The great car debacle (part 1)...

Ok, so I was in an accident last month that saw my car completely written off. I was in a south-bound lane waiting in the intersection to make a left hand turn. The light turned yellow and the two other cars that were traveling towards me in the north bound lane appeared to be slowing down to stop, so I looked left and proceeded to make my turn. The next thing I know there's a red car in front of me, followed by the airbag exploding and then by my horn going off.

I was helped out of the car by some kind strangers and then waited for the police, fire, ambulance and tow trucks to arrive. I was pretty shaken up and everyone was concerned that I had hit my head. In reality I was just shaken up.

To make a long story a little bit shorter, I received a letter from my insurance company stating that I was 100% at fault (apparently the person making a left turn is always at fault). They couldn't find the witness to verify my story. So, that means I lose my $500 deductible and my insurance goes up.

Fast forward to August 15th. I had just arrived home from my knee surgery and we received a phone call from our claims adjuster. Apparently she wasn't feeling right about the way things turned out, so she decided to phone the police and double check some info. The officer then provided my adjuster with a new phone number for the witness (who had been in the process of moving), so she called to get the facts. The witness stated that the other car ran a red light!

My wife and I were stunned. Just like that I was innocent! And just like that I got $500 back and was able to tear up the letter saying that I was at fault. Suffice to say that we will no longer have to fork over an extra $2000 during my next 7 years of driving. Everything stays the same.

Ah yes...but this is only part 1 of the great car debacle. Please stay tuned for part 2.

Recap...

Short of words, so here it is...

1. Woke up with very little pain...this is very good!
2. Had my first physio appointment today. $10 later I have a little more mobility and a little more pain.
3. We finally got a call saying our car is in...I'll post more on this debacle later.
4. Found out that Soul Asylum & the Gin Blossoms both released new cds lately...now I have to spend more money...shhh, don't tell my wife.
5. The house is getting drywall put up this week!
6. After a recent bath, my daughter dumped a whole bottle of liquid hand soap on her head and then tried to brush it out...apparently she was trying to be like mom and Auntie Jo and "do her hair".
7. Kids are about to turn 4 & 5 within the next week.
8. The football season is well underway and Manchester United are top of the table...this will be the year!

Ok, that's all for now. Time to watch Poseidon.

Coherent again...

Well, the surgery went well according to Dr M. It was an ACL revision that saw them remove part of my right hamstring and use it as the ACL in the left knee. They also had to clean things up a bit and trim the meniscus.

With my Dr telling me that this procedure was more invasive than a "reconstruction", I'm amazed that I can apply weight to both legs, and I'm actually encouraged to move them as much as possible. My last ACL reconstruction had me on crutches for almost a month, then using a cane for a week. At this rate I should be without crutches within a week or two. The only reason I have them now is in case one of the legs (particularly my thighs) decide to give out.

Pain is more tolerable now. I can sleep most of the night. The swelling is down. The "sexy stockings" are off...these stockings look like white nylons that go from toe to thigh on each leg that help reduce swelling and prevent clotting...they're nasty. Most of the major bandages are also now off.

All that being said, I'm more than happy with the progress and I'm actually beginning to believe that I may get to kick a football again someday in the near future.

Anyway, I thought about putting a pic or two up, but I'm not sure anyone wants to see a swollen knee! But if you'd like me to...I would be happy to appease my 3 readers!

Happy 8th...

It's our 8th anniversary tomorrow. We spent our 7th anniversary in Mexico with 30 youth. This year we chose to celebrate it with me undergoing knee surgery. Talk about memories, eh? Maybe one day we'll celebrate our anniversary as just the 2 of us.

Update on the car: we found one we like, but we're currently waiting for it to show up at the dealership so we can give it a view and a drive. Think that'll happen before 7:30am tomorrow? Yeah...me neither.

Update on the knee: apparently they are calling it an "ACL revision" because I previously had an ACL reconstruction and now he's not sure what may be left (or not left) in my knee. But I'm thinking that I'll have a new ACL by this time tomorrow. They also made me (ok, they "highly recommended") spend $200 on an item that looks like nothing more than a water cooler with tubes running into a knee brace. But apparently it's supposed to work wonders for keeping the swelling down. I'll let you know if it was worth it.

All things leadership...

I had the opportunity this week to attend Willow Creek's Leadership Summit with most of our pastoral staff and it surpassed my expectations. I've had a tendency to look for events where I can enhance my youth ministry skills, but I've never really done anything specifically related to leadership development in a larger sense. For some reason I have a hard time sometimes seeing myself as a leader outside of the youth ministry.

This conference was an eye-opening experience for me. It reminded me that I'm not on the youth ministry island within our church. I'm also part of the bigger picture. I have a voice that I need to use. I have passion...some of which still needs to be focused. I have skills that need to be developed. I have a role within the entire church, not just with the youth or the youth leaders.

Thanks to an interview with Bono, I've also had my eyes and heart opened to the AIDS crisis within the world, and all I need to say is "What rock have I (and the rest of North American churches) been living under?!?!" I'm not sure where this will lead, but I know we've got to do something.

And while I could go on for pages about what challenged me and inspired me, I was also awakened to how close I came to burning out once upon a time. That could be an entire post on it's own, so I'll spare the details. I was just reminded this week of the fact that I need to work harder on filling my tank, so I don't run dry.

If you haven't had a chance to take this conference in, try to make room for it next year. It'll be good for you!

Words on a page...

I'm feeling proud of myself. I just knocked another book of my list. I was able to finish reading Donald Miller's "Blue Like Jazz" and I should say that I was impressed. He's got a very simple writing style that I found refreshing and captivating. He just simply talks about his life. It kind of reminded me of episodes of "The Wonder Years".

The entire book seemed so genuine to me, as Miller focused in on the many different aspects of life. He is open about his struggles, honest about his discoveries and candid about his beliefs.

I wish I could write more about what read, but I always have trouble summing up what I've read. I guess I figure that there's no way I could possibly do justice to it. In fact, I'd probably just deter people from reading it. With that said, go buy the book and read it!

Toy of the day...

I'm always on the lookout for a new addition to my office shelves. Please keep in mind that I am aware that most shelves contain books and other literature, but as I have previously mentioned I have an annoying habit of buying more books than I can possibly read in a year.

With that being said, I have managed to accumulate some nifty-neato toys...I mean, collectibles...for my office.

I'm thinking this should be the next addition. Yes, a Dwight Schrute bobblehead!

The 15th is looming...

I've still got about a week left before surgery. I may have mentioned this before, but I'm not looking forward to it. You see, it's painful...and I'm a wimp. That's a bad combination. I already know that I'll be lying on the OR table shaking like a leaf as they lay out all their instruments on my chest. Then I'll awake and begin yet another terrible 6-8 month recovery.

And sometime before then I need to get all my August/September events planned up, attend a leadership conference, buy a new car, pick out cabinets for the house, and recruit a couple more youth leaders.

Not only am I behind on my reading...although I am currently just one chapter away from finishing my latest project...but I'm also behind on my movie watching. I still haven't seen Pirates or Superman. I'm thoroughly disappointed in myself.

The hunt continues...

Since the car was a write off that means we're looking for a new vehicle. I hate this part. I thought it was supposed to be fun and exciting...an adventure. Instead it seems to be frustrating, annoying and just an all around pain in the butt.

I must have test drove 2 dozen vehicles (new and used) in the past week and a half, and do you think we're any closer? Nope. The only thing we know is that a scooter will likely be in the mix after I heal from the knee surgery. Other than that...I guess we'll wait and see.

Oh, and here's a pic of the house from a few weeks ago.

This picture was taken from the master bedroom in the basement and you can see our living room window (on the right), our patio door and our kitchen window on the far side of the room.

Give me a break...

Here's the aftermath of yet another lunch hour experience for me. I'm considering staying at work for lunch from now on. Just a few bruises, but otherwise still intact. The other driver was ok too, but I think I took the worst of it. I'll spare you the details though as it's too long and I don't feel like typing that much. Very frustrated right now...

Happiest place on earth...

My kids are at that age where a trip to Disneyland was certainly an interesting adventure. It was great to see their innocence as my daughter's eyes lit up at seeing Belle or Ariel or Jasmine. It was exciting to see my son take risks by riding Space Mountain.

And I wonder how much counseling I'll have to pay for after taking both my kids on Splash mountain (they truly had no idea what they were getting into...does that make me a bad parent?).






My daughter had her moments of meltdowns as she cried all the way through the line for Peter Pan (see pic) and proceeded to tell us she didn't want to go on any rides unless it was the Carousel.

But then there were the moments that her face lit up when she helped Alice hunt for the White Rabbit, or she walked hand-in-hand with Jasmine or when she met Belle. And let's not forget her dancing at the Block Party!



As for my son, he gave a grumpy face for a number of pictures, but he still found lots of time to enjoy himself by dressing up like a pirate one night or meeting Buzz or taking mom and dad on Space Mountain.

We tried to break each day up by starting early and taking an afternoon nap before heading back for the evening. They even made it through the fireworks twice and Fantasmic once.

Was it worth it? Absolutely! Would I do it again? Sure...but not for another year or two. But I will be looking forward to a trip back in November with my wife (sans kids). We really do find this to be the Happiest Place on Earth.

Next time though, I'd love to fly there instead of driving. However, I'll post a few pictures later of our drive back home. Just getting out of Southern California was an adventure!

If I never drive again...

We crossed 4 provinces, 9 states, ate more fast food than I would normally eat in 6 months (mmmm...can you say "Del Taco"?) and took 785 pictures (just gotta love technology!). But we arrived safe and sound back home yesterday at 3:20pm and now it's time to get some clean clothes and finally sleep in my own bed. Here's some pics from week #1 of the vacation...


First, my wife and I bought a new toy for our trip.




Yeah right! Actually, after the rehearsal, my wife and I stole...I mean, borrowed the wedding vehicle.

Here we are at my sister's wedding. You should note that my son has the "cheezy grin" down to an art form.

Fairly self-explanatory...bride & groom, bride's parents (which are incidently mine too), along with the officiating pastor (yours truly), my beautiful wife and the 2 munchkins (who did really well considering they had about 100,000 pictures taken of them that day).

There's always vacation...

Stupid soccer results today, so at least I can rejoice in the fact that as of noonish tomorrow (depending on what time church lets out), we'll be on vacation. You can expect that I'll do very little blogging during that time since I'm still one of those guys who is living in the dark ages...you know, the guy with no laptop!

Anyway, the countdown is on. This week we'll travel across 4 provinces so I can perform the ceremony at my sister's wedding. Then we make our longest family trip ever as we head off to... (insert drumroll here)....DISNEYLAND!!!

It should be an adventure. We're all very excited about this trip too (go figure!). My wife and I have loved the place and can't wait to see the look on our kids faces when they experience the magic of the happiest place on earth for their very first time.
See you in a few weeks!

So diligent...

Yes, it has actually happened! I finished a book the same month that I started reading it...at least I think I started reading it this month. Just the same, I'm going to take credit for it because it just made my "stack-of-books-to-read" little bit shorter!

It was a simple, practical read and a book that every youth pastor should give to their volunteers. It gives lots of straight forward advice for how to deal with students who may be hurting in wide variety of ways. And let's face it, not only are kids hurting, but lots of adults (including those that volunteer in our youth ministries) don't have the next clue what to do or say to a student who is struggling with cutting, or suicide or an eating disorder.

Frankly, I'm not sure that I have the next clue what to do or say in some of these situations and I've been working with students in some capacity for almost a decade. This book will probably come in handy more than once in the months and years to come.

Oh deer...

First of all, I will apologize for the terrible pun. With that said, here's the details...

I was on my way home from church at lunch today when suddenly there was a giant thud against the drivers side of my car. I had my window down and felt a little spray on my neck and I wondered what the heck just happened. I looked back to see a deer stumbling around the road. Yes, you read that right, a deer hit me.

And since I had no clue what a person is supposed to do when they hit a deer in the middle of noon hour traffic in the middle of the city, I drove up a block so I could turn around. By the time I got back, the deer had made its way to a field where 4 other strangers were attending to it and a police officer had arrived at the scene.

I'll spare you all the boring details because the whole event took almost 90 minutes before the city police were finally able to shoot the deer. Poor guy...I just wish he hadn't done this to my car 5 days before I leave for vacation.

Vacation countdown...

It's my last week of work until vacation... Woohoo!

In about 144 hours we'll be on the road. Where to? Well, our first stop will be Manitoba where I have the privilage of performing the wedding ceremony of my little sister. From there we head south. Way south. Way, way south...and kind of west. You know...that place with the stuff and the things...yeah, the fun place...

This will be our first major vacation with our kids. And I may be a litle crazy, but I'm totally excited about it!

Just so you know...

I'm not usually the one to break the latest news event, but there's always a first for eveything....

I actually took this photo last summer with the intent of passing it along but apparently I didn't take it seriously enough back then.

Well I stumbled upon it again and figured that I didn't want to hold precious information like this back from the rest of you.

So, consider yourself warned.

P.S. - visit the website listed on the sign!

House work...

Here's a few of the latest pictures from the house developments. The first picture was taken on June 9th while the second picture was taken this past Friday (June 16). I think they start framing this week.

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.