It's The End of the World As We Know It...

I hear that the world is supposed to end today.

In that case, I wish you all the best in your future endeavors.

But so far I feel fine.

Almost Ending...

The vacation end is nearer than ever.

But I don't wanna go home...

(Yes, I am whining.)

Oh...and in keeping with Knott tradition we found a little restaurant tonight that we wish we would have found much earlier in our vacation.

Oh...and it's Mexican.

Oh...and I had a burrito there that blew my mind.

Oh...and I'm trying to mastermind a plan for getting us to eat there tomorrow despite the fact that there is leftover spaghetti in the fridge.

Staying...

Today we spent 5 hours on the beach building sandcastles, hunting crabs, snorkeling, swimming and reading.

I also rescued a fly away umbrella for some family who decided to abandon their stuff during the lunch hour. I think I should be on the news.

I'm getting used to this life outside the office.

I joked with our pastoral staff before I left that they might want to start looking for a new youth pastor because I was seriously considering not coming back from vacation.

I'm not joking anymore.

I'm staying.

Seriously.

And you cannot change my mind.

But you can support me. Email me and I'll let you know how to contribute to my new life.

I've got to go swim in the pool now.

Good shopping...

I shop like a man. I know what I want. I get in. I get out. If I need to try something on I take the minimal amount of time possible. I hate shopping. Unless it's a guitar shop. But let's be honest, that's not really shopping as much as it is bringing Heaven to earth.

But one sign will always catch my eye: Going Out of Business!

So on one of our island excursions we saw that enticing sign on the window of a local Borders book shop. The signs are hollering "Everything Must Go" and "All Books $2.99 or Less". I'll admit that at this stage there is always some sort of reluctance. Will I be able to find anything? Or will this be a waste?

But the curiosity almost always wins out.

I step foot into the store and it does not look promising. There appear to be more shelving units for sale than actual books. And the shelves are getting sparser by the minute as others like myself try to find themselves a sweet deal.

It starts slow. I find a book about Bacardi Rum. Hey, it's only $2.99. It can't be that bad.

Most of the shelves contain self-help books that were likely popular 7-8 years ago. So, I head over to the music section.

In amongst the Hawaiian artists I find Swell Season, The Rescues and O.A.R.

The religion section is next. A couple more finds and I'm starting to feel like I've conquered.

Combine that with Erin's find and the last minute impulse buy of season one of The Middle, and we walked away with 4 books, 3 CDs and a season of TV for $33.

I win.

Neat....

No reason for this. Just thought it was kind of neat.

And wondering why we don't call more things "neat", because that would be neat. No?

Beaching...

I've spent the last few months counting down to this vacation and awaiting the arrival of sunshine, so I'll be honest and say that I was a little disappointed to find on our first day here that a current weather system has blocked out most of the blue sky.

But if there's one place I'll accept some cloud cover, it's here. We still managed to turn bright red despite our best efforts to use the sunscreen. It would appear that our skin does not know how to respond to sunshine after months and months of living in some sort of post-Apocalyptic vampire world.

I digress...

Yesterday we broke out the snorkeling gear.

We took a stroll through Lahaina.

Climbed the Banyan tree.

We also enjoyed a steak dinner on our deck.

Now we're waiting for one sleepy head to awake before today's adventure begins.

Parkour...

It's also called FreeRunning. But is it just me or doesn't it just look like a cooler version gymnastics?

Happy Mom's Day...

Happy Mother's Day to all you Mom's!

i love my mum from Si on Vimeo.

Mustache...

It's a little lengthy but I assure you it's worth it for your weekend viewing pleasure.

Is it summer yet...

Seriously, this whole rain thing is getting ridiculous. I know it's supposed to be wet out here, but I can't remember the last time we had 2 days in a row with blue skies and sunshine. I can hardly remember a day that it didn't rain. And this is the forecast that is looming:







It's the beginning of MAY!!

That's it. It's time for a vacation.

Grace...

Every once in a while my capacity to extend grace wears out. (Ah...who am I kidding...it happens quite often. I'd like to think I'm more loving than I probably am. I should probably work on that...)

But for some individuals I find that I dig a little deeper. I stick it out. I put up with more. I give 2nd chances and 3rd tries. I hope a little more.

Sometimes I wonder what drives that.

But what happens when stupidity reaches an all time high? What happens when the grace tank is dry? What happens when "what next" has turned into "I give up"?

I hope others don't give up on me as easily as I may give up on them.

(Rant complete.)

Old Guys, Young Punks & Football...

Last Thursday night I headed out to the football pitch (aka the school yard soccer field covered in dirt & sand) to play my first game of our new Spring season. I arrived to find a squad of U21 guys that was nearly 20 members deep ready to play against our 11 member "aged" squad who was mostly interested in the Canucks game.

We've pretty much resigned ourselves to a night of being run into the ground but our team is in good spirits and just wanting to play some football.

10 minutes in I send a ball between their defenders where our winger (who has spent the last 2 season nursing a host of injuries) runs onto it like Ryan Giggs, sidesteps the remaining defender and slots it home. Advantage: old guys.

Their tackles get harder. They start mouthing off a little more. It's obvious that they weren't used to being on the receiving end.

They start lighting up shots. Our keeper, despite his Liverpool tattoo (which has me always questioning his ability to play the game!) , is able to make some of the most amazing saves I've seen in a rec game.

The half ends with us up 1-0 and knowing that the second half would be much harder than the first. With another 45 minutes looming I would imagine that most of us would have been happy to escape with a draw.

The second half gets underway their testosterone-driven aggressive play is taken to a new level. More tackles. More mouthing off. Cards are being handed out. Our guys hold on and tackle back, letting them know that we're not going to be pushed around by some young punks.

They score to tie it up. Advantage (unfortunately): young punks. Discouraged, but not without some faith in our own skills, we keep on plugging away.

They mistime clearing a ball out of the box and one of our midfielders runs onto it to slip it past the keeper. Advantage (once again): old guys.

This is where things go from insane to stupid. They start making more comments about us and how we play. As we start to cramp up (remember, we're old) they complain about time wasting and tell us to carry guys off the field, as if we have some sort of medical staff and stretcher.

Then one of their players makes a racial comment towards one of our defenders.

Unreal. I haven't heard such garbage on the soccer pitch.

I credit our team with not enforcing martial law right there on the spot.

It's time to end it. With the game finally resuming, a ball gets pushed through the back and the race is on. I'm not as quick as I once was but I manage to keep free of the defender and get into the box.

The keeper is rushing out as ready to tuck it to his left.

A shoulder comes crashing into me from behind.

I stay on my feet to watch the ball bounce off the keeper, then off the defender and out the back of the field. Opportunity squandered!

But then I hear the whistle.

I look back and see the official pointing to the penalty spot.

It would appear that we just got the benefit of the doubt after a game filled with nonsense. I'm not convinced I was fouled. I wasn't even looking for one. But we'll take it.

I pass off the potential scoring opportunity to another teammate due to my inconsistency and lack of confidence about scoring from the spot. (Give me the ball 20 yards out and I'll gladly have a go. Let me line up on the spot and I find a way to overthink it and miss.)

Next thing we know the ball is in the back of the net with a shot hard enough that it would have knocked the keeper over if he had been anywhere close to it.

Advantage: old guys.

In an anticlimactic moment, with less than 3 minutes on the clock, the field lights went off (thanks to the late starting & late ending coed game played before us!) and left us up 3-1. We were forced to abandon the match. And in what can only be a moment of both great timing and bad luck, we were unable to shake hands.

We were able to escape without more verbal abuse.

But we were also unable to shake their hands with that grin on our face as we remind them that a bunch of old guys can still let the football do the talking.

Post Sermon Reflections...

On Sunday we started a new series at church called Practical Atheist. Yes, we're completely unoriginal and stole the idea from a book/other church. But I'm still stoked about the series and think it will be great for our church family. (Also a little disappointed that I'll miss 3 parts...but somehow I think a beach in the middle of the ocean will comfort me.)

I started us off with "I believe in God but still worry all the time." Long sermon made short is this: I say I follow Jesus, but by worrying all the time I am ultimately saying I don't trust Him. Therefore, my actions contradict what I say. Change is needed.

A couple of observations:

• I likely should not mock the Canucks losing during a service where we have placed rocks in everyone's hands. In the past when I made silly remarks about BC sporting teams I usually had my mic shut off. Today someone tossed a rock at the stage.
• It is hard to see the massive clock at the back of the room. I had no idea about times, so we're lucky we got out of there before supper. We should probably look into the clock thing.
  
• I actually read all the right passages and remembered all my main points for once. We seem to be making memory progress now.
  
• Hearing a compliment about the sermon is confusing for me as a preacher. Dozens of thoughts drift through my head with any kind word someone says. (Another pastor said it was one of my best, but somehow I'm left questioning how bad my other ones were...silly little brain of mine!)
  
• Trying to remember how the service is supposed to end when you've preached a little long and still need to lead Communion is mind-boggling. I missed announcing a community care offering, so I trust God is big enough to help us out with the poor over the next month in spite of my mistake.
  
• If the stars somehow align themselves so that the annual Men's Retreat happens to fall on the 2nd official day of sunshine in the lower Mainland, you can expect low numbers. (Or we blame the fact that someone let it slip that I was preaching and people stayed home.)

Hope your Monday is good.

I'd say get out there and vote for me in the polls, but most of you aren't in the country, and technically I'm not sure that I'm supposed to campaign on election day.

Post #1000...

No kidding. This crazy journey began on December 15, 2004. I was working elsewhere. My kids were lots littler. My face had no chin fur.

Thanks for being here. I know that many of you plan your week around this blog, so I want to do something memorable in honor of you for post #1000.

Watch this...

Game 7...

Must. Make. It.

I'm having trouble watching. Spotting Boston 2 goals to begin the game wasn't helping matters. Now we're only down 1.

Is this what Canucks fans felt like yesterday? (Minus the being down by a goal part.)

And I'll likely miss the last few minutes because I have to be at youth tonight. So, it would be helpful Montreal if you scored 5 in this period. I'd also accept 4 as long as you keep everything else out.

Big night...

As much as I would love to see an all Canadian Stanley Cup final between the Canadiens and the Canucks, I will admit that I am slightly curious as to just how Canucks "fans" would react if they were to lose tonight's game.

And by "fan" I am not directing this at the lifers. An "actual fan" would know who Kirk McLean is. They know why the white towel gets waved. They also know that Trevor Linden spent time in a Habs jersey. And they know there is more than one Bure. I do not wish to see the legitimate pain you would feel. I do wish to see what happens to the bandwagon "fans" though.

I won't cheer too hard though because I know they are likely to reciprocate with negativity towards my team of choice (or towards my office).

Should be an interesting hockey night nonetheless.

Oh Monday...

I'm fighting with all my might to avoid taking a nap in the office.

I. Am. Beat.

Every part of me craves caffeine. I'd love to crack open a Coke. Or head on over to Tim Horton's and grab a large French Vanilla cappuccino. I'm even tempted to grab a Pepsi out of the mini fridge. (Yes, that's how low I would sink right now.)

But, I'm currently at day #34 of caffeine sobriety. I'm trying to hang in there until vacation in May when I will celebrate by have an ice cold Coke (or Cokes) on the beach. (Yes, I fully intend to leap off the wagon.)

In the meantime I am proving that caffeine is not my master, but a friend that I miss greatly.

I am instead settling for a hot Iced Tea. I'm kicking the window open. And I'm going to try and finish up details for middle school youth tonight.

Drop a comment. Say hello.

Dating Advice...

We're in a month long teaching series called "Flirt" (totally stole the title from Brian Berry, so props to him & his crew!) for our students about sex, sexuality, dating & relationships. I had some fun with our high schoolers last night as we talked about dating.

I came up with a fun (yet practical) list of 10 Rules For Saving Your Dating Life that set the stage for our actual healthy dating advice.

I did not expect the major push back on the McDonald's and rollerskating date. I added it because I once had a date at McD's who refused to eat. And then on another night I went rollerskating with our youth group and she wouldn't skate with me during couples skate. I figured it was a bad date idea. Maybe it was just me?

What we actually settled down on for healthy dating advice was this:

• Be INTENTIONAL instead of RECREATIONAL - Who am I dating? What are they about? What do they believe? Why are we dating? What are we doing on the date?
  
• Be RELATIONAL instead of PHYSICAL - Recognizing that it's easier to be physical than relational, what boundaries do I have? Where will I be tempted?
  
• Be CHRIST focused instead of SELF focused - What if I was willing to pray about my date and for my date?
  

I'll admit that this series is pushing my creativity. The easy thing is to just tell them what not to do. But they've mostly heard it all before and I don't think that really helps them. I'm trying to encourage them to use their brains and think about what they are doing. I'm trying to get them to ask themselves lots of questions.

If you had some advice about dating for high schoolers, what would it be?

What's New...

It's been a while. Here's what's new here:

• I have become a lazy reader. Every book I pick up is kicking my butt.
  
• I have become a lazy athlete. Played 3 hours of soccer for the first time in almost a month on Sunday...and my body hates me for it.
• After escaping the responsibility of coaching soccer for so many years, I've finally been volunteered to co-coach the summer league that Aidan & Becca play on.
• Got to lead worship on Sunday with 3 other talented musicians. Safe to say that it was the most fun I have ever had with a band since my Youth Conference days.
  
• Teaching our month long dating, relationship & sex series for our middle school and high school students. Hectic, but fascinating to see the questions being asked. Particularly by middle schoolers.
• Counting down 24 days to some much anticipated vacationing in the sun.
• Started conversations about a missions trip for our students. It's been 5+ years on the list of things to do, but it looks like this time it might just stick. Need to rally the parents & students together for a meeting now.
• Erin's almost done exams but then gears up for her practicum. That'll take life to whole new level of crazy for a few weeks.
• Got to do some prep work now for my May 1 sermon.

So...what's new with you?

Did you know...

April is sex month.

Actually, I have no idea if that's true. I'm also smart enough not to Google it. So let's just say this is unofficial for the time being.

Tonight we begin our month long series on dating, relationships and sex with our students. It's been two years since we last taught on these subjects and gauging on the questions that showed up in our "Question Box" last month, I can only guess that this series is overdue and will likely be full of surprises.

I also expect that our attendance will increase over the month. It almost always has anytime we start talking about sex.