2010-12-16T10:30:00.000-08:00

Radical (Taking Back Your Faith From the American Dream)
David Platt

The American Dream took my faith? But I'm Canadian. Too be honest, I think they could probably reprint the book without the American Dream parts and it would still speak a great deal to Christians around the world.

The basic idea is that we're just not living out our faith as radically as we should be. And you'll find no arguments from me. After spending time with some Christians on "the Island" back in June it is so completely evident in my own life that my faith is lived out in some very different ways. (And that's not necessarily a good thing.)

I just have my doubts that many people inside the traditional Western church have the desire to change. And that's because I sometimes doubt my ability to change.

Do I rely on God enough? Do I trust Him enough? Do I give enough to those in need? Do I pray enough? Do I pray at all? Do I share my faith enough? Am I urgent about it? Do I sacrifice? Do I risk?

I'm scared to answer those questions. Which leads me to believe that I probably need to spend much more time processing them.

And why on earth is Arcade Fire running through my head?

"Working for the church
While your family dies
You take what they give you
And you keep it inside"

Radical a decent read if you can overlook (or maybe just understand) the constant references to the American Dream and to American Christianity. I'm sure it will cause some questions to rattle around in your head.

While the challenge at the end of the book to take up a year long "experiment" seems a little gimmicky, you can't argue the fact that if you committed the next year to praying for the world, reading the Bible, sacrificing your finances, spending time in other parts of the world, and committing yourself to a multiplying church community, your life would likely take some significant directional changes for years to come.

I just wonder how many are actually willing to embark on such a journey.

Oh...and FYI, I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review. I'm just saying.

Day #9 of the Not So Normal Christmas...

2010-12-15T10:31:00.003-08:00

Go to NoiseTrade.com and download Zack Williams "Storytime" for free. Do it. Then thank me for sharing this gem with you. It's not Christmas music. It's better. (No offense Jesus.)

Day #8 of the Not So Normal Christmas...

2010-12-14T17:30:00.000-08:00

Post game press conferences hit an all new level of hilarity with this one.

So this is Christmas...

2010-12-11T13:35:00.004-08:00

I've got one more week of work and then it's a much needed two-week (almost) break. I've saved up some vacation days, and when used in conjunction with the office closure due to the holidays, I'll get to spend a fair bit of time around the house. I'm looking forward to a few things during that time:

Sleeping in.
Reading. I'm so far behind on my 2010 reading goal that I can't touch it now, but I might be able to make up some ground.
Hanging with friends and family. Meals, Christmas lights, and lots of laughter.
PS3. I need to redeem some recent losses I've experienced at the hands of my 9 year old son. I also expect to play a little Modern Warfare 2 online with my brother-in-law. Male bonding at it's finest!
Christmas shopping. So close to finished...yet so far away.
The Knott-Defries Christmas Eve tradition of appetizers and board games until all hours of the night.
Boxing Day. We have a gift card that's waiting patiently to be used.

What are you looking forward to this Christmas season?

An early Christmas present...

2010-12-10T17:09:00.004-08:00

Thank you Jon Coutts for your incessant raving about CBC Radio 3. I finally succumbed and did some listening and iTunes subscribing, and while I'm also now convinced that almost anyone can get played on Canadian radio, there are some hidden gems that are taking over my iTunes playlist.

My personal favorite right now: Luke Doucet

Great guitar playing. Great storytelling. Great driving music. Great background music. Just great.

Day #7 of the Not So Normal Christmas...

2010-12-09T06:35:00.003-08:00

I'm glad Facebook didn't exist in college.

Day #6 of the Not So Normal Christmas...

2010-12-08T09:30:00.000-08:00

I'd recommend not having a Gross Games Night as one of your final events before leaving your church.

Oh...do you recognize the guy in the background with girl hair?

Day #5 of the Not So Normal Christmas...

2010-12-07T07:30:00.000-08:00

I once got hit by a deer. Seriously, the deer ran into the side of my car in the middle of Abbotsford.

Day #4 of the Not So Normal Christmas...

2010-12-06T08:00:00.000-08:00

During our annual trip to Saskatoon from Portage we usually stopped here. Have you ever been to Gopherville?

I also regularly wore this shirt in college.

Day #3 of the Not So Normal Christmas...

2010-12-05T14:00:00.000-08:00

Incriminating photo...

Day #2 of the Not So Normal Christmas...

2010-12-04T13:00:00.001-08:00

My wife once convinced me that I should bleach my hair.

Day #1 of the Not So Normal Christmas...

2010-12-03T15:30:00.002-08:00

Many people have been begging to see this photo of Erin. I don't have the heart to put it on Facebook. Instead it becomes Christmas joy for you.

Litle things...

2010-12-01T12:11:00.003-08:00

I'm at one of those points where the clouds are a little darker than usual so I'm doing my best to try and find some solace in the little things. So here's a few things that have picked me up lately:

Winning some concert tickets on the radio. (And promptly passing those tickets on!)
A free lunch.
Spending time with my youth leaders. This is one part of my job that is not "work".
Singing Christmas tunes to my kids to try and figure out how much they'll let me sing before asking me to stop.
A gift card from some VERY generous people at church.
A long distance phone call from a friend.
The stuffed Santa Claus sporting Manchester United colors on my living room couch this morning.
A text from my wife.

I think we all need a little pick-me-up (and I'm not necessarily talking about the liquid kind) from time to time, so my goal in the countdown to Christmas is to bring you some great joy through this blog.

So, tomorrow will be the beginning of "12 Days of The Not So Normal Christmas". What can you expect? Actually, very little. But I'm sure at least one photo I will share with you in the posts to come will leave you with great inner joy.

Stay tuned...

Mo-vember Recap...

2010-11-30T18:07:00.004-08:00

What have I been up to? Let's see...

I tried Movember, but I only made it 16 days until I had to shave what little fur I had on my face off because it was driving me bonkers. But I kept armpit that's growing on my chin. It's become like a third child to me.

Met my new niece. I will forever look at the pictures and wonder why I didn't listen to my wife and actually shave before we started snapping photos.

Hung out with some of my favorite people on the planet where we had to listen to a crabby guy tell our kids to shut up because they were laughing in a restaurant. The nerve of those kids! Laughing in a public place...how dare they! How. Dare. They.

Also got to see one of my favorite past-interns (there are so many, don't make me choose favorites).

Hung out in the hospital and at home with Erin as she recovered from surgery. If you can, remember to pray for her tomorrow when she sees the doctor to talk about options. We're asking God for an option that doesn't require waiting a long time.

Built some furniture. But only thanks to Ikea.

Stayed up all night to shop on Black Friday with my best friend. I hate shopping. I hate standing in lines. But we made Christmas a whole lot cheaper just by giving up sleep for an evening. And I got to have a burrito for breakfast, so that's always good too.

Preached. And promptly read from the wrong passage. (I also asked people to yell out what they love, and I swear someone shouted "polka".)

That's it in a nutshell.

Morning...

2010-11-01T10:34:00.003-07:00

Are you a morning person? I'm not.

Trick or Treat...

2010-10-31T22:11:00.003-07:00

17lbs of candy later...I kid you not...the candy is sorted into two bowls: the Nut Free and the Aidan & Erin. The kids are in bed and I'm wondering what I should eat first.

Did I ever tell you about our friends? When they were growing up their parents took half their candy to give to poor kids. Turns out that they just ate the candy on their own.

One of our youth leaders is trying to raise money for a good cause in the midst of all this candy goodness, so we agreed to donate $0.10 per candy. That's $47.50. Yeah, I counted every candy...even the half eaten pack of Mentos we got.

And in other Halloween happenings, this following video made me laugh, but only because I went through that same haunted house at Universal Studios last year and I nearly wet my pants. I even fell on the floor at one point. Yes, I am a coward.

Book #34...

2010-10-28T08:00:00.000-07:00

Leaders Who Last
Dave Kraft

This book was a quick read that has some pure gold when it comes to leadership insight. Sure, some of it you've probably heard a thousand times, but it still makes you go "Wow...I wish I had thought of that."

Apparently only 30% of leaders actually finish well. That's frightening stat if you ask me. And it makes me wonder what statistic I'll be a part of. But Kraft gives some helpful suggestions, pulling from his 70+ years of life to get leaders on a healthy path for leadership.

If you're involved in leadership, this is one you should have on your shelf. But you should read it before you put it there.

Intake...

2010-10-27T12:00:00.000-07:00

Here's a sampling of what I've been reading, watching and listening to the last month or so.

Reading
I have a few books that I've read that I plan on doing actual reviews on because I enjoyed them, but in the meantime I've completed books #32 & 33 with these two:

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
J.K. Rowling
I'm trying to read through the series and watch the movies so that next Christmas I'll be able to go see the last one in the theater.

Dexter is Delicious
Jeff Lindsay
I read the other ones so I just keep on going. The TV show is better though.

Movie Watching

Heat (One of the greatest movies ever! And Erin hasn't seen it. We're about an hour into it.)
2012 (Freebie from the library. Great to mock)
How To Train Your Dragon (Really good family night movie.)

TV Watching

Modern Family
An Idiot Abroad (I giggle uncontrollably throughout while wondering "Can anyone be that odd?")
Dexter (Definitely not for the squeamish.)

Listening

Words cannot describe the awesomeness that is Dan Mangan. I'm disappointed I won't be able to go watch him live in November when he's in Vancouver.
As always, there's some Dave Matthews Band playing on an almost regular basis.

Tell me you've seen this...

2010-10-27T10:57:00.001-07:00

And tell me you had a chuckle at it.