What a weekend...

It was nice to have a weekend of rest. Hanging with the family, hanging with friends, and just trying to recover for another week to come.

The Hamilton Bulldogs were in town this weekend to play the Abbotsford Heat, so on Friday night I threw on my Habs jersey and headed out to the game with Aidan in tow. I even convinced him to wear a Montreal Canadiens shirt. (This is a big deal since he is trying his hardest to convince me that he cheers for the Canucks.)

Final score 2-1 for the mini-Habs. Some quality father-son bonding that saw us ditch our upper level seats for row #2 after the first intermission. Sure, it wasn't a great line of sight, but Aidan loved pounding on the glass and seeing the players up close.

Last night Erin and I headed out to game #2 (I was still sporting the jersey) as part of our "date night" (yes, I have a great wife who will take me to hockey games!) and watched the Bulldogs thrash the Heat 4-0. Funniest moment was Jim Playfair (Heat coach) absolutely LOSING it on the bench. Thank you YouTube! We missed it because we were a little late getting back from the mini-donut run. But here's a video:



Anyways, this is about the closest I'll get to watching some of the Habs (or future Habs) play anytime in the future, and I'll just say that it was a great part of the weekend.

newTunes...

At least to me they are new. But do yourself a favor and go listen to this guy.

John Mark McMillan.

He's the guy who wrote "How He Loves". You know, that song which most people think is by the David Crowder*Band. I hope it's not getting overplayed in your circles, because it's still a sweet song.

Now go listen. I've had it playing pretty much nonstop today on Grooveshark. Love it. But I can't seem to find it on Canadian iTunes. Once again, we've been robbed.

Here...

Signs of a good youth worker...

Want to know if you've got good youth workers in your ministry?

Clue #1: A student will enter the room, look around, and if they do not see a particular leader within 3 seconds, they will then ask "Is (insert leader name) not here tonight?"

Clue #2: A leader will go out of their way to get beaten by a pillow, attend a sporting event, or ask a student about their week.

Insecurities...

Have you ever listened to someone talk and then wondered what they were even saying? They say something, not even necessarily directed to you, but the topic they are speaking about causes you to question whether they are even using the same language as you.

I do that. A lot.

I just find myself stuck, not knowing how to process what I am taking in. And rarely will my brain won't kick into overdrive and help me out. I mean, come on, the least my brain can do is make a half-hearted attempt at translation, right?

It makes me wonder if my brain is actually turning to mush because of too much TV. Or maybe it's the caffeine...or the lack thereof.

Maybe it's because I don't read enough. Or maybe I just read the wrong things. Or maybe it's because I took the wrong classes. Or went to the wrong school. Or got hit too many times in the head with a soccer ball. Or fell down the stairs that one time for a video project I made in high school.

Or maybe I'm just insecure?

Don't miss...

When it comes to music played in/by the church, I have to say two men/bands go under appreciated in most Canadian circles.

Charlie Hall.

Robbie Seay Band.

The latter is releasing an album this Tuesday.

You can listen to it here before it releases.

Marching...

I cannot tell you how many times I have started typing something only to delete it. I can't find the words that will form the sentences that will bring about a paragraph that will sum up what is going on in life. (I wonder if these words will last.)

No gas...

Yesterday my team played in the semi-final. Going up against a team we've beat in the past, we knew that we had a chance to win. It's better than previous years where we went in expecting a loss but hoping for the best.

The game was very similar to the last one we played against this team with lots of hard battles and some very similar styles of play. Only last time we walked away 1-0 winners.

This time we couldn't seem to get through their defense. Maybe my 3 weeks without playing added to the lack of opportunities. Maybe it was our lack of control in the midfield. Maybe it was that the other guys wanted it worse than us.

Whatever the case, we tried. After 90 minutes we were even. We head into two 15 minute extra time halves. And 3 minutes into the first half, they spring one of their strikers on an apparently offside run. He scores. We're left looking at the ref AND the linesman wondering where the call was. Nothing.

And we never recovered. I ran out of gas, cramped up and spent the final 15 on the bench. That was hard to take. Those are the moments that you want to be out there. But I just didn't have it in me. Maybe I should get in shape for next season?

Most of us feel like we were robbed. A few of their players will admit that they got lucky on the goal. But if we're all honest I think we'd admit that we just didn't deserve it. Although, if it had gone to penalty shots I'm almost certain that we would have won. Our keeper is likely the best in the league and their keeper was a replacement who went in after their original keeper was injured in the second half.

All in all, a decent season for our team. We improved from last year. And I like playing with these guys, but I'm beginning to wonder if we'll be able to keep the nucleus together for next season.

I guess we'll wait and see.

I dare you...

A few of you took the dare on this one. (oops! Apparently the video is now gone, but can be found here. There's now a ukulele cover of the song too. )

I apologize for the few minutes of your life that you will never get back if you did indeed watch that one. If you haven't watched it, please do.

But in an attempt to redeem myself and spread some joy, watch this:

Memory makers...

This past weekend I was in Calgary for a youth conference. We bought an ice cream cake and celebrated Dinosaur Day.

My kids came home today from a friend's house with temporary tattoos. I grabbed the washable markers and added to their sleeves. Hearts, stars, crosses, and fire-breathing dragons.

When was the last time you made a memory?

Book #9...

How the Mighty Fall (And Why Some Companies Never Give In)
Jim Collins

Collins, with the help of a pile of research that boggles my mind, points out the five stages of a company's impending demise. What they did wrong that ultimately contributed to them no longer turning a profit. His hope is that other companies would be able to recognize the warning signs and instead of falling prey to destruction, that they would be able to correct their course and save themselves.

I'd be really interested if someone would take these principles and apply them to "church life". He says that this applies for any organization, but the whole time I was reading it I was thinking about church world. Would churches fail for the same reasons sometimes?

I don't know if this works against my earlier post. Probably. Either way, I'm finding that my brain is engaged.

Book #8...

The Organic God
Margaret Feinberg

I have grown fond of Maragret's writing since I heard here speak at Catalyst West last year and read The Sacred Echo. I find that she writes with such a simple yet descriptive style that leaves me understanding something after the first pass, but wanting to read it again just to let my brain wrestle with it. (Kind of like this quote.)

This book was all about shedding some perspective on the beauty of God that can be seen in everyday things around us. It was a good reminder that we don't need to look too far in order to see Him and who He is. His love, kindness, generosity, and wisdom.

I dare you...

Try to watch this video in its entirety. I do not think it is possible.

"Shine" by Final Placement from sharity world on Vimeo.

Thanks to Nathan for this one.