Dealing with loss...

I watched the Brandon Wheat Kings lose on Friday to the Chilliwack Bruins (yes, I have decided to attend Bruins games again...but at least this time there was no porn). Then I took a group of high school students to watch my Bombers get beat up by the Lions last night. Sheesh...at least Wayne Rooney & Co. were able to thrash Bolton 4-0.

Ok, this next part has nothing to do with loss...

I had a leader meeting today. It went fairly well. I've got lots of youth ministry rookies on my current team, but they all have great attitudes. It would be nice if we could add a few more bodies to the team though before we break for Christmas.

Red...

Ok, so I'm getting very unoriginal and boring with my titles. It's been a long couple of weeks with youth stuff, so I'll blame it on that. My in-laws are heading out on vacation, my parents are coming out tomorrow, it's my b-day tomorrow, we have a youth event tomorrow, a youth leaders meeting on Sunday and I'm hosting the service this week.

I'm seeing red because I just got a call today from an "independent adjuster" who wants to meet with me next week to talk over the facts of the collision I was involved in back in July. Apparently the other driver that hit me isn't too happy about being at fault and they're challenging ICBC. Good grief...now I have to go through the process again.

And here's why I'll be wearing red...With all the craziness going on I got to open a few presents last night. And while my Dwight Schrute bobblehead ranks right up there as one of the best gifts, my favorite is probably my jersey. Yup, another Manchester United jersey, but it's my first one with official patches and even the name and number of the great Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. So cool!

On the ipod...

Thought this might be interesting...If you read this and you have Itunes, give it a try.

HOW MANY SONGS? 4288

SORT BY SONG TITLE:
First is 'Til the Day I Die by Third Day
Last is Zombie Zoo by Tom Petty

SORT BY TIME:
Longest is 38:52 with #41 by Dave Matthews Band (from a live concert in Ottawa in 2002)
Shortest is 8 seconds with Too Much by Dave Matthews Band (actually it's a fake intro they once played in concert)

SORT BY ALBUM:
First is Back to the Future Soundtrack by Various Artists
Last is Youth by Matisyahu

TOP THREE MOST PLAYED SONGS:
1. Wholly Yours by David Crowder Band (56 times)
2. Foreverandever Etc by David Crowder Band (53 times)
3. Here Is Our King by David Crowder Band (47 times)

TOP THREE MOST PLAYED NON-CROWDER SONGS:
1. Second Place Victory by This Day & Age
2. Marvelous Light by Charlie Hall
3. Girl America by Mat Kearney

LAST THREE SONGS PURCHASED:
1. Eclipse by Cary Judd
2. In Your Eyes by Jeffrey Gaines
3. The Great Escape by the BBC Orchestra

LAST ENTIRE ALBUM PURCHASED:
1. No Safe Bet by Pete Schmidt

RANDOM WORD SEARCHES:
"Can't" 37 songs
"Find" 8 songs
"Normal" 12 songs
"Dave Matthews" 383 songs
"Mike" 18 songs
"Erin" 25 songs
"Disney" 48 songs
"Unplugged" 66 songs
"Live" 339 songs

FAVORITE PODCAST SUBSCRIBED TO:
1. Acoustic Tuesdays

This is an instrument...

Richard gets the credit for this post. He pointed out that one of the sounds in the last video I posted was made by an instrument called the Theremin. I'll admit that I had never heard of this so I decided to check it out a little further. And this video is probably the best explanation of the instrument with the best demonstration of the song, all by a guy wearing the best pants ever.

Prepare to be amazed...

Random video...

This year at our youth events I started something I like to call the "Random Video of the Week". Sure, it's not very profound or original, but it is occasionally funny. I think the funniest is watching how the students will react to the videos. Some of them are still trying to figure out the point to many of the videos.

So, I thought I'd share the randomness with this little gem...

Soccer Saturday...

I woke up at 5ish this morning so I could hit the record button on the VCR so I could watch United play at a half-decent time. Unfortunately I missed the first 25 minutes of the game and I was shocked to see a 1-0 scoreline in favor of Wigan. Anyways...I headed back to catch a few zz's and then watched the rest of the game a little later.

I know, this isn't super profound, but it is Saturday. And soccer and Saturday go together so perfectly. Anyways, United battled back to win 3-1. And Solskjaer scored the final goal. It's so good to see a guy putting the ball in the net after being out with a multitude of knee injuries for almost 2 complete seasons. It gives a me some hope that I can actually come back from my knee injuries.

Porn and hockey (part 2)...

I left it alone for a week and I thought that maybe it would stop bugging me, but it didn't. And today I finally reached the breaking point. After some "outside" advice (thanks to the many people who provided their 2 cents), I decided that I had to respond to previous email I received. Here's what I fired off today...

Darryl,I'd like to start off by thanking you for your quick reply.
I've taken some time to process what you had to say and I believe that I need to
respond accordingly. I'm glad to see your emphasis is on families and on
kids. After all, that's one of the reasons I attended the game with my
son. It's great to see organizations that make family entertainment a
priority.

I guess this is what confuses me most about the ad. With so much
focus on families and kids, it seems ill-placed for an ad of that nature.
I would think that "family-focused" would mean going the extra mile to ensure
that all families and kids are in a safe environment. I'm assuming that
you have a large no-drinking section in order to ensure that families have a
safe & comfortable time together when they attend a game. It seems
like a simple step you take that improves the family environment (especially for
those with little children) while still allowing other people in attendance to
enjoy a beer and a game. It makes perfect sense to me.

The problem about the ad is that it isn't confined to a set area, it's open
for everyone (including children) to see. I understand your statement
about "a tanning salon is going to promote itself by showing a tan", but let's
be honest, the only thing you can decipher from 25-30 feet is that it's a naked
woman on the picture. The last thing anyone can see is the quality of the
tan.

I'm sorry to hear you say that this is a morality issue. If not
wanting to expose my children to soft-core porn makes me a "moral" person, then
so be it. It's hard enough being a parent today without the extra
pressures of having to explain to a 5 year old why there's a naked woman on a
blimp at a hockey game. Take this for what it's worth. But if you're
trying to reach families, it probably wouldn't hurt to actually help create an
all-round family environment.

The thoughts of a concerned parent.

I kind of figured the conversation would end there. But I checked my inbox tonight and discovered this...

We have done one thing once I saw the flyer- I thought you were talking about
something else. They can no longer use those unless they are in a closed
envelope. If you see it up close- it looks way better than what it looks like
from 30 feet.

If I could only hear what was going on behind the scenes. I really wonder if they had to deal with other complaints. Either way, it's good to hear that I can head back to a hockey game. The bad news for the Bruins would be that I already booked a trip for my middle school students to attend a Giants game. Oh well...

Porn and hockey...

That got your attention didn't it? Well here's the backstory...

Last Friday I got some cheap tickets for a Chilliwack Bruins hockey game from a friend in our care group. I took my son along thinking it would be a fun evening for us to hang out with some of the other guys in our care group.

All in all it wasn't that bad. Popcorn, pop, and bad hockey made for $27.50 well spent.

My problem was with a remote controlled blimp they have floating around during the intermissions of the game. As it floated overhead you could clearly make out a picture attached to the bottom of the blimp of woman with her arm carefully positioned across her bare chest. To be honest, I thought it was some practical joke and that someone in the crowd had managed to hijack the blimp and stick the picture to it. Then it was up again during the 2nd intermission. My idea of it being a joke was ruled out.

Well, I'm not usually the letter-writing type (except for one occasion of a Dave Matthews concert back in 2002...but I can post about that another time), but I paid a visit to their website and fired off this email:

I attended the game on Friday night vs Swift Current and brought my five year
old son with me. I would just like to inquire about the Tropicana blimp
that floats around the arena during the intermission and why a semi-nude picture
of a woman was attached to the bottom of the blimp. I'm a little confused
as to why this would be deemed acceptable at an event where young children are
attending.

I've contemplated bringing a larger group of students, and I
can honestly say that I am questioning whether or not I will attend future
games. But I would be interested in hearing from someone so I can make an
informed decision. Thanks for your time.

Here's the response I got back yesterday:

Hi Mike. This is Darryl Porter, President of the bruins.

First off I appreciate your support in coming to the
game last week and I want to stress to you that we are a family
entertainment business. Yes, we have alcohol sales and some promotions
adult oriented but our primary theme is families. We have Family Pack
ticketing, After Game skates, a 50 ticket section of donated kids tickets
from our ownership with Tim Hortons, a large emphasis on our mascot, a large
no drinking area of the rink, an average ticket price of $10.00, many in
game contests that are focused on kids, a7th Man promo for a young hockey
player, a primary relationship with the Chilliwack School Board and Minor Hockey, etc.

My position is not to judge others morality. A tanning salon is going
to promote itself by showing a tan. It was my call that their ad did not
go too far and I find it fine for what they are promoting. We would not
allow anything more, have rejected sponsorships for products such as Viagra and
Adult Novelties in the rink for this reason. I hope you do come back to
enjoy Bruins hockey. Darryl

Is it too much to ask that when I take my kids to a family-friendly event that we don't have to see porn? Sure, I get it...it's a tanning salon and the girl is mostly covered. But, if you try so hard to be family-friendly, wouldn't it make sense to stick with that theme in everything?

You might as well make your slogan "Families are our primary theme, but porn is our secondary theme because it pays the bills".

Now I have to decide whether or not I will ever attend another game. It would have made for a fun and affordable youth event, but can you imagine a group of junior high boys every time the blimp came around? I wonder how much tickets are for the Vancouver Giants...

More productive...

You would think that I should have something more productive to do on a Thursday night than stare at a computer screen. It's my "Friday night" (because I have Fridays off) and I've already watched "The Office" and "My Name Is Earl". And now I'm killing time trying to find new tunes to listen to.

I need a life...but until I find one on Ebay here's some random stuff:

• I've noticed from my statcounter that I've got a case of "lurkers"
• Oilers beat the Flames...why do I care? I'm a Habs fan
• I'm part of a fantasy hockey league and I still have no clue how it works
• I bought another book
• Great story of a pornographer that gave his life to Christ
• Need to shop for house stuff tomorrow
• Going to a hockey game

This is why...

I got to baptize one of our high school students today and this reminds me why I do what I do. Not that I needed a reminder...but it's always nice to jog the memory. It's fascinating to watch how God and teenagers intersect and it's exciting to watch students as they respond to Him.

I've been part of a few different conversations lately where people ask how I can work with teens. These individuals seem to have a hard time engaging students in conversation. More than that, it seems most people have a difficult time understanding teenagers.

Ok, now I don't profess to be an all-knowing youth ministry expert. I'll likely never write a youth ministry book or teach a seminar at NYWC. I won't begin a youth ministry consulting firm where I tell everyone what's wrong with their ministry and how they can reach students better. I won't ever make a fortune doing this. I'll never be famous. But I love what I do.

I don't have a profound answer for why I can work with students. I just can. I guess the "spiritual" answer would be that God gifted me for this. Others would say I'm "cursed". Others call me crazy and wonder when I'll grow up and start hanging around people my own age.

Want to know a secret? I have a difficult time with adults. I usually find myself searching for what to say and how to say it. I fidget during the awkward silence at a dinner table. I get nervous when I think about big groups of people that aren't under the age of 18. I'm strange that way.

I'm working on it though. I'm trying to engage in "adult conversation" (it sounds funny to refer to it that way). I'm making progress in terms of talking to parents and board members and other church folks who don't get a huge kick out of hitting others with a pool noodle.

But then again, doesn't everyone love to swat someone else with a pool noodle?

Ok, this post got away from me. I'm just glad I do what I do.

Diggin' it...

Saw this via Marko's blog and I was impressed by this guy's (Matt Weddle) creativity and quality.

Fall is here...

I officially know that fall has arrived when the calendar has more pen marks on it than my high school math tests. Incidentally, I wasn't very good at math.

I'll spare the gory details...

• Fall kick off came and went...it amazes me how good some students are at DDR
• Supertour came and went...it was loud and I've never seen a bigger mess in a sanctuary
• Ministry Plan deadline came and went...I got mine done and need to present it at the board meeting next week
• Baptism 101 came and went...one student ready for next week!
• Saturday soccer came and went...a draw with Reading? Good grief!
• Sunday morning kick off came and went...absolute blast

In other news, I was awakened today with the news that a vehicle we had borrowed from friends had been stolen. It appeared as though someone tried to steal my in-laws vehicle (there were scissors in the ignition) but since they had no progress had decided to steal our borrowed truck.

We called the police and I went to work. I was at work when the police arrived to get my wife to fill out a police report. Then I got the phone call.

"Mike, didn't you drive the truck to church yesterday?"

Umm...yeah. I drove to church early in the truck and parked in the mall parking lot across the street. Erin and the kids came later, parked in a different spot and we all stayed around for our kick off BBQ after the service. When all was said and done we packed up and headed home. In the same vehicle! Being the master genius that I am, I completely forgot the truck in the mall parking lot.

When I stood up in my office and looked at the mall parking lot, I could see the truck that had prematurely been reported stolen. I'm feeling like the biggest idiot ever today! Enjoy a laugh or two at my expense. Everyone else is!

Renovations...

I decided to go for it and change my blog layout by trying a new version that Blogger has out right now. So now I'm slowly in the process of updating my links and maybe adding a few new things. I liked the old design, but I like some of the newer features like labels and customizing my templates. This should make for hours of fun.

Whatcha think?

What's in a song...

I started off watching MuchMoreMusic's "Back in...1995" and somehow I ended up in front of the computer with my guitar playing along with some of my favorite 90's tunes. But it got me to thinking about all the memories that I have wrapped up in songs. It doesn't matter where I hear some of these songs, but I'm always taken back to a specific moment.

The strange thing is that it happens mostly with stuff from the 90's. Is that normal?

Here's a sample of what found it's way onto my Itunes playlist tonight...

• Standing Outside A Broken Phone Booth (Primitive Radio Gods)
• The Freshman (The Verve Pipe)
• Two Princes (Spin Doctors)
• 1979 (Smashing Pumpkins)
• Smooth (Santana & Rob Thomas)
• You Get What You Give (New Radicals)
• Stay (Lisa Loeb)
• Good (Better Than Ezra)
• Breakfast at Tiffany's (Deep Blue Something)
• Roll to Me (Del Amitri)
• Various Gin Blossoms tunes

Special day...

My wife not only celebrates a b-day today but she just...get ready for this...started her own blog! Ok, so she hasn't blogged as of yet, but I think she will fairly soon. So, be nice!

It's been a crazy week...and it will only get crazier...but I'll be back here one of these days. But now I've got a hot date watching "House".

Cane free...

Yesterday I returned my cane. Now, for the first time in over a month, I can hold myself up as I walk with my own two legs. But while it's great to have the freedom, it's also easy for me to forget that I'm still injured which sometimes means that I can do stupid things. Little things like getting out of the car wrong or doing the stairs too fast can put me back on the couch very quickly.

My physiotherapist tells me I'm a week ahead of schedule. Again, that would be a good thing except that I tend to think I'm in better condition than I really am. I'm still months away from even being able to run. But while that's still a tough spill to swallow, it's what's driving me. It's been so long since I could run on a soccer pitch and put a ball in the back of the net. I hope I can get there again.

Miracles do happen...

We actually got our car (a 2007 Nissan Versa) yesterday. I was beginning to wonder if we were going to have to find something else, but we finally got the phone call.

I called and talked to a manager on Thursday morning and he apologized and said he would look into things for me. While I was hoping for some "financial considerations" after the hassle we've been through I was unable to get any sort of deal. That's apparently what happens when the car you want is in high demand and low supply.

Oh well...at least we can get on with life now.

Searching for a butt kicking...

I just finished "Searching For God Knows What" by Donald Miller. He's one of the few authors that can evoke almost every possible emotion. There were times that I completely disagreed with him or was just annoyed by what he was talking about and I was tempted to put the book back on the shelf.

But I stuck it out. And I think it was worth it. Miller does a great job in reminding us that our faith is not based on formulas, but rather it is based on relationships. I felt like I got my butt kicked because I often times read the Bible looking for some sort of working formula that I can apply to my life for a quick fix. But, what I need to do is read it as part of a larger story of how God works in and through relationships.

I may not explain this very well. I can never seem to write good book reviews/reports. But I was left thinking, and that is a good thing.

What sticks with me the most is his "lifeboat" analogy. He tells of a teacher who once asked his class what they would do if they were stranded in a lifeboat with a group of different people and then they had to get rid of somebody. Miller talks at length about how we constantly seem to be comparing ourselves to everyone and trying to somehow prove that we are better than others. We try to convince ourselves that we have more of a right to be in the lifeboat than somebody else, when in reality God is not looking at any of us as more important than another.

It was just a really good reminder that I need to be aware of what I'm thinking about others.

Gone but not forgotten...

It's a sad day as the world says goodbye to Steve Irwin, the infamous "Crocodile Hunter". See here for the press release of the Australia Zoo.

I remembered the first time I saw Steve on TV, I was hooked. His antics were a little unusual at times, and maybe even a little crazy, but his way with animals was absolutely amazing to watch.

Sure, he probably shouldn't have made the movie "Collision Course", but hs other videos were (amd are) always a blast to watch.

The great car debacle (part 2)...

Obviously we were in need of another car, unless we want to use a bicycle as our main form of transportation. So we started looking the weekend they told us that the Optra was a "total loss". We've tried everything...and literally driven almost everything. We even had a guy from church who owns a dealership trying to help us out.

The problem is that either we're too picky or we're just too indecisive. Ok, it might actually be a bit of both.

We finally decided that we would try to buy something new and we then narrowed it down further to 2 different models, a Dodge Caliber and a Nissan Versa. Well, it just so happens that both vehicles are extremely difficult to find with manual transmission...go figure. But at long last we were told by one dealership that they had a Versa coming in. They assured us it would be in that week or early the next. We put a $500 deposit. Yeah...that was 3 weeks ago.

I've talked to the salesman about 6 or 7 times since then and he always has the same story. Apparently the car is at the dock and they can't seem to get them to release it. The dealership has said they've been told "you'll have the car in 24 hours", which is what they then tell us. But then there's still no call.

The latest call said we'd have it by yesterday. The manager of the dealership said that if they weren't able to get it for us they would rent us a car (as we our currently borrowing a vehicle from friends at church). But, do you think I got a call yesterday? Nope.

This is getting ridiculous. I'd take my money elsewhere, except that my wife really, really likes the car and we won't be able to find one anywhere else. So we're kind of stuck.

This can't be normal, can it?