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.