January 2008
185 posts
A New Year →
Well..it’s official. 2008 has begun. There is always so much optimism at this time of year. And that is fine…really it is. But my prayer going into this New Year is this… May all that seeks to distract me from loving God with all my heart and all my soul and all my mind fade away! May the love of God empower me to love others in a way that I never could on my own. Grace! May you...
December 2007
157 posts
Final 2007 Post: Grad →
I mentioned the two biggest themes for 2007 for me: gospel and forgiveness. One more that I can’t ignore is my grad. It feels good to be done. Graduating was a way to mark the occasion but it really wasn’t as big a deal was the experience of being pushed to integrate study, ministry, and life. The other big benefit was relationships I developed with people I wouldn’t otherwise...
Final 2007 Post: Grad →
I mentioned the two biggest themes for 2007 for me: gospel and forgiveness. One more that I can’t ignore is my grad. It feels good to be done. Graduating was a way to mark the occasion but it really wasn’t as big a deal was the experience of being pushed to integrate study, ministry, and life. The other big benefit was relationships I developed with people I wouldn’t otherwise...
My 12 Most Interesting Pictures of 2007 →
According to flickr on the last day of the year. - Peace
Forgiveness →
The other day I mentioned that 2007 was a year of rediscovering the gospel for me. The other theme of 2007 for me is forgiveness. I was describing to Bene a while back some of what happened to us in 2005 and especially 2006. I won’t get into all the details here, but we had to extend forgiveness to a few people. We began that process in 2006. At first we had to forgive dozens of times a day....
Forgiveness →
The other day I mentioned that 2007 was a year of rediscovering the gospel for me. The other theme of 2007 for me is forgiveness. I was describing to Bene a while back some of what happened to us in 2005 and especially 2006. I won’t get into all the details here, but we had to extend forgiveness to a few people. We began that process in 2006. At first we had to forgive dozens of times a day....
Pagan Christianity →
“I can’t believe this book is getting published by a big-time publisher,” writes blogger Brant Hansen. “This is going to be interesting…This book is going to honk people off.” The book he’s talking about is Pagan Christianity (available for pre-order at Amazon or for immediate purchase at the book website), originally written by Frank Viola but now...
Pagan Christianity →
“I can’t believe this book is getting published by a big-time publisher,” writes blogger Brant Hansen. “This is going to be interesting…This book is going to honk people off.” The book he’s talking about is Pagan Christianity, originally written by Frank Viola but now updated with George Barna as co-author. This book comes with a disclaimer from the...
The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game by Michael... →
One of the books I received for Christmas was The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game by Michael Lewis, a book where one of my favorite authors tackles my favorite sport. In the 1980s rushing linebackers, specifically Lawrence Taylor, became a bigger part of the defensive scheme (at about the same time Bill Walsh was reinventing offensives to make the quarterback more important) This created a...
Done: 4000 KM in 2007 →
Well it’s done, 4000 km in 2007. Thanks to Calvin for coming along for the final ride. Thanks to everyone who’s expressed their encouragement , it means a great deal. 4200 is the goal for 2008 :) - Peace
UCLA to regret hiring Neuheisel? →
As Michael Ventre points out, there has been some integrity issues in Neuheisel’s past. Technorati tags: UCLA, Rick Neuheisel
escaping chaos: everyday stories from karachi,... →
No doubt there are many bloggers writing from Pakistan - I happened to come across Metroblogging Karachi, where 2 stories in particular grabbed me. The first is Escaping Chaos: A Bride’s Account, by a woman who writes about having her wedding in Karachi on December 27, in the midst of the violence, fear and confusion. The second is Escaping Chaos: Another Tale, by a young urbanite woman, a...
Shreveport: Everything that is wrong with college... →
The sad thing is that I have watched this bowl game on more than one occasion.
The original recipe for bowl disappointment, though, comes from Shreveport, La.: The Independence Bowl, better known to you and me as the former Poulan/Weed Eater Independence Bowl. The GMAC, the Motor City, the Meineke Car Care Bowl … they all owe a debt of gratitude to the Independence Bowl, which came along...
Making the Transition to Division I →
It isn’t fun making the transition to Division I, NCAA basketball. Another way is to look at Presbyterian, which is one of about 24 colleges in the last decade to move up to Division I, the top National Collegiate Athletic Association level, in the hope of gaining exposure, money and a little bit of glory to help put their programs and universities on the map.
One day, Coach Gregg Nibert...
Is there a right kind of church? →
Without thinking too hard, I can come up with five kinds of churches: New churches that follow traditional models
Older, established churches
New, non-traditional churches
Older, non-traditional churches
Organic churches with little structure or leadership
I can think of examples of churches in each category. Each type has its unique set of strengths and weaknesses. You can argue that some...
Church signs of the month →
This one and more at The Holy Observer
Missional within a traditional setting →
I’ve now been at Richview for over nine (!) years. The people there are amazing, and I’ve learned tons in this time. One of the tensions is that it is an established, traditional church. Even with great people, there are forces at work that draw us inward to focus on maintenance, routine, budgets, meetings, etc. I haven’t always succeeded in wrestling with these forces but here...
3900 KM and Invite →
Hit 3900 last night. Just under a 100 km to go now. Plan is to pass the 4000 km mark on Sunday the 30th. Some friends are coming along for the ride and some others are just coming over to the house for some hot drinks. If you’re interested drop me a line. - Peace
Back Home →
Sophia makes a move.
Got in today at 3:00. Did some errands. Had Japanese tonight. Felicia and I watched “Once” tonight. This film has a wopping 98% on Rotten Tomatoes. It’s a modern day musical - but unlike any musical you’ve seen before. I liked it quite a bit. It was unlike any other movie I have ever seen before (and this is someone who saw over 100 films this past...
The Assasination of Benazir Bhutto →
The New York Times has a slide show of her assassination including the suicide bomb going off. Technorati tags: photography, Benazir Bhutto, Pakistan
The Megapixel Myth →
Ken Rockwell explains why megapixels are not a good indicator of how good a camera is. Resolution has little to do with image quality. Color and tone are far more important technically. Even Consumer Reports in their November 2002 issue noted some lower resolution digital cameras made better images than some higher resolution ones.
6 Megapixel says that the more megapixels one has, the worse the...
Netscape Navigator RIP →
It was a great run and somehow you managed to sell yourself to AOL for $4.2 billion when it was almost done but on February 1st, it all ends. Like almost everyone, I used and loved Netscape 2 and 3. Version 3 had a WYSIWYG editor built into the Gold edition which I used to make quite a few websites back in the day. I was an early adopter of Netscape Communicator but quickly ditched it when the...
Seven hurt in punch-up at Church of the Nativity →
The cradle of Christianity was rocked by an unholy punch-up when Greek Orthodox and Armenian priests came to blows in a dispute over how to clean Bethlehem’s Church of the Nativity. The ancient place of worship, built over the site where Jesus Christ is said to have been born in a stable more than 2,000 years ago, is shared by various branches of Christianity, each of which controls and jealously...
A renewed focus on what matters most →
It started, really, with some of the work I did on my thesis. It began to crystalize with a sermon I heard late last year preached by a pastor in Charlotte who had returned from his sabbatical and committed to preach differently, echoing Paul’s words, “I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified” (1 Corinthians 2:2). It continued with a quote from...
The Shack →
William P. Young has written a dangerous book. It shouldn’t have been possible to write this one. I first heard about it from my friend Earl who said, “This will probably be one of those books I read again and again.” I picked it up yesterday. As I began to read it, the novel seemed to run into impossible dead ends. I kept wondering how Young was going to write himself out of...
The Shack →
William P. Young has written a dangerous book. It shouldn’t have been possible to write this one. I first heard about it from my friend Earl who said, “This will probably be one of those books I read again and again.” I picked it up yesterday. As I began to read it, the novel seemed to run into impossible dead ends. I kept wondering how Young was going to write himself out of...
What's in a Name? →
Steven Heller on anonymous commenters: A rose is a rose, and a real name at the end of a blog post is an indication that the person who authored the statement is taking responsibility, indeed ownership of the words — it is a simple act of honesty. For too long bloggers have been given license that is not tolerated in letters-to-the-editor columns of newspapers and magazines (except in...
Why We're Not Emergent: By Two Guys Who Should Be →
I discovered this book the other day. It’s not due out until April but I plan to read it. The book’s website is also up:
The Emergent Church is a strong voice in today’s Christian community. And they’re talking about good things: caring for the poor, peace for all men, loving Jesus. They’re doing church a new way, not content to fit the mold. Again, all good. But there’s more to the...
Why We're Not Emergent: By Two Guys Who Should Be →
I discovered this book the other day. It’s not due out until April but I plan to read it. The book’s website is also up:
The Emergent Church is a strong voice in today’s Christian community. And they’re talking about good things: caring for the poor, peace for all men, loving Jesus. They’re doing church a new way, not content to fit the mold. Again, all good. But there’s more to the...
Post Christmas →
Had a really great Christmas day yesterday. Gifts, food and Adam’s first time tobogganing! I got what I wanted: the 20 yr. anniversery deluxe version of the Joshua Tree. It contains a re-mastered edition of the JT, a cd of rare and unreleased songs, a dvd of a Paris concert from ‘87 and a really cool book about the album. The Joshua Tree is my favourite U2 album. Achtung Baby is...
Christmas 2007 →
So Christmas 2007 has come and gone. It was an odd one for me. I enjoyed it and Wendy blogged about it here (and today she blogged about today here). This is Mark’s seventh Christmas and he was the same age I was when my dad walked out a couple weeks after Christmas. I remember a lot about that Christmas, including what an ass he was that holiday and thinking how much better life would...
Contextless Links →
Is waterboarding torture? One man decided to try it himself :: I have never been more panicked in my whole life. Once your lungs are empty and collapsed and they start to draw fluid it is simply all over. You know you are dead and it’s too late. Involuntary and total panic. There is absolutely nothing you can do about it. It would be like telling you not to blink while I stuck a hot needle...
The Reading Life →
Somehow over the past year my Amazon wish list crept up to some 180 books. That’s bad news because the rate of books I’m adding to my list is greater than the rate of books I’m reading. This doesn’t even include the stack of books in my office waiting to be read, the ones that I’ve promised to review, and the couple that I’ve pre-ordered. Sure, some of them are...
The Reading Life →
Somehow over the past year my Amazon wish list crept up to some 180 books. That’s bad news because the rate of books I’m adding to my list is greater than the rate of books I’m reading. This doesn’t even include the stack of books in my office waiting to be read, the ones that I’ve promised to review, and the couple that I’ve pre-ordered. Sure, some of them are...
[LIF] Kicking Back →
Christmas morning →
This year’s Christmas has been different because we’ve been taking part in the Advent Conspiracy. Our gift spending was reduced by over 50% compared to other years. I wondered what Christmas morning would feel like with fewer gifts, but we weren’t at all disappointed. If anything we were less overwhelmed because we didn’t have too much to enjoy all at once. We didn’t...
Christmas morning →
This year’s Christmas has been different because we’ve been taking part in the Advent Conspiracy. Our gift spending was reduced by over 50% compared to other years. I wondered what Christmas morning would feel like with fewer gifts, but we weren’t at all disappointed. If anything we were less overwhelmed because we didn’t have too much to enjoy all at once. We didn’t...
Christmas 2007 →
MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!!
The Visited Planet →
A story by J.B. Phillips: Once upon a time a very young angel was being shown round the splendours and glories of the universes by a senior and experienced angel. To tell the truth, the little angel was beginning to be tired and a little bored. He had been shown whirling galaxies and blazing suns, infinite distances in the deathly cold of inter-stellar space, and to his mind there seemed to be an...
The Visited Planet →
A story by J.B. Phillips: Once upon a time a very young angel was being shown round the splendours and glories of the universes by a senior and experienced angel. To tell the truth, the little angel was beginning to be tired and a little bored. He had been shown whirling galaxies and blazing suns, infinite distances in the deathly cold of inter-stellar space, and to his mind there seemed to be an...
Merry Christmas →
- Peace
Blessed Christmas →
I’m spending some time today wrapping up some commitments before we head to our Christmas Eve service tonight. Then I’m mostly off work for the next couple of weeks. Beginning late this week I’ll have some reflections on the past year, which has been a whole lot better than last year was. I’ll also have a preview of what I’m working on for the coming year. I...
Blessed Christmas →
I’m spending some time today wrapping up some commitments before we head to our Christmas Eve service tonight. Then I’m mostly off work for the next couple of weeks. Beginning late this week I’ll have some reflections on the past year, which has been a whole lot better than last year was. I’ll also have a preview of what I’m working on for the coming year. I...
The Story of Stuff →
If you’ve been following the Advent Conspiracy, this 20-minute online video is a good summary of the production cycle of our stuff:
From its extraction through sale, use and disposal, all the stuff in our lives affects communities at home and abroad, yet most of this is hidden from view. The Story of Stuff is a 20-minute, fast-paced, fact-filled look at the underside of our production and...
The Story of Stuff →
If you’ve been following the Advent Conspiracy, this 20-minute online video is a good summary of the production cycle of our stuff:
From its extraction through sale, use and disposal, all the stuff in our lives affects communities at home and abroad, yet most of this is hidden from view. The Story of Stuff is a 20-minute, fast-paced, fact-filled look at the underside of our production and...
[LIF] Merry Christmas! →
Happy Holidays →
Well as I post this I am ready for Christmas. Every fall I start a spreadsheet and over the following months it gets refined and items picked up. We were done the bulk of the shopping well before the craziness of Christmas shopping hits and I actually made two trips to the 24 hour Wal-Mart to do some shopping. Last night Wendy and I set our alarm for 3:00 a.m. and went to the Stonegate Wal-Mart...
Contextless Links →
My life is complete. Zubaz pants are back! I’ll take a Michigan pair, a Denver Broncos pair, a Notre Dame pair… I have been waiting since I have been in grade nine for this day.
Wendy has found the Grinch and she lives in Saskatoon
Mike Birbiglia: I kind of feel like Rudy [Giuliani] thinks 9/11 is his birthday. He gets that excited look on his face and buys himself a cake and...
Chemistry →
There are some people that you click with instantly - there is a chemistry that is there that is inexplicable. There are other people where it takes a little time to build up that sort of instant familiarity. And then there are still others with whom you can never ever ever break through to - its not animosity, it’s more like ambivalence. You have conversations that are punctuated with...