World Cup's stupidest hair...

Look closely at the Swedish player, Christian Wilhelmsson (#21 in yellow). Forget the mullet, apparently the "rattail" is making a comeback.

Quick, who else wants to join me in jumping on the bandwagon?

One down, lots to go...

So I'm hard at work on my pile of books and since it's been a busy couple of weeks, I thought today would be a great day to try and catch up on some of my reading. I decided that "Simplicity" would be my first project.

I've actually been reading it for almost 2 months now and the book itself reads like an autobiography. Mark Salomon gives an honest and simple outlook on what his life is like and how being a Christian musician has affected his life. For those of you who don't know about Mark, he was the lead singer of a band called The Crucified and is now the lead singer of a band called Stavesacre.

Reading Mark's story gave me new insight into the world of "Christian fame" and to what sometimes goes on behind the scenes of a Christian artist. I honestly thought the book was going to be a rant against the entire Contemporary Christian Music industry, but instead I found myself reading someone's personal testimony.

Mark takes time to explain some of the dark and empty moments of his life, his struggles and his failures without going into nitty gritty details. But he also takes time to show what God has taught him through those experience and how they have shaped him into who he is now as a child of God.

I have never cared for his music. And to be honest with you, I don't know why I even bought the book. But I'm glad I did. And now I feel like I should go out and buy one of their CDs.

Play of the day...

Ok, so this actually happened yesterday...but I'm a little slow. It may not be a goal, but I think this sums up why I love this game so much.

Mexico keeper Oswaldo Sanchez had his father suddenly pass away last Wednesday and he flew back home for the funeral before making his way back to Germany to actually play in the game on Sunday against Iran. And while that alone is worthy of a mention, I was just as impressed by the spirit of the Iranians. While the teams shook hands before the game, one of the players presented Sanchez with a bouquet of flowers to show their respect.

That is another reason why this is the world's game and it is beautiful!

Now, if only I could find a picture of it...

Goal of the day...

Philipp Lahm
Putting Germany ahead 1-0 over Costa Rica
Final Score: Germany 4 Costa Rica 2

If I had a lawn...

And if I had any time, this would be a great idea...

The beautiful game...

The moment the world has been waiting for...

Oh, and if you need to get ahold of me during the next month, I'll be in front of my TV.
Let's play football!

It only gets better...

At least I hope it does...

It has come to my attention that my daughter was kind enough to share her cold with the rest of the family. First it was my wife that got hit with it, and now it's my turn. I woke up to a killer sore throat and runny nose.

To top his all off I decided to stop at Starbucks for a hot chocolate. I didn't have cash so I decided to use the debit card only to have it turned down three times (I'm not sure if it was my fault or the machines, but it doesn't really matter since I'm the one standing there like a dweeb). I don't know of a more humiliating feeling than standing at the front of a line that is getting longer by the second and knowing that I am the cause of that lineup.

Well, then the guy behind me makes the comment, "Well today's you're lucky day. I'll buy his drink." I thanked him in a very sheepish yet grateful kind of way and slunk off to get my drink. I met him at the door again and thanked him again, and he said "Your day can only get better, right?" And I was on my way.

I don't think I can show my face in that Starbucks again.

And I wonder if the day will actually get any better.

Progress is made...

Since the Oilers didn't make much progress, I'll post some of the latest pictures of the house. This first picture was taken last Friday afternoon. We took a slurpee run with the kids and decided we better see how things were coming along.














This next picture was taken yesterday afternoon. And as you can see, progress is being made.

New book day...

It's always great to get a package in the mail. It's even better when it's your most recent order from Amazon and you open it to discover that they actually got the entire order correct! But as I sit looking at the four most recent additions to my library, I wonder what I'm doing.

It seems that I have more books on my shelf that I haven't read than books that I have read. Apparently the idea of buying books and then forgetting (or neglecting) to read them goes hand in hand for me. I have a rather large stack of books that I have purchased since September that I still haven't cracked open. The grand total is 17, with 2 more that I've been trying to read for the last 2 months.

What's the deal with this? Where do I even start?

Moved too soon...

Ok, I'm not one to say that God made a mistake, but I'm beginning to wish that maybe we could have stayed in the Edmonton area for a few more months. My reason for that? Well, I believe it may have something to do with these guys...

Yeah, I know...I'm a Habs fan. But due to the fact that I previously lived in close proximity to Edmonton, I also became a closet Oilers fan. It's kind of the same thing that happens with the CFL. I'm a Winnipeg Blue Bombers fan at heart, but I've also got a soft spot for the Saskatchewan Roughriders due to the time I lived in Regina.

In other news...it's Monday and I'm moving pretty slow today. It might have something to do with the fact that I haven't had a full day off in 9 days. Sure, it may not be the longest streak ever, but I'm ready for a day off.

A work in progress...

Sure, it may not look like much now, but this mound of dirt (stone, rock, rubble...) will only continue to take shape over the weeks and months to come with a projected move-in date of November 30.

They officially broke ground and should be pouring the foundation sometime early next week. Which, if you ask me, is not nearly early enough...but I hear that patience is a virtue...

Over the next 5-6 months we'll find ourselves sporadically making our way up the mountain to see how things are coming along. And I'm sure I'll find a way to document our findings.

In other exciting news, I believe my wife has finally caught the "blogger-bug" as she has now officially asked me to set up a blog for her. I think the hardest part is going to be naming it. I'll make sure to post a link when we finally get it up and running.

Don't wait...

I can remember being introduced to Dashboard Confessional back in the summer of 2003 by one of my students on our Missions Trip to Tijuana, Mexico. I was hooked. I know, I know... I don't exactly fit the Emo mold. Ok, I don't fit it at all...but I like the tunes. I like the passion. And I'll be buying the new CD on June 27th.

I also found out last week about the Canadian tour this summer, but unfortunatley the schedule just isn't going to work out for me and my wife to ake it to a show. I'm in here when he's in Winnipeg, and I'm in Winnipeg when he's in Edmonton and Vancouver. Would have been fun though.

But you can hear a new song here. (ht brew)

Do parents care....

Ok, so the title is a bit misleading. I know they care. I'm just wrestling this morning with a parent meeting we held last night that had only 5 parents show up. A grand total of 4 families were represented. In total, their connection is to 6 of our 50+ youth.

A bit discouraging? Yup. But it was still worth it. One of the other reasons we held this meeting was not just to talk about the youth ministry, but so that parents could connect with one another. And the 5 that were there last night were able ot do that. In fact, if it was a bigger group it may have been more difficult for this group to connect and for me to learn what I did about their teens.

You can probably see why I'm wrestling with this.

In other news, I'm going to miss the Oilers game tonight because of the senior high group. I wonder if we can incoporate hockey-watching into our agenda for the evening?

Old stompin' grounds...

On Thursday at noon my wife and I board a plane to head back to the Edmonton area. We've been asked to attend a High School graduation ceremony and banquet. We're only around until Saturday morning which means that the time we are there will be packed with seeing other people, many of which we haven't seen for quite a while.

The group of High School students that walk across the stage on Thursday is the groups of students who were in grade 7 when we began our first ministry. So this is a really meaningful event for us and we count it a privilege that we were invited to attend. It's so cool to watch these "kids" take this next step of their lives into the "adult world".

Did I actually just use the word "cool"? I'm an idiot...

24 days later...

Thanks to Marko for the heads up about this site. Found this mock up and got a kick out of it.

Don't "kneed" it...

Sorry for the terrible play on words, but let me remind you that it is Monday morning. But this afternoon I have an appointment with a doctor about my knee. Let me recap the knee history.

February 2004 - tore left ACL in an indoor soccer game
June 2004 - had surgery to reconstruct ACL
September 2004 - allowed to resume running on a controlled surface
December 2004 - allowed to resume light training
February 2005 - begin training with indoor team & playing a few minutes each game
April 2005 - back to normal soccer...
May 2005 - tore same ACL 30 minutes into my first outdoor game of the season
June 2005 - had surgery to clean up the knee
May 2006 - meet new doctor in a new province and see what happens

Well that's the really short version, but it's enough to give a picture of what's been going on. It still amazes me that I've been "crippled" for that long. It hasn't been fun either. I can't run or even jog. I have to be careful when I mountain bike...or more accurately, I have to be careful how fall off my mountain bike. Simple things like playing games with my middle school students has become a potential painful experience. Even stairs have become hazardous to my daily life.

I'll be honest...I don't want to do another surgery. It's painful, uncomfortable and just a huge inconvenience. The recovery and rehabilitation is a long process. I'm just not looking forward to that part of it. But unless I want to live like this forever, I kind of need to get in done.

On Friday I saw some guys kicking a ball around on a field and it just reminded me of how much I miss the game I love. What I wouldn't give to be able to kick a ball around again. To be able to put the ball in the back of the net...

I guess it will be worth it in the long run. I just wish there was an easier, less painful way. I know...I'm such a coward sometimes.

Home at last...

Three trips later (which amounts to 80 minutes per trip of driving and then the loading/unloading time) we are officially residents of Abby (that's the official lingo that the locals use!). Whew...and now I'm tired but trying to prepare for our high school group tonight. We're talking about the Fruit of the Spirit and this week we're focusing in on peace. It seems to have come at a good time.

And let me say that I loved the 10 minute drive to work this morning! Anything beats the 35-40 minutes I've bee driving since February. And for the first time I can actually go home for lunch and supper. It's a good life...

Now if only my Habs could have won. Sometimes the bounces (or defelctions) just don't go your way. I really believed that we had a chance to make an honest run for it..and then Koivu went out. One player shouldn't make or break a team, but Saku was the glue that made that top line produce. Without him we were in trouble.

But let's not fault Huet. He's got what it takes for next year. We just need to add a few more quality players (who can produce) in the off season. We'll see in the fall.

I guess I'll be jumping on the Oilers bandwagon.

Moving again...

Well, it's time to move again. Today we officially got the keys and did the final inspection and tomorrow. My wife is currently hard at work scrubbing the place down before moving day tomorrow. We pick up the truck at 8 am and then it's time to work.

This isn't as difficult as last time because most of our stuff is still in boxes. And while I'll be moving most of the little stuff by myself during the day, we've got a group of guys from the church that offered to come help out once they were finished work/school. And we had another woman come help with the cleaning today.

Today will officially be my last day of commuting to work! Woohoo!

Yay for playoffs...

Always a good thing when playoffs begin. And it's that much better when your #7 seeded team cleans up in game #1 in the #2 seeded teams rink! And in case you didn't watch, it was 6-1 for my Habs!

Introvert panic...

I'm an introvert. While I love people, I need my time and space to recharge my batteries. This also means that I don't really look forward to events that push me out of my shell. But on Monday I head off for a district Youth Pastor's Retreat at a camp located almost 5 hours from here.

This is my first district event since making the job change, and while I'm looking forward to seeing some people I haven't seen in 5 or 6 years, I'm also a bundle of nerves. Sometimes I wish stuff like this was easier for me.

But things get interesting when I return. My wife and I (and the kids, of course) are finally moving...again. As of right now we're staying with her folks and we are 40 minutes from the church. The rental will be a 7 minute drive. That will make life so much better!

Then her folks move back in with us (in the rental) where we'll be in tight, cozy quarters together until tea end of November when our actual house has been built. We thought it was cramped in this house...you should see the rental!

Saaawwwwweeeeeeetttt....

So excited to see this was coming out. Apparently it contains acoustic versions of the "parent album".

I love it when bands do the acoustic thing and I'm greatly anticipating the arrival of this CD. But June 6 is such a long way away!

Just creepy...

This bunny should stay away from the chocolate this Easter!

Feeling postless...

I could post about my adventures of trying to mail a package of seminary assignments on Monday.

I could post about my sheer disbelief that President Logan is the criminal mastermind on 24.

I could post about the fact that my wife and I have actually joined a small group for the first time in almost 7 years.

I could post about the place we're building. (Correction: I could post about the basement we're building.)

I could post about finding a rental place that will house 6 of us until our new place is done in the fall.

I could post about my Habs making the playoffs...or at least being close to it.

I could post about my new office computer.

I could post about being busy.

But I won't. I'm postless.

You don't know jack...

Found this site of randowm Jack Bauer facts. Here are a few:

• Jack Bauer wasn't born, he was unleashed.
• If everyone on "24" followed Jack Bauer's instructions, it would be called "12".
• Lets get one thing straight, the only reason you are conscious right now is because Jack Bauer does not feel like carrying you.
• Jack Bauer once won a game of Connect 4 in 3 moves.
• Killing Jack Bauer doesn't make him dead. It just makes him angry.
• Jack Bauer could strangle you with a cordless phone
• Superman's only weakness is Kryptonite. Jack Bauer laughs at Superman for having a weakness.
• Jack Bauer got Hellen Keller to talk.
• Jehovah's Witnesses once tried to convert Jack Bauer. After four minutes of interrogation, they admitted Jack Bauer was God.
• Jack Bauer once forgot where he put his keys. He then spent the next half-hour torturing himself until he gave up the location of the keys
• There are two kinds of people in the world. Those who fear Jack Bauer, and those who are Jack Bauer

My sincere apologies...

To the three of you who regularly read this, I'm sorry. It's been far too long since an update. I'd blame it on the fact that the server crashed at church a couple of weeks ago, but I never blog from there anyway. But I will say that life has been really busy and this just got pushed to the backburner. But, in an attempt to cover the last few weeks, here it goes:

• I went 2 for 27 in roll Up the Rim...that's pathetic.
• My kids met Bob and Larry at a Veggie tales event...and I met them too.
• We decided to build a basement...yup, a basement!
• Watched "Failure to Launch" with my beautiful wife...actually enjoyed it.
• Watched "Ice Age 2" with my kids...laughed hysterically and almost fell asleep in the same movie
• My middle school group is about to burst at the seems...God help me!
• My senior high group played Four On the Couch for almost an hour this week
• 4 high school guys took me biking again...I fell twice.
• Stinging nettles hurt bad...my arm was burning the entire night after the crash.
• Our church Annual Meeting lasted only 65 minutes...that has to be a record!
• My new computer gets set up tomorrow...woohoo! No more Windows 98!

Ok, so that's most everything I can remember right now. But as crazy as life has been, I must say that I'm feeling such a sense of joy and peace with where life is at. No, it isn't perfect, but I can say I haven't felt this way in a long time. That can't be normal, can it?

Summing it up...

"It's been a crazy week." Yeah, that's what I'll use as my excuse. And due to a lack of creativity, I'll just sum up a little of what has happened in my world.

• spring break decimated our youth events...we should be back to normal next week.
• the server at church crashed which means no email, no internet, no printing, no database...you get the picture.
• I'm getting a new computer at work...which is useless until the server is fixed.
• 3 of my high school guys took me mountain biking...I almost died...and I still feel it.
• participated in a five hour board meeting...but it wasn't as painful as it sounds.
• started watching season 3 of Newsradio...I love that show.
• got approved for a mortgage...for the second time since January.
• kids were sick...but one is mostly better.
• open house tomorrow...which means we have to find some way to keep 2 sick kids occupied for 4 hours.
• I'm all caught up on 24 & Prison Break...but I have a stack of other shows still to watch.
• I'm 2 for 21...I've only won 2 coffees.

That's all for now.

A summary...

I'll be brief and to the point:

• We made an offer on a house and then they countered
• We walked away
• We're on the hunt again...but for a different kind of house
• I'm 3 episodes behind on 24
• Our family is playing lots of Settlers of Catan
• I saw gold painted fire hydrants on Saturday
• Church life is getting busier every day
• I'm currently 2 for 12 in Roll Up the Rim

Made an offer...

We made an offer on a house this afternoon. We actually looked at two different townhouse complexes and decided to pursue the last one we looked at. We had looked at this place previously but weren't considering it because it was almost a 25-30 minute drive away from the church. What we have come to realize is that we can't afford anything else, unless we want to settle for a run down, two-bedroom place in a rough part of the city. If our offer is accepted, we may be farther away, but the place will be brand new.

Now we wait for the phone to ring...

Busy day...

Ok, so now I'm 2 for 9, with both winning rims getting me a free coffee (or hot chocolate in my case)!

In other news, I attended a workshop this morning dealing specifically with the sexual exploitation of youth. One speaker was a former prostitute who now does a great deal of work trying to help other sex workers get out of the industry. The second speaker dealt mainly with the topic of internet safety.

I'll admit that I wasn't sure what to expect and the only reason I really attended this was because I missed another community awareness event last week. But I will say that it was a very informative morning. And I totally appreciate the fact that they didn't come from a Christian perspective.

Then it was off to meet with a couple other youth pastors to watch the movie, Thirteen. Between the morning workshop and that movie, let's just say that it wasn't a light-hearted day. It really is an insightful movie into the lives of teenagers. I'm not completely convinced that the timeline of the movie is accurate as it seems to cram almost every possible major teen issue into a 4-6 month period in one grade seven girl's life.

But what do I know? I'm not 13.

Covered in dust...

So what's a new youth pastor supposed to teach on? What do you do with a group who can't remember the last time they actually finished a teaching series? What do you study when you aren't sure who is going to show up each week? What do you teach when you don't have a clue where the group is at?

My conclusion (and well known Sunday School answer): Jesus!

Tomorrow we're starting a series called "Covered in Dust" and we're kicking it off by watching a Nooma video appropriately entitled "Dust". Then we're just going to look at a different moment from Jesus' life each following week. What he did and said, how it applied then and now, how people responded...you know, stuff like that.

I'm looking forward to it.

Where did the week go...

Now that I'm feeling a little more settled at SOA Church, I'm realizing that my calendar is filling up like crazy. We had a community info fair in our gym today that I fully intended to attend so I could meet a few more community people, but then real life kicked in. You know, a teaching schedule that needs lots more work, a leadership audit that needed my input, a weekly youth leader email to go out, a church update that I need to give on Sunday morning...and about a dozen other minor things.

It's amazing how normal I felt today...and by normal I mean crazy!

But hey, at least I made it to my first official payday. And now it's on to the "weekend"!

Oh, and I'm now 0 for 3 in Roll Up the Rim to Win.

Let's rrroll...

Well it has officially begun and I'm currently 0 for 2. I once went 0 for 22. I'm going for a new record. I'll keep you posted.

If you have no idea what I'm talking about, then you're obviously living south of the border. But this will fill you in.

We have a home...

Ok, the title might be a little deceptive. We didn't actually find a home. Well, that's not entirely true either. We've seen lots of homes over the past week and a bit. Some of them were beautiful and some of them were...umm...well, let's just say that I don't really need a grow opp in my basement. But today we made a decision about our housing future.

Today we went to look at two more townhouses. One of them was in great shape with a lousy layout and the other had a great layout and was in lousy shape. Our realtor went to write up an offer while we took a "lunch break". So while he worked, we drove around and talked, prayed, questioned and then bought a daytimer. Then we said no (to the house, not the daytimer).

Sure, some would call us picky. Some will say we've set our sights too high. But it's important for us to have a place to live where we feel at home. We don't want to feel like we're just settling for something. After saying no (and having a lengthy conversation with our realtor that things may not get any better) we headed for lunch to plot our future.

Our decision: to take our sweet time. We're not going to be avid house-hunters. We're not going to jump at the first thing we see. We're going to take some time and save some coin and see what happens. We want this ministry stay to be a long term one, and we're prepared to wait for the right place to come along. So for now, I'm grateful that my in-laws have kept their doors open to us.

I just hope they don't change the locks one night when we're at youth group!

There's no way...

I simply cannot believe how expensive housing is out here. After countless hours on the internet and two days of a realtor showing us around, we are no closer to a solution to our housing woes. As for renting, that doesn't seem to be much better. The most affordable housing we found is in another city 30 minutes away! Is this normal?

Without further delay...

Well, I have officially made it through 2 days. It's tough adjusting to a new place with new faces. In some respects I feel as though I have completely changed career paths. But then I got to hang out with the SR Highs last night and I was reminded of why I do what I do: God & students.

I had moments yesterday when I asked myself what on earth I had gotten myself into. I think that was God reminding me that I can't be doing this on my own. And that's something I'm going to have to remind myself everyday.

Today was much better as I was able to connect with a few more of the staff. It's tough when you get used to doing church life a certain way for 5 1/2 years and then try to adjust to a new way of doing things. I've got lots to learn...but what else is new?!?

Tomorrow is my first day off. I know I only worked 2 days, but in my defense they were a long 2 days. Besides, we're meeting with our realtor to look at some more housing options. It's looking less and less likely that we'll be anywhere close to the church by the time we find a place we can afford.

Housing costs out here are through the roof! That can't be normal...can it?

With all that being said, I'm loving it here so far and I'm very excited about the future. Lots of great people, and lots of great potential for the church and for the youth. This is definitely going to be an adventure!

The night before...

I'm a nervous wreck right now. I'm awaiting my last sleep before the new job begins and my mind is racing with a hundred thousand different things, not all of which are life altering, but they still make my brain hurt:

• What will my office look like? (And where is my office?)
• What do I do on day one?
• How will everyone else respond to the new guy?
• Who do I direct certain specific questions to?
• What will I do for lunch?

And let's not forget the all important question: Where on earth are we going to live? That one seems to be eating at us the most, especially after spending the afternoon with a realtor showing us how slim the pickings are in this neck of the woods. This will definitely have to be a God-thing if we're going to find a place to call home that isn't a 40 minute drive from the church.

And breathe...

One week of school is officially done and now that means...umm...well, let's see...lots more. The first class went well but it sure is nice to be back home with the family. My son's surgery had a minor set back when I was away and he ended up being admitted again so they could observe him.

I found that out on the first day of class which made it extremely difficult to try and concentrate on anything that day. In fact, I even wondered if maybe I should have packed it in. But on the advice of my wife I stuck it out and now I'm that much closer to graduating. (Ok, so I'm not really that much closer...)

I should add that everything turned out well and he just ended up getting home a little earlier than we had previously anticipated.

On Tusday we have an appointment to look at some houses before I officially start work on Wednesday. And I just got an email letting me know that my first board meeting is this Thursday night. Should be a crazy week, and I'm only working half of it. Is that normal?

Getting ready...

Just finishing up some last minute pre-class work and doing some packing while listening to Dave Matthews Band Weekend on the Rocks (actually it's the dvd that's on right now).

I'm hoping I've got everything as tomorrow I head out for a long lonely drive to a part of the country that will probably be much colder than it is here. They might even have snow...

I'm not sure if I'm looking forward to the 10+ hours of driving that is scheduled just for tomorrow, but I do know that it will give me a chance to play catchup with my podcasts.

Other than that, on Monday I make my way into my first ever seminary class. It's been almost 7 years since the last time I sat through a week long class. And it's been even longer since I've had a week with no evening commitments. To pass the time I've succumbed and rented the first 4 discs of Lost (Season 1). I've seen part of the first episode before (and didn't really care for it, I might add) but thought I'd give it another try. Some people seem to like it, so why not?

A deadly job...

I was first drawn to this show a few weeks ago when I heard the comment that it was the deadliest job in the world. I wondered how crab fishing, of all things, could possibly earn that reputation.

Well, one hour later (actually it only took about 10 minutes) I was hooked. What I thought was a one episode documentary is actually an entire season on Discovery!

In case you have no idea about it, basically it covers the crab fishing season in the Bering Sea. You watch a number of boats as they do their day to day job, catching crab. Add to that the dangers of the Bering Sea in the dead of winter, and you've got good tv.

While it may not sound like eventful television, just try watching an episode. I'm sure you'll be hooked.

I'm already a wreck...

My wife and son left for AB today. He's scheduled for surgery tomorrow that will see his tonsils removed (as well as any other throat problems that need to be fixed). The plan is that this will help him battle the colds & earaches that he gets every year.

They only left at noon, and I'm already missing them like crazy. (But don't tell my wife...she told me not to be a suck this time when she was away!)

I did get to spend some quality time with my daughter though, as we ate out alone for the first time (at McD's of course). And since she's missing her partner in crime, she seems to have mellowed out a bit. She was actually quiet tonight! I think she's missing them too.

A new adventure...

We have officially accepted the call to serve as Youth Pastor at SOA Church. It seems a little strange to be saying that. I've only been in one other full time position, so I'm a little unsure of what change will feel like.

But we're excited about the opportunities that are ahead of us. We're looking forward to getting back to what we love: working with students. We're looking forward to starting fresh. We know it won't be easy, but I think we're better off that way.

On top of all that, my wife and son head out for 10 days so he can have surgery on his tonsils, and then I'm off to class for a week. So our family will be spread out over 3 provinces. That is definitely not normal.

Job update...

Well, it's official. I have been offered the position at SOA Church. I'm waiting for a written copy of the offer, and I've asked them to look into one more thing for me. We've also come up with a few more important questions that we would like answers.

We're taking our time to process, talk and pray. And they're going to call us back early next week with some more details. So we'll see where it goes from here.

For sale...

The Penguins are officially for sale. The only catch is that they're trying to keep the team in Pittsburgh. Is it too much to hope that they can't get a casino lisence for their new arena and that they need to start taking offers from other cities?

While nothing will make me give up on my Habs (apart from a team named complately after me, that is), I would definitely wear my Jets jersey with pride. I guess we'll just have to wait and see.

Candidating (part #4)...

So now we can breathe...sort of.

That weekend really was a blur, but that's not really a surprise. We've candidated once before so we kind of had an idea of what to expect, but I will say that this has also been very different from what we did in the past.

Anyways, last night we had our first quality time with the students. They typically have junior and senior high on separate nights, but they decided to combine them. So it was a little chaotic. I'm reminded how much I don't like mixing those age groups.

We played a game, answered some questions (incidentally, junior high boys can come up with the craziest questions ever), and then talked for a bit. I always find it hard teaching a mixed group. I would personally rather have just junior high or just senior high, but all in all, my wife told me that it went well (and I trust her opinion--she's not afraid to tell me when my talks have sucked!).

But it was fun to get to know some new faces...and try to learn some names. I felt like they warmed up to us very quickly. And some of the responses from the students seemed to be that they were actually wanting us to come.

I think if it was the students that were doing the hiring, they would have hired us last night. But now I guess we wait and see how everyone else felt.

They have an elders meeting on Thursday which the search committee will also be at, so I imagine that we will probably find out on Friday. Until then if you need to find me I'll be pacing back and forth in the living room.

Candidating (part #3)...

It keeps going and going and going...

This morning we had a great time hanging out in the Sunday School class with the senior high students. Although I would have loved to just sit and talk with them, we had to settle with brief introductions followed by a lesson by the teacher (who wasn't me...just thought I'd add that).

We were also introduced during the service and had a chance to meet a few people after church. It's definitely different being at a bigger church. That is something that would take some time adjusting to.

And then tonight we met with the parents (as well as a few elders and a handful of grandparents and some of the pastoral staff). We just told our story and talked about how we got involved in youth ministry before spending the rest of time answering questions and telling them what we're about.

They asked lots of good questions, and I think we're getting a genuine feel of where things are at. They've been without a full time youth pastor for almost 2 years. Lots of kids are hurting and they are just needing someone to come in and genuinely love them. And I think the parents need to be loved on too.

But hey, that's what we're about: we love students.

I can say that after today, I am still feeling good about everything. Sure there are still a few more important questions to be answered, but so far we like what we hear. I also feel like I've explained myself well. In fact, if I had to do everything over again, I don't feel like I would change a thing that I have said or change the way that I have said any of it.

And now onto day 4...with the students. We really have no idea what to expect tomorrow night. We do know that they have all the junior and senior highs together. We do know that I am giving the "devo". We do know there will be a Q&A time. Other than that, we're flying blind. It should be interesting, but I am definitely looking forward to having some more interaction with the students.

Wow, am I beat. And I missed 24...but I should be able to watch it tomorrow afternoon.

Candidating (part #2)...

Our meeting last night with the search committe went very well. In total we spent almost 4 hours with them chatting, asking questions, answering questions and just getting to know them.

There's nothing too crazy to mention, but it sure is fun to see how different typres of people ask different types of questions. We were also well prepared for them with some of our own:

• What are your expectations of me?
• What would a succesful youth ministry look like 12 months from now?
• What's a typical week look like?
• How does the leadership structure currently look?
• Give a little more history on the youth ministry.
• What is ecpected in terms of numerical and spirtual growth?
• What do typical youth events look like?
• What will i be involved in outside of the youth ministry? What can I be involved in?

There were more, but with all the questions I've answered and asked in the 24 hours, I can't remember some of them. But all in all, it went very well. i left feeling that we had articulated ourselves well and that they had done a good job in presenting us with teh facts. They were open and honest and that is a good thing.

This morning we headed out to SOA Church to have lunch with the pastoral staff and the elder's board. What was supposed to be a 35 minute trip turned into 45-50 minutes due to the never ending lake that is falling from the skies out here. And let's not forget the firetruck holding up traffic in our lane.

So we arrived late...not a good start, but they seemed fairly forgiving.

As we ate we were able to talk with a few pastors. We only had about 30 minutes before they kicked all the staff out. Then the fun began. The elders had a good number of questions on our personal history and stories, how we came to work with students, why it is we left our last church, where our priorities are, how we would handle certain hypothetical situations, what we would start doing if we were hitred, where we would live...whew...and that's only part of them.

We were also given time to ask away and I think it showed them that we aren't just jumping into anything. We have questions and expectations too.

• What are you expectations of me? Of my wife?
• What would a succesful youth ministry look like in 12 months?
• How would you define a healthy youth ministry?
• What's the youth ministry budget?
• How do you as elders protect, care for support your pastors?
• Talk about salary, days off, holiday time.
• How much time and money is there for professional development?
• How much time and money is there for further education?
• How do board meetings function?
• Who do I report to?

And there were likely a few more. We went back and forth for a couple of hours and then it seemed time to call it a day. Again, I left feeling that I explained myself well and shared my heart. I believe they were able to see who we are and what we are about: loving god and loving students.

I don't think they were prepared for as many indepth questiosn from us. In fact, they are looking into a couple of things and have said that they will get back to me with the details.

So far we are very satisfied with the way things have been going, but we also relize that we're missing a few significant pieces of information before we can appropriately make a decision. But I imagine they still need to know a bit more about us.

That day was a blur...but that seems normal for candidating.

Candidating (part #1)...

Tonight I step into a potluck dinner to meet with the search committe of SOA Church. We've known about this since the middle of December so we've had lots of time to come up with a list of questions that we need to ask. And a big thanks to those of you who have helped us add to that ever-growing list!

I'm not sure exactly what to think. I'm not nervous...at least not yet anway. I'm not anxious. I'm not scared. If anything makes me nervous, it's actually the lack of nerves right now.

I wonder about what questions they may ask. I wonder if they'll give us a good insight of what the church is like. I wonder how we'll feel as we walk away tonight. Is this a place where we really feel like we would fit? Is this a place that is healthy for us? Are we right for them?

In many ways, this opportunity is very different than our last ministry position. It would be a big change for us to take this on. In fact, the only way I can see this coming about is if it's a God-thing.

But God's been in it so far. It's mindboggling how we even came to find out about this opening. And God's been teaching us a lot through the process. I can honestly say that even if we don't accept (or get offered) this position, that this process was not for nothing.

Well, now it's back to the waiting.

I'm addicted...

I'm trying to kick the habit...really I am. My wife might say otherwise though. You see, a few weeks ago I decided to start wandering through the Ebay world. I've loitered there before but never bid on anything. But then I started to see some sweet deals. So I decided to start bidding.

And now I can't seem to stop. I always have an eye on my account. I'm always wondering if I'm going to be outbid. Will I ever have a chance to get a deal like this again? Will I ever find this item again? Will I be ripped off?

And then it's almost like Christmas as I wait for the parcel to come in the mail. Right now I'm waiting for a couple of soccer jerseys (Manchester United & England...who else?) for my kids. And it only set me back about $10! Sweetness indeed!

Oh Canada...

They weren't supposed to win gold, but they did. They beat the Russians 5-0 to repeat as World Junior Champs.

To be fair, the Russians actually scored what should have been a goal in the beginning minutes of the second. But play went on. A couple of minutes later when they went to review it, it was too late. I would imagine that a 2-1 game early in the second might have changed things a little bit, but alas, we netted 3 more. So maybe it didn't matter all that much...

Despite all my efforts I wasn't actually able to get to see one of the games in person. I could have made it to almost any of the games in the round-robin, but couldn't quite convince anyone else to go. I guess I'll wait and hope I can watch some Olympic hockey here in 2010.

A few highlights...
Canada beats the previous World Junior attendance record by almost 150,000 people.
Brent Sutter sets a record by going 12-0 as coach.
Justin Pogge is the first Canadian goalie to go 6-0 in the tournament, 3 of those are shut-outs.
Only one player (Cam Barker) returned from last year's gold winning team.
Only one player from Canada broke the top ten in tournament scoring.
USA doesn't even get a medal.

It's on...

For the fifth straight year Canada will be playing for a gold medal at the IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship.

I must admit that this is certainly not the best team that I've seen over the years. In fact, they were the underdogs coming into the tournament. With only one returning player from last year's squad, most people (myself included) were predicting that the team might have some troubles.

They have fought long and hard and deserve to be playing in the gold medal game. And, if you look at the fact that we beat Russia 8-1 (or was it 8-2?), you'd think things look good for a repeat performance of Canada's 6-1 thwacking of the Russians last year.

But, it was a pre-tournament "friendly with no Malkin in the lineup. The game tomorrow will likely be much closer. But if our guys fight hard, stay out of teh penalty box, and make the most of the power-play, I think they'll pull it off.

And while I'd rather watch our guys trounce all over the Americans, I'll settle for this.

Let it begin...

This is likely one of the last posts...at least for a few days. The Christmas tradition around here begins in about an hour and a half when we head out for the Christmas Eve service, where I somehow got arm-twisted into playing/singing (ok, so I was more than willing ti participate). Then we come back unwrap some PJ's, and proceed to play games and eat munchies until the wee hours of the morning.

Then after everyone else goes to bed, my brother-in-law and I head for the TV to see what "amazing" movie we can watch. This year, we had to rent one and decided to go for, "The Man With the Screaming Brain".

Then it's on to the presents tomorrow morning, and then a turkey dinner. And to wrap it all up we head off for some Boxing Day shopping. I don't think we ever actually find any deals, but it seems to be a good enough excuse to spend some cash we don't have on things we don't need, but we think are cool.

And then it's time for hockey... the World Juniors to be exact. While I wish I could have landed some tickets to watch them play live, I'll have to settle for TSN. At least I don't need to get up at 0-Dark-Hundred to watch the games this year...Go Canada!

I'll just wish you all a very Merry Christmas! Enjoy your holiday season.

24 update...

It's amazing what you can find online. I found another trailer at http://www.kiefer-rocks.com/news/index.htm. I'll warn you that it will provide some spoilers about what the upcoming season has in store, but you won't be dissapointed.

Eager anticipation...

So we just finished up season 4. While I wouldn't necessarily classify it as the best season so far, it was still 24. And for that reason I will have no major complaints.

I think that after three seasons of twists and turns it's getting harder to be surprised by anything that happens. It's as if my brain automatically starts searching for what could go wrong.

This upcoming season will be the first time ever that I've actually watched the show on a weekly basis. My wife and I jumped on the bandwagon late, so we've constantly been playing catch-up. And now, thanks to unemployment, we've been able to get caught up.

But now the questions are coming...how did Jack get to Chicago? Why is Chloe in Chicago? Who is trying to hunt Jack down? Who is the woman? Will we ever see Tony, Michelle, Kim, Edgar, or President Palmer again?

I cannot wait...

I am...

Jack Bauer


Which 24 Character are you?
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I can see...

Ok, so we'll break this into parts because so much happened today.

Part #1
I've been getting headaches and a fuzzy head lately after I've been reading, watching TV, on the computer or driving at night. Any guesses why? My wife suggested I should get my eyes checked. I figured $75 would be worth it if it told me what was wrong with me.

It turned out that I have a slight case of astigmaticsim which would explain everything. So tonight I went and picked out some glasses with my family. Then we killed an hour by getting haircuts (the first one I've paid for in about 9 or 10 years), ate some supper, and then saw Santa (I know, he's not real...and we explained that to the kids). Then we picked up the glasses, and believe it or not, I can actually see better.

I guess I can't call anyone "four eyes" from now on...

Part #2
We got a pile of Christmas cards tonight. First of all, thanks Bryce (and your family) for the Best Buy card. It was greatly appreciated and I'm sure we'll find a use for it somehow...Thanks!

Second, we received a card from a student of ours who just graduated this past spring. It was beautifully hand-crafted card that was overflowing with love. Her words said "thank-you/love you/miss you" and left us with happy hearts (I don't know how else to explain it).

Then we noticed a little piece of paper tucked inside a paper presnt on the inside of the card. Upon closer examination we found a cheque for $300! I'm not sure what to say. Who am I to accept such a huge gift from college girl who, no doubt, works for minimum wage and is trying to save for school. We are speechless. We are amazed.

In the words of Wayne & Garth, "We're not worthy, we're not worthy!"

Present Update...

So I think it's all worked out. We'll have to see if they repay me for the cost of my original shipment. The woman on the phone said that 9 out of 10 times you get your money back. The police report got filed too, so that should also help.

And now the parcel is in California, and it didn't get stolen! Now we'll just have to see if UPS can get it here. They can't do as bad as FedEx, can they?

This sucks...

So I ordered a present for my lovely wife. But as it turns out, the company won't ship to me because I'm in Canada. I think that's borderline racist...

But a friend of ours, Katie, helped solve the problem by agreeing to have it shipped it to her and then she was going to ship it to me. (And for this I am completely grateful. Thanks Katie!)

But...apparently FedEx left the parcel at her front door, so guessed what happened?!?! Surprise, surprise...someone helped themself to my wife's Christmas present! Crap, this sucks.

Now I'm waiting on FedEx to do some "research" before they get back to me tomorrow morning and let me know what (if anything) they are going to do.

The other bad news is that even if I reorder it, it probably won't make it here in time for Christmas. This sucks.

Wait 'til Christmas...

The unwritten rule is that your not usually supposed to buy yourself anything this close to Christmas. But sometimes this rule needs to be broken. I don't think Jack would have waited until Christmas.

Season 4 wasn't supposed to be released until today, but due to the simple fact that people out here in the lower mainland occasionally get ahead of themselves (apparently something like this happened with the last Harry Potter book), my wife found it yesterday and bought a copy.

Last night we got my brother-in-law hooked as we made it through disc 1. Our goal is to get this done so we can actually watch season 5 on TV like normal people. We'll see how that goes...

At this rate though, we should be done by the weekend.

I love this show and I'm sure glad that Bryce got me hooked on it.

A church called...

Went out with my wife last night to watch "Walk the Line" (freaking awesome movie, by the way...I may try to post more on it later) and returned to the in-laws to find a message that I needed to call the head of the YP search committee at SOA. So I did.

Their question: Would we come candidate in January?

Our answer: Yes.

While I would have loved to do it sooner, it makes sense to wait until the New Year when the Christmas schedule slows down. So right now we just need to pick a date and then wait some more.

Waiting seems to be a normal part of life, even though I'm not a huge fan. But we're fairly excited about what God may have up His sleeve for us.

Another forum...

My wife looked at my a liitle sideways when I said I needed $5 (and that's US, which is equivalent to about $15 CAN) to sign up for a forum. But alas, she succumbed to my powers and I am now registered at YMExchange.com.

I've been part of a few message boards in the past and I have come to appreciate them as an essential part of my online existance. I even tried to get my last youth group hooked on "posting" (which, I might add, actually worked for a few months).

I've found myself connecting with a group of people who share a common bond: youth ministry.

It is in these online communities that I have found others that will challenge, encourage, frustrate, inspire and amuse me (sometimes all at the same time). I've prayed and been prayed for. I've received and given advice. I've shared in the highs and joys of many people and their ministries. And I've even had the chance to meet some of them face to face.

Sure, we may not all agree about everything all the time (what fun would that be?). We may get completely ticked off at each other occasionally. But hey, it's a journey...and we're all on it together.
My hat (or toque, because it's currently snowy here) is off to Derek, Drew & Co. for starting up YMX. May it turn out to be a great online community for fellow youth workers!

A class act...

A late congratulations to the Esks on winning the Grey Cup. I know this will mean very little (or practicaly nothing at all) to my "foreign" readers, but alas, another CFL season came to an end last Sunday.

One of the strangest stories coming down to the final game of the season had to do with Edmonton's quaterbacks Ricky Ray and Jason Maas. Maas played second fiddle all season and he handled it with the outmost class. He never once complained to the press. He always verbally supported Ray and the head coach, Danny Maciocia.

In fact, in the final two playoff games Maas came off the bench to lead the Esks to victory when Ray was failing to get it done. Maas delivered, but never once did he flaunt it. And when it came down to that last game of the season and it was announced that Ray would once again be starting, Maas' story did not change. He backed Ray. He backed the coach's decision. And he sat on the bench.

And now the news is finally announced that Maas is on his way to Hamilton, a team with a dismal record, but again his ever-present great attitude is present.

I think Edmonton dropped the ball with this one. Guys like this don't come around very often. Sure, Ray may be a good QB, but how do you get rid of a guy with so much potential and such a team spirit? I think they should have sent Ray packing instead.

Jason Maas was a class act... and I'm not even an Eskie fan! Go Bombers!

Academy Awards & YM...

Last Tuesday my wife and I performed one of our last official duties in Youth Ministry at our "old church". We attended a High School play. You know, the type that is filled with lots of giggles, a little out of tune singing (ok, maybe more than just a little), some good acting, a little bad acting, and lots of familiar faces.

I've sat through some awful plays during the years, but I need to admit that this was by far the best I've seen. Sure, it still wasn't Oscar worthy, but it was miles beyond the previous years. Maybe that had something to do with the fact that we actually knew 75% of the cast.

In past years I've gone and watched an entire play because only 1 or 2 students were in it. But this year, it would appear that we have a pile of budding thespians. Most were students who have come to an event or a Bible study while a few were from soccer teams that I coached. It just went to show me how far a YP's impact reaches into a community. And that didn't take a whole lot of work. Most of it just happened.

I'm not trying to pat myself on the back, for fear of my arm falling off, but it was just a great memory to part with. I will miss those kids. They've left a mark on my life that will not go away (and that's ok with me). And for that I am grateful. I may not get any of those hours back that I've spent sitting in that Community Center, but I don't mind.

I love what I do, and I can't wait until I get to do it again.

I just want my stuff...

So all our stuff is crammed into the basement here as we wait for another bedroom to be finished up. That means we can actually access very little of our stuff. And with nothing else to do, I'd love to be playing some games on my PC or sleeping on my bed.

Today we had the great joy of getting our car checked out. Just another check-up that the province wants me to do before they'll insure my car. Over and hour later (most of that spent wandering a lame little mall with my wife & daughter--my son stayed with Gramma) we were on our way...oh and my wallet was less $120.

Spent some quality time with my Ipod after the kids went to bed tonight and even caught up on my "Dirty Little Secrets" (xxxchurch) podcast. Ok, so I didn't actually catch up...I'm still only on episode 5 of 11. Or maybe it's 12 or 13 by now. I wouldn't know since I can't get at my PC. You see my dillema?

And we made it...

So we made it safe and sound around breakfast on Friday morning (we drove through the night). And our stuff just arrived today and is now taking up the in-laws basement. A full house of people and stuff...yikes! Hopefully we don't drive everyone crazy.

On another note, we're currently in talks with a church. Apparently they're quite interested in us (as we are in them, I might add) and they just had an "extended interview" with us today after church. They've checked our references, had one of their staff meet with us for lunch and they've presented our name to their Elder's Board. They had a few more questions which meant that we needed to get together today. Now they need to go back to the elders.

It went very well and so far, we are very excited by what we hear. But now we go back to waiting. If they are interested, we'll probably get a call to candidate sometime in the next few weeks. Wow...that'll really change how our future looks. But it would be a great Christmas gift!

This may not be normal, but it certainly is an adventure. And right now, I'm actually enjoying it.

Keano...

Late last night I was sitting in front of the TV watching Fox Spots World. Then came the news that Roy Keane was calling it quits at Manchester United. I was stunned. I still am to some degree.

Some say they saw this coming with all the trouble he's gotten into lately especially when speaking about the team. A team, I might add, that had been totally stinking the joint out. He said what everyone wanted to hear...and what everyone needed to hear.

But it would appear that he may have crossed a line that not even he could come back from.

I still can't imagine what it's going to be like to not have him as part of the line up. Even when he was out injured he was still a central figure in the team. Each comeback was eagerly anticipated. Every goal and every tackle was from the heart.

This guy bled Red. He will be missed.

Pack that truck...

So, we thought we'd call a moving company to see what they might charge us to move our belongings towards the ocean. The guy wandered the house writting notes on his pad of paper and then sat down and pulled out his calculator. Minutes later we received the bad news: $3600.

That's well over double what it would cost to do it on our own by renting a U-Haul. But then the guy phones back today. I told him we weren't interested because the price was way too high. He then asked if we would go for $3200. Again, I told him no. Then he asked if we would do it for $2500, but the catch would be that we'd have to leave next Monday or Tuesday.

I told him I'd have to talk to my boss (a.k.a. my wife) and get back to him. We've decided that it's still higher than the U-Haul, but this way we don't have to load or unload and we don't have to drive the truck. Sounds like a good enough deal to me.

Unless anyone wants to helps us move for even cheaper. Any takers?

Family fun...

One of the great things about being unemployed is getting to hang out with my family. Ate donuts with my kids for breakfast after we dropped my wife off at work. Then got started on some Christmas shopping.

We picked my lovely up after work and wrapped up the night with McD's and went to Chicken Little. Not the greatest movie ever, but it was fun to hang out with the fam and see the kids laughing!

I should probably get some packing done tomorrow. Maybe I can put the kids to work...

Walls are bare...

Everyday a few more boxes pile up and the walls and shelves start looking a little more empty. Sometimes it amazes me when I look back at our past. I remember moving into our first apartment and being able to transport everything in the back of a pickup.

Then we moved here and it took an entire U-Haul. It may have been the smallest one they had, but it was packed full. And now here we are soon to be packing an even bigger U-Haul with all our stuff (and that's after getting rid of a bunch of stuff). It's amazing how much stuff we've gathered over the years.

We just got back from a retreat with the other pastors & wives. It was good to hang out together one more time before we leave. We've still got a dinner together planned, but this was a great 4 day retreat for laughing together and enjoying each other's company.

On top of all that we've had some other recent developments. Since people have started finding out that I've concluded my ministry here, I've been recieving phone calls. I haven't been actively pursuing anything, but my wife and I decided that we would entertain conversations. God's definitely up to something.

We're both very intrigued at the possibility of doing ministry while doing our schooling. Obviously it will mean that my school will take a little bit longer, but it does mean my wife can get cruising on her Masters. She worked so hard to put me through school, that it's definitely time to repay the favor. (Have I mentioned that I love my wife? No? I love my wife!)