Post Catalyst...

I just got back from Catalyst West in Irvine, CA.

I'm tired since Jamie and I had two different flights and had to get up at 6am today. (FYI, 6am is unheard of for youth pastors except in the case of allnighters.) The good news being that we caught the final 15 minutes of the United win against Spurs. But I digress.

There's so much to process after the week. I'll probably get some of it down here in the next week or so. Stay tuned.

In the meantime, here's a light little story to hold you over.

Jamie and I got off our Alaska Airlines flight this afternoon and awaited our luggage. He got his and mine was no where to be seen. The woman unloading the cart says that they have two more bags up front.

This is what she throws me.

A grease covered Nike bag.

They have no idea what, or how, it happened.

She adds that I can go wait at the front desk and fill out a "we destroyed your bag" (my words, not hers) form.

I decide to go for it. What else am I supposed to do? Throw this is the trunk of the car and get grease everywhere?

So, I patiently waited my turn behind a couple of irritated individuals who had not even received their luggage. The site of my situation brought some laughter.

A couple of security guards came over to take photos. One asks me if I've smelled it to ensure it is actually grease. I laugh it off and tell her that she can. She declines.

My time finally comes and a couple of people start filling out the necessary paper/computer work. There's talk about trying to get me a new bag. Then a supervisor radios in that they should look at getting it cleaned. The guy working with me laughed and said that was going to be impossible.

They ask me if I'd like a replacement bag.

The first one that they bring out is about half the size of my grease-covered bag. The same guy from earlier chuckles and points out my stuff won't fit. So they head back and return with a brand new suitcase.

The only catch is that I have to leave my grease-bag with them.

This is no simple decision. I've had that bag a long time. It's made a number of trips. It has history. We have memories.

Ok, so I didn't think about it too much.

I thanked them for the luggage upgrade, transferred my stuff over and was on my way. Now I have a new suitcase.

Going retro...

Aidan and I had guys night while Becca was out and Erin was doing school. We watched The Phantom Menace on VHS. Can you say retro? Aidan loved the movie though. At least it wasn't because of JarJar Binks.

Then I settled in to watch Sherlock Holmes, which I was enjoying in between naps. But I'll have to try and watch the last 30 minutes sometime today so I know how it ended.

As for today I'm not planning much. Watched some soccer. Will watch some hockey. And probably some more hockey. Tough Saturday, eh?

Sorry for the lack of substance in these posts lately. I'm hoping I'll have some good content after the Catalyst trip next week.

Thursday...

Today I...

• had a chest x-ray
• had some blood drawn
• had an ECG
• got hooked up to a holter monitor

I'm wiped. My brain won't shut up.

And this stupid monitor itches like crazy. It comes off at 9:20am tomorrow.

I'm praying that all of this is nothing more than stress related.

Roll call...

Who's here?

Come on now. Don't be afraid.

Say hi.

Where's the blog...

This month is turning out to be way crazier that I ever thought. Which doesn't bode well for May because I know that next month is supposed to be insane.

A few things that are looming/happening:

• A trip to the doctor. I'm just shy of being a wreck right now. I'll spare you the details, but it's enough to drive my mind crazy.
• Catalyst West trip with Jamie next week.
• Erin & I are joining forces with some of our favorite people in the world to head off into another part of the world. We're doing some marriage mentoring in what our denomination calls a Creative Access Nation. Stoked and nervous. Stay tuned.
  
• I need to catch up on some blogging about what I've been reading. I still owe a couple of reviews for free books I got in March. (And a couple of freebies to give out, so stick around.)
• Got "new" furniture. (New to us anyways.) Friends are great. And now the youth room has some "new" furniture too as it gets the hand-me-downs.
• What's playing for music? Mostly John Mark McMillan and The Avett Brothers.
• I have a few people inquiring about some of my Star Wars stuff. Hopefully I'll be able to free up some storage space in the next few days.
• Part of our summer vacation is officially booked and paid for! Woohoo!
  

Ok...heading back to the couch now.

Trivial...

In comparison to the rest of the weekend I know this is not that important. But it still leaves me feeling crappy. United lost to Chelsea. On an apparently offside goal.

(sigh)

At least my Habs beat Philly last night.

You may now return to your regularly scheduled Easter programming. I know I will.

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.

Book #7...

The Guinea Pig Diaries: My Life as a Science Experiment
A.J. Jacobs

This is the same guy who read through the entire Encyclopedia and who also spent a year living Biblically. I haven't read the Biblical one yet, but this guy should crack you up. The sheer number of "experiments" he'll put himself through for an article is mind boggling. Spending a month outsourcing his day-to-day tasks, trying to live rationally (just why do we use that kind of toothpaste?), living by a code of radical honesty, or just doing everything his wife says, it's an entertaining read.

I Am Canadian...

Slurpees in the rain in front of the CTV booth. That's my boy!







Becca was recovering from the early stages of hypothermia.

Downtown in the rain...

We've spent the last week and a half wondering out loud if we should head into downtown Vancouver to fight the crowds and experience the Olympic spirit up close and personal. So we finally decided to bite the bullet. We pulled the kids out of school and headed down to catch the Sky Train so we could do some exploring.

Highlights of the day:

• Erin giving some friendly jibes at the Americans on the Sky Train. All good natured of course.
• The 30 minute line up in the rain to see the Olympic Cauldron.
  
• Kid meltdowns. Aidan at the Olympic cauldron. Becca at the Red Burrito. (But they trooped on through and I think they have some great memories from the early start to their Spring Break.)
  
• Meeting up with friends in the rain outside the CTV booth. Then having Aidan go "exploring" while we had a brief heart attack.
  
• The guy with the balloon animals. (He could make Homer Simpson and Krusty the Clown!)
  
• The 20 minute line up to get into the Olympic store.
• Chatting with complete strangers about hockey.
• Having close to a dozen comments about my Habs jersey. (Mostly good.)
  
• Watching curling in a storefront window with close to 25 other true Canadians.
  

Sure we probably didn't see even 1/4 of what was downtown, but
I'm glad we can say "we were there."

And while it would have been nice to experience Olympic life on a day that didn't feel like winter, I'm pretty sure the crowd was cut in half. And even with that it still felt like being in Disneyland at times.

Makes me wish I would have bought some tickets to go to an event. But I would have had to sell a kidney.

(Bonus Points: Can you name the song from which the title of this blog post comes?)

Stuck...

I was reading The Organic God by Margaret Feinberg these last few weeks and this quote has been stuck in my brain:

Anyone with a pulse can point out the ragamuffin qualities of a local assembly, but if you spend too much time focused on the stains, then you'll soon lose focus on our wildly infallible God. He is far more concerned with His church than you or I or a hundred pastors put together will ever be. He has a plan. He makes no mistakes. He will not fail.

I know that I can often lose focus by seeing all the stains. How about you?

What's something good that you're seeing happen in the church these days?

Sermon Prepping...

After a morning breakfast meeting (that seems redundant upon typing it...don't all breakfast meetings take place in the morning?) that caught us completely off guard, (in a good way for once...but I'll likely share more on that one later.) I settled in for an afternoon of working on a sermon for this upcoming Sunday where I'll be wrapping up our most recent 4 week series by teaching on Titus 3:9-11.

Ever wonder what I need to make it through such a day? Well here's a view of today's essentials.

Catch a breath...

We seem to have found ourselves in one of those crazy seasons again. It tends to happen every once in a while. So today I'm opting for some quiet. A day where I can rest, maybe catch a nap, and watch some Olympic hockey.

This comes after leading worship this morning. This is completely unrelated, but we opted for a morning with 3 acoustics and 3 vocalists which is definitely a little different than normal. It was one of my favorite worship leading experiences and I hope we were able to show people that an acoustic morning does not have to be slow and mellow.

But now I'm off to my couch...which my wife has conveniently stolen while I was posting this.

Adventures in Middle School...

Tuesday night is middle school night for me. It's a relatively new thing that we started in September sue to the fact that most of our grade 7&8 students were not connecting with what we were doing in the past few years.

It is often on Tuesday nights I learn some of the strangest things and just how funny those events can be. For example, one week the funny thing to do was toss shoes out the window into an empty parking lot after asking "Want to see a magic trick?"

Also, farting is always funny with middle school boys. Girls? Not so much.

Couch jumping is almost an Olympic sport.

Tonight I learned that if you take a foil gum wrapper, lick it, and then stick it to your forehead you will experience two things. First, it will start to burn/sting (although this fact will be disputed by some). Second, after removing the wrapper 5 minutes later you will have a red mark the exact size of the wrapper that remains on your forehead.

Seriously.

Book #6...

Playing With Fire
Theoren Fleury & Kristie McLellan Day

Being a smaller guy all my life has meant that I have always been interested in stories where the little guy makes it. So, I grew up with an appreciation of his hockey skills, mostly oblivious to his off ice antics. When Fleury's book came out I figured I'd pick it up and see what it was all about.

I'll admit that this book is a little scattered. While I do think it's better written than a lot of books that professional athletes pen, he jumps around so much that I kept going back in chapters to find out what year he was talking about and trying to get an idea of the timeline.

As for content, it's like reading about a train wreck. It almost makes it hard to believe that he accomplished anything on the ice, and yet somehow he pulled it off.

I hope he's able to keep his new life on the tracks.

4 years...

Four years ago today I walked into Sevenoaks to start work as a pastor to students. Today I hobbled in slowly...but wow, has time flown by!

I'm thankful for the last 4 years and I can honestly say that I love my students as much as when I started and working with them week in and week out is one of the highlights of my week. Even when the mush marshmallows into the carpet!

Soccer Saturday...

We were playing for second place today. A win would put us in sole position behind the league leaders. We go up 1-0 on a nice pass from the side to one of our guys waiting right in front of the net.

A little while later I get a perfect pass on the right side. Their goalies charges out and I get a shot of from the edge of the 18 yard box that makes its way to the bottom left corner. It almost didn't have enough gas, but it got there. 2-0 and it's looking good for us.

But then with 15 minutes left I go to take a shot at a 50/50 ball. Their midfielder had the same idea...and with more pounds behind his shot, he neraly took my right foot of. Flashbacks of breaking my left ankle years ago.

I'm carried to the sidelines where I sit and watch helplessly as the other team got one goal back. And then with 4 minutes left they tied it. The guys held on to keep it tied, but it wasn't really much of a consolation.

I had a couple of guys drive my car home then headed off for x-rays. The doctor said he didn't think anything was broken but he wanted the x-ray doc to take a look at it because there was one thing he was unsure about.

So, we had to cancel an evening out and I've been parked on the couch.

Days like this I think I might be getting too old for this.

Book #5...

Thriller 2

No, not a Michael Jackson tribute. This is just a collection of short stories. I read the last collection a few summers ago and found a couple of new authors that I have read since then (and also stopped reading since then).

I was not nearly as lucky this go round. I might check out the library for one of the authors...if I remember.

I don't know why I keep coming back to reading thrillers. I guess I keep hoping I'll find that one story that will captivate me from beginning to end, that will keep me guessing what will happen next, that will catch me off guard, and will leave me wanting to read it again. But it doesn't seem to happen.

Is that too much to hope for?

Book #4...

Unleashing the Power of Rubber Bands
Nancy Ortberg

It is important to point out the subtitle to this book is "Lessons in Non-Linear Leadership". Is it ever. The book is all over the map with random leadership advice, so it will be a good read for any ADD leaders.

Look, something shiny.

I will admit that I pulled a few worthy quotes from the book, but all in all it wasn't the most inspiring leadership book I've read.

I'll give it 3 out of 5 rubber bands.

meTunes,,,

After watching the Grammy's the other night I realized that I haven't introduced any new music into my playlist lately, aside from one song that I found out about after watching a recent episode of Chuck.

Can you make a recommendation or two? I'm looking for something new. (And sorry Jon, but Joel Plaskett just doesn't do it for me.)

Coastal regrets...

When I left home at 18 to head off to college in Regina I don't think I would have ever imagined living on the coast. In fact, it wasn't until I was in college that I got a look at a city bigger than Winnipeg. (Some say I was deprived, but I didn't lose any sleep over it.)

For a prairie boy like myself winters consisted of digging snow forts, shoveling snow, playing ice hockey, and making hour long drives into the big city to play indoor soccer.

Now I long for a snow day that lasts longer than 6 hours, play outdoor soccer year round and bemoan the fact that my kids do not get to experience pond hockey on a weekly basis.

What brings on this sudden nostalgia?

I got invited out to some midnight hockey a week and a bit ago and it just drove all this home. I hadn't played hockey on ice in over 5 years. The Devon ice rink was the last time I laced up the skates and threw on the equipment and I remember dropping the gloves at center ice with Chad as we attempted to show off our fighting prowess. One of many such "fights" that still elicits laughter from my wife and anyone else who may have witnessed our shenanigans.

Being on the ice recently again hurt my aging body so much (I'm old and out of shape.), but it brings back a lot of great memories of prairie life. And it reminds me that I should put the kids in skating lessons or something.

And lest I come across as an anti-west coaster, let me also say that I love it out here...especially when it's not raining! Check this out:

Rooney...

I ditched my Setanta subscription this year, so it's been a particularly painful football season where I have seen very few Manchester United games. But at long last we finally had a Sunday game that I was able to tape and then sit down to watch on Sunday afternoon.

I had some inner questions as to which United side would show up for this one, but I was pleasantly surprised and amused to see a team that if it stays in form, will no doubt give everyone an entertaining second half of the season. Ronaldo who?

Nani's goal was an impressive piece of skill to put them up 1-0, but the 2nd goal scored by Rooney was unbelievable! Just skip ahead to the 1:23 mark of the below video. A 70 yard sprint that ends with him pounding the ball into the back of the net. Who does that?!?!

Thank you Arsenal for another great memory of beating you.

Oh, and bring on the World Cup.

Book #3...

Youthwork: Let God Use Your Influence
Don Pearson & Paul Santhouse

This is a collection of 99 practical ideas (not games and activities) that most youth workers already know, and if they don't they probably should (Idea #39 - "Manage your time, don't let it manage you" or Idea #55 - "Put safety first"). Decent idea for a book and it should be thrown at beginning youth workers to get them thinking about what might be coming in the years ahead.

They did find a way to mention their annual sailing trips in at least half of their practical ideas. I don't know many youth ministries where annual multi-boat sailing trips with attendance in the hundreds is practical, but I guess the principles can still apply.

At the end of the day I'll say it's not a bad idea for a book, but it would have been better served to have a multitude of authors speak on the subject in one book.

Sunday music...

I led worship this morning at church. That has nothing to do with this post. I'm watching the Grammy's while Erin is baking and the kids are crafting. Here's my running through my mind as I watch since I'm not that exciting and I need an excuse to hang in there for Dave Matthews.

• Lady Gaga...what's the deal?
  
• Stephen Colbert is one of the funniest men on TV, no?
  
• A Green Day musical...go figure.
• Erin was hoping for a Zac Brown Band win. Yes, Erin admitted to liking country music.
• Beyonce singing Alanis?
• Uh...there's a soaking wet, woman dressed in masking tape spinning from the roof while singing.
• Tinfoil people dressed up like stereo speakers?
• How is "I Gotta Feeling" not Song of the Year?
• I think a sheet just fell on that woman's head as she sang.
• Thank you for not letting Lady Psycho win Album of the Year.
  
• These performances just seem to get stranger and stranger. (a la Jamie Foxx and T-Pain)
  
• Come on Cooper...give it to DMB, not Green Day! aaarrrgghhhhh!
• Rah rah America...
• I have to wait another hour for Dave Matthews Band?!?!
  
• Taylor is playing a Taylor.
• Was I the only one who didn't get 3D glasses with these Grammy's?
  
• Bon Jovi. Finally, some decent music.
• Please stop giving Kanye awards.
• Dave Matthews is almost up!

I'm ending this now so I can enjoy some tunes. And it has just dawned on me that I should have been doing this on Twitter.

Did anyone else watch tonight?

You know you're loved when...

After a week away from the office, I return to find this.

I've been told that this means I'm loved.

And yes, that's two different pranks by two different groups. Apparently one group of students coerced someone into unlocking my office to get TP'd. The second group was my youth leaders filled the office with balloons.

I guess I shouldn't leave them with keys when I go away. They can't be trusted.

Can you hear that now...

I enjoyed watching Carlos Tevez play...when he was wearing red. Not a big player in stature, but he was a workhorse that never seemed to quit.

But he ended up being 3rd choice striker at United behind Rooney and Berbatov, so it was inevitable that he wouldn't stick around. But, when he eventually signed a contract with cross town rivals City it was the ultimate disgrace.

City's marketing campaign of "Welcome to Manchester" added more fuel to the fire and you kind of had to chuckle when it turned out that someone splashed red paint on one of the giant billboards.

Then we fast forward to the first leg of the Carling Cup semi final where he scores twice at home to win the game. His goal celebrations of taunting Manchester United players, management and fans alike only confirm that he truly had gone over to the dark side.

Which makes it all the more pleasing that United dumped City out of the Carling Cup on Wednesday with a 3-1 win. How many years is that without a trophy now? Oh yeah...

$0.88 Review...

I've been extremely disappointed with my movie choices over the last few months (Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs, Public Enemies, Transformers 2, All About Steve...just to name a few). In fact, I can't remember the last time I rented a movie that I even remotely enjoyed. So last night when Erin & I sat down to watch District 9 I didn't have high expectations.

(Incidentally, I have the greatest wife ever because she even agreed to watch this one with me!)

But I just need to say that I'm giving this movie a resounding thumbs up. I had no idea what to expect and how things would turn out since I didn't pay much attention to reviews when the movie actually released. I had just heard that it had some great special effects. And that it did.

I also found it to be a very entertaining movie that kept me from start to finish. Characters that caught me off guard, aliens that were...umm...interesting. And a story with some twists and turns that kept me guessing for a little while. (Which is way better than having the plot figured out before you see the opening credits.)

So, if you don't mind aliens, a little of blood, and the language (and I'm not talking about the alien subtitles), go rent it.

Books #37-38...

I may have gotten stuck in a little rut in the last part of 2010, but here's what I ended the year with on the reading list:

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

If I track back to my 2010 goal of trying to read 52 books, I obviously failed. That's 2 years in a row. Do I dare try for a third?

Kelowna retreat...

I think January is a bad time for a retreat. After the Christmas break it seems too early to be getting away for 3 days. So, what does one do with all this time away from the office? Here's a taste of what I've been up to:

• Talking with friends. I get to see a pile of people who I don't regularly see throughout the year. It's great to reconnect and I enjoy the time just talking about life and ministry.
• Meeting new people. I'm not really good at this, but I've been able to meet a few new people, mostly new youth pastors in our district. It's been a year of changing faces for our youth pastors, which means more younger pastors, which makes me feel old.
• Sleeping.
• Reading. My Bible, a student ministry book, Class 4 Drivers Education manual, and a collection of short stories.
• Walking. I strolled around Kelowna trying to find a couple of things I could take home to my kids. And since I don't walk much, it was actually a nice change of pace to just spend some time by myself.
• Watching TV. I bring along some TV that I normally don't get to watch at home. X-Files. I'm now into season 2.
• Working. I have some prep work to do for some upcoming teaching stuff for church and for our youth. I haven't spent nearly enough time on it, but at least I'll get something done.

So, there you have it. And exciting week away.

Book #2...

Deadly Viper Character Assassins
Mike Foster & Jud Wilhite

This book was on my list of "gotta read" for a while, but I could never find it. I was stoked last April to finally find a copy at Catalyst West. And then it promptly sat on my shelf until just recently.

If you've ever done any leadership reading, most of what you will find in this book is not new, although the language and marketing is a little bit different. But overall the book contains some very helpful reminders for anyone in a leadership position.

There are assassins trying to bring leaders down. Trying to wreck your character, your integrity and your ability to lead. And if you don't have a plan to battle them, they'll destroy you.

The kicker is that there was fallout over the content and the book got pulled off the shelves. (Ok, I'm being way to oversimplified, but I'm in no hurry to dive into a debate over it. You can get some of the details here.)

But I'll give due credit to Mike & Jud who, at least from what I saw on the interweb, didn't complain about it or try to cause a ruckus. They, from what little I have seen, have lived out what they write about.

Cell phones...

I'm hoping to get an iPhone at some point when my little jar is full of money and my current cell contract is up...and the kids are probably working full time.

In the meantime I'm tempted to go with this one.

On a whim...

Can we really call a planned spontaneous baptism "impromptu"?

Well...actually...we tried this once in the fall where we invited people who hadn't been baptized to come forward and take the plunge. We didn't have any takers that time, but it opened the door for at least one person to get baptized a few weeks after that.

So we decided to try it again this week.

We had two people already prepared to get baptized, and then we opened it up. We provided some clothing, some hygiene items, towels and we had a group of people ready to meet with each person to hear their story before they got dunked. We ended up having another 4 people come forward to step into the tank!

Mix into this another 2 stories from individuals about what God has been doing in their life, and let's just say it was a morning that you could definitely see God at work.

Friday Recap...

What's been happening...or not happening:

• I'm ahead on my daily Bible reading plan.
  
• I didn't get out for a run this week.
• I'm working on #41 by Dave Matthews. I can play it...I just can't seem to do the lyric part yet.
  
• I've jumped on the Conan bandwagon. I don't think Leno is funny at all.
• Lots of things seem unimportant after what happened is Haiti.
• We have a Compassion kid in Haiti, who lives close to the hardest hit area. No word ye on how he is.
  
• I wouldn't mind it if my soccer game got rained out tomorrow.
• I'm off to District Staff Retreat in Kelowna on Monday. I do not like going when my wife does not come with me, thus I will not be a huge fan of this retreat.

How are you?

Book #1...

The Noticer
Andy Andrews

This is the story of a wandering "homeless" man named Jones who offers wisdom and advice to anyone he comes across that finds themselves in a particularly difficult or unfortunate part of life. It just so happens that in this story, every character is going through something, and everybody inevitably has some interaction with Jones.

The idea that Jones brings is that everyone just needs a little perspective. They need to change the way they are viewing their life, the way they look at others, the way they treat their loved ones and those around them. And in each chapter you find yet another example of how changing your perspective will change your life.

It's just too neat and simple. Sure, I get the premise, but anyone who's ever hit a tough patch in life knows that just changing your perspective will not solve all your problems. Sure, there is something to be said about learning to be content in the situations we face, but life doesn't get summed up in one chapter. Does it?

The book struck me as a little too much like a TV sitcom. Every problem from failing marriages to bad work ethics gets patched up. It's all basically fixed in 22 minutes because of some wise words or advice from Uncle Joey (a la Full House).

That said, I will be honest and say that there is probably some truth to what is found in this book. That sometimes we all need a change in perspective, that we need to pull our collective heads out of the sand and look at things a little differently. That alone can help some of us at least get pointed in the right direction even if it won't solve all our problems.

Meh...I'd skip it if given the chance.


*Thomas Nelson Publishers provided me with this book. Just thought I'd say it so that we're all by the rules with the FTC. I'm under no obligation to say that this book rocked my reading world, which is good because it didn't.

Goals for 2010...

Nothing earth shattering here, just a few things I'd like to accomplish in 2010. I'll keep tabs on my progress.

• Reading: After missing the book-a-week mark last year, I think I'll try again to hit the 52 book mark. I can't miss two years running...that would be embarrassing.
  
• Guitar: I'm obviously not writing my own songs, so I think I'll work on other people's stuff. I'm going to try and pick up a Dave Matthews Band song every 2 weeks. The rule: I must be able to play and sing it from start to finish.
  
• Fitness: I'm so lazy outside of soccer, I NEED to do something. I'd like to say a jog a week (not including soccer games and practices) would be feasible, but maybe that's too ambitious for me. Let's see if I can get out for a run every 2 weeks.
  
• Family: More regular family nights and adventures together. (And more dates with my wife!)
  
• Money: Take another step closer to debt-free by learning to curb the impulse buys and sticking to my personal spending budget (aka - my jar money).
  
• Bible: Read through a "chronological" Bible in one year.

Goal review of 2009...

Here's a few things I was shooting for last year and how I feel I did shooting for in 2009:

• With the kids - Was home more (I think) and we started "family nights". B+
  
• With my wife - Went on some big dates. A
  
• With books - Didn't hit 52, but still was over the 40 mark. B
  
• With TV - I watched more, rather then less. Fail. D
  
• With music - Didn't write anything with lyrics. Didn't practice enough either. D
  
• With ministry - Took a silent retreat, started some new ventures. B+
  
• With life - Looked at doing something new and promptly decided not to. No grade.

Not very good...but not terrible. I'll be posting this year's goals shortly.

Some things don't go well...

I encouraged 2010 to be good.

And so far, the reviews are mixed.

United looses to Leeds. Freaking Leeds!!!!

And tonight Canada loses to the US. The freaking US!!!

AaaarrgghhhH!!!!!

I am punching these little letter keys with so much venom right now.

On other better news:

My reading goal of 2010 is well underway. (More on that later this week.)

My middle schoolers were a blast to hang out with tonight. (Despite the fact that they raided my office mini-fridge.)

I found half a Mars bar.

So...Goodnight.

Creativity in Church...

I'm a big believer that God wants us to use our collective creative gifts as the church. I also believe that we often limit the use of creativity in church. We box ourselves in and think "that can't possibly be part of church".

This is one of the reasons I like tracking what comes out of the North Point in Atlanta.

Watch this video of how they opened their December 20th service (and read their explanation of how they pulled it off). Basically, it's one song done by four groups on four different stages...and they all have their own parts.

Creative genius. And I'm talking just talking about the musicians, I'm talking about the tech crew that pulled this off.

A Year in Review...

Editor's Note: Somehow I still haven't caught on to the fact that it is 2010. This showed up as a post for Jan 3, 2009. So, I'll put it back where it actually belongs.

Alright now, let's take a look back at some of the more memorable moments of 2009.

January: The beginning of "The Ballad of Robyn & Swarley" at our Student Ministry PROXIMITY Retreat. It's the only song I've written that exists on the internet. Bonus marks if you can find it.

February: I sold a bunch of my Star Wars collectibles (yeah, yeah, they're toys) and bought myself a guitar amp. A decision I have not regretted.

March: Headed out to Manitoba. Saw family, some friends, and drove in a convertible with the top down. (A big deal for being in the prairies in March!)

April: Headed off to Catalyst West in LA.

May: Took my first online sabbatical.

June: Took my first silent retreat out at Camp Kawkawa. Definitely need to do that again.

July: Vacation.

August: Received a new (at least to us) car.

September: Launched our new middle school ministry and then headed off to National Youth Workers Convention (one of my favorite places to be) with my wife (my favorite person to be with) and got had a few little road adventures that took us to some memorable California landmarks.

October: Saw David Crowder*Band and U2 in concert (separately, of course).

November: Talked porn in a Sunday morning service. (Audio here.)

December: Christmas. Vacation.

Favorite Album: Dave Matthews Band "Big Whiskey and the GrooGrux King"
Favorite New Artist: A toss up between Seabird & Vedera
Best Concert: U2
Best Book I Read: "Sustainable Youth Ministry" by Mark Devries.
Best Book I Haven't Finished: "Forgotten God" by Francis Chan
Biggest New Movie Letdown: Transformers 2 & I Love You Beth Cooper
Best New Movie: I didn't watch too many of the new releases, so I'll have to go with Up.
Best Date: A night out on the town with my beautiful wife with a meal at The Keg and tickets to Mat Kearney.
Best New TV: Another toss up with The Middle & Modern Family
Favorite Returning TV: How I Met Your Mother

Book #44...

Wrapping up the book list of 2009 was James Patterson's I, Alex Cross. I wish I had ended it on a better literary note, but you take what you get when it comes to the library.

In other news, I was a little off my year long goal of reading 52 books this year. I'm going to blame the PS3. (Oh, and maybe a little bit of my laziness.)

So, I'm curious to all of you who were keeping track, how many books did you read last year? And what are the top 2?

2010...

Remember the days when you would try to stay up all night just because it was New Year's Eve? I thought those days were over. And then last night we got into some game playing with Erin's parents, and before long it was 4:30am and we were trying to play some domino game with eyes at half-mast.

Fun stuff though...despite the fact that I feel like I'm in slow motion.

Plans for today: pretty much the same as all week, except that we have a family dinner with some of Erin's extended family tonight.

And to offset the Boston-Philadelphia Winter Classic that was on earlier I have thrown on a dvd of the Montreal-Edmonton Winter Classic from 2003.

That's how I'm starting 2010.

Bringing in the New Year...

I've had the week off work, so I have accomplished very little lately. I've played video games, board games, finished a book, played Lego, and watched a lot of hockey and TV.

And now on the eve of a new decade, my kids are busy laughing their heads off, Erin is watching some TV and I'm getting ready to watch the Canadians play the Americans in World Junior hockey.

Then we'll likely make the long trek upstairs to play some board games and ring in the New Year with my in-laws. We picked up a copy of a board game called Ticket to Ride that we're itching to try out.

So, how are you bringing in the New Year?

Passive-Aggressive...

Josh, you'll appreciate this one.

You'll need some backstory though to fully enjoy this one.

My neighbor seems to be physically & emotionally pained when someone parks in front of her house. The curious part is that anyone who parks in front of her house is also legally parking in front of our house, but she seems to have claimed ownership of this specific piece of public property.

I should also note that we have had "run-ins" with her about this in the past where she vents about the need for us to park elsewhere. Something that is difficult to do on a street where most houses have basement suites and that means multiple vehicles.

In fact, she called bylaw officers a week ago to report an abandoned car, which happened to belong to my brother-in-law and his wife who were visiting from Alberta for a few days over the holidays. The bylaw officer showed up knocking on the door and was apparently a little irritated when he heard what was actually going on.

Either way, I usually try to park on the other side of the driveway just to avoid the headache. (I'm not a big fan of confrontation.) But, arriving home from church on Sunday the only spot available was that infamous piece of public property. So I just parked it and haven't moved the car since.

Well, it just so happens that Erin found this on the windshield this afternoon.


Is this passive-aggressive?

I'm so annoyed right now.

It's hard to live at peace with people when they do silly things like this.

Maybe I should just move my car...

Merry Christmas...

Sorry, no video here. I ran out.

But I would like to wish you and your family a Merry Christmas.

As for us, we're cooking some goodies before we gather round the table to stuff our faces and spend some quality time playing games. And maybe...just maybe...a midnight (or post-midnight) showing of Die Hard.

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas (part #3)...

Thanks to Laurie for this one.

(But I'll give you a fair warning about some mild language in the clip.)

Merry Christmas (part #2)...

Another video that's been circulating on some student ministry blogs lately. If you've never seen the original wedding version of this, you will likely find this uninteresting.

Merry Christmas (part #1)...

With things slowing down a little I thought I'd grab a few minutes to post some odds and ends that I've stumbled across lately.

Like this one that I found via The Resurgence Blog:

What to do with Christmas...

As a church we've been going participating in Advent Conspiracy. If you're not familiar, the basic idea is to encourage people to spend less and give more (money & presence). (And yes, we've already heard the comments about how encouraging people not to spend in a poor economy is not wise. I'll spare you any social commentary because I'm bad at math.)

So I'm trying to figure out what my place is in all of this. As a family we decided to cut back on the family spending this year. That's a great first step, but I need to be a little more proactive on the second step which is give more presence. Specifically, I need to give more of myself this Christmas season, particularly to my family.

I also found myself challenged by Mark Driscoll's recent blog post about how dads need to make sure they don't drop the ball this holiday season and how they need to get out there and do some family stuff.

So, that's pushed me to try and think a little more creatively. What can I do with my family to create a few Christmas memories this year?

So, here's a few things:

• We curled up on the couch last Sunday and watched The Santa Clause 2&3 (we're all a sucker for Christmas movies). I discovered that mom is the preferred cuddler of choice by both kids.
  
• A local bowling alley had $1 bowling games, so we went 5 pin bowling. I discovered my son is just as competitive as his dad (and maybe even his mom).
  
• I took my kids for "coffee" after school yesterday. I discovered that Jones Soda beats out hot chocolate any day of the week.
  
• We're breaking the bank tonight to take in an Abbotsford Heat game tonight as a family. I hope to get us there early enough so we get our free Santa hats! Woohoo!
• Hung out with some great friends on Wednesday night, ate supper and played Phase 10.
• Hanging out with more great friends this Wednesday to eat pizza and ride the Christmas train.
  

I've also got some time off in the next couple of weeks, so I'm hoping to use that wisely and not just be a vegetable.

So, what are you dads doing with your family this Christmas season?

Email exchange...

Remember the guy who tried to pay a bill with a picture of a spider?

This new one is probably funnier.

Book #43...

The Road of Lost Innocence
Somaly Mam

I picked up this book as part of prepping for a recent Sunday morning message about sexual exploitation and human trafficking. And I can only say that this book seriously messed me up. The night I actually finished it I was tossing and turning until after 3am. My brain wouldn't stop.

Much of what I read was completely horrifying and it's difficult to imagine that it can even be true. But wow...to hear this woman's story and how she came through a life of being sold, abused, and resold. To see her come to the point where she now helps others escape and experience freedom...it's inspiring and overwhelming. And it makes me feel like my contribution to helping fight injustice in the world is insignificant.

Ridiculous...

On Saturday our soccer team (ranked #2 in the league) played the team in last place (they have yet to score a goal this season).

In all my years of playing soccer I have never been involved in a game like this. This portion of a team email should explain:

Hi guys;

I have the scorers as,

Stew - 4
Taka - 3
Mike - 3
James - 3
Vic - 1
Kevin - 1
and one own goal that was almost Chris's.

Did anyone else get one?

Vic, you just got the one, right?

Chris, did you score a legit goal as well as that one they put in their own net?

Let me know if anyone else scored.

At least 16 goals are accounted for (11 in the 2nd half alone...some of which we played with only 9 men to match their 9 guys) and not a single one against.

I credit the other team for not walking off the field, but this is still ridiculous.

I was sitting with one goal midway through the 2nd half when I sent a shot wide from a few yards out. Some smarty pants on the other team decided to smack talk me about not getting my hat trick that day. (Seriously, who smack talks when they are down that many goals?!?!) So, I scored 2 more.

Anyways, not a good game to play the week before we take on the top ranked team.

'Tis the season...

I don't know this guy, but it's the greatest Christmas music video ever. Ever.

My Wife and My Taylor...

I saw this via the Taylor Guitar Twitter. You can also find it here.

What to tell your wife after buying a Taylor guitar...

1.		I'll be home more often.
2.		I want to sing to you with only the best guitar.
3.		There are too many mediocre things to deal with in life and guitars shouldn’t be one of them.
4.		I have done full research and Taylors are the most durable guitars made.
5.		Among all guitars, Taylors have the best re-sale value.
6.		Since you have always been such a supportive wife, there is really no need to give you any reasons.
7.		I have good taste, why do you think you are my wife?
8.		Taylor’s lifetime warranty reminds me of my everlasting commitment to you.
9.		This guitar reminds me of how perfect you are.
10.		Anything less than extra-ordinary is a waste of my time, It’s the same reason why I chose you to be my wife.

Believe it or not, I have tried more than one of these, right Erin?

My personal favorite is telling Erin that I will write more songs for her if she buys me a Taylor.

Sunday blues...

My wife has hijacked the TV for Amazing Race. I'm blue.

My Bombers didn't make the Grey Cup. I'm Blue.

Riders didn't win the Grey Cup. I'm blue.

Blue Rodeo was a cool half time show. I'm Blue. ( Or not blue, depending on how you look at it.)

I should probably pull out the telecaster, but the kids are trying to sleep.

Book #42...

(A Book You'll Actually Read) On Who Is God
Mark Driscoll

I was doing a little prep on a middle school teaching about god, so I pulled this little book off the shelf and quickly gave it a read. It's short, to the point, and definitely a good resource to put in the hands of someone who doesn't know a whole lot about God and would like a brief synopsis.

I have a pet...

I checked out my Google analytics today and noticed that my blog viewership is down 26%. I guess the simple math is that when 4 people read your blog and 1 stops reading, the stats start to look an little ugly.

(Erin...my math is right with that one, right?)

Anyways, I hear that having animal photos on your blog increases viewership. We shall soon find out.

We've had these two kittens hanging around the house since July.

Apparently they are "outside" cats who only head home during the night. So, they mostly just wander the neighborhood like teenagers without a car.

This one would regularly park himself outside our screen door on summer nights and beg for attention.

We would regularly give that attention because we are softies.


Well, that same cat has now officially adopted us and he is always at our house.

He'll regularly meet me at the top of our stairs before I make the journey down to our basement entrance.

He'll also sneak his way into the house anytime the door is open and is never in a hurry to get put back outside.

Last night, after a Black Friday adventure we found him waiting for us. So, he came in (via the open door we were transferring presents through) and we decided to let him wander around for a bit before setting him back outside,

We're calling him "Dog" and I refer to him as my pet who I don't have to feed or actually take care of.

Blog viewership may now increase.

Hello Thursday...

Happy Slapsgiving!

Don't recognize the reference? That's good, because it means you don't watch too much TV. Or it's bad because you're missing out on one of the funniest shows ever!

Anyways, I just woke up from a nap, the kids have taken over my PS3 and Erin is Christmas shopping online. It's been a crazy busy week...no, make that 2 weeks...no, just make that month, and I'm wiped. I hope that after next week things can slow down a little.

My wife is trying to convince me that doing a little Black Friday shopping would be good for me.

I'm not convinced. But a day out together might be just what I need.

As for tonight, the fireplace is on and the Blu Ray player is calling.

See you tomorrow.