NEW LOCATION FOR MY BLOG You might notice the posts here are WAY out of date. The new location of my blog is actually at: campea.wordpress.com Update your bookmarks accordingly.

Shutting down for a while As most of you have noticed, I've haven't been updating the site much since moving out here to Ontario. I think I've decided to shut the site down for a little while. No, not a Jordon Cooper 5 hour shut down, more like 2 or 3 month shut down. I have a lot of stuff to mull through about my feelings towards the organized church and I think I need to make it an internal monologue for a while. In the meantime I'll be putting most of my "online" energy towards The Movie Blog. As a matter of fact, in the next day or 2 the url johncampea.com will take you to The Movie Blog's site. Thanks to you all who have read my site, sent email and engaged in great conversation. I'll be back.

StudentMinistry.Net domain for sale A few years ago I started a website called StudentMinistry.Net. It was basically a resource site for youth pastors and youth leaders with articles, film reviews and audio files of sermons of mine. To my surprise it became rather popular and at one point was getting around 5000 people a week coming to the site. After 3 years it became just too hard to keep it updated and so I shut it down. I still own the domain name and apparently around 75 people a week go looking for it. I've decided to sell the name to anyone who wants to put it to good use. Let me know if you're interested and what you want to use it for. I'll either give it to the highest bidder, or the ther person who has the most creative idea for it.

Jordon Cooper Rocks Jordon easily has the best blog (or personal website) that I have ever read. I don't always agree with him (which is usually more fun), but his thoughts and insights are always thought provoking. Anyone who wants to expand the way they think should read his site on a regual basis, I know I do. I'm going to miss Tuesday soup with him.

I'm Home! I'm finally back in Ontario! Home sweet home! It's so great being back here. It's almost too hard to explain. There are many many people back in Saskatoon that I'm going to miss terribly, but here in Ontario is where I'm supposed to be. It's home. We got in last night a about 3am and slept in till about 9:30am. I've already been outside with my niece, tried to rip around on my father's 4 wheel ATV, chatted with one of my sisters and other assorted things. I'm going out to look at gyms in a little while to use for the rest of the summer until school starts. It's just really good to be back.

Last post for a couple of days Monday morning I will hit the road for a 2 day drive to Ontario, my old/new home. I have loved Saskatoon deeply, and loved many who live here. One chapter closes, another begins. I'll post when I arrive.

Re-Thinking the Tithe Part 2 I've had some really interesting discussions with some people over the last couple of days since I first posted on the issue of tithing. A few common questions keep coming up that I thought I would address here. 1) What about the OT verse about bringing in the whole tithe? (Malachi 3:10) The reason I don't give any weight to this passage in terms of supporting giving the tithe to the local church is that the context of the passage was meant for the Temple. In the OT, the temple was the absolute focus of Hebrew social and religious life and their main perceptual representation of God himself. The problem is that the Temple does not exist anymore, and nowhere does the NT suggest that local church structures are to be considered the new Temple. The NT points to believers themselves being the new Temple of the living God, not a local church organizational structure. 2) What about evangelism? Yes, SOME of our money should be used for evangelism. The problem is that most people seem to forget that evangelism is most effectively done by individual believers to individual people. This is the NT model. There where no local church structures that Christians tried to bring people to once a week in hopes that they would get saved there. Instead, Acts 2 suggests that the believers sold their possessions and gave it to others in need (or as they had need). It also says that money was brought to the feet of the apostles, but that money was also used to meet the physical needs of people. It was this atmosphere that allowed the believers to "enjoy the favor of all the people". In such an atmosphere, our testimony carries more credibility and therefore more power. So you see, I think evangelism itself would be more well served if our money went to serve peoples needs instead of paying for church buildings. 3) Shouldn't we also be concerned about Spiritual needs? Yes, we should absolutely be concerned about meeting spiritual needs. However, MONEY DOES NOT MEET SPIRITUAL NEEDS! There is no dollar sign holding people back from the living God. I guess the bottom line for me is that Jesus talked about using our money and giving in terms of the poor and needy, not in terms of paying for a church building. I'd still love to hear any thoughts you may have. Am I missing something here?

The Movie Blog is now up and running Well, I should say it's "sort of" up and running. The blog itself and the commenting system are all operational. The only things left to do are the "fluff" things like external links and a couple of graphics. Please stop in and let me know what you think. I decided to keep the look very simple and stream lined so there isn't a lot of eye candy there. Hope you like it.

Re-Thinking Tithing I'm starting to re-think the whole issue of tithing (I think I'm spelling that wrong). I'm just getting so sick and tired of all this money we as christians are giving, ending up paying for church buildings, new wing expansions, carpet cleanings ect. ect. ect. I did a quick survey of 3 churches financial reports. As it turns out, on average 83% of all church money goes to paying for church buildings, building costs, and salaries. On average, less than 4% of these churches annual budgets went to feeding hungry people, clothing naked people, fighting aids, helping drug addicts or alcaholics, paying the bills for low income families ect. ect. ect. The more I read the gospels, the more I'm realizing that the idea of "giving" as preached by Jesus was never about funding organizations or television ministries or even churches. The concept of giving was all about meeting peoples practical needs. I'm sadly discovering that giving to churches only meets the church building needs. Therefore, I'm thinking that from now on I'll only donate a much smaller portion of my income to an organized church, and use the rest of my giving to meeting peoples needs. Buying food for families or food banks, maybe paying some peoples bills who can't make ends meet, give more money to the aids crisis in Africa. Basically, I think I'm going to start using my money the way I think Jesus would use it today. You may now begin sending me hate mail. :)

Getting ready for TheMovieBlog.Com A few years ago, my friend Dave Lapsley and I had a website called Movie-Reviews.Org that we hada lot of fun with. On the site we just posted our own film reviews, but we got a decent amount of traffic. Unfortunetly, after a couple of years we both got really busy, and seeing 3-4 movies a week got pretty expensive. Now, we've decided to launch a new site called TheMovieBlog.Com. On the site we'll still post some of our own reviews, as well as links to other good reviews, and also post our own thoughts and opinions on movie business news. I think it'll be a lot of fun. The thing is, we'd like to have a group of people help us out, so in the next few weeks I'll be begging some of you guys to join up with us.

Un-freaking-believable! Metallica are a bunch of losers. The band Metallica has just gone WAAAYYYY too far. They are now suing a Canadian rock band for using the chords E and F too much. Apparently Metallica feels those two chords are now synonymous with "Metallica". No one else may use them too much. Here's and excerpt from the article:

"People are going to get on our case again for this, but try to see it from our point of view just once," stated Metallica's Lars Ulrich. "We're not saying we own those two chords, individually - that would be ridiculous. We're just saying that in that specific order, people have grown to associate E, F with our music." Metallica filed a trademark infringement suit against the indie group at the US district court for central California on Monday. According to the drummer, the continued use of the two chords causes "confusion, deception and mistake in the minds of the public".

This is just insane. How on earth can these washed up rockers even take themselves seriously? I hope the old 60's band The "M"onkeeys sue "M"etallica for using the letter "M" in their name. It would serve them right. Thanks to my buddy Darren Conley for pointing the story out to me.

Popular Apple "Switch" campaign a miserable failure We've all seen the Apple switch commercials. Even I have to admit that the commercials are really funny and quite good. However, I was watching Screensavers on Tech-TV tonight and they are reporting that although Intel and Dell have made huge market share and profit gains this year, Apple has not. As a matter of fact, before they launched the "Switch" ads, Apple had only a 3%-4% market share. Since the campaign, Apple's market share remains at a lowly 3%-4%. Translation: The Switch campaign didn't convince anybody to buy a Mac. It just entertained us.

My last post from this house Well, tomorrow morning at 9am the movers come to pack up my house and ship our stuff off to Hamilton. We'll be staying at my friend Trevor and Rae's place for about a week and a half as we finish saying our goodbyes to our friends here in Saskatoon. I'll miss this apartment we've been living in. It's nice, fireplace, cool large balcony and right across the street form my old office and gym so I could walk to work and the rent was very reasonable. My next post will be from Trevor's place.

The one bad thing about moving back to Hamilton One of my favorite set of memories as a kid was going to see Hamilton Ti-Cat football games with my dad. Oh the days of Tom Clements and Rocky Dipietro. I'm really looking forward to going down to a ball game every couple of weeks. Unfortunetly it looks like I'll be going to watch my hometown team lose… and lose a lot. So far the Cats are 0-4 this year, and tomorrow night they'll probably go to 0-5 against Edmonton. Oh well, I'm just grateful to watch the games again. Living in Saskatoon meant I had to drive 2.5 hours to catch a game in Regina. The one time I went was the most BORING game I've ever seen. The final score was Montreal 6 - Saskatchewan 3. Not a single touchdown.

No Soup For You! Every Tuesday it's been sort of a tradition around here for a bunch of us (Jordon, Jeb, Mike, Darren) to get together at this little asian place for soup. I don't participate in the "Spicey Soup" (as is well documentend on Jordon's site) but I LOVE the soup I normally order. I also really like the time visiting and talking with my friends. Imagine my horror when I drove out there this afternoon and found that the place was CLOSED! How DARE they be closed!!!! Don't they realize I'm moving tomorrow!?!?! Sigh, how sad for me.

8 things most couples fight over I found this article highlighting the 8 main things most couples often fight over. I found it pretty interesting and also pretty accurate.

John Maxwell status downgraded from wuss to pansy Darryl Dash has one of my favorite blogs. We share many things in common, including an extreme dislike for self proclaimed leadership guru John Maxwell. Maxwell has made a career out of spouting off vague generalities and linking business strategies with spirituality. For this and other crimes against humanity, Darryl had labeled him a "wuss". That status has recently been downgraded to the level of "Pansy". The reason for the new awful status is due to a letter Darryl got which said the following:

This letter is written to inform you that the John Maxwell event for October 8, 2003 has been cancelled. Unfortunately, INJOY Ministries feels the risk is too great for John to come to Toronto with the SARS problem on the rise again.

Darryl then goes on to point out that statistically Maxwell has a greater chance of dying in a plane crash on his way to Toronto than catching SARS. But then again, no one has ever accused Maxwell of having an over abundance of common sense.

Why JohnCampea.Com is much much MUCH better than JordonCooper.Com Although several papers and volumes could be written on this subject, I will save you time by summing up the most vital points of the assertion. In the end I'm sure you'll agree (most of you probably already do) that JohnCampea.Com is vastly superior to the sad little JordonCooper.Com site. Let us proceed: 1) Jordon currently has about 5 times the traffic that I do. Obviously this means that MY site will load faster, thus saving you, the reader, time and energy. 2) Jordon reads about 100 more books a year than I do. This inevitably leads to much more "wordy" posts on his site. Filling his posts with "insights" and "ideas" that he gleans from a diverse pool of sources just clutters up his writing. The consequence is that you the reader are forced against your will to do an undesirable amount of "thinking". I, on the other hand, quickly cut to the chase and just tell you what to think, once again saving you time and energy. 3) JordonCooper.com uses the colour red in the title graphic. This obviously means that Jordon worships the Devil. While I spend a lot of time in prayer and bible study over the posts that I put on my site, Jordon consults fortune tellers and spiritual mediums about the direction of his site. I'm also sure he performs animal sacrifices in his basement on a nightly basis. Of course, I can't "prove" any of these assertions or back them up with "facts", but my gut tells me it's true. 4) Standing at about 6'4 Jordon is a really big guy… and everybody knows that big guys can't be trusted because they're secretly Nazi spies. 5) I cheer for the Maple Leafs, while Jordon cheers for the Flames. The Leafs can kick the Flames ass any time any where. Obviously this means I'm a better blogger. 6) Jordon forces his son Mark to wear a Calgary Flames jersey. I'm contemplating contacting Child Services. 7) Jordon frequently travels around speaking at various schools and conferences… showing absolutely NO commitment to his readers. I on the other hand never get invited to speak anywhere, which means I am faithfully here on a consistent basis to write my posts and bring meaning to your empty desolate lives. I could go on and on, but I think I've made my point abundantly clear. So keep reading JohnCampea.com folks. Less traffic, fewer thoughts, not a devil worshiper, better hockey taste and most importantly… not a secret Nazi spy.

The League of ORDINARY Gentlemen & Pirates of the Caribbean I checked out a couple of flicks this weekend. The first one was the new Johnny Depp flick "Pirates of the Caribbean". The trailers for this one looked just pathetic, but to my surprise I found the film to be really charming. It was lighthearted, the action was exciting, the humour was legitimately funny and the visuals were strong. Don't get me wrong, this flick isn't going to be winning any Oscars, but it was a fun summertime movie. Go check it out for a little fun. If Pirates was a pleasant surprise, then "League of Extraordinary Gentlemen" was a horrible nightmarish surprise. I was so disappointed with this film. The movie didn't completely suck, but it was a big let down. On a personal note, my old company Satellite Animation Studios did a few of the amazing visual effects which is their 3rd major motion picture. Avoid this one, or at least see it when it's cheap to get in.

So #&$%!*! frustrating! It’s bad enough that jerks and other ill-intentioned people have the power in life to cause you pain. I’m not really talking about physical pain, but more along the lines of emotional pain/hurt/stress. At least you can see the jerks coming. The real problem is the not-jerks, the good people, the folks who honestly mean you no harm. I’ve often found that well meaning people, who through mistakes or ignorance, have much greater power to hurt you. The worst part is that you can’t really get too pissed off at them… because after all, they didn’t MEAN to hurt you. So now you’re hurt AND frustrated. Ugg, we are such fragile creatures… well, at least I am.

Why don't they just hand next years NBA title to the Lakers now? "The Los Angeles Lakers' dream team could give the rest of the NBA nightmares. Free agent Karl Malone, the NBA's second-leading all-time scorer, committed Thursday to join the Lakers, who are quickly becoming one of the most star-studded teams in history. He joins Shaquille O'Neal, Kobe Bryant and another newcomer, Gary Payton, a nine-time All-Star who agreed earlier this week to play for the Lakers. 'They have a Hall of Fame team in the making,' New Jersey Nets assistant coach Lawrence Frank said. 'They have an outstanding team, an outstanding system and an outstanding coach." Read the whole story here

Coke vs. Water This little fact list has been floating around the internet for a while now, but I thought I'd post it anyway. I really hate it cause I LOVE my coke! I love it. I yearn for it. MMmmmmmm... Cooookkkkeeee (said in my best Homer Simpson voice).

WATER 1. 75% of Americans are chronically dehydrated. (Likely applies to half the word population.) 2. In 37% of Americans, the thirst mechanism is so weak that it is often mistaken for hunger. 3. Even MILD dehydration will slow down one's metabolism as much as 3%. 4. One glass of water will shut down midnight hunger pangs for almost 100% of the dieters studied in a Washington study. 5. Lack of water is the number 1 trigger of daytime fatigue. 6. Preliminary research indicates that 8-10 glasses of water a day could significantly ease back any joint pain for up to 80% of sufferers. 7. A mere 2% drop in body water can trigger fuzzy short-term memory, trouble with basic maths, and difficulty focusing on the computer screen or on a printed page. 8. Drinking 5 glasses of water daily decreases the risk of Colon cancer by 45%, plus it can slash the risk of breast cancer by 79%, and one is 50% less likely to develop bladder cancer. ARE YOU DRINKING THE AMOUNT OF WATER YOU SHOULD EVERY DAY? COKE 1. In many states (in the USA) the highway patrol carries two gallons of Coke in the truck to remove blood from the highway after a car accident. 2. You can put a T-bone stead in a bowl of coke and it will be gone in two days. 3. To clean a toilet: Pour a can of Coca-Cola into the toilet bowl and let the "real thing" sit for one hour, then flush clean. The citric acid in Coke removes stains from vitreous china. 4. To remove rust spots from chrome car bumpers: Rub the bumper with a rumpled-up piece of aluminium foil dipped in Coca-Cola. 5. To clean corrosion from car battery terminals: Pour a can of Coca-Cola over the terminals to bubble away the corrosion. 6. To loosen a rusted bolt: Apply a cloth soaked in Coca-Cola to the rusted bolt for several minutes. 7. To remove grease from clothes: Empty a can of Coke into a load of greasy clothes, add detergent, and run through a regular cycle. The Coca-Cola will helploosen grease stains. 8. Coca-Cola will clean road haze from your wind shield. FOR YOUR INFORMATION 1. The active ingredient in Coke is Phosphoric Acid. Its ph is 2.8. It will dissolve a nail in about 4 days. Phosphoric Acid also leaches calcium from bones and is a major contributor to the rising increase in Osteoporosis. 2. To carry Coca-Cola syrup (the concentrate) the commercial truck must use the Hazardous material place cards reserved for HIGHLY CORROSIVE materials. 3. The distributors of coke have been using it to clean the engines of their trucks for about 20 years! Now the question is, "WOULD YOU LIKE A GLASS OF WATER OR COKE?"

Some interesting lessons from Robin Williams I sat in my nearly empty apartment this evening (getting ready to move) and watched the Robin Williams Live on Broadway DVD. Robin is a very funny man, but his stand up comedy can be REALLY crude. Having said that, there was about a 15 minute segment where he joked a lot about religion. Some of it was quite offensive, but something jumped out at me. It struck me that through all the jokes, you could tell that Robin seems to have an actual respect for Jesus, but really doesn’t like Christians… particularly fundamentalist Christians. I’m finding that many non-Christian people I know find the message and teachings of Jesus Christ quite appealing, but are immediately turned off by the church. Isn’t it ironic that we’re the ones who are supposed to be pointing people to Jesus, and yet we seem to be the ones that keep most people away. When Robin Williams sees someone like Mother Theresa, living out the kind of life that Christ calls us to, he is amazed and impressed. But then he sees the fundamentalist Pat Robertson bad mouthing Mother Theresa saying that she isn’t a real Christian. In his routine, Robin shoots back at Robertson saying “What the hell does she have to do Pat to be good enough? I guess she needs to be more like you and get a multi-million dollar tax shelter and a University to name after yourself!” Another thing that jumped out at me was the fact that many fundamentalists view people like Robin Williams and “the world” as the enemy of the Christian faith. If these people knew anything about the Bible they purport to read, then they’d realize that they aren’t our enemy… they are OUR MISSION. Jesus said our only enemies are the powers of the air (not the airways). Instead of fighting Robin Williams, we should be trying to understand him and where he’s coming from. We should try to understand why he sees things the way he does and try to grasp why he sees the church as he does. No wonder our churches are filled with a toxic “us – them” mentality. When we make the people in the world our “enemy”, how are we supposed to be effective in reaching them? Oh well, these are just some late night ramblings from an over tired guy.

Bush now admits statements in State of the Union Address about Iraq were “incorrect”. It’s odd. I personally thought that no one in the United States cared that they’re own President lied to them about their justification for a preemptive attack on Iraq. However, it would seem that I was mistaken. This story just won’t go away, even in the very biased CNN. Now, all Hades seems to be breaking loose in the British Parliament over this. Tony Blair is getting blasted by members of his own party on a daily basis and public opinion seems to turn more and more against him every day. With that fueling the fire, recent polls in the U.S. are showing the American people are also starting to ask more and more questions about the massive exaggeration of Iraq’s supposed Weapons of Mass Destruction capabilities. The new story breaks down like this: In January, President Bush gave his infamous State of the Union address where he laid out his case for preparing to attack Iraq to the American People and the rest of the world. Easily, the most frightening part of his speech was claiming that Iraq was pursuing the development of Nuclear Weapons. He claimed:

”Saddam Hussein recently sought significant quantities of uranium from Africa.”

By claiming Iraq was actively acquiring Uranium, Bush painted a horrific picture for the rest of the world. Saddam would drop nukes on America, Canada, England and any other country in the world! Americans got scared stiff. Suddenly the opinion polls in the U.S. swung around and started to favor Bush’s plan to attack Iraq. However, CNN is now reporting that the house of cards is starting to come down:

Amid questions about prewar intelligence, the White House is acknowledging that President Bush was incorrect when he said in his State of the Union address that Iraq recently had sought significant quantities of uranium in Africa. The White House acknowledgment comes as a British parliamentary commission questions the reliability of British intelligence about Saddam Hussein's efforts to obtain weapons of mass destruction in the run-up to the war in Iraq. Democrats in Congress also have questioned how the Bush administration used U.S. intelligence on Iraq's weapons programs. Claims about Saddam's weapons of mass destruction were a primary justification for the war, but U.S. forces have yet to find any such weapons. The House and Senate intelligence panels are looking into prewar intelligence on Iraq and how it was used by the Bush administration. Fleischer's remarks follow assertions by an envoy sent by the CIA to Africa to investigate allegations about Iraq's nuclear weapons program. The envoy, Joseph Wilson, said Sunday the Bush administration manipulated his findings, possibly to strengthen the rationale for war. Wilson, a former U.S. ambassador to the West African nation of Gabon, was dispatched in February 2002 to explore whether Iraq tried to buy uranium from Niger. Writing in a New York Times op-ed piece, Wilson said it did not take him long "to conclude that it was highly doubtful that any such transaction had ever taken place."

I’m actually starting to believe that there is hope Bush won’t win the next American election. For the world’s sake I hope that’s the case.

A Saturday Afternoon Surprise On Saturday afternoon at around 2pm Allison and I were just hanging around the house and doing some packing. Our friend Rae shows up and says “Trevor and the kids are outside in the van… so get your stuff together, we’ve going to Edmonton for the weekend RIGHT NOW”. So, off we went to Edmonton for Saturday and Sunday. It was a really nice time. Hanging out with their kids (all 5 of them) at the amusement part in the West Edmonton mall was a hoot. In the afternoon Trev and I headed over to the Silver City in the mall and caught a matinee of Terminator 3. It was soooo good. Very brainless, but tons-o-fun. I need more good days like that one.

10 Objections to Christianity and How to Respond If I needed any more proof that main stream Christianity is almost completely out of touch with our world, then I’ve found it. In a very well intentioned article on Christianity Today’s website, Frank Harber lays out 10 common struggles non-Christians often have with the concept of Christianity. The idea for the article is a good one; however, instead of really engaging the questions, the article basically tells you how to marginalize the person asking. The concerns are good ones to address. They are: 1) Christians are hypocrites. 2) What about the atrocities Christians have committed? 3) Christianity is a crutch. 4) It's narrow-minded to think Jesus is the only way to God. 5) Being a good person is all that really matters. 6) What about those who've never heard about Jesus? 7) The Bible is filled with errors. 8) If God is so good, why is there evil? 9) Why is there suffering? 10) If there's a hell, why would a loving God send people there? Why are we so afraid to admit that there are difficult things to deal with when it comes to our faith? If a person who is looking for answers asks us question #2 (the one about atrocities committed by Christians through history), why do we automatically fall back on the cliché answers instead of just giving heart felt honest ones. Why tell them “Those people weren’t real Christians” (which will inevitably lead to questions about how a “Christian” President can kill nearly 4000 Iraqi civilians) when we can just honestly tell them that “hey, Christians can be idiots and do really stupid things sometimes. We’re not perfect, but we’re trying to learn and grow”. When a person is concerned about Christian Hypocrisy, why insult the asker by saying “you should be more concerned about Jesus, because Jesus wasn’t a hypocrite”. Instead, we should just admit “Yes, we can be hypocrites sometimes. But we’re all on a spiritual journey with Christ who is changing us bit by bit”. We feel this need to appear strong and confident when challenged and questioned about our faith. The world has been watching us do it for generations and don’t buy it. Why should we be ashamed of our brokenness? Why shouldn’t we be humble? Why shouldn’t we just be honest? The world would probably find it a refreshing change. Here’s an idea. The next time someone asks you one of these questions, don’t fire back immediately with some patented Christian cliché answer. Instead, just tell them: “You know what, your right. That’s a great question and I don’t really have a great answer. Why don’t we take some time and wrestle with it together and see if we can come up with some answers”. Maybe I’m just being naïve.

Moving Sale Part 2 Wow, well we just about sold everything on our Online Moving Sale, so I decided to put a few more things up for sale that I just don't think I'll have a place for in Ontario. There are some leather chairs, great movie posters, ect. Take a look and let me know if you want anything.

Is working in a church a hindrance to your spiritual development? At first the question may sound a little silly. After all, what better spiritual environment could you work in than a church? At least that was always my way of thinking. Yet working in "full time ministry" (a stupid term) always seems to present certain challenges to my personal faith journey that until recently have been difficult to define or identify. Here are some of them: 1) Being in the public eye When you are a member of the church, you are a fellow traveller with everyone else. It is understood that you make your share of mistakes and have your share of flaws. It’s ok that you don’t have all the answers and people don’t really mind all that much that you have some different theological views than them. No one "expects" you to do this or that. However, that all changes once you are "STAFF". Now, its perceived as everyone’s right to comment on your personal habits or preferences. Your mistakes are now cause for everyone’s concern. Your flaws become fuel for the gossip machine. Your character is scrutinized and evaluated by hundreds of people who each bring a different set of criteria for judgment to the table. Your opinion on frivolous matters such as Harry Potter or shopping on Sundays are viewed by some as a negative reflection of your personal relationship with God. Now, everyone has an opinion about what you should think, what you should teach, what films you should see, how you should dress, how you should talk, who you spend time with, what your thoughts should be, what your political views should be, ect. ect. ect. For me, it’s impossible to not be constantly aware of this "Public Eye". I find it all too easy to make decisions based on what I think will appease the masses and win their approval. I often shy away from the hard decisions out of fear. Fear of the negative feedback and judgment. In short, I find that in areas of church leadership and my personal spirituality my attention can become fixed on pleasing the church rather than pleasing my Father. 2) Being taken out of the real world When you are a member of the church, you are engaged with the world every day. You work in the real world living out your chapter of the story of God. You engage people and hear their stories, discovering their perspectives on life, finding out how they view the universe and how they view God (if they have a view of Him at all). You have the opportunity to live out the Gospel story the way it was meant to be told: on a living page. People in the world see you as another human being. However, that all changes once you are "STAFF". Your day is spent in a church office. When you are out of the office you’re sitting down for a coffee with a church person, talking about problems they’re having with another church person. Your understanding of the real world becomes outdated and is defined by oversimplified Christian clichés (People recognize that they have a hole in their life, that whole can only be filled by God). As a result, you find yourself trying tell the world the answers, without ever really understanding the questions they’re asking. You can’t give them accurate directions to God, because you realize that you don’t know where on the map they’re starting from. 3) The stigma of the "Pastor" title When I’m a student/producer/web designer, I find that people are usually quite interested when I talk about spirituality. However, when I’m a "PASTOR", people seem to immediately tune me out. Its as if they automatically suspect my motives. My story is almost instantly discredited in their eyes as irrelevant because after all, I’m a minister, I’m SUPPOSED to have a story like that. The roles have reversed in the last 20 years. Now, my testimony is MORE credible if I’m an average everyday person, and LESS credible if I’m a Pastor. Go figure. 4) The line between "Profession" and "Life" becomes blurred I’ve caught myself several times confusing elements of my spiritual life as an element of my job and vice versa. It was actually in my last job description that "Prayer is a significant part of your job". Prayer is a job?!?! How twisted is that! Prayer is an essential element of my faith and life… it’s not my "job". I would also mistake sermon preparation (which I usual spent about 20 hours a week or more on) as personal Bible study, or time with God. The reality is that when I was doing sermon prep, my goal was not intimacy with God, it was sermon prep. You see the pattern. I’m not saying other pastors experience this. I’m only saying these are some of the things that I personally struggle with from time to time when I’m on a church staff. I will work on a church staff again sometime. The truth of the matter is I really enjoy working in the church. However, when I do, these are the things I need to face. Am I alone in this? Can anyone else relate with what I’m feeling?

Moving Sale! Hey everyone. As you know, we’re moving back to Hamilton Ontario in about 3 weeks, so we’ve decided to get rid of a bunch of stuff (some very nice stuff too). I’ve set up a little “sale” site that you can get at by clicking here. If you see anything you like, let me know. If you see anything you think someone else will like, let THEM know! Thanks. www.johncampea.com/sale

Robert Webber on self centered worship

I wonder if the more recent emphasis on self in worship is one more way of expressing our autonomy and self-importance. It runs like this: "God, I am going to worship you. I consider you worthy of my worship. God, this is your lucky day. I, this self-sufficient, independent human being, around whom all of life centers, I am going to give you some of my time. I am going to declare you worthy of my worship." So how do we go about correcting this misunderstanding? Only by understanding that worship focuses on God and God's mission to rescue the world through Jesus Christ. In words, signs, and gestures we sing, proclaim, and enact God's mission. The heart of this story is that God assumed human nature so that we, whose humanity he shares, may be presented to the Father. By faith we are united to Jesus and baptized in his name. He is not only our Savior but also our worship. Our worship is not an autonomous, independent act arising from self but is accomplished for us by Jesus himself. The work of Jesus is the only worship pleasing to the Father. Therefore, our worship—feeble, broken, and incomplete—is offered to God through Jesus who is the one true worship of God. I find this biblical and ancient vision of worship to be enormously freeing. It frees us from self-focused worship and all the legalisms associated with it. It is no longer "I am going to offer you my worship." Instead, our worship is: "Thank you, Jesus, for doing for me what I can't do for myself … I can't save myself … I can't generate spirituality … I can't pray as I wish … I can't even worship you well." Thanks be to God, this kind of worship puts us and our worship in its right place—under the complete Lordship of Christ. It's where self finds its true meaning and our worship is perfected in Jesus, whose service to God is what God finds pleasing and acceptable. Once this grace-filled worship grasps us, we are freed to allow our worship to be prayer.

Will preach for food Does anyone in the Toronto/Hamilton area want to hire a washed up pastor/blogger? I’m going to be attending school while I’m there, so I’m looking for anything Part-Time. Let me know.

An interesting question I was watching CNN earlier tonight when they were talking about the recent rulings regarding Affirmative Action. A viewer sent in a question that I thought was really interesting. It went like this:

Everyone agrees that racial profiling is wrong. So here's a question for you. Is it possible to have "Affirmative Action" without using racial profiling?

It's official, I'm moving back to Ontario To say it’s been an eventful couple of weeks would be an understatement. Since leaving Lakewood Baptist Church a few weeks ago, dealing with the hurt and disappointment of that situation, while at the same time trying to decide what to do next has been a real challenge for us. However, we’re really excited about the outcome. WE’RE GOING HOME! We’ll probably move to Hamilton (or somewhere close by). I’m still not 100% sure what I’ll do once I’m there. I have a couple of options open to me. I’m looking at a couple of places to work in, but I may very well decide to go back to school and take a Law program. I’m just really stoked about getting back to the Toronto area and being close to my family and friends there.

The Post-Christian Era We were moving into what's now often termed a "post-Christian" society. This is something of which you're all very much aware. These days it's not so much that young people haven't heard the gospel, it's that they think they know what Christianity is, and they've decided they don't want any. -Steve Taylor

Big Idea (Makers of Veggie Tales) loses 11 million dollar lawsuit In April a Texas jury decided Big Idea Productions, creator of the popular values-laden VeggieTales series, breached a contract with a distributor. The judge in the case has not yet issued a final ruling, but the jury said Big Idea must pay more than $11 million in lost compensation. Texas-based Lyrick Studios, producer of Barney & Friends, claims the two companies had an unsigned contract starting in 1997. Lyrick began distributing Big Idea videos and CDs the next year. According to court documents, Lyrick paid Big Idea more than $40 million from the profits in four years, saying it had exclusive rights to sell VeggieTales products in North America. But in December 2001, Big Idea terminated the relationship and announced a new distribution deal with Warner Home Video. Lyrick filed suit in January 2002. Lyrick's lawyers argued that the companies had a binding, though unsigned, agreement. They cited verbal assurances and a number of memos. Two actions in particular, Lyrick argued, showed that Big Idea assumed Lyrick and Big Idea had a binding contract: In 1998, court documents say Big Idea bought back "plush rights" from Lyrick to produce stuffed VeggieTales toys. Lyrick also said Big Idea touted its distribution deal with Lyrick as collateral for a $24 million bank loan. "We believe this case is simply about keeping commitments," Lyrick attorney Thomas Williams told the jury. "The parties did make a commitment to one another. Big Idea made those commitments, and we believe that Big Idea should be held to that commitment." Big Idea's defense said the drafted agreement only laid out terms to guide the companies. Merely working together, attorneys said, does not imply or create an exclusive contract. Read the whole story.

"Hulk" Is a darn good film Went to see the new "Hulk" film the other day, and I must admit it wasn't what I was expecting. Ang Lee did a great job of moving this film away from just being a "comic book" movie, to being a really good human story. At the same time, there are a couple of wonderful action sequences to satisfy your bash-em-up appitite. I also thought the Hulk himelf looked great, much better than he looked in the first couple of trailers (which looked pathetic). Most critics like it, and I must agree with them this time. I don't think it quite matches up with X-Men 2, but I'd put it on the same level with Spiderman and Daredevil. Go see it, I think you'll be glad you did.

One of the most disgusting things I have ever seen I came across the ABC news show NIGHTLINE last night, and saw one of the most disheartening sights I have ever seen in regards to my faith. It was the story of the National Evangelistic Preaching Competition being held at Bob Jones University in Greenville, South Carolina. Yes, you heard that right… a PREACHING COMPTETITION. The story followed a few young white men as they went through their respective State competitions all the way to the nationals. As if the very concept of this wasn’t sad enough, watching the story just made me want to cry. All the “competitors” were up there in their $500-$1000 suits, carrying their $100 gold lined black leather bound Bibles, clean cut with enough hair product to render the Hulk paralyzed and preaching with a southern drawl (even the ones who offstage didn’t speak with any accent whatsoever) that had images of Jimmy Swaggart dancing through my head. Then there was all the verbal nonsense about how all these boys were “Ordained by God to preach” or “Called by the Lord to preach the word”. I read one parent talk about this special calling in his son this way: “Mark comes from a wonderful youth group filled with great godly boys, but ask anyone and they’ll tell you that there has just always been something special about him.” I’m so tired of this westernized concept of a spiritual caste system. Oh, God loves all Christians equally, but if you’re RREEEAAALLLYYY special, God will put a call on your life to preach. Good grief, someone pass me the Pepto Bismol. The last time I checked the only questions Jesus is going to care about on the last day are: “Did you feed me when I was hungry”, “Did you clothe me when I was naked”, “Did you visit me or comfort me when I was sick or in prison”? But now I’m just rambling. The WORST part of the whole thing for me was this: Nightline says it wants to “do more of the untold human interest stories in the huge Evangelical Christian demographic in America.” Personally I think that’s great! However, for the millions of people who saw that show last night, and have no contact with anyone in Christian circles, their concept of what a “Christian” is, has now been molded in this horrific image. Christians are a bunch of wealthy, suit wearing, slick talking, gel using, southern drawl talkin spiritual elitists. I’m suddenly terrified to tell people I’m a Christian now. I’m afraid they’ll instantly associate me with the image they saw on that television last night. Maybe I’m just rambling. Maybe I’m just an angry person. Maybe I’m overreacting. Maybe I'm only saying all this because I haven't been able to sleep in almost 3 days and I'm grumpy. But I have to tell ya, stuff like this really leaves me with a sense of despair and disillusionment about “the church”. Is what I saw on TV last night really what Jesus died for? I guess a bunch of people at Bob Jones University and around North America would say “yes”.

Do we need to re-think Seminaries?

Swanger opened his blog entry with: "I think the institution of the seminary is fundamentally flawed. Seminaries must be destroyed for Christianity to flourish." This parallels a thought I've had about what seminaries train people for, mostly preaching and teaching skills and content, for cognitive information transfer, but when I look at the primary goal of making disciples, spiritual formation, or better, life transformation, it happens at a heart-and-relational level, that knowledge and information alone is unable to touch nor change nor grow.. so much of the construct of modern Christianity is built on a scholastic and academic model, and perpetuated by many (most?) seminaries, that spiritual maturity looks more like someone who has answers, rather than one who loves people well because of a love for God.. lots of verbiage hone in about making disciples or life change or loving well, and to translate that into real everyday life language, it's really about friendship, friends who can be transparent and honest and spiritual with one another, and that is how our hearts can change and grow.. it's no wonder that polls and surveys repeatedly rate 'friends' as the people who are trusted the most, not authority figures.. and, to know what a church really believes, don't interview the pastor-- talk with the average person in the pew.. then you'll really get a rude awakening to what a church (which consists of its people) believes and lives and perpetuates as its legacy..

An open letter to the members of Lakewood Baptist Church Well, it’s been almost 2 weeks since I stepped down as the Senior Pastor of the church. Many of you have written me email and left messages on my phone, and as you know, I haven’t yet responded. I do apologize, and I hope my silence has not been interpreted as a “lack of caring”. I trust this letter will explain why I have been “laying low”. Some of you have been asking me “why”. I believe we covered this issue at the meeting following the service June 8th. At that meeting I explained how it became obvious to me that a number of people in Lakewood leadership and I would never be able to function together. Not because we didn’t get along personally, but because we had completely different ideas and vision for what the church was supposed to be. I found the resulting arguments and fighting to be intolerable. Here are some selected excerpts from a letter I wrote to Bob Shelton, the National Pastoral Consultant for your denomination. Bob is a great man, and I felt it was appropriate that he was the first to be informed of our decision to move on. Again, most of what is said in this letter was openly discussed at the June 8th meeting.

I regret to inform you that Allison and I have decided that I am going to step down as the Senior Pastor of Lakewood Baptist Church here in Saskatoon at or near the end of the summer. This is something Allison and I have given some thought to over the last 2 months, and some key events in that time have solidified our decision. There are several reasons for this decision, some positive, and some negative. (When I first came) I remember being told over and over again by the (search) committee here "Change anything, change EVERYTHING. We're ready to change and move forward". This excited me, but I quickly found out that my excitement was misplaced. Right from the beginning, the SMALLEST things I tried to change were met with resistance and fighting (from a number of people in leadership). I consistently was met with weeks long, and sometimes MONTHS long battles. I quickly realized that any attempt to change anything at all in the church would be met with harsh resistance and battles. Soon, I stopped trying to advance the church. It was just not worth it to me anymore to go through all the fights in an attempt to get a church (leadership) that had no desire to change, to change. I don’t believe there was any malice ever intended towards me. The people and leaders here at Lakewood are truly wonderful folks. Even through all the fights and battles, I never sensed a spirit of bitterness or malice from them. It is the PEOPLE that postponed this decision of ours to leave. We like them very much. However, the goals and aspirations of this church (leadership) are VERY different from and incompatible with mine. I have decided to stay until at least August (possibly the end of August) for 2 main reasons. 1) To keep some sense of stability here at the church through the summer while a search committee is reformed and begins its search for a new pastor. 2) It gives Allison and me a chance to bring closure to this situation, while giving us time to figure out what to do next with our lives. Thanks again Bob for everything you’ve done for me here, and your encouraging words along the way… I wish things could have turned out differently.

I must admit that the tone of my letter to Bob sounded far more bitter and harsh than I intended. To be honest, it came from a deep sense of hurt, frustration and disappointment over how things had turned out. I cannot emphasize this next point enough. Those people on leadership who fought me the most and resisted any change I tried to make, always did so out of a motivation to do what they thought was right and best for the church. No one was ever trying to just “be difficult”. Those people who serve as leaders have a deep love for Lakewood Baptist Church and for you, the people of Lakewood. I encourage you all to honour them, and serve with them. Am I hurt? Yes. Am I frustrated? Yes. Am I disappointed? Yes. However, I realized that the only way I could stay on at Lakewood was to do something drastic. My Pastoral Counselor, several other Senior Pastors I consulted and even a couple of Lakewood leaders all gave me the same advice: REMOVE THE LEADERS WHO COULD NOT GET ON BOARD WITH MY LEADERSHIP. This would have been the only conceivable way I could have remained and functioned as the Senior Pastor. However, as I said publicly at the June 8th meeting, this was not something that I felt the church could handle at this time. On top of that, I was informed that such a move would not have been supported. In the big picture, the collective leadership at Lakewood is far more important to the health of Lakewood than just one person, even if that person is the Senior Pastor. The decision was made. Many of you have written letters to me expressing anger towards the Leaders and have been asking me for more details about our “battles”. I have not responded and will not respond since it would be inappropriate to do so. My message to you is this: Despite our fights and battles, despite our complete differences with regards to vision for the church, these leaders serve you. Honour them, pray for them, serve with them. Together, and only together, you can move forward. A couple of you have even written expressing anger towards me. You’ve expressed your opinion that I should have stayed regardless of the turmoil and “hung in there”. My message to you is this: I deeply wish I could have stayed. This was my first experience as Senior Pastor and I had a lot of dreams about where we as a church could go. I am sorry if my decision has hurt you, but I can guarantee you that your hurt doesn’t compare to the hurt I experienced in needing to make this decision in the first place. Again, I am sorry. Finally, we wish to thank you all for allowing us the honour of being among you. You have all treated us very warmly, and we will miss you. There is nothing that I enjoy more in life than teaching the life and message of Christ. Over the last 8 months you have allowed me privilege of doing that every week. Thank you. We love you as a church, and want you to know that you will be in our prayers. I look forward to checking up on you from time to time to see how you’re doing, and I know many of you will continue to check up on me through my website. I’m not sure what we’re going to do next yet, but I’m sure we’ll know soon. When we do, you’ll be the first to know! So, to those of you at Lakewood: Good bye, good luck and God bless. ~John “Gio” Campea

Paul Martin on the legalization of same-sex marriage in Canada Paul Martin, the top contender for the Liberal leadership, already has said he would accept the court decision and would craft legislation that would also "affirm that no church, synagogue, mosque, or religious institution to act outside its faith."

Prime Minister Jean Chrétien nails it on the head 2 homosexual related issues are up front in the Canadian public right now. 1) Homosexuals have just received the right to legally marry. And 2) A bill in the house of commons that would essentially make discriminating against homosexuals a “hate” crime. Christians in Canada fear that if this Bill passes ministers in churches who preach against the lifestyle of homosexuality could be charged with a crime, or worse, it could open the door to the outlawing of the Bible itself as “hate literature”. Personally, I say “bring it on”, since the church has throughout history thrived under persecution and become extremely soft with too much “freedom”. We could use a good persecution. Maybe it would make us remember who we are and what we’re supposed to be about. But I digress. From a strictly political point of view, the problem with this Bill is that is interferes on another protected freedom, the freedom of religion. I was watching Prime Minister Jean Chrétien on CPAC tonight taking questions from journalism students. One student asked the Prime Minister about these two issues, and I thought he answered brilliantly.

Society changes. We used to have slavery, but now that’s gone. Women couldn’t vote, but now that’s gone. The homosexual community was once a fair target, and that needs to go too. Our society is changing with regards to the rights of homosexuals in Canada, and those rights should be guarded and protected. But you have to be careful not to purchase a freedom with the sacrifice of another freedom. Yes, we should protect the rights of the homosexual community, but not at the expense of throwing religious freedom out into the street. We must find a way to protect the rights of homosexuals while also protecting the rights of churches and religious groups to interpret and practice their religion. We cannot have one at the expense of the other.

A much needed good day Wow, I had a good day yesterday. I slept in, went to the gym, made myself lunch and sat on the balcony (it was a beautiful day outside) to read my newest book, got to babysit my friend’s BEAUTIFUL little baby girl for the afternoon (she fell asleep on me for about an hour) and watched a funny DVD. Later, Allison got home from a small group camping trip and we had a really good evening. We went for a long drive, got some ice cream at the local Dairy Queen and talked for a while. At around 10pm I joined a friend of mine at a local bar where we drank coke and ate some chicken wings until about midnight. Yes, overall it was a very good day. To be honest, I’ve been needing a day like yesterday for a while. It’s been tough dealing with the disappointment of Lakewood (the church I just resigned from). My heart is still broken over the whole thing. It’s hard when you think you’re going to be in a place for years, you invest yourself emotionally and physically, and then you realize that it’s never going to work. I’m glad I decided to leave, but it’s still hard and I think I haven’t yet realized how hurt I am and how deeply disappointed I really feel about the whole thing. However, days like yesterday are a great reminder that there is always tomorrow, life goes on, God is still good and there are more adventures to be had!

The Acronym for Spiritual Leadership in North America: C.E.O.

"Whenever I meet a Buddhist leader, I meet a holy man. Whenever I meet a Christian leader, I meet a manager." - An observation from a Japanese businessman

This quote from Mike's blog goes right along with a disturbing trend I've seen happening in many churches for a LONG time. Pastors are no longer spiritual leaders. They are instead looked at in terms of their abilities to be CEO's of companies. They are now business managers, fundraisers, overseeing building drives and new wing expansions. They are budget administrators, staffing specialists or God forbid... television personalities. Elders Boards are even worse. When I go into a moderate sized church, I'm never surprised to see who sits in these places of spiritual authority. It usually ends up being white men who have had success in the business world. This is the North American paradigm for "Spiritual Maturity". Don't get me wrong, there's nothing wrong with someone who has done well in business, or a Pastor who is good with numbers. The problem is that we elevate these characteristics as symbols of what it means to be a spiritual leader over other more important traits. Perhaps I'm just rambling. What do you think?

“I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ.”---Mahatma Gandhi

The difference between Apple and Amazon Yet another reason I will never buy a Mac. Thanks to Coop for the link.

Two companies that business pundits love to talk about. But very different indeed... Have you ever tried to return anything to Amazon? Amazon is obsessed with being remarkably boring when it comes to Customer Service. They are so good at it, so consistent, so eager to do the right thing that people tell other people. Amazon invests in this Purple Cow. They invest a few pennies per customer per year in customer delight. They create stories about their flexibility--stories that spread. They respect their customers and they show it. As a result, Amazon is able to milk the cow of their remarkability for a long, long time. The more they follow this path, the easier it is to do, because their systems can handle it and their customers trust them. Compare them to Apple. Two months ago, I ordered an upgrade to Final Cut Pro. (it’s expensive). It arrived today. Actually, THEY arrived today. Two copies. Now, there are plenty of pirates who wonder why they even need ONE legitimate copy, but there’s certainly no need for anyone with just one computer to have two. Anyway, Apple argued with me. They insisted it was my fault. They said I should have read my receipt more carefully. They claimed that I must have had a reason for ordering two, and just because I changed my mind doesn’t mean that they should have to pay to ship it back. I pursued the conversation on behalf of you, my dear reader. Chrissy insisted that I had just ten days to ship it back, at my expense, because if I didn’t the RMA would evaporate. Moreover, I should do it in a traceable way, because if I couldn’t prove it, then, “they won’t be responsible.” Of course, it’s clear that Apple never wants to be responsible. Apple is in the fashion business. Apple is Gucci. Apple is Calvin Klein. No one returns a pair of Gucci shoes claiming that the heel isn’t durable. Nope. You buy them for the thrill of the hunt, not the process and not the end result. Same is true, it seems with Apple. The problem, from a shareholder’s point of view anyway, is that this is a very, very hard cow to milk. Every time they annoy a customer or call a customer a liar, they spread a negative ideavirus about the company, and make it harder and harder to sell a productivity solution. Sure, they can continue to be fashionable (acting like Gucci is good for that niche) but they are finding the contradiction that many companies in a world of fashion find--that fashionable gets you in the door, but it’s respect that lets you build a profitable business. Given the choice, I'd model a company after Amazon. Great growth. All built around respect and remarkability, not the sneering contempt of a fashion house.

Christianity: Spiritual life or alternative Sub-Culture I found the following quote in Dan Kimball's new book "The Emerging Church". I spent a little bit of time with Dan a couple of years ago down at his Church (Graceland) in Santa Cruz California. He's a refreshing change to the stereotypical church leader. Where most modern Church "experts" look at the church as if it's some sort of complicated business paradigm, Dan revels in the simplicity of the true faith. Anyway, here's the excerpt:

Jesus and His teachings will not seem as strange or repelling to non-Christians as will the Christian sub-culture that we have created. Emerging generations are actually very interested in Jesus, but many times Christians get in the way. If you disagree with me, consider this quote from an article written by a non-Christian young adult reporter for a secular music and entertainment paper. He called the article "Christapalooza: 20,000 Christians convene …God doesn't show". He had attended a large Christian music festival, the kind which draws in 20,000 or more people. I have been to this type of event, even been a speaker at one. They have always seemed like great fun. From what I sense it is mainly Christians who attend these events in order to hear their favorite Christian bands. But listen to this reporter's non-Christian, post-Christian perspective: "I have a difficult time locating any similarities between what Jesus says and does, and what the people - in particular the organizers, said and did…Jesus is a beacon of righteousness who leads the way through a dark world to eternal peace, love and salvation; the Jesus of (the festival) is a blue-light special, pointing you to a quick fix of righteous bargain in the shopping mall of endless consumption. These two versions of Christ, and the premises they entail, are antithetical. They negate one another, leading me to an unsettling, unpleasant conclusion…It was in the end, a very un-Christian affair." Note that he came thinking that a Christian festival would represent the Jesus he has heard about. The Jesus who was a very spiritual being. The Jesus of the Bible who wandered homelessly across the land, living among the poor. The Jesus who was known for taking times of solitude and quiet as His normal way of life. The Jesus who overturned the tables of the money-changers in the Temple. But what this young reporter saw was entertainment-- screaming teens adoring their favorite bands, loud music, and tons of money being poured out by Christian consumers eager to buy Jesus products and other Christian paraphernalia. Now you and I know that this is simply a fun way to spend a day or two. We are pretty sure that at least most of the bands and promoters love Jesus. But to someone who expected a spiritual event, it came across very foreign to him. Where was the Jesus that he had expected? Where was the Jesus who was against profit-making in God's name, and spent His time with the poor and needy? Where was the Jesus who devoted quiet time to prayer in the garden or on a mountain? This reporter concluded that He wasn't there and in he even subtitled the article by declaring "God didn't show up." The Bible teaches us that we should "Be careful, however, that the exercise of freedom does not become a stumbling block to the weak." (1 Corinthians 8:9). Perhaps we need to apply this scriptural principle to the sub-culture we have created. In many ways, our sub-culture may cause non-Christians to stumble. In fact, it may more than likely repel them, as it does look (from the outside) to be a far cry from what we see the life of Jesus was all about. As we design ministry for the emerging church, we need to introduce people to Jesus, not to the Christian "sub-culture" of consumerism we have subtly created. We need to make sure we are not trying to see them "born again" into our Christian sub-culture and change into one of us, but be transformed by the Spirit into a disciple of Jesus. We need to teach them difference, or they may not be interested and I personally wouldn't blame them.

The mistakes after the mistakes I flipped on the television this evening and I came across this show (I don't even know what the show is) where a cab driver is talking to a guy in the back of his car. The conversation went something like this: Passenger: Oh to turn back the clock Driver: You mean to erase all your mistakes? Passenger: No. Mistakes I can live with. It's the mistakes you make after the mistakes that really get you. I don't know why, but those words sort of froze me. It's true. As I look back on my life, and the life of some of my friends, the REAL problems never came from our mistakes; they always seemed to follow me making mistakes on top of mistakes. Read into that what you will, it just really made me think.

Senior Pastors could learn something from Tony Soprano and Jerry Seinfeld Just read this great story about Soprano's star James Gandolfini, who actually took a chunk of his salary (about a half million chunk) and gave it to a bunch of his fellow cast members. James said the reason he did it was because the success of the Soprano's is a team effort, and the rest of the team deserve recognition. Jordon and I have talked a lot lately about how many churches have HUGE salary disparities between the Senior Pastor and other full time Pastors on staff. I personally know of a couple of churches where the Senior Pastor makes enough money to own several vehicles, buy boats or trailers or cottages and take several wonderful vacations with their families a year. There's nothing wrong with that in and of itself. However, in those same churches there are others on staff who work just as hard, as many hours and make just as much impact (if not more) as the Senior Pastor and yet don't earn enough money to repair their one broken down car (let alone several), can barley make ends meet month-to-month, and can't even dream about taking their families on vacation anywhere other than relatives places. There is something wrong with this. I'm no exception. As a Senior Pastor I made roughly about $16 an hour. Now, that's not a lot, but its not too bad either. However, my youth Pastor was only making around $10 an hour. She had a Bible College degree, she worked hard, and yet I was making more than 1/3rd more than her. If I had any guts at all I would have taken $2 an hour from me and given it to her to balance things out a little bit. I have no excuse, I was selfish. The Senior Pastors in those other churches I was mentioning have even less excuses than I do, since they're pulling down around $25-$28 an hour with other fulltime pastoral staff only making about $12 an hour in the same churches. How is this remotely fair? How is this right? Dare I say it? How is this godly? Some Senior Pastors (myself included) develop an ego-centric idea that they're big stuff. That they are the reason for "things happening in this church". They start to think highly of themselves, and begin to believe that they SHOULD make more than double and sometimes triple the money than others on their staff. We could really learn a lesson in humility from Jerry Seinfeld who said in one of his live shows "Look at me. I'm as big as it gets! And I'm still shit". Just my to cents worth.

Gay couples can now marry in Canada. What does this mean? NOTHING. An Ontario court of appeals has ruled that same sex couples can now legally get married, and the religious right in my country are flipping their collective lids. Do I think homosexuality is "ok"? No I don't. I've always said that I believe that the ACT of homosexuality is inconsistent with a Christian lifestyle (click here to listen to my sermon on this topic). However, from a Christian's perspective, I don't see why this ruling is such a big deal or why Christians are so up in arms about it. Consider the following: 1) Sin is sin. A person who is not a Christ follower is separated from God. 2) There is no such thing as "sort of" separated from God. You either are in a relationship with God or you're not. 3) A clean cut straight "A" student who doesn't know Christ is no closer to God than a Drug addict teen who ran away from home 4) Ergo, an unmarried homosexual couple is no closer to God than a married homosexual couple 5) Canada is not a Christian country. There are no Christian countries. In literal terms, a Christian country would be a nation whose population are all Christ Followers. Canada is nowhere near this definition. 6) Passing laws that force people to follow "Christians" principles does not make them Christians, it doesn't bring them any closer to God, nor does it make God more pleased with our country. (Actually, the Bible has a lot of negative things to say about people groups who LOOK good on the outside but their hearts and souls are far from God. It's called hypocrisy). Look, I don't agree with the ruling of the Ontario court. But at the same time it's not that big a deal. The people who decide to get "married" are no further from God than where they are right now. So what would be the point in preventing them from doing it? How does it affect anything? From a spiritual and physical perspective, how does a gay couple being married effect me, my church, my faith or anyone else for that matter? Perhaps, as I mentioned in my post 2 days ago, if we spent less time yelling at the world, telling them what we're AGAINST, and instead told them more about what we're FOR we'll make a bigger impact on the world. A good friend of mine (who is also like 3 times smarter than me) asked me how I could support Paul Martin as Prime Minister since he said he won't challenge the courts ruling. I guess my response would be: "Since none of the major political parties are Christian, I choose to base my vote on which party will do more for the equality of women, meeting the needs of the poor, has a larger commitment to peace, will bring down our federal deficit and will keep our country united." Right now I think that party is the Liberal party, but I could be wrong. Whichever party convinces me they are the ones who will stand for those values better come election time will get my vote. But the "should gays get married" issue won't mean a thing to me. That's just my two cents worth.

What was Sodom's real problem? Mike Todd just moved away from Ontario and used to attend my old church in Oakville called The Meeting House. If you don't read his blog regularly, you really should. I got this from his site last night and thought I should share it.

As a Christian "lifer" I thought I knew the sins of Sodom and Gomorrah. Everyone does, right? The place was a mess, but we'll wrap it all up under the heading of "sexual immorality". And then this man read us this verse: Sodom's sins were pride, laziness, and gluttony, while the poor and needy suffered outside her door. (Ezekiel 16:49) Somehow or other I don't think I'd ever seen that verse before - and if I had, well, I'd never really seen it. A couple of things come to mind. First, all sin is equal. Pride is sin. Sexual immorality is sin. It's all sin. The second point is for those of you who say I'm taking this verse out of context. Yes, if you include the next verse it says this: Sodom's sins were pride, laziness, and gluttony, while the poor and needy suffered outside her door. She was proud and did loathsome things, so I wiped her out, as you have seen. Aha! There's the sexual part. That's the Sodom I know... and now I can feel a little better about pride, etc. But, at the risk of contradicting myself... which sin was covered first in the passage?

CNN says Franklin Graham should "Keep his mouth zipped" As I read more and more about the life of Jesus, one of the most surprising things that jumps out at me is the fact that He never went around preaching AGAINST things. As a matter of fact, the only thing that comes to mind that Jesus preached against was hypocrisy. Other than that, Jesus spent his time preaching FOR things. The kingdom, forgiveness, grace, justice for the poor and weak, the love of God. It strikes me that Jesus wasn't for lying, or stealing, or murder, He just understood that if you told people about the love of God, and then modeled that message with your life, then there was no need to preach against anything because it would just come naturally. We evangelicals however spend most of our time preaching against things. We yell and scream about homosexuality, we bash MTV or MuchMusic, we publicly decry the moral tone of today's movies and media, we hold public rallies against abortion, we force public referendums on gambling and talk about how evil Islam is. Is it any wonder that our culture knows practically NOTHING about what Christians are about, but know VERY WELL what Christians are against? It seems to me that if we spent 1 tenth of our time talking about and living out the life Jesus modeled for us as we do on preaching against things, the Kingdom would be far better served. I came across this article on CNN today and thought it went right along with what I was thinking:

So maybe God, along with all of us, will find relief following a milestone last month: some leading evangelicals called on their own prophets of pugnacity to zip it. We can, er, pray, that responsible Muslim leaders will follow that wise example and similarly rein in their own extremists. The "loving rebuke" by conservative Christians of their fire-breathing brethren came at a Washington conference. This helped move us back from the clash of civilizations that hard-liners in both Islam and Christianity are pushing us all toward. Franklin Graham, Billy's son, has led the call to arms with blasts like his description of Islam as "a very evil and wicked religion." In addition, Pat Robertson dismissed Muhammad as "an absolute wild-eyed fanatic, a robber and brigand," and Jerry Vines, the former president of the Southern Baptist Convention, labeled Muhammad a "demon-possessed pedophile." Mr. Graham is not a nut. His Samaritan's Purse organization is an exceptionally well-managed charity that provides $150 million annually in food and medical care in some of the grimmest corners of the third world. Still, he clearly subscribes to that essential human conceit that God is on the pew beside us, a member of our own sect. As Spinoza noted, "If a triangle could speak, it would say . . . that God is eminently triangular." The National Association of Evangelicals "has gone through periods of time when our differentiating value was the things we were against," says Ted Haggard, the new president of the organization. "One of the reasons the board selected me is that I am a strong advocate of the things we are for." "I am for people being born again," he added. "I am for people reading the Bible; I am for people receiving the benefits that Jesus has to offer and looking to Jesus as a model for life and godliness. These ideas are so positive that if we can communicate that, we don't need to spend so much time articulating the things we are against." To be sure, Mr. Haggard and other evangelical leaders don't seem to disagree fundamentally with the loudmouths; they just think that insults make bad public relations and put missionaries at risk. "It's really a concern about safety," not doctrine, said Clive Calver, president of World Relief, an evangelical aid group, and he adds about Christian aid workers: "These people are in danger. I don't want to see them killed." The demonization of Islam by the Christian right always seemed opportunistic. Cal Thomas, the evangelical commentator, notes that both left and right need enemies to galvanize fund-raising, and he adds: "The right has been looking for an enemy to replace communism since 1990. And maybe Islam is it." Nonetheless, even if it's about P.R. more than substance, the step toward civility is important. My conversations with Muslims around the world have left me convinced that nobody has done more harm to America's image in the Islamic world than Franklin Graham and those like him. So let's all hope that Mr. Graham keeps his mouth zipped and focuses on what he does superbly: aid work.

Big Announcement Allison and I decided to resign from my job as Senior Pastor of Lakewood Baptist Church. The people there are really wonderful. I’ll go into more details later, but all I’ll say for now is that I’ve been hurt and it became just impossible for me to function there as the pastor. Not sure what we're going to do next. If you have any ideas or suggestions, please let me know.

If it wasn't sealed before, it is now. Get used to saying "Prime Minister Martin" Many other prominent Liberals have already declared support for Paul Martin's bid to become the next leader of the Federal Liberal Party, but Federal Industry Minister Allan Rock is definitely the highest profile one to date. Rock, who was himself a candidate to lead the Liberals at one time, threw his endorsement to Paul Martin today in what has to be the death blow to the ambitions of Deputy Prime Minister John Manley and Heritage Minister Sheila Copps, the two other runners for the leadership. If Copps and Manley have any common sense, they'll see the writing on the wall, drop out of the race and start to build party momentum heading into the upcoming election. Most Canadians (regardless of political affiliation) agree that the only thing that can prevent a Liberal Majority victory at the upcoming election is a total Party internal breakdown. Copps and Manley should hop on board with what is obviously the will of their Party and wait until the next election to make their bids for the leadership. After all, at his age, Martin will probably only serve one term.

Lucasfilm finally launching animation studio

George Lucas has finally taken the plunge into computer-animated feature films. Having missed out on "Monsters, Inc.," "Shrek" and "Ice Age" -- which grossed $112 million in DVD and video sales over a single weekend last year -- the dean of digital filmmaking has established a separate company, LucasFilm Animation, to compete with Bay Area powerhouses PDI/DreamWorks and Pixar. The new company's nine-person core group, drawn from Industrial Light & Magic's animation division, will be based at ILM's San Rafael facility. A spokeswoman there told me LucasFilm Animation's new boss, Patty Blau, was too busy to discuss the company's game plan, so I checked in with Kevin Koch, president of the Animation Guild's 1,600-member Los Angeles chapter (Local 839 IATSE) to see what he had to say about the new venture. "For several years we've been hearing that the people at LucasFilm were really eager to prove themselves in character animation," Koch said. "They were going to do 'Frankenstein,' and then they were going to do 'Curious George.' " Both projects were for Universal Pictures; neither panned out. So why did Lucas and company wait so long to start an outfit less dependent on studio largesse? "I'm as baffled as anyone," Koch said. "They've certainly had the resources to pull it off." Koch said he and his colleagues will watch closely to see if LucasFilm Animation takes shape as a George-centric extension of its founder's personal storytelling interests. "The big question for us is whether this will all be driven by George Lucas and his tastes, or whether they'll bring in directors and producers from outside the company who would pursue their own visions. "My impression is that Lucas likes to have people who hew very closely to his vision, whereas Pixar was founded on the Disney model where you have this large stable of story artists who visualize the script in storyboards and improve it all along the way. That's the model PDI/DreamWorks, Disney and Pixar all follow." It also remains to be seen if LucasFilm Animation can build a strong ensemble of story artists, which Koch says is crucial in crafting an emotionally affecting animation feature.

I'm dying to see what kind of 3D animated film Lucas can put out. After all, like it or hate it, Attack of the Clones was a breathtakingly beautiful film to look at, and it was mostly done in 3D (it was done so well that most people don't even realize how much of the film wasn't "real"). Time will tell.

Christian History Corner: The Ancient Rise and Recent Fall of Tithing Found this interesting article on Christianity today that points out that in 2001 only 14% of evangelical Christians "tithed", and in 2002 that number dropped significantly to just 6%. Now, some may look at this and say "Good, tithing is just a legalism thing that has no place in New Covenant Christianity". That may be true, but although the legalistic mandate of tithing may have past away, the call on Christian lives post-resurrection is to live and give with even more generosity. Not generosity measured and defined by pre-set numbers or percentages, but rather out of a sprit of generosity that joyfully flows out of us. Personally, I'm not so concerned that we aren't "Tithing" as much anymore, but I am worried that we've become hoarders of our wealth instead of practitioners in the art of giving things (and money) away. Here's and excerpt from the article:

During the first few years of the twenty-first century, Americans have already contended with a remarkable amount of political and economic tumult, ranging from the Sept. 11 attacks to the collapse of the 1990s economic boom to military conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq. Uneasiness and caution have ruled the financial decision-making of many American households. Now, recently released statistics from the Barna Research Group indicate that this pervasive apprehension may have contributed to a dramatic one-year decrease in the number of American homes that tithe to their churches. Barna's data shows that only 3 percent of adults contributed 10 percent of their 2002 income to churches, which marks a 62 percent decrease from 2001 when 8 percent of American adults tithed. Among born-again Christians, the decline was similarly steep, from 14 percent in 2001 to 6 percent in 2002. Barna attributes the sudden drop to a variety of factors, including the soft economy and ongoing terrorism threat. But he also pegs shifting church demographics-younger adults don't share their parents' and grandparents' convictions about tithing. This generation seems not so much put off as mystified by the concept. Their questions are honest enough: "Who came up with the figure of ten percent? Why should we take this figure as authoritative? Isn't tithing legalism?" Here, as in most churchly matters, a bit of history can go a long way.

Ok, something needs to be done about this I usually empty out all the spam that comes to my inbox each time I look at my email. I use Yahoo mail to read my messages since it’s so darn convenient and has a WONDERFUL spam catcher that identifies mass-bulk email and sends it directly to a “Bulk” folder. Yesterday morning I decided to not empty the “Bulk” folder for 24 hours just to see how much spam was being fired at me each day. I re-set the folder at 9am yesterday, and as of 9am this morning I have… are you ready for this… 116 spam emails! 116 spam emails in just 1 day!!! Now I’m not one do go around demanding legislation for things, but this is ridiculous, and terribly annoying to boot. Anyone out there know of any anti-spam petition being sent to some government body? Any anti-spam “movement” that I can hook up with? Let me know.

John Campea - Member of the Liberal Party of Canada Ok, so about a year ago I decided to become an official member of the Liberal Party of Canada. At the time, the main reason for doing it was to irk my good buddy Jordon Cooper who bleeds Progressive Conservative Blue (he actually once ran against former Saskatchewan Premier Roy Romanow). However, I recently realized that I never actually sent in my forms to register as an official member. So now I'm going ahead and joining for 3 reasons. 1) To Irk good buddy Jordon Cooper. 2) To Irk good buddy Curtis Boldt. 3) To see if I can actually participate in trying to make my country a better place. I just finished reading Michael Moore's book "Stupid White Men". I hardly agreed with everything Michael talked about in the book, but one thing did stick with me... any person CAN help influence the direction of his/her community by getting involved. So, taking that to heart, I'm joining the political party that I currently seem to be most in agreement with... the Liberals. I know the Liberals aren't a "Christian" party, but guess what folks, no party in Canada (and that includes the Alliance) is a "Christian" Party. Nor should there be. I just happen to think the policies of the Liberals are better for our country than those of the opposing parties. That could change, but for now that's the way I see it. What on earth am I getting myself into?

Can a Peace plan without Arafat work? I have to admit that it looks like the Bush administration and its “Road Map to Peace” plan is actually making some decent progress. Still a long way to go, but it’s the first encouraging sign in the region in a long time. However, the United States has repeatedly said it would not deal with Palestinian President Yasser Arafat in the negotiations, preferring instead to work out the plan with the more moderate Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas. I can totally understand this, but the support and influence that Arafat still has with the majority of Palestinians can’t be ignored. It will be all well and good for an agreement to be reached with Abbas, but if Arafat doesn’t publicly support it, then the treaty won’t be worth the paper it’s written on. I don’t think having Arafat involved in the negotiations is a very good idea either, but what is the alternative? As long as Arafat and Palestinians are demanding it, the US MUST find a way for Arafat to at least be symbolically “involved” in the negotiations, or it might all be for nothing.

Well, I’ve got a long day ahead of me. Without going into too much detail I have some big changes coming up in my life and today is one of those days that I have to deal with some of them. I’m not really looking forward to walking out my door this morning, but at the same time I’m kind of excited as well. I’ll fill you all in more later.

US Deputy Defense Secretary admits Iraq war was all about oil First of all, I should mention that I originally was pointed to this story by Jordon's site. In this article, several major revelations are made by Senior Bush administration members (Paul Wolfowitz and Donald Rumsfeld) that basically admit that 1) There were no weapons of mass destruction at the time the US began it's illegal attack on Iraq, and 2) that one of the largest motivating factors in starting the war was OIL. No, this is not my interpretation of the article, this is what these guys outright said. The funny/sad part about all this, is that I'll bet this will get next to ZERO attention in the United States or Canadian media. Here's an excerpt from the article:

The US deputy defence secretary, Paul Wolfowitz - who has already undermined Tony Blair's position over weapons of mass destruction (WMD) by describing them as a "bureaucratic" excuse for war - has now gone further by claiming the real motive was that Iraq is "swimming" in oil." The latest comments were made by Mr Wolfowitz in an address to delegates at an Asian security summit in Singapore at the weekend, and reported today by German newspapers Der Tagesspiegel and Die Welt. Asked why a nuclear power such as North Korea was being treated differently from Iraq, where hardly any weapons of mass destruction had been found, the deputy defense minister said: "Let's look at it simply. The most important difference between North Korea and Iraq is that economically, we just had no choice in Iraq. The country swims on a sea of oil." Mr Wolfowitz went on to tell journalists at the conference that the US was set on a path of negotiation to help defuse tensions between North Korea and its neighbors - in contrast to the more belligerent attitude the Bush administration displayed in its dealings with Iraq. His latest comments follow his widely reported statement from an interview in Vanity Fair last month, in which he said that "for reasons that have a lot to do with the US government bureaucracy, we settled on the one issue that everyone could agree on: weapons of mass destruction." Prior to that, his boss, defense secretary Donald Rumsfeld, had already undermined the British government's position by saying Saddam Hussein may have destroyed his banned weapons before the war.

The story goes on. I continue to be absolutely baffled by the hushed silence that Americans and Canadians are just accepting over this.

Bonhoeffer film opens on June 20 (Thanks to Darren for this post) First Run Features announces the release of "Bonhoeffer," the riveting story of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, the courageous German theologian who offered one of the first clear voices of resistance to Adolf Hitler and was eventually executed for joining the plot to kill him. The film weaves archival footage - including a speech by Hitler praying for God's blessing on him and the German people - and Bonhoeffer family footage, with revealing interviews with family members, friends, and associates who knew this remarkable man. Directed by Martin Doblmeier, the documentary will premiere in the U.S. on Friday, June 20, at New York's Quad Cinema. A national release will follow. See www.bonhoeffer.com for more screening information.

In the beginning was the word, and the word was "G'day!" That's how the New Testament might have begun if Jesus had been born Australian, according to an Australian author and broadcaster who has just completed a collection of favorite Bible stories retold in Australian English. To some, Australian English is a screech of tortured vowels and suppressed consonants parodied by "Seinfeld" and "The Simpsons." But to Kel Richards, author of "The Aussie Bible (Well, bits of it anyway)," it is a rich vein of regional idioms and unique slang expressions. "We don't talk like anyone else on Earth," he told Reuters. Based loosely on a similar book of mainly New Testament bible stories in Cockney rhyming slang, Richards' "Aussie Bible" was backed by the Bible Society of New South Wales in an attempt to win new readers for some of the world's best-known stories. The Three Wise Men, for example, becomes "three eggheads from out east" who go in search of the baby Jesus. "We saw his star out east, and we've come to say 'G'day Your Majesty'," they say. Richards' version of the Bible has the Good Samaritan attacked by "a bunch of bushrangers," while "Australian Jesus" describes those who build their houses on sand as "boofheads" -- a contraction of the English slang phrase "bufflehead," meaning muddle-headed or confused. Richards also reconstructs Psalm 23 as "a bush ballad" which begins: "God is the Station Owner, and I am just one of the sheep. He musters me down to the lucerne flats, and feeds me there all week."

My "Matrix" profile You are Morpheus, from "The Matrix." You have strong faith in yourself and those around you. A true leader, you are relentless in your persuit.

PC Party off to a bad start for election campaing As a guy who is going to vote Liberal in the upcoming election, I guess I should be THRILLED I am that Peter MacKay won the PC leadership. This guy is going to self destruct this party faster than you can say "Stockwell who?" The process has already begun. At the same time, as a Canadian I'm disappointed. Even though I vote Liberal, I often lament that there isn't any REAL alternative for us Canadians to consider politically. No one to seriously threaten the "status quo". I was hoping the PC delegates would show some common sense and bring in a person who could re-establish some credibility to themselves. Alas, they did not. Looks like the Alliance will form the opposition. How sad. I do want Paul Martin as the next Prime Minister. I just don't want him by default because no one else could challenge him.

Finding Nemo is just amazing Pixar Animation Studios has yet to disappoint me. The animation studio that brought us Toy Story I and II, Bug's Life and Monsters Inc. just seems to always deliver top notch stuff. Finding Nemo is certainly no exception. It goes without saying in a Pixar film that the animation was absolutely breath taking! The underwater environments made me gasp more than once. But beyond the visuals, Finding Nemo has a truly touching and engaging simple story at it's core. The first 2 minutes of the film almost had me and my wife in tears, and from that moment on we actually CARED about what was going to happen to these characters. The film is just this side of perfect. It was laugh out loud funny, touching and exciting all at the same time. Go see this one? even if it's without a kid. Ok, at the risk of sounding like I'm trying to spiritualize the film, there was an image I couldn't get out of my head the whole time. In this film, the father is desperately trying to find his son who is lost. He goes through unspeakable danger and great distances in his attempt to reach his little one. I personally couldn't get the image of God out of my head. The image of this relentless Father, willing to stop at almost nothing to find His lost child (or children) and bring them home safe. See the movie, you'll see what I'm talking about.

Worship.Freehouse and its second night Sunday night we had our second Freehouse meeting at the Saskatoon Jazz Basement. Once again I had a wonderful time. The "band" was just Mike and Todd this time, but they were great. The conversations around the tables were really enjoyable for me. Some of them were quite deep and spiritual, and others were just laughing and talking about our lives. The "theme" of the evening was the sermon on the mount. After I gave the intro to the evening Jordon, Leighton and Gloria each shared a different perspective on its meaning and implications. I found each to be quite insightful. I look forward to the next one (June 29th at the Jazz Basement starting at 8pm).

Homer Simpson to become an honourary Winnipegger The patriarch of the animated Simpson's family will be made an honourary citizen of Winnipeg Friday. City hall will honour the beer-guzzling, doughnut-loving Homer Simpson, who was named after Homer Groening - the father of The Simpsons creator Matt Groening. Last year, Matt Groening revealed his father was a native of Winnipeg. But controversy has begun to swirl about Homer Groening's true origins. According to the Winnipeg Sun, some have questioned his Winnipeg roots, saying that Homer Groening is actually from the tiny village of Main Centre, Sask.

Loyalty to the Prince Of Peace "Christians whose loyalty to the Prince of Peace puts them out of step with today's nationalistic world, because they are willing to love their nation's friends but not to hate their nation's enemies, are not unrealistic dreamers who think that by their objections they will end all wars. On the contrary, it is the soldiers who think they can put an end to wars by preparing for just one more. Christians love their enemies because God does so, and commands his followers to do so. That is the only reason, and that is enough." John Howard Yoder

Michael Moore on why God made women better than men Perhaps there's no logical explanation for this disparity. Maybe, as the nuns taught us, it's just all part of God's plan. But if that's the case, why did God make women so much better? The nuns must have had the inside dope on this, after all, they were all women themselves. They knew God's secret, and they certainly weren't going to share it with the likes of me. It is my belief, and this is purely form my personal observation of the women I live with (wife and daughter), that when God was creating the world, he spent the better part of Day Six creating what women would look like. I mean, you can't help but notice the skillful craft of an artisan at the top of His field. The shapes, the curves, the symmetry, all constitute extraordinary art. Their skin is soft and smooth and perfect, their hair is rich and think and vibrant. I am not speaking form a prurient perspective here, these are simply the conclusions of the art critic in me. Woman, I think we all agree, are stunningly beautiful. So what happened to God when it came to us? It's like He used up all His best tricks inventing women. By the time he got to us, he was obviously ready to get it over with and move on to something more important, like that seventh day of rest. So men ended up like Chevys, rushed off the assembly line and guaranteed to break down after limited use. That's why we try to stay in our recliners as long as we can, the exertion required to pick up after ourselves can lead to an early coronary. Our bodies were built to lift, carry, haul and throw, but for a limited time only. And I have to say it, what's with this extra thing we were given? Well, let me put this as delicately as possible: In God's rush to finish up, it looks like he just grabbed a stray part he had lying around in the shop and stuck it on us, cause it sure as hell doesn't look right! If you look at an item like this and glued it on to a lamppost or a tree, you'd say "Nawww, I don't think it looks right". But NOBODY questions its presence on a guy. Michael Moore - "Stupid White Men and other Sorry Excuses for the State of the Nation"

Our idea of Justice I got this quote from Darren's website: What's been done in the name of Jesus What's been done in the name of Buddha What's been done in the name of Islam What's been done in the name of man What's been done in the name of liberation And in the name of civilization And in the name of race And in the name of peace! Everybody loves to see justice done on somebody else." - "Justice" by Bruce Cockburn

Looking for God in The Matrix: Reloaded I should first point out that I've seen "The Matrix: Reloaded" 4 times already. I thought the film was absolutly BRILIANT! I could have done without the whole rave/dance scene (those of you who have seen the movie know what I'm talking about), but askide from that, every frame of this flick had me completley captivated. The story was deep and complex, the action was the best I've ever seen in a film before, and the visual effects were glorious. Anyway, I found this little article on Christianity Today:

In her recent Christianity Today piece on The Matrix, Frederica Mathewes-Green pointed out a heresy at the heart of the movie. The choice being posed in the movie, she noted, is between a worthless physical world and a worth-filled spiritual realm, a world of the real. I think theologically Frederica and I are in agreement: The Matrix doesn't reflect the fact that the earth is full of God's glory, and that we are to glory in it. But as one of the hyperventilating postmodern Christians looking for meaning in the Matrix films, I can imagine some reasons that author/directors Andy and Larry Wachowski pose the false dilemma they seem to give us. We should note first that the worlds of the Matrix films?the computer-generated matrix that humans are a part of and the "desert of the real" that we see after the destruction of most of the human race?are actually both human creations, not God's creation. Except for a scene in Reloaded where Neo discovers himself to be sequestered five hundred miles away from the main action at a villain's chateau in the mountains?which strikes me mostly as a plot device to make it harder for Neo to save the day?the matrix we see is strictly urban, a megalopolis of gray concrete based on the so-called height of human civilization. If there is a flower, a rainbow, or a smidgen of God's creation to be found within the program, I don't recall it. Likewise the "real" world is the ultimate devastated product of human civilization, and unless you find majesty in blasted rock and nuclear winter, I can't see much of an opportunity for the characters in the films to find beauty in much of anything except each other. In the Matrix movies, we don't really have the chance to see God's world and it's majesty, which works, I think, to the Wachowski Brothers' dramatic purpose: They are streamlining the possibilities of grace and spiritual connection to better fit their story and their messages. Through the symbol of the matrix they encourage us to question our beliefs and to seek enlightenment in a world where too many are willing to accept the world as it seems. At the same time, they also seem to believe that the world as it seems is still very much worth saving. For people of faith, their story covers familiar sacred ground. The matrix of the films is a world that devours the soul and controls the mind; it literally consumes the human beings in it. The images of people being consumed in order to power that world are among the most powerful and disturbing scenes of the original Matrix. The world of sensation seems so true that most people in that world are unable to break away, to see beyond it to what is real and lasting. They are lost in sleep, in a destructive dreamland that will destroy them. Clearly the idea of the matrix allows for some important spiritual lessons: We take our reality for granted. We tend not to question what we see, hear, and feel. We toil away for purposes that sometimes are counter to our truest selves. The cosmology the Wachowski Brothers are using here seems to be drawn from Christian Gnostic thought?that the world we know (the matrix, if you will) is fallen and unredeemable, with no spiritual value, while the spiritual world is the sole realm of light and life. There aren't so many Gnostic Christians around these days. All the same, this is an idea that has plenty of currency in the world?many Hindus, Buddhists, and contemporary Christians see this world as merely an annoying stage to be passed through, of no importance except in a negative sense. And many people?of all faiths and no faith?tend to accept that the world as it is either isn't worth changing or can't be changed, tend to accept the beliefs they're given without challenging them. That's what the character of Neo, played by Keanu Reeves, has done up until the beginning of the first Matrix film. He has been our representative, stranded like us in the web of the world we perceive. But here's where some different spiritual ideas get introduced, where the notion of the two worlds gets complicated. Neo is told in the first film that he is the One, the savior of both worlds. He's not inclined to believe it, and neither are we, frankly, at least not in the shape of Keanu Reeves. But at last, he does believe, as do we, and at the end of the first Matrix film, Neo accepts his destiny and transcends the boundaries of the physical world. He dies in?and potentially to?that world. Then he comes back to life. He could pass on to the next world. But like Jesus, he returns to the physical world?in a physical body?because the work of redemption continues there. Neo doesn't leave the matrix, even though he could; to save the people of that world, Neo has to enter it, engage it, just like Jesus came back to our world to wrestle with his hard-headed disciples. If he hadn't sent them out to tell the good news everywhere, they might still be milling around.

You should really give the whole article a read. I don't totally agree with all of his thoughts, but I found that his perspectives gave me a bunch to think about.

Jury Rules Against EBay in Patent Suit

A Washington area entrepreneur yesterday won a $35 million judgment against eBay Inc., prevailing in a patent dispute that could cause the online auction giant to change some of its business practices. The jury award is a victory for Thomas G. Woolston, 39, a Great Falls-based electrical engineer who claims to have invented, and patented, much of how the most successful Internet business to date runs its popular auctions. U.S. District Court Judge Jerome B. Friedman must now approve the verdict and decide whether eBay will have to pay Woolston's company ongoing licensing fees or alter how it runs parts of its business. Ongoing royalties could cost the high-flying Internet company significantly more than one-time damages. Woolston's attorneys -- who claim that Woolston always has wanted to license his method to eBay -- estimate that 26 percent of eBay's revenue come from the parts of its operations that infringe on Woolston's patents. Last year, eBay earned $249 million on revenue of $1.2 billion. Its stock hit a three-year high of $103.05 a share yesterday, before the verdict was announced. Jay Monahan, eBay deputy general counsel, said that the verdict is not supported by the evidence and that the company will ask the judge to throw it out. Both sides expect Friedman, based in federal court in Norfolk, to rule within the next month. Woolston, whose career includes work for military and intelligence services, also claimed to have patented the core auction system that eBay has turned into a runaway success. But the judge threw out this claim before the case went to trial. Instead, the jury found that eBay willfully infringed on Woolston's patents for integrating an automated payment system and for selling fixed-price items as part of its service.

Amnesty International claims "war on terror" is only making things worse

Amnesty International says the United States-led war against terrorism is sowing fear and danger in the name of security across the globe and denying basic rights to those who have been arrested. The group made the charge in remarks accompanying its annual report, a wide-ranging review of human rights abuses throughout the world, which covers the calendar year 2002. "The 'war on terror,' far from making the world a safer place, has made it more dangerous by curtailing human rights, undermining the rule of international law and shielding governments from scrutiny. It has deepened divisions among people of different faiths and origins, sowing the seeds for more conflict," Amnesty said in a statement. The rights group said the United States "continues to deny international recognized rights to people arrested in the context of the 'war against terrorism.' Thousands were detained from the war in Afghanistan in defiance of international law." More than 600 detainees continue to be held at the U.S. Naval base, Camp X-Ray, in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, without being charged and without legal assistance.

I'm not really sure what I personally think about this. I know that I (and apparently a bunch of Americans) are getting sick and tierd of how many "liberties" W. Bush seems to take with that silly little thing called "LAW". After all, International law said that Bush wans't allowed to attack Iraq without approval from the UN... he did'nt get that approval, so he lied to the world about Weapons of Mass Destruction (that apparently never existed) and attacked anyway. HOWEVER, some may argue that "deperate times call for desperate measures". I don't know that I totally disagree with that. Obviously I'm a little conflicted over this. What are your thoughts?

Oh my goodness! Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson are "Starsky and Hutch" This is almost too good to be true. I have to admit that although their style is extremely silly, I LOVE the Stiller/Wilson duo. Zoolander is actaully one of my favorite comidies. Now it looks like their about to bring the REAL 70's show back to life. Oh man I can't wait to see that stupid red car with the white stripe ripping it up on the screen.

Around 300BC the Chinese philosopher Lao Tsu wrote: Go to the people, Live with them. Learn from them. Love them. Start with what they know. Build with what they have. But with the best leaders, when the work is done, The task is accomplished. The people will say, "We have done it ourselves." There a lot in there we in church leadership can learn from. Thanks to signposts for the quote.

The Taz Culture My friend Mike Gingerich wrote the very insightful thought on his website the other day about a suitable mascot for our culture.

Over the last 5 or so days i have noticed something that "i" find intersting. I have walked and driven around my neighborhood and was shocked to find the amount of vehicles adorned with Tazmanian Devil decals, stickers, floor mats, car seat covers. I first thought that maybe people figured they where a bad ass and needed a mascot to represent how truly untameable they are. The more i thought about it the more it occurred to me that, Taz is the a very suitting mascot for our culture. I think that Taz/culture is about more, more food, more money, more stuff and just more of whatever. Taz wants things quickly he has no patience. Taz devours things in his path and cares little for anything coming up behind he doesn't feel any global responsibilty. he cares about very few if anyone else. Compared to how most people live me included i think Taz is a perfect mascot. Sad but true i guess.

More from Thomas Merton "A life is either all spiritual or not spiritual at all. No man can serve two masters. Your life is shaped by the end you live for. You are made in the image of what you desire."

Thomas Merton on Spiritual Direction (thanks to Alan Creech) Spiritual direction is not merely the cumulative effect of encouragements and admonitions which we all need in order to live up to our state in life. It is not mere ethical, social or psychological guidance. It is spiritual. But it is important for us to understand what this word "spiritual" means here. There is a temptation to think that spiritual direction is the guidance of one's spiritual activities, considered as a small part of department of one's life. You go to a spiritual director to have him take care of your spirit, the way you go to a dentist to have him take care of your teeth, or to a barber to get a haircut. This is completely false. The spiritual director is concerned with the whole person, for the spiritual life is not just the life of the mind, or of the affections, or of the "summit of the soul" ? it is the life of the whole person. For the spiritual man (pneumatikos) is one whose whole life, in all its aspects and all its activities, has been spiritualized by the action of the Holy Spirit, whether through the sacraments or by personal and interior inspirations. Moreover, spiritual direction is concerned with the whole person not simply as an individual human being, but as a son of God, another Christ, seeking to recover the perfect likeness to God in Christ, by the Spirit of Christ.

Kierkegaard and the parable of the ducks This little story I found on Coop's site kinda goes along with my last post. I couldn't help but giggle a little when I read it this morning.

There was a little town of Ducks. Every Sunday the ducks waddle out of their houses and waddle down Main Street to their church. They waddle into the sanctuary and squat in their proper pews. The duck choir waddles in and takes it place, then the duck minister comes forward and opens the duck Bible (Ducks, like all other creatures on earth, seem to have their own special version of the Scriptures.) He reads to them: "Ducks! God has given you wings! With wings you can fly! With wings you can mount up and soar like eagles. No walls can confine you! No fences can hold you! You have wings. God has given you wings and you can fly like birds!" All the ducks shouted "Amen!" And they all waddled home. How descriptive that story is of many church people. They hear of their potential in Christ. They agree with the declarations about the new life that can be theirs through a faith commitment. But in the end, they do not act upon what they have heard. They do not make the commitment. They simply say, "Amen!" and continue on in life as they always have.

Man, being a Christ follower can be hard I was talking to a good friend of mine out here in Ontario named Steve. Anyway, Steve was just telling me that his father totally rejects the Christian faith because is it’s inherent hypocrisy. When Steve pressed him to explain what he meant, the father said that he read in the bible how Christians are supposed to sell their things and give to the poor. Anyway, he went on to say that he sees Christians driving expensive cars and living in big houses as much as anyone. His lingering question was “so what’s the point in being a Christian?” I have been wrestling with questions like this one for some time now. “What does it mean to be a Christ follower?” Is it all just believing in Jesus and what He did for us? Maybe, but didn’t Jesus say we had to take up our crosses and follow him? Didn’t He express His disdain for hypocrisy? Didn’t He say you would know a tree by it’s fruit? What kind of fruit am I really producing in my life? I’m afraid that if I really ask that question I may find that the only fruit I’m producing is the kind that doesn’t affect how I live my life. I’m in bondage to materialism as much as any “non-Christian” I know. It’s been years since I really fed a hungry person. It’s been years since I sold one of my own possessions to meet the needs of another person. I can only really think of 2 times in my life that I took someone without a real home into my own house. Jesus loves me. I know this. But I’m becoming disillusioned by how little I allow that amazing love to change me, to mould me, to shape me into the very image of Christ. I’ve allowed Jesus to be my saviour without being my Lord. I’ve allowed Him to be my rescuer without allowing Him to be my God. I look around and I see a church in North America that is apparently just like me. I know what I must do, the scriptures make it clear… but I wonder if I have the courage to do it… the courage to actually follow Him, to be like Him. In the North American church we often thank God in our prayers for allowing us to live in a rich culture like we do… but we’ve forgotten that Jesus said “Woe to you that are rich”, and “blessed are the poor”. What do we do with this kind of stuff? No wonder Jesus warned people who wanted to follow Him. “Foxes have holes, birds have nests, it you follow me you may not even have a place to sleep tonight!”. I haven’t the strength in my own flesh. All I can do is be driven to my knees and pray for more mercy and grace, to pray that Christ will change me… and that I will have the courage to allow Him to do so. Can anyone else relate?

Missionary beheaded in Solomons An Australian missionary was beheaded in the Solomon Islands in the latest killing in the lawless and impoverished South Pacific island nation, police said on Monday. Lance Gersbach, 60, was working alone on a building site at a Seventh Day Adventist Mission at Atoifi on the island of Malaita when he was attacked on Sunday. "Information we have is that he was beheaded with a sharp bush knife," a police spokesman said. Gersbach is the second Seventh Day Adventist missionary beheaded in the Solomons in the past year. The Solomons is bankrupt and ridden with violence, leaving the former British protectorate reliant on foreign aid.

San Francisco Gate gives sarcastic, yet accurate report on WMDs. Ha-ha-ha oh man did we ever get smacked on that one. Conned big time. Punk'd like dogs. Just gotta shake your head, laugh it off. They reamed us but good, baby! Damn. Turns out it really was all a big joke after all. The war, that is. All a big fat nasty murderous oil-licking lie, a sneaky little power-mad game with you as the sucker and the world as the pawn and BushCo as the slithery war thug, the dungeon master, the prison daddy. You really have to laugh. Because it's just so wonderfully ridiculous. In a rather disgusting, soul-draining sort of way. See, there are no weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. No WMDs at all. Isn't that great? What's more: There never were. Ha-ha-ha. Gotcha! No warehouses teeming with nuclear warheads, no underground bunkers packed with vats of boiling biotoxins, no drums of crazy-ass chemical agents that will melt your skin and turn us all into drooling flesh-eating zombies -- unless, of course, you count the sneering vat of conservative biotoxin that is, say, Fox News, in which case, hell yeah baby, we gotcher WMDs right here beeyatch. Go figure. Those lowly U.N. inspectors were right after all. Who knew? It was all a ruse. We've been sucker-punched and ideologically molested and patriotically sodomized and hey, what the hell, who cares anyway, we "liberated" an oppressed people most Americans secretly loathe and fear and don't understand in the slightest, even though that was never the point, or the justification, or the goal. Go team. But wait, is liberation of a brutalized and tormented people now the reason? The justification for our thuggery? That is so cool! So that means we're going to blow the living crap out of Sri Lanka and Sudan and Tibet and North Korea and about 47 others, right? Right? Maybe Saudi Arabia, too, second only to the Taliban itself in its abuse of women? Cool! As if. Ah, but screw the liberal whiny peacenik U.N. inspectors, you know? Let's ask the U.S. search teams themselves, ShrubCo's own squadrons of biologists, chemists, arms-treaty enforcers, nuclear operators, computer and document experts and Special Forces troops who've been in Iraq for weeks now, searching frantically. Surely they've found something, right? Surely we can now prove that Saddam was fully intending to fillet our babies and annihilate Florida and poke the eyes out of really cute kittens on national TV for sadistic pleasure, right? Gimme a hell yeah! Whoops. Bad news. As The Washington Post reports, the 75th Exploitation Task Force, the very serious-minded group heading up all U.S. inspections in Iraq, the group absolutely certain it would immediately find steaming neon-lit stockpiles of WMDs piled right next to Saddam's personal stash of gay porn and Britney Spears posters and opium pipes, is coming home with its tail between its legs. Found nothing. Nada. Psychopatriots are a little nonplussed. Bush is merely "embarrassed." Peace advocates are sighing and drinking heavily. We have done this ghastly horrible inane hate-filled entirely unprovoked thing in the name of power and petroleum and military contracts and strategic empire building, our nation is numb and more bitterly divisive than ever and our leaders are not the slightest bit ashamed. Read the whole article

10 year old girl murdered in Toronto The old saying of “The exception that proves the Rule” would be appropriate to this situation. Toronto Ontario is probably the safest, and cleanest large city in the world… HOWEVER, this morning when I turned on the radio I heard of the tragic death of 10 year old Holly Jones. It seems the entire city is in mourning and gripped in a sense of outrage. It’s the lead on every newscast, the front page of every paper. The overall safety of this city makes this horrific crime stand out all the more. The girl went missing Monday night, and parts of her body were discovered Tuesday morning. Many people are using this situation to push their agenda of a national sex offender registration. To me this is stupid. Not that the idea is stupid, but what’s the point in starting a political debate the day after a young girl is murdered? Even if we had a registration, it would only help in the apprehension of the monster that did this… even the police say it wouldn’t have stopped the crime from happening in the first place. Have the debate later… don’t let the grief of Holly’s family be the soapbox you debate from.

Oh my goodness “Freddy vs. Jason” is actually coming out I can’t believe it. I was shooting around the web today with my good friend Dave Lapsley and we came across the trailer for the movie all 80’s horror fans have been waiting to see… “Freddy vs. Jason”. Yes, you read that right. The villains from “Nightmare on Elm Street” and “Friday the 13th” will do battle starting on August 15th in a theatre near you. Oh my goodness, what person who was a kid in the 80’s isn’t going to see this just for the pure novelty of it all. The trailer is so funny… I mean it isn’t SUPPOSED to be funny, but Dave and I just laughed the whole way through. Check it out.

Peterson "double murder" case causes some confusion Ok, let me say right off the bat that I'm not trying to evoke a debate on abortion. However, the fact that Scott Peterson is being charged with 2 counts of murder has me scratching my head. How can you charge a guy with murder for taking the life of an unborn child, and yet make abortion (taking the life of an unborn child) legal? To me it seems the legal system is being somewhat hypocritical. To me, the question comes down to this: Is an unborn child a living being or not? If you say it's not, then fine, but you can't then charge a guy with murder. If it IS a living being, then fine, but you can't then permit abortion. It's a tough situation no matter which way you cut it. No wonder the scriptures command us to "pray for our leaders".

The Church vs. The Sermon on the Mounts While teaching at the University of Pennsylvania, I became good friends with a young Jewish student who eventually made a commitment to Christ. As I tried to mentor him and give him a direction as to how to live the Christian life, I advised him to go to a particular church that was well known for its biblically based preaching, to help him get a better handle on what the Bible is all about. When I met my friend several weeks later, he said to me, "You know, if you put together a committee and asked them to take the Beatitudes and create a religion that contradicted every one of them, you could come pretty close to what I'm hearing down there at that church. Whereas Jesus said, "Blessed are the poor." down there they make it clear it is the rich who are blessed. "Jesus said, 'Blessed are they that mourn,' but the people at that church has a religion that promises happiness with no crucifixions. "Whereas Jesus talked about the meek being blessed, they talk as if they took assertiveness-training courses. Jesus may have talked about the merciful and peacemakers, but those people are the most enthusiastic supporters of American militarism and capital punishment I have ever met. "Jesus may have lifted up those who endured persecution because they dared to embrace a radical gospel, but that church declares a gospel that espouses middle-class success and affirms a lifestyle marked by social prestige". As I listened to my friend's accusing words about the church, I realized it could just as well be aimed at me. Since that conversation, I've spent a lot of time reflecting on whether or not my lifestyle is really Christian. Soren Kiekegaard once said, "If you mean by Christian what the Sermon on the Mount says about being a Christian, then in any given time in history, there might be four or five such persons who would have the right to call themselves Christians". Tony Campolo (Let Me Tell You a Story)

A prayer for real people My sister Sandy sent this little picture to me today. I thought you'd all get a kick out of it.

X-Men 2 is AMAZING! Saw X-men 2 this afternoon. The movie was everything I hoped it would be and more! The visual effects were stunning, and the story was quite good to boot. There was also a great conversation between Nightcrawler and Storm. Nightcrawler was sitting in the back praying. A conversation ensues, here's an excerpt: NightCrawler: How can one so beautiful be so angry? Storm: Anger can help you survive. NightCrawler: So can faith In the comic books Nightcrawler has a deep faith. I was pleasantly surprised to see that the makers of the movie carried that part of his character into the film. What a great movie. Going to see it again tonight!

It's time to re-think church buildings I was thinking today about something. Do you know that in all the New Testament, money was never used to build church buildings or fund various programs? To be honest, not all that much was said to be designated for "missions" either. The vast majority of the money that Paul and others collected from the churches went directly to feed hungry people and meet people's practical physical needs (ie the situation in Jerusalem). When you look at the church today ALL of our money goes to buildings, programs, television ministries and other unimportant things, while MAYBE 2% of churches money actually goes to helping people. Why is that? How has the church gotten itself so screwed up? What's even worse is that most people in the North American church don't even see this as a problem. A church will spend MILLIONS of dollars so they can have a nicer building with better sound and larger parking lot while people starve to death and have nowhere to sleep tonight just blocks away from where the glorious new building stands. Glory to God! Halleluiah! How do we sleep at nights? One of the things that attracted me to Lakewood Baptist Church was the fact that they don't own a building, and has no desire to. That really impressed me. We rent a local civic center that easily accommodates our 120 people, and could probably hold up to 400 if we really needed to. We rent some office space close by as well. Altogether our bills for the rentals are still only about 1/3rd of what most churches have to spend on their mortgage payments alone. I was talking to a leader from a denomination that has a backwards approach to supporting their churches. You see, if a church in their denomination wants to build a new building, then they have money to give them to do it! However, if a church wants to be more responsible and faithful with it's limited money and RENT facilities so it has more money free to do ministry, then the denomination WON'T help them out with that. Shouldn't it be the other way around? Don't misunderstand me. I'm certainly not trying to suggest churches that own buildings are SINFUL. Not at all. I just can't help but wonder if its time that we re-think this whole issue of buildings and how we use the limited money God entrusts us with to make a difference in the world. And MAYBE we even need to re-evaluate how we pay pastors (GUUULLPPP, that's a hard one for me to mention since I am a pastor!) You should probably just ignore this post. I'm probably just missing something. I'm quite stupid you know.

I just love these These posters and MANY more can be found at Despair.com. You can order them and other really funny products. I think I might get some for my office.

4,000 calls a minute for T.O. entertainment deal The $125 deal, created to boost up business in the wake of SARS, is a joint venture between Ontario's Ministry of Tourism and Mirvish Productions. John Karastamatis, a spokesman for Mirvish Productions, said that when the package became available at 9 a.m., there were 4,000 calls a minute coming through. The package offers: - a top-priced ticket to one of two musical productions - Disney's The Lion King or Mamma Mia! - a premium, baseline ticket to a Blue Jays game - a three-course meal at a top restaurant - a one-night stay at a luxurious downtown hotel The package is available for $85 per person without the hotel room. Karastamatis said the high volume of calls temporarily shut down one of Bell's downtown stations. "Yes, there are frustrated customers receiving busy signals, but it's encouraging that people want to enjoy our city again."

withdrawl or involvement - A prayer of reflection: Lord, when you were in our world, you were fully involved. You loved the people you met and you loved the details of their lives and hearts. You also showed us that to be fully involved, there are times when we need to withdraw. You withdrew from people in order to learn to love them more, to listen to the Father's voice. Help us in our shaky footsteps to follow your example. Thank you for those who devote their lives to listening to your voice and to interceding for the world. For the times when we withdraw from people because it infringes on our comfort zones, we ask your forgiveness. We are sorry when through selfishness, laziness or fear, we prefer to stay within our self-containedness rather than risk making ourselves vulnerable to others and their pain and the details of their lives. We pray for the willingness to get involved in this world of endless opportunities and for the wisdom to discern your guiding voice. When our lives become over-busy, gently remind us to create space just to be, and to be with others. When our lives feel empty and lonely, gently remind us to invite you and others in. Whether in times of withdrawal or of active involvement, we seek your embrace. Thank you for entering into our world. (Taken from freeworship.org)

New Fox Reality show to determine Ruler of Iraq Describing the new show as "American Idol meets the reconstruction of Afghanistan," Darnell said Appointed By America will feature contestants squaring off in a variety of challenges, including a democracy quiz, a talent competition, and nation-building activities that will demonstrate their ability to lead a bombed-out, war-ravaged Mideast country. A panel of celebrity judges will help eliminate two contestants each week, leaving one lucky winner the undisputed leader of Iraq at the end of the season. Viewers can participate by casting phone-in votes, although Darnell noted that voting is restricted to calls originating from within the continental U.S. U.S. General Jay Garner (Ret.) will host the show under the auspices of the Pentagon. The three celebrity judges, Darnell said, will be choreographer and former Chrysalis recording artist Toni Basil, internationally renowned hairstylist Vidal Sassoon, and television star Kevin Sorbo.

The problem with “Revival” When evangelicals start talking about wanting “revival” I always want to laugh out loud. When I ask them what they think revival is, they’re definition always revolve around “tons of people getting saved”. So they pray and pray for revival. The problem is, no matter how hard you pray, God isn’t going to force someone to come into a relationship with him, let alone “tons of people”. As I mentioned in my last post, I just spent a couple of days in Vancouver with Henry Blackaby at a prayer conference. Henry decided to talk on the issue of revival and he said something that will always stay with me:

Revival is when God allows His people to see their own hearts the way He seems them, and it breaks them.

WOW! This floored me. He hit the nail right on the head! Christians always think revival is about what God will do to “those” people, when really revival is about what God wants to do in “His” people. I just thought that was really cool.

In Vancouver with Hennry Blackaby Well, I flew into Vancouver this morning. Man, it was almost 23 degrees in Saskatoon and sunny, I got here and it's about 5 degrees and raining. Ugg, I hate the weather in this town. Anyway, I'm here with a few other leaders in our denomination to get together with Hennry Blackaby (the guy who worte "Experiencing God") to talk about prayer for a few days. I'm still not really sure about what we're doing, but it should be fun. Why don't hotels get high speed internet put in rooms? It drives me nuts. I'm having to write this from the lobby of the hotel. Oh well, thats a rant for another time.

Everyone MUST see “Bowling For Columbine” I went to see Bowling for Columbine again last night with a friend of mine after witnessing the train wreck that was the Leafs game 7… but I digress. Anyway, no other film will ever make you think as much as this one… no matter which side of the political spectrum you stand on. It’s scary, it’s thought provoking and really quite shocking. Oprah and Bono called it the best documentary ever made… and I’m inclined to agree with them. Wow, I have to see it again.

Red Wings hire a new P.R. guy from Iraq

In war, whose side is God on? A friend of mine pointed me to this wonderful article printed in the Hamilton Spectator. You'll find and excerpt from it below. Read the whole article if you have the time, but make sure your read the quote from Abraham Lincon at the bottom of my post.

So then, whose side is God taking in the Iraq war? He's on the side of the soldier, regardless of uniform, who lays down his life sacrificially. He's on the side of the child, regardless of nationality, searching for his family in the rubble that was once home. He's with the grief-stricken, the lonely, the desperate and the broken-hearted. This God, who knows suffering so well, is also with those like the disgraced criminal dying on a cross beside Christ, who asked Jesus to simply remember him when entering his kingdom. Yes, Easter's God, it seems, is rather passionately on the side of these so-called "losers." And what might this mean for Iraq? Turn to Abraham Lincoln, who found his own faith when asking whose side providence took when 600,000 Americans lost their lives in that brutal Civil War. "It's quite possible," Lincoln said "that God's purpose is something different from either party."

Once again, you can read the whole article by clicking here

Blessed Easter Everyone! After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb. There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men. The angel said to the women, "Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples: 'He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.' Now I have told you." So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. Suddenly Jesus met them. "Greetings," he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him. Then Jesus said to them, "Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me." (Matthew 28:1-10)

Children's Books that will never be published A friend of mine sent me this list. I've read it 6 times and I still laugh out loud: 1. You Are Different, and That's Bad 2. The Boy Who Died From Eating All His Vegetables 3. Dad's New Wife Robert 4. Fun Four-Letter Words to Know and Share 5. Hammers, Screwdrivers and Scissors: An I-Can-Do-It Book 6. The Kids' Guide to Hitchhiking 7. Karen Was So Bad Her Mom Stopped Loving Her 8. Curious George and the High-Voltage Fence 9. All Cats Go to Hell 10. The Little Sissy Who Snitched 11. Some Kittens CAN Fly 12. That's It, I'm Putting You Up for Adoption 13. Grandpa Gets a Casket 14. The Magic World Inside the Abandoned Refrigerator 15. Garfield Gets Feline Leukemia 16. The Pop-up Book of Human Anatomy 17. Strangers Have the Best Candy 18. Whining, Kicking, and Crying to Get Your Way 19. You Were an Accident 20. Things Rich Kids Have, But You Never Will 21. Pop! Goes the Hamster...And Other Great Microwave Games 22. The Man in the Moon is Actually Satan 23. Your Nightmares are Real 24. Where Would You Like to Be Buried? 25. Eggs, Toilet Paper, and Your School 26. Why Can't Mr. Fork and Ms. Electrical Outlet Be Friends? 27. Places Where Mommy and Daddy Hide Neat Things 28. Daddy Drinks Because You Cry 29. The Demons That Live Under Your Bed 30. Controlling the Playground: Respect through Fear

This is a picture I shall always treasure

US and British forces caught using internationally banned weapons The United States and Great Britain are now admitting they violated the international rules of war convention adopted by the United Nations by using the banned weapons known as “cluster bombs”. US officials claimed that although they did use the weapons, they were NOT used in areas that had civilian populations. Contrary to that statement, dozens of dud American cluster shells have been found scattered around Baghdad by CNN and other American news correspondents. The hypocrisy of this whole sorted affair astounds me. “We’re going to attack you because you have banned weapons. Don’t mind us as we use banned weapons ourselves to attack you with!”. “We’re going to attack you because you have chemical weapons! I know the inspectors didn’t find any, and we can’t find them either, but we know you HAD them because WE’RE THE ONES WHO GAVE THEM TO YOU IN THE FIRST PLACE” “We’re going to attack you because you have Weapons of Mass Destruction. Don’t pay any attention to the fact that we currently have 10,215 fully operational Nuclear warheads.” Look, I’m honestly not trying to reopen the war debate. If you agreed with the war or not, you have to admit that as a westerner our hypocrisy is a little embarrassing… even if the war was just.

The Magic Formula Gospel I just finished a meeting with a VERY nice man who represents an evangelistic ministry organization. What the organization does (a well know organization by the way) is train people how to share their faith with strangers. Now, on the surface this sounds like a good idea, but as I listened to this nice man give me his presentation it became more and more apparent that all he was really offering was a “magic” formula. Basically, he told me that at their seminars I’ll learn how to approach a person, instantly assess where they are spiritually, and then how to present the gospel to them with the highest chances of “success”. It took the importance of authenticity and relationship right out of their mathematical equations. This old approach starts with a presupposition that people will just accept “truth” when they hear it explained. Most of the people I know never accept anything without seeing it in action first. They don’t buy the car before test-driving it. They can be told it has great handling, that it’s great on gas, that the engine has so many horses… but until they’re allowed to get behind the wheel and really see it in action it’s all just words. I can “present” the Gospel anyway I want, the fact of the matter is that the people I know will think it sounds nice, but until they SEE the faith I describe in words lived out in action, then it’s all just unverifiable theory to them. To see it in action they need to be close to me. To be close to me they need to be in relationship with me. Even then, once a relationship exists, a uniqueness embodies it that makes it different from any other relationship I have… all relationships do. So to try to apply a formulaic approach to presenting the Gospel seems trite at best. In all of His recorded actions, Jesus never presented the good news to anyone the same way twice. To Jesus there was no such thing as “formula”. Don’t get me wrong. This man who met with me had nothing but the VERY BEST of intentions and motives. He loves God, and just wants to see people meet Him. I bless him in his mission. I just don’t know if the battle plan he has for his mission can be effective in a post-modern world. Just my two cents worth. I could be wrong.

Stopping those annoying “Messenger Service” popup ads in Windows XP Those little grey boxes have been boxes that popup on my window have been driving me insane! I finally found out how to stop them. Here’s how you do it: 1. Click on the "Start" button. 2. Right-Click on "My Computer" 3. Choose "Manage" from the menu that appears. 4. In the left column Highlight "Services and Applications" 5. In the right column Double-Click on "Services". 6. Double-Click on the service called "Messenger". 7. Click the "Stop" button to stop the service. 8. Change the "Startup Type:" to "Manual" 9. Click "Apply". 10. Click "OK". 11. Close "Computer Management"

Wal-Mart rejects 'racy' worship CD Thanks to the “FatBlueMan” for pointing this article out:

The latest Vineyard Music worship CD, "Intimacy, vol. 2," has raced to the top of the Christian sales charts, but Wal-Mart is refusing to stock the album without slapping on a parental warning sticker. The ground-breaking — some say risqué — album includes edgy worship songs such as "My Lover, My God," "Touch Me All Over," "Naked Before You," "I'll Do Anything You Want," "Deeper" and "You Make Me Hot with Desire." "We've had concerns about previous Vineyard CD's, but this time they went overboard in their suggestive imagery depicting the church's love affair with Christ," said a Wal-Mart spokesman. "It would be irresponsible to sell this to 13-year-old kids." A Vineyard Music Group (VMG) spokesman defended the album. "We felt this was the next logical step in furthering people's intimacy with the Lord, as the title implies," said Sam Haverley, director of VMG public relations. "People aren't content with yesterday's level of closeness. They want something more. We feel this album gives them that." Wal-Mart represents a third of all CD sales, which has forced VMG to try to negotiate a deal. VMG proposed adding a heart-shaped warning sticker rather than the black-and-white label more often seen on raunchy rap albums, but Wal-Mart refused. VMG is considering issuing a censored version of the album. "If Christians want to make R- or X-rated music, that's up to them," said a Wal-Mart spokesman, "but we don't have to carry it."

Mike Weir is THE MAN To be a Canadian sports fan is to be in a perpetual state of pride. Not only do we completely dominate the greatest sport on earth (hockey), but our Grey Cup games are FAR more exciting than the Superbowls (Although obviously the NFL has way better talent than the CFL I must concede), and so on and so on… Ontario boy Mike Weir has now become the first Canadian to win the greatest golf tournament in the world… THE MASTERS (My friend Curt taught me that cause I knew nothing about golf until I met him… come to think of it… I still know almost nothing about golf). Way to go Mikey! We’re all unbelievably proud of you!

Oilers 3 Stars 2 Man, it's good to see Canada's teams doing well. Go Oilers Go!

This picture will haunt me as long as I live Through the blog community I came across this picture. It's of a 12 year old boy whose father, mother and siblings were killed during a coalition air raid in Bagdad. Little Ali also lost his arms and was burned over 50% of his body. Click here to see the full sized picture. The horrors of war. The western media sanitizes it so well. I'll resist giving any other commentary, the picture says enough on it's own.

Where are these so-called "Weapons of Mass Destruction"? The following quote is from Scott Ritter, former United States Marine, and also former Chief UN weapons inspector in Iraq until 1998. Interesting thoughts he shares:

"The threat that Iraq poses from weapons of mass destruction I think has been clearly exposed as a lie. We were told to expect chemical weapons to rain down on troops as soon as they crossed over the border from Kuwait into Iraq, but that didn't happen. We were then told that as we closed in on the so-called 'red line' around Baghdad - the 50-mile circle - that as soon as we breached that, chemical weapons would be used. That didn't happen. Then we said chemical weapons would be used as a last-gasp defence of Baghdad but that didn't happen. What chemical weapons? We were told that the presidential palaces were brimming over with weapons of mass destruction, but we now occupy many of the presidential palaces and we've found nothing." "If Iraq were to have weapons of mass destruction today, they would have had to reconstitute a manufacturing base since 1998, since weapons inspectors left. No one has provided any information of a substantive nature that sustains that allegation. Clearly Iraq had the potential, they had time, they had four years between the time I left and other inspectors left in 1998 and the time that the new UNMOVIC inspectors returned in the fall of 2002." "I have clearly stated that Iraq could reconstitute a limited capability within six months, so the potential is there for Iraq to have done this, but that potential doesn't automatically translate into reality, and we did have inspectors on the ground for almost four months, and they found nothing. Furthermore they investigated over a dozen sites highlighted by the Central Intelligence Agency as being prime suspects for producing weapons of mass destruction and they have found nothing." "The threat that Iraq poses from weapons of mass destruction I think has been clearly exposed as a lie. We were told to expect chemical weapons to rain down on troops as soon as they crossed over the border from Kuwait into Iraq, but that didn't happen. We were then told that as we closed in on the so-called 'red line' around Baghdad - the 50-mile circle - that as soon as we breached that, chemical weapons would be used. That didn't happen. Then we said chemical weapons would be used as a last-gasp defence of Baghdad but that didn't happen. What chemical weapons? We were told that the presidential palaces were brimming over with weapons of mass destruction, but we now occupy many of the presidential palaces and we've found nothing." "If Iraq were to have weapons of mass destruction today, they would have had to reconstitute a manufacturing base since 1998, since weapons inspectors left. No one has provided any information of a substantive nature that sustains that allegation. Clearly Iraq had the potential, they had time, they had four years between the time I left and other inspectors left in 1998 and the time that the new UNMOVIC inspectors returned in the fall of 2002." "I have clearly stated that Iraq could reconstitute a limited capability within six months, so the potential is there for Iraq to have done this, but that potential doesn't automatically translate into reality, and we did have inspectors on the ground for almost four months, and they found nothing. Furthermore they investigated over a dozen sites highlighted by the Central Intelligence Agency as being prime suspects for producing weapons of mass destruction and they have found nothing."

It strikes me as kind of funny that the whole excuse used for justifying a pre-emptive attack on Iraq (the charge of massive amounts of Weapons of Mass Destruction) isn't even being talked about anymore. It's like the Bush administration is trying to sweep it all under the rug. Oh well, just my little observation. Read the entire interview here.

Go Leafs Go! Go Leafs Go! Well, my Toronto Maple Leafs got outplayed last night, especially in the second period when they only got 1 shot on goal. However, thanks to some lucky bounces, solid play by ?The Eagle? and taking advantage of some breaks, the Leafs beat the Flyers 5-3 to take a 1-0 lead in the series! I’ll be honest, I’m still not sure how well they’ll do for the rest of the series, the Flyers are a very good team, but at least they’re off to a good start. Oh yeah, the Oilers beat Dallas last night too. Wow! Man I’d love to see Edmonton put the boots to Dallas. Ottawa got beat by the Islanders, but I wouldn’t worry about it too much, I still think the Sens will win the next 4 in a row. Go Leafs Go! Go Leafs Go!!

Christians and Killing mp3 sermon In response to several requests I’ve had from you guys, I’ve posted a sermon I did on the topic of Jesus, killing and war. It’s in mp3 format and it’s less than 3 megs big. I have to credit Dr. D.B. Kraybill, Bruxy Cavey, Louis Faramonty, Dr. Edward Nortelli and Dr. John Stott from whom I got most of the material for this sermon. **As a side note, in the sermon I mention Augustine’s support of the Crusades. This was obviously a mess up on my part since the crusades came about 700 years after Augustine. I meant to say his support of the Constantine wars. Thanks for your grace. Here’s the message.

Worship.Freehouse I have the privilege of being involved in something that I think will be very special. The Worship.Freehouse. Here’s a short description from our website:

The Worship Freehouse is a gathering of people who want a place where they spend time worshiping God, exploring liturgy and worship, learn about what it means to be a follower of Jesus Christ. We seek to worship God in ways and forms that we can relate to, using the cultural resources of the 21st century which are our native language. It stems from who we are and is an attempt to be authentic. 21st century doesn't mean that we toss the old things or traditions away, but the old things we incorporate (such as Celtic liturgy) are those that speak to our current situation. Because we are feeling our way with things that are new, we know somethings won't work but we accept that as part of what we are about.

We’ll be meeting in the Saskatoon Jazz Basement once a month starting Sunday night April 27th. Check out the website for more news and information.

The 2003 Juno awards… the good and the bad For my friends who don’t live in Canada, the Juno awards are basically the Canadian Grammy’s. Unlike the Grammy’s, the Juno’s take place in a full sized area. This year the event was held in Ottawa and it sold out with a little over 16,000 people attending. The atmosphere looked AMAZING! Several very good things stood out to me. First of all, I never cease to be amazed at the sheer amount of Canadian Musical talent. The list of nominees included: Avril Lavigne Alanis Morissette Sum 41 Nickelback Shania Twain Our Lady Peace Diana Krall Remy Shand Blue Rodeo Jarvis Church Amanda Marshall The Tea Party Wide Mouth Mason David Usher Matthew Good Etc. etc. etc. The production value of the show was top notch. Best I’ve ever seen for a Canadian awards show before. Another things I liked was the fact that all the “live” performances were ACTAULLY live! Now, a couple of VERY BAD THINGS stood out to me as well. Of the 37 Juno’s given out this year, only about 6 of them were handed out during the 2.5 hour show! What a JOKE! Awards like “Rock Album of the Year” and “Pop Album of the Year” and other MAJOR categories were handed out the night before. What were they thinking!?!? How stupid is that?!? Also, with all the money that went into that show, you’d think that they could have sprung for a mic stand with adjustable height. The Mic was set at about 4 ½ feet high, so every person that won an award had to bend over like they were about to take a kick in the pants just to be heard. It was almost as if they were expecting Avril Lavigne (who is about 5 feet tall) to win every award. Did no one catch this during rehearsals? Last complaint. I know I’m biased against country music, but really, why was Shania Twain hosting the show? And why did she have more than one musical number while major awards (like rock album of the year) had to be handed out the night before? I hope they correct these mistakes for the show next year. Overall the Juno’s have come a long way.

Let's be honest, this is how it would be.

"I can picture in my mind a world without war, a world without hate. And I can picture us attacking that world, because they'd never expect it." -- Jack Handy

ANGERED BY SNUBBING, LIBYA, CHINA, SYRIA FORM AXIS OF JUST AS EVIL Beijing (SatireWire.com) — Bitter after being snubbed for membership in the "Axis of Evil," Libya, China, and Syria today announced they had formed the "Axis of Just as Evil," which they said would be way eviler than that stupid Iran-Iraq-North Korea axis President Bush warned of his State of the Union address. Axis of Evil members, however, immediately dismissed the new axis as having, for starters, a really dumb name. "Right. They are Just as Evil... in their dreams!" declared North Korean leader Kim Jong-il. "Everybody knows we're the best evils... best at being evil... we're the best." Diplomats from Syria denied they were jealous over being excluded, although they conceded they did ask if they could join the Axis of Evil. "They told us it was full," said Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. "An Axis can't have more than three countries," explained Iraqi President Saddam Hussein. "This is not my rule, it's tradition. In World War II you had Germany, Italy, and Japan in the evil Axis. So you can only have three. And a secret handshake. Ours is wicked cool." Read the whole article here

Evengelism is empty without discipleship

We need to clear in our heads about what discipleship is. My definition: A disciple is a person who has decided that the most important thing in their life is to learn how to do what Jesus said to do. A disciple is not a person who has things under control, or knows a lot of things. Disciples simply are people who are constantly revising their affairs to carry through on their decision to follow Jesus. Dallas Willard

My final thoughts on Christians and killing and war Ok I've had a lot of people email me asking what I specifically think about war and killing. Here's an outline. 1) There are 2 separate kingdoms. The kingdom of the world, and the new Kingdom of God that Jesus instituted. Christians are to live by Kingdom principals and NOT worldly principals. (John 18:36) 2) Christians should not judge World leaders. They live in a different kingdom than we do. We should not expect them to live by Jesus' kingdom principals. (Romans 13) 3) The West (U.S., Canada, England, ect.) IS NOT the Kingdom of God. 4) The West (U.S., Canada, England, ect.) IS NOT a new version of the Old Testament Israel. 5) The Kingdom of God transcends all worldly boarders and transcends ethnicity. 6) As Christians, our citizenship is Heaven and not the U.S. or Canada. Therefore, our allegiance to God's Kingdom principals MUST take priority over our "national" loyalties. 7) Jesus taught that the second most important command in the entire Bible was to "Love your neighbor as you love yourself". (Mark 12:30-31) 8) Jesus taught that our enemies are our neighbors. (Luke 10:25-37) 9) Jesus commanded that we "Love our enemies" (Matthew 5:43-46) 10) Jesus taught that loving your enemies means being willing to lay down your life for them. (John 13:34), (Romans 5:8) 11) Jesus taught that loving your enemies mean doing good to them when they hate us, praying for them when they persecute us and blessing them when they curse us. (Luke 6:27-30) 12) Jesus commanded that we should do to our enemies, as we would have our enemies do to us. (Luke 6:31) 13) Since I can't imagine myself ever WANTING my enemy to kill me, I cannot kill him if I am to be obedient to the command of Christ. (Luke 6:31) 14) Jesus commanded that if someone strikes me, I should offer him my other cheek as well. This command takes away my "right" to retaliate. If I am to be obedient to the command of Christ, I cannot strike them back. (Matt 5:39) 15) The Bible commands us not to even curse any human beings, because all humans bear God's image. If I cannot even curse them, what makes me think its ok to kill them? (James 3:9-10) 16) There is evil in the world. The Bible commands us to overcome evil with GOOD, not with more evil. (Romans 12:19-21) 17) The Saddams of this world are evil. However, the Bible teaches that all human beings are evil. Yes, that includes you and me (It's a good thing Christ died for us!) The Bible does not say "Love your enemies, AS LONG AS THEY'RE NOT EVIL. (Mark 10:18) 18) God uses worldly secular leaders to carry out certain things, such as punishing lawbreakers. I only mention this to make the point that we in the Body of Christ should not judge secular authorities for doing certain things that the Bible commands Christians not to do. We are to Pray for secular authorities (and yes, that also means we’re supposed to pray for Saddam Hussein and George Bush).(Romans 13:4) 19) The Bible makes it CLEAR that this is not the responsibility of those who live in the Kingdom of God, nor do we have the right to. (Romans 12:19-21) 20) To summarize, If I (as a Christ follower) were to ever kill an enemy, I would be violating multiple CLEAR commands of Christ, my supposed King: a) To love my neighbor b) To love my enemy c) To do to my enemy as I would have them do to me d) To do good to them that hate me etc? etc? etc? Just a quick wrap up thought here. Some people understandably feel some confusion over all the war in the Old Testament. A few things to keep in mind: 1) Jesus brought the new Kingdom of God. He is now the ultimate and complete revelation of God. Jesus completes and supercedes the Old Testament. 2) Israel was a Theocracy literally ruled by God, unlike any nation on the earth today. 3) In all the wars, the Old Testament made it clear that God himself was the warrior. Always going into battle short handed so the glory would belong to God. I don't see any other nations utilizing this particular strategy anymore. I.E. if the West really thought God was on their side, why send 250,000 troops to fight instead of just 5,000? Jesus followers don't kill people because Jesus CLEARLY taught that in the new Kingdom of God it isn't done. This is all so obvious that I can't for the life of me imagine why there's even any debate about it.

The Hamilton Collection :: Lord Bless This Defender of Freedom Figurine Sad, sad,sad. That's all I can think about when I see things like this. The church has totally lost it's way. If I ever needed more proof that the North American church is really in trouble then this is it: Cooper had it right when he said this about it: Don't know what bothers me more, the reinforcement of a "manifest destiny" worldview, the commodification of war and the idea that war is in God's name, or that is a child holding the rifle. Here is the description...

No matter where his mission takes him, he'll never be beyond the reach of God's protection. As the brave members of the U.S. military head out to defend our freedom, it's comforting to know that each one is sheltered in the loving hands of God.

Make sure you floss! Ok I went to the dentist yesterday to have a really bad wisdom tooth taken out and get a filling put into the tooth beside it. This wisdom tooth was in REALLY bad shape and was actually already falling apart. I was NOT looking forward to this procedure. Now, the dentist also suggested that I get a cleaning done by one of his associates before getting the extraction done the same day. I thought the cleaning would be a cake walk? WOW was I wrong. You have to understand that I don't floss often. Anyway, the plaque build up was so hard and so deep under the gum line that it was like she was chipping and pulling out little pieces of jaded glass. It was excruciating! It took almost 45 minutes, there was a LOT of blood and my mouth was throbbing for hours. It wasn't the hygienist's fault? it was mine for not flossing. OUCH! Then, I went over to another chair to get the real work done. WOW! This dentist is amazing! He took out my wisdom tooth and I didn't even know he had started! I'm serious! So, the moral of the story boys and girls is: "Floss your teeth!" You'll save yourself a lot of pain later if you do!

A good argument for getting the extended warranty My sister in Hamilton sent me this picture. I nearly cried I laughed so hard.

Speaking 5 times this weekend Ok, I’m actually only doing 1 sermon, but I’m doing it 4 times at my old church (Lakeview) and then once at my church. 2 services tonight (Saturday) at Lakeview, then one at 9:30am at Lakeview tomorrow, then zip over to my church, then zip back over to Lakeview for one final service. It’ll be a little nuts, but probably fun. Our churches are literally about 3 minutes apart from each other. I’ll let you know how it goes.

Laying down her life for peace

This weekend 23-year-old American peace activist Rachel Corrie was crushed to death by a bulldozer as she tried to prevent the Israeli army destroying homes in the Gaza Strip. In a remarkable series of emails to her family, she explained why she was risking her life

Click here to read the emails she wrote to her family days before sacrificing her life.

UN estimate 1200 have been killed in Iraq so far The United Nations Health envoy has given an initial estimate of death casualties in the current Iraqi conflict. Roughly 100 coalition soldiers, 350 Iraqi civilians and close to 800 Iraqi military have been killed with an additional 4000 Iraqi civilians injured. British officials say these numbers "sound generally accurate". All this in a couple of weeks. The U.N. envoy expressed "deep concern" that the coalition now says the conflict could last months.

Hurts… so… much Although I’ve been going to the gym about 5 days a week, I haven’t been involved in anything athletic since Ultimate Frisbee ended in September. Last night I joined a bunch of guys who play floor hockey every Thursday night… SWEET SASSY MOLLASSY DOES MY REAR END HURT! So much running… I woke up this morning and I thought I’d never walk again. Note to self: Stay active.

Looking inward I’ve been going through a bunch of stuff lately, mostly internal stuff. I’m finding that I’m really not satisfied with the level of Spirituality in my life. I’m not talking about “Quiet time” or things like that… I’m doing all the right stuff on the outside, but the degree to which my spirit touches God’s is disappointing to me. Don’t get me wrong, its not non-existent, I just feel I need more… more connection, more intimacy, I can’t even properly describe it or put it into words. The issue of war and the question of “is it right for Christ followers to ever kill people” has really been weighing me down. The fact that so many prominent Christian leaders (most of which live in the west) seem to advocate the position that Christians can kill has me almost depressed (especially when you consider how clear the New Testament is on this issue). No, I’m serious. There have been at least 3 nights where I haven’t been able to sleep because of this. I’m becoming so disillusioned with the Western Church. Not just because of war or killing, but also because of our unbelievable materialism, our ignoring of the Aids crisis (while we build multi-million dollar church buildings), the way we treat our faith like it’s a past time while other Christ followers in the world are dying for it. What are we doing? What’s the point? Is this what Jesus died for? I’m not quite sure what to do with all this stuff. I’m very fortunate to belong to a local church filled with loving people. They all seem to be people who don’t pretend to have it all figured out. They’re truth seekers. They ask questions. It’s really the church I need to be in right now I think. Ok, if I figure any of this stuff out I’ll let you know. Thanks for letting me rant.

More thought on the War: Tony Campolo's view

I was asked quite simply, in a debate, "What do you suggest as an alternative? I mean, Saddam Hussein is a crazy man, he is a threat to civilization, how do you stop him?" Has anybody every thought about doing things the way Jesus told us to do them? We've embargoed Iraq for the last 10 years. A half a million children in Iraq under the age of 12 have died as a direct result of that embargo, either from malnutrition of from lack of medicine. Here's the foreign policy I would suggest: to end the embargo! The Bible says if your enemy hungers -- what? -- feed him. If he's naked, clothe him, if he's sick, care for him. Nothing would destroy the authority of Saddam Hussein more than if we Christians provided a massive relief program of food and medicine to the people of Iraq. And if we are going to pave the way for missionary enterprise, we have got to do that. We've got to do that. I don't know who's going to do it; but somebody's got to organize the Christian community, and say we're going to load up freighters with food and medicine -- and we're going to send them to Iraq, and we dare the US Navy to stop us. When we try to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, you say "You can't overcome Saddam Hussein that way" . . . I believe in Jesus, and Jesus says "Overcome evil with [good]." You see, we always say the just shall live by faith, but people say "Oh that's alright for you idealists, you've got to be realistic!" Realistic? I know that Saddam Hussein has chemical weapons of mass destruction. You know how I know? Because President Clinton told me that he -- and formerly President Bush -- gave Saddam Hussein those chemical weapons. You see, in those days, we were trying to hold back Iran. We were trying to keep Iran in place, and so we armed Saddam Hussein to hold back Iran. It was realistic politics, it was realism, it was intelligent foreign policy -- and it's stupid. What we should have done was given food to the hungry, clothe the naked . . . We've got to be peacemakers. Let me lay it on you: You don't get rid of terrorism by killing terrorists, anymore than you get rid of malaria by killing mosquitoes. You get rid of malaria, not by killing mosquitoes, but by getting rid of the swamps that breed those mosquitoes. You don't get rid of terrorists by killing terrorists -- because it only creates more terrorists, does it not? You get rid of terrorists by dealing with the poverty and the humiliation that Arab peoples have had to endure. It's time that we stand up and speak as peacemakers in the world. We are called to a ministry of reconciliation . .

Profits and War Jordon posted his thoughts on recent email he's been recieving from ministry organizations.

I am amazed on how many pieces of e-mail I have received today from parachurch organizations and companies trying to sell me things as a pastor to help my "church deal with the war". Obviously prepared before the start of hostilities, I find it some what sick that Christian companies are using the war as a marketing tool. Just my opinion.

Getting online with McWi-Fi For those of you who may not yet know, Wi-Fi is basically a wireless internet access. How it works is that you set up a Base Station somewhere in your building (they run as low as about $150 CND) and plug your high speed internet cable into it. The base station then broadcasts your internet connection up to about 200 feet (depending on the model). You then attach a Wi-Fi receiver card to your laptop (they also come in PCI or external USB) and you’re instantly connected to high speed internet anywhere within the range of the Base Station. Some friends of mine have it and it’s VERY cool. McDonalds has just announced that by the end of 2003, over 300 of their restaurants will have Wi-Fi. They also said that by the end of 2004, all McDonalds in North America will be equipped. All you’ll need is a laptop computer with a receiver of some sorts and you’re ready to be online while eating your Big Mac. Many hotels and coffee shops are already using this technology to attract clients into their places of business. With McDonalds now on board, Wi-Fi will probably become a mainstay. A few of us in my church have been thinking about installing a Base Station in our office and allow anyone who comes onto our complex (our offices are in a strip plaza that we share with a health salon, gym, and restaurant) can use our internet connection if they have a receiver on there laptops. The restaurant obviously loves this idea. My friend Jordon has been encouraging me to do it as well.

On my way to Toronto... again Hey all! I'm on my way out the door to head to Toronto for a Small Groups conference. I'll blog when I land!

This is what a Flash intro should look like My old church in Oakville Ontario called "The Meeting House" has just updated their site with a fantastic Flash intro. Go take a look at it and make sure to scroll through the entire things

A Practical Christian Pacifism The following is an excerpt from and article by David A. Hoekema entitled "A Practical Christian Pacifism". The article is amazing and I encourage you to read the entire thing.

The case for Christian pacifism has been made frequently and fervently by many writers. The Gospel writers record that Jesus called his followers to a way of life in which violence and division are overcome by sacrificial love. We must not return evil for evil, Jesus taught, but must return good for evil; we must not hate those who wrong us but must love our enemies and give freely to those who hate us. These themes in Jesus’ ministry were deeply rooted in the Hebrew prophetic tradition, and Jesus’ ministry an his sacrificial death were a continuation and a fulfillment of that tradition. Followers of Jesus, Christian pacifists say, must follow both his example and his teachings: they must show love for all in their actions and seek healing and reconciliation in every situation. The early Christian community understood Jesus’ commands to prohibit the bearing of arms. Christians refused to join the military, even though the Roman army of the period was as much a police force as a conquering army. Those who converted to Christianity while in military service were instructed to refrain from killing, to pray for forgiveness for past acts of violence, and to seek release from their military obligations. A striking example of the pervasiveness of pacifism in the early church is the fact that Tertullian and Origen?church fathers who stood at opposite poles regarding the relation of faith to philosophical reasoning?each wrote a tract supporting Christians’ refusal to join the military.

Back from Calgary. The highs and the lows. Well, I’m back from my trip to Calgary and meetings with the National Leadership of our denomination. Overall I had a good time. Several things jump out at me as “highs” and “lows” of the event: Highs 1) Staying at Gerry’s place. Gerry is sort of the “Top Dog” in our denomination. However, he’s also a computer geek (that’s a good thing) and in general a fun guy to be around. He’s also a great conversationalist and we had several great debates together while I was there. I enjoyed his company enormously. 2) Openness to expressions of Church. I was very excited to hear our denomination is opening its mind to different expressions of “church” as being valid. Gives me great hope for the future of the CCSB. 3) Meeting cool people. I had the privilege of meeting and hanging out with some amazing church leaders over the last few days. Jeff, Andrew and John from “The Sanctuary” were among the coolest. Can’t wait to hook up with those guys in Toronto when I go down there next week. Too many others to name. Lows 1) I’m a little worried by our denominations reliance on our counterparts to the south. Don’t get me wrong, I’m very grateful for the support the Americans give us. However, having half (or more) of our Canadian National Staff being from the U.S. seems a little odd to me. (Once again, don’t get me wrong, the Americans on our Canadian National Staff are AMAZING people… especially Bob Shelton). I just sensed an overall American approach to ministry that I just don’t believe can ultimately work here in Canada. I could be wrong. 2) This one really concerns me. During the days there, the issue of the impending war came up several times. I was EXTREMELY disheartened to hear how many of our leaders think it’s ok for Christ followers to kill people. Then again, I’m disheartened by how many Christians in general seem to take on what I believe to be a very worldly way of thinking about conflict/violence/war/killing. Smarter and more Godly men than I differ with me on this… I just can’t understand why. 3) I ate FAR too much while I was there Well there you go. I actually can’t wait to get together with all these folks again. I feel very blessed to be a part of the CCSB. I’m curious to see how well I fit in with it as time goes by.

My Denomination seems to be embracing new expressions of "church" audblog audio post

Why don’t leaders want to learn anymore? One of the things that has really been bothering me about the Church in North America lately it the disturbing trend I see in Pastors who have stopped being learners. They come through seminary and seem to then believe that they know everything they need to know. Statistics are showing that Pastors are reading fewer and fewer books, attending fewer and fewer conferences that are outside their denominations, and are less and less willing to reexamine themselves and why the think what they think. Len Sweet says that we think of ourselves as “Learned” instead of “Learners” and all of the pompous self-importance that comes along with it. I slip into this all the time. As you know, I’m in Calgary right now at our denominations National Leadership get together. One of the speakers yesterday talked about this very thing. He went so far as to say that “When we cease being learners, we CEASE BEING FOLLOWERS OF JESUS CHRIST”. Wow, I thought that was a little extreme… but when I thought about it, I realized that he was absolutely right. As Pastors, we set a terrible example for our congregations when we don’t live our lives in the open and let our people see us on our quest to be learners. I think that’s one of the reasons I have this website. I learn so much from the comments people leave and the emails they send. I have very strong opinions, I’m very stubborn, so to be a learner is a daily discipline for me. So here’s a question. What does it mean to be a learner? How can I become a better learner? How can I get to the point where all I know is “Jesus Christ and Him crucified”, and everything else is up for debate? Everything else can be learned more, or reexamined, or questioned. Then, how do I live this life of a learner in front of the people in my church? I’m trying now, but I have a lot to learn. Help me out.

National Leadership In Calgary Well, I flew out here to Calgary today. The National Leadership of our denomination is getting together for a few day to do some stuff. For some reason they wanted me here too. I'm staying at Gerry's house. Gerry is the head guy of our denomination, and is just a pretty cool guy! We just watched Alias in the world's ultimate MAN rec room! Anyway, I'll update on how this Leadership thingy goes.

LA Rabbi Asks Mel Gibson to Reconsider Jesus Film

Gibson is completing the self-financed film on the last 12 hours in the life of Christ and a friend of the Gibson family is quoted as telling the Times that Gibson will graphically portray the intense suffering of Christ, "perhaps as no film has done before." Gibson is directing the film. A prominent Jewish leader on Friday asked actor Mel Gibson to make certain that his new film on the last 12 hours in the life of Christ does not portray the Jews as collectively responsible for the crucifixion. Rabbi Marvin Hier, dean and founder of the Simon Wiesenthal Center, said he was concerned because an article to be published in the New York Times Magazine portrays Gibson as a traditionalist Catholic opposed to the reforms of Vatican II.

The Translation for Common Words Women Use My Youth Pastor Shiela gave me this list. I thought it was too funny to not post: FINE This is the word women use to end an argument when they feel they are right and you need to shut up. Never use “Fine” to describe how a women looks – this will cause you to have one of those arguments. FIVE MINUTES This is half an hour. It is equivalent to the five minutes that your football game is going to last before you take out the trash, so it’s an even trade. NOTHING This means “something”, and you should be on your toes. “Nothing” is usually used to describe the feeling a woman has of wanting to turn you inside out, upside down, and backwards. “Nothing” usually signifies an argument that will last “Five Minutes” and end with “Fine”. GO AHEAD (With Raised Eyebrow) This is a dare. One that will result in a woman getting upset over “Nothing” and will end with the word “Fine”. GO AHEAD (Normal Eyebrows) This means “I give up” or “do what you want because I don’t care”. You will get a “Raised Eyebrow Go Ahead” in just a few minutes, followed by “Nothing” and “Fine” and she will talk to you in about “Five Minutes” when she cools off. LOUD SIGH This is not actually a word, but is a non-verbal statement often misunderstood by men. A “Loud Sigh” means she thinks you are an idiot at that moment, and wonders why she is wasting her time standing here and arguing with you over “Nothing”. SOFT SIGH Again, not a word, but a non-verbal statement. “Soft Sighs” mean that she is content. Your best bet is to not speak, move or breathe. THANKS A LOT This is much different from “Thanks”. A woman will say, “Thanks a lot” when she is really ticked off at you. It signifies that you have offended her in some callous way, and will be followed by the “Loud Sigh”. Be careful not to ask what is wrong after the “Loud Sigh,” as she will only tell you “Nothing”.

The pounds melt away Ok, here’s the story. Leading up to Christmas time I weighed in at about 230 pounds. This is pretty much the heaviest I’ve ever been. So, I decided to do something about it. I started eating MUCH BETTER, and began my daily workout schedule again. Anyway, long story short, I’m now down to 209. I’ve lost 21 pounds since Christmas and I feel great! I’ve even had to start buying new pants since the old ones are now too loose. I don’t really know why I’m writing about this… it just makes me feel good.

Sickness be gone! Finally! I’ve been sick since New Years Eve. No really! I got sick in Toronto at my parents place on January 31st. Eventually the fever went away, the dizziness went away, the soar throat went away… but the cough! The cough hung in there for 2 and a half months! I’m happy to say that I now believe I’m finally 100% over it. It’s about time too!

"War on Iraq" IQ Test - Do we know enough to justify going to war? This little quiz was taken from the Dallas Peace Center website 1. What percentage of the world's population does the U.S. have? <5% 2. What percentage of the world's wealth does the U.S. have? 50% 3. Which country has the largest oil reserves? Saudi Arabia 4. Which country has the second largest oil reserves? Iraq 5. How much is spent on military budgets a year worldwide? $900+ billion 6. How much of this is spent by the U.S.? 50% 7. What percent of US military spending would ensure the essentials of life to everyone in the world, according to the UN? 10% -- that's about $40 billion, the amount of funding initially requested for our retaliatory attack on Afghanistan 8. How many people have died in wars since World War II? 86 million 9. How long has Iraq had chemical and biological weapons? Since the early 1980's 10. Did Iraq develop these chemical & biological weapons on their own? No, the materials and technology were supplied by the US government, along with Britain and private corporations. 11. Did the US government condemn the Iraqi use of gas warfare against Iran? No 12. How many people did Saddam Hussein kill using gas in the Kurdish town of Halabja in 1988? 5,000 13. How many western countries condemned this action at the time? 0 14. How many gallons of Agent Orange did America use in Vietnam? 17 million 15. Are there any proven links between Iraq and September 11th terrorist attack? No 16. What is the estimated number of civilian casualties in the Gulf War? 35,000 17. How many casualties did the Iraqi military inflict on the western forces during the Gulf War? 0 18. How many retreating Iraqi soldiers were buried alive by U.S. tanks with ploughs mounted on the front? 6,000 19. How many tons of depleted uranium were left in Iraq and Kuwait after the Gulf War? 40 tons 20. What according to the UN was the increase in cancer rates in Iraq between 1991 and 1994? 700% 21. How much of Iraq's military capacity did America claim it had destroyed in 1991? 80% 22. Is there any proof that Iraq plans to use its weapons for anything other than deterrence and self defense? No 23. Does Iraq present more of a threat to world peace now than 10 years ago? No 24. How many civilian deaths has the Pentagon predicted in the event of an attack on Iraq in 2002/3? 10,000 25. What percentage of these will be children? Over 50% 26. How many years has the U.S. engaged in air strikes on Iraq? 11 years 27. Were the U.S. and the UK at war with Iraq between December 1998 and September 1999? No 28. How many pounds of explosives were dropped on Iraq between December 1998 and September 1999? 20 million 29. How many years ago was UN Resolution 661 introduced, imposing strict sanctions on Iraq's imports and exports? 12 years 30. What was the child death rate in Iraq in 1989 (per 1,000 births) 38 31. What was the estimated child death rate in Iraq in 1999 (per 1,000 births) 131 --that's an increase of 345% 32. How many Iraqis are estimated to have died by October 1999 as a result of UN sanctions? 1.5 million 33. How many Iraqi children are estimated to have died due to sanctions since 1997? 750,000 34. Did Saddam order the inspectors out of Iraq? No 35. How many inspections were there in November and December 1998? 300 36. How many of these inspections had problems? 5 37. Were the weapons inspectors allowed entry to the Ba'ath Party HQ? Yes 38. Who said that by December 1998, "Iraq had in fact, been disarmed to a level unprecedented in modern history." Scott Ritter, UNSCOM chief 39. In 1998 how much of Iraq's post 1991 capacity to develop weapons of mass destruction did the UN weapons inspectors claim to have discovered and dismantled? 90% 40. Is Iraq willing to allow the weapons inspectors back in? Yes 41. How many UN resolutions did Israel violate by 1992? Over 65 42. How many UN resolutions on Israel did America veto between 1972 and 1990? 30+ 43. How many countries are known to have nuclear weapons? 8 44. How many nuclear warheads has Iraq got? 0 45. How many nuclear warheads has US got? Over 10,000 46. Which is the only country to ever have used nuclear weapons? The U.S. 47. How many nuclear warheads does Israel have? Over 400 48. Who said, "Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter"? Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

The fight to stay myself Being a “pastor” is much fun, and very rewarding. However, one of the things I’m finding I have to deal with is the constant pressure to be something other than myself. Don’t get me wrong; it’s not that there are people in my church trying to change me. The pressure comes more from myself in many ways. People (including myself) have this image in their heads of what a “pastor” is supposed to be. What his (or her) personality should be like, what their mannerisms should be like, what they should watch, what they should read, how they should talk, what they should eat, what movies they go to, how they spend their time, what they do to relax, what spiritual gifts they should have, how much time they spend with people, which people they spend it with, how they should dress, ect. ect. ect. The folks in my church are great. I have VERY RARLEY felt any of them try to “shape” me into something that I’m not. However, whenever I hear stories of how the “last pastor did this”, or “did that”, then I feel this pressure building inside me to change who I am to look more like this image of a “Senior Pastor”. Nobody intends to make me feel this way, I just kinda do it to myself. What adds to the pressure are the people (not the people in my church) who like to judge my spirituality by external non-essential things. You see, on the outside I don’t look like much: I love movies, I have like 10 full sized theatrical poster hanging in my office from Matrix, Braveheart, Star Wars, to Shawshank Redemption. Some people think that makes me worldly. (I can’t believe I’m going to admit this) I watch wrestling with some friends like once a month, I listen to hardcore music (to be fair I also listen to classical, go figure), I dress funny, the list goes on and on. Add on top of that the fact that I don’t actually have the spiritual gift of shepherding. I’m a teacher, and a leader… I’m not that good at being a care-giver. I realize that the best way I can serve my church is to be myself, and follow God as myself the best that I can. BUT, the pressure to fit the mold of the “Senior Pastor” sometimes gets me down pretty hard. The folks in my church are GREAT. I still don’t think they know what to make of me, and yet they accept me anyway… that’s cool! Not really sure where I was going with any of this, if I have more thoughts I’ll let you know.

Signs carried at a British Peace Rally. These are great. I got these via Mike Todd's site: Don't Mess with Mesopotamia War is SO 20th Century When Bush Comes to Shove Brains Not Bombs George Dubya: Weapon of Mass Distraction Bombing for Peace is like Screwing for Virginity Evolve! Get to Work for a non-violent Future If War is the Answer We're asking the Wrong Question Killing Innocent People is the Problem, not the Solution! Save America! Spare Iraq! Make Texas take Him Back! Who Would Jesus Bomb? Stop Mad Cowboy Disease Make Love, Not "W" There is no Path to Peace--Peace IS the Path Justice or Just Us? Tame the Tyrant in the Mirror, Then the One in Iraq Nonviolence, not Nonexistence How many Lives per Gallon? Make Alternative Energy Not War How Did Our Oil get Under Their Soil? Regime Change Begins at Home No Hitting (held by young girl) God does not Bless Only America Rich Man's War--Poor Man's Blood Has Anyone Seen Our Constitution Lately? What if God Blesses Iraq? Let's Try Preemptive Peace Our Grief is not a Cry for War If You Are Not Outraged, You Are Not Paying Attention Honk if You're a Terrorist Smart Bombs Don't Justify Dumb Leaders We Have Guided Missiles and Misguided Men Who's the UNELECTED Tyrant With the Bomb? Make Tea Not War Relax, George Fight Plaque, not Iraq (and the guy was carrying a toothbrush)

Tech Problems Hey folks! Sorry, I seem to be having a little tech trouble with my site. It'll all be fixed in the next day or two.

Gio’s Birthday tomorrow Well, tomorrow is my birthday, and I’ve been flooded with tens of thousands of letters from all over the world asking me what gifts I would like. Well, cars are always good. Perhaps my own small Island off the coast of Fiji. But, the all-time favorite gift still has to be bags of money. So, send me your bags of money, and if it’s not too much trouble, could you fill it with non-sequential $100 dollar bills? Thanks a bunch! Happy Birthday to me!

So very disappointed "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" was simply one of the best comedies I've seen on the big screen in YEARS. I personally thought it had a shot at taking Best Picture at the Oscars this year. The film is just wonderful, and if you haven't seen it yet... WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?!?! Anyway, last night was the premiere of the TV show "My Big Fat Greek Life" with just about the WHOLE cast from the movie reprising their roles. I was hoping for a repeat performance of the genius from the movie. I was horribly let down. The show was TERRIBLE! The characters were suddenly all 2 dimensional in the worst possible way. Their personalities (except for the father) were completely different, they changed the names of the 2 lead characters, they contradicted several important story points from the film... in other words, the show SUCKED. The writing wasn't at all witty, and overall it just felt like another bad sit-com. I'll have to rent the movie again tonight to try to purge the awful television experience.

Ziebart's plan for global domination (way too funny) The following is an excerpt taken from David Ziebart's website:

You know, if I had my very own army of unstoppable kill-bots, the world would be a very different place. I'm not saying it would be any better, just different. I do think alot of people would think the world was a better place, for example, all the previously unemployed people who would be able to find work constructing monuments to myself, toiling endlessly in my sugar mines, and constructing the death rays designed by my team of hostage scientists. Did I mention the team of hostage scientists, because I've got one of those too. You can not overestimate the usefullness of a team of hostage scientists. Most evil dictators tend to employ one or several mad geniuses, but a sane genius has a mad one beat every time. For example, a mad scientist would probably program my kill-bots with the personalites of their dead mothers, or William Shatner, or something. A regular scientist, on the other hand, would simply design some sort of wheeled contraption that was extremely efficient at killing people. Oh sure, insane scientists sometimes come up with a flashy gimmick that no sane person could ever think of, but these fancy devices rarely achieve effects that can not be duplicated by a gun, or in a pinch, many guns. So, if anyone out there has an army of unstoppable kill-bots, preferable ant shaped, that they're looking to offload, I'm interested. Plus, when I rule the globe, I'll make you fire chief, or head of some comittee, or something. There'll be plenty of bribes, because my regime will be extremely corrupt. Anyways, here's my clever thought for the day: Everybody is stupid, except for me. And you, of course.

We Stand Passively Mute I found this amazing speach by an American Senator on Jordon's website. Do yourself a favour and read the whole thing. "To contemplate war is to think about the most horrible of human experiences. On this February day, as this nation stands at the brink of battle, every American on some level must be contemplating the horrors of war. Yet, this Chamber is, for the most part, silent -- ominously, dreadfully silent. There is no debate, no discussion, no attempt to lay out for the nation the pros and cons of this particular war. There is nothing. We stand passively mute in the United States Senate, paralyzed by our own uncertainty, seemingly stunned by the sheer turmoil of events. Only on the editorial pages of our newspapers is there much substantive discussion of the prudence or imprudence of engaging in this particular war. And this is no small conflagration we contemplate. This is no simple attempt to defang a villain. No. This coming battle, if it materializes, represents a turning point in U.S. foreign policy and possibly a turning point in the recent history of the world. This nation is about to embark upon the first test of a revolutionary doctrine applied in an extraordinary way at an unfortunate time. The doctrine of preemption -- the idea that the United States or any other nation can legitimately attack a nation that is not imminently threatening but may be threatening in the future -- is a radical new twist on the traditional idea of self defense. It appears to be in contravention of international law and the UN Charter. And it is being tested at a time of world-wide terrorism, making many countries around the globe wonder if they will soon be on our -- or some other nation's -- hit list. High level Administration figures recently refused to take nuclear weapons off of the table when discussing a possible attack against Iraq. What could be more destabilizing and unwise than this type of uncertainty, particularly in a world where globalism has tied the vital economic and security interests of many nations so closely together? There are huge cracks emerging in our time-honored alliances, and U.S. intentions are suddenly subject to damaging worldwide speculation. Anti-Americanism based on mistrust, misinformation, suspicion, and alarming rhetoric from U.S. leaders is fracturing the once solid alliance against global terrorism which existed after September 11. Here at home, people are warned of imminent terrorist attacks with little guidance as to when or where such attacks might occur. Family members are being called to active military duty, with no idea of the duration of their stay or what horrors they may face. Communities are being left with less than adequate police and fire protection. Other essential services are also short-staffed. The mood of the nation is grim. The economy is stumbling. Fuel prices are rising and may soon spike higher. This Administration, now in power for a little over two years, must be judged on its record. I believe that that record is dismal. In that scant two years, this Administration has squandered a large projected surplus of some $5.6 trillion over the next decade and taken us to projected deficits as far as the eye can see. This Administration's domestic policy has put many of our states in dire financial condition, under funding scores of essential programs for our people. This Administration has fostered policies which have slowed economic growth. This Administration has ignored urgent matters such as the crisis in health care for our elderly. This Administration has been slow to provide adequate funding for homeland security. This Administration has been reluctant to better protect our long and porous borders. In foreign policy, this Administration has failed to find Osama bin Laden. In fact, just yesterday we heard from him again marshaling his forces and urging them to kill. This Administration has split traditional alliances, possibly crippling, for all time, International order-keeping entities like the United Nations and NATO. This Administration has called into question the traditional worldwide perception of the United States as well-intentioned, peacekeeper. This Administration has turned the patient art of diplomacy into threats, labeling, and name calling of the sort that reflects quite poorly on the intelligence and sensitivity of our leaders, and which will have consequences for years to come. Calling heads of state pygmies, labeling whole countries as evil, denigrating powerful European allies as irrelevant -- these types of crude insensitivities can do our great nation no good. We may have massive military might, but we cannot fight a global war on terrorism alone. We need the cooperation and friendship of our time-honored allies as well as the newer found friends whom we can attract with our wealth. Our awesome military machine will do us little good if we suffer another devastating attack on our homeland which severely damages our economy. Our military manpower is already stretched thin and we will need the augmenting support of those nations who can supply troop strength, not just sign letters cheering us on. The war in Afghanistan has cost us $37 billion so far, yet there is evidence that terrorism may already be starting to regain its hold in that region. We have not found bin Laden, and unless we secure the peace in Afghanistan, the dark dens of terrorism may yet again flourish in that remote and devastated land. Pakistan as well is at risk of destabilizing forces. This Administration has not finished the first war against terrorism and yet it is eager to embark on another conflict with perils much greater than those in Afghanistan. Is our attention span that short? Have we not learned that after winning the war one must always secure the peace? And yet we hear little about the aftermath of war in Iraq. In the absence of plans, speculation abroad is rife. Will we seize Iraq's oil fields, becoming an occupying power which controls the price and supply of that nation's oil for the foreseeable future? To whom do we propose to hand the reigns of power after Saddam Hussein? Will our war inflame the Muslim world resulting in devastating attacks on Israel? Will Israel retaliate with its own nuclear arsenal? Will the Jordanian and Saudi Arabian governments be toppled by radicals, bolstered by Iran which has much closer ties to terrorism than Iraq? Could a disruption of the world's oil supply lead to a world-wide recession? Has our senselessly bellicose language and our callous disregard of the interests and opinions of other nations increased the global race to join the nuclear club and made proliferation an even more lucrative practice for nations which need the income? In only the space of two short years this reckless and arrogant Administration has initiated policies which may reap disastrous consequences for years. One can understand the anger and shock of any President after the savage attacks of September 11. One can appreciate the frustration of having only a shadow to chase and an amorphous, fleeting enemy on which it is nearly impossible to exact retribution. But to turn one's frustration and anger into the kind of extremely destabilizing and dangerous foreign policy debacle that the world is currently witnessing is inexcusable from any Administration charged with the awesome power and responsibility of guiding the destiny of the greatest superpower on the planet. Frankly many of the pronouncements made by this Administration are outrageous. There is no other word. Yet this chamber is hauntingly silent. On what is possibly the eve of horrific infliction of death and destruction on the population of the nation of Iraq -- a population, I might add, of which over 50% is under age 15 -- this chamber is silent. On what is possibly only days before we send thousands of our own citizens to face unimagined horrors of chemical and biological warfare -- this chamber is silent. On the eve of what could possibly be a vicious terrorist attack in retaliation for our attack on Iraq, it is business as usual in the United States Senate. We are truly "sleepwalking through history." In my heart of hearts I pray that this great nation and its good and trusting citizens are not in for a rudest of awakenings. To engage in war is always to pick a wild card. And war must always be a last resort, not a first choice. I truly must question the judgment of any President who can say that a massive unprovoked military attack on a nation which is over 50% children is "in the highest moral traditions of our country". This war is not necessary at this time. Pressure appears to be having a good result in Iraq. Our mistake was to put ourselves in a corner so quickly. Our challenge is to now find a graceful way out of a box of our own making. Perhaps there is still a way if we allow more time." United States Senator Robert Byrd A Speech From the Senate Floor Wednesday, February 12, 2003

Dave Ziebart enters the Blogging world My friend Dave (who happens to be one of the highest quality people that I know... not to mention one of the funniest) has finally launched his own blog. You can check it out by going here.

Belonging before believing "People now want to belong before they believe" is a phrase that's been batted about for a little while now. I find it to be one of those cliché sayings that just also happens to be bang on true. For years, the church has unintentionally pushed people away by excluding them from basic practices of church life. Here's an example: The other day I got a phone call from a person who had visited our church for a couple of weeks in a row. The preceding Sunday we had celebrated the table together (communion). The person told me that they were very moved by how I described what communion meant and symbolized. They wanted to take a step and participate in the celebration of what Jesus did for us... BUT. The person told me that they were reading our denominations official beliefs document and read that "ONLY THOSE WHO HAVE BEEN BAPTIZED BY IMMERSION WERE PERMITTED TO PARTAKE IN COMMUNION". This obviously made the person quite sad realizing they were restricted from "remembering" what the Lord had done for us. What was that document saying? It was basically telling this person that in order to belong you must believe first. You're not allowed to take little steps towards God. There are things you must DO first. There are hoops for you to jump through still. This is all NONSENSE. Jesus and Paul both warned us about putting unnecessary obstacles in the way of people who want to approach Jesus. This reminds me a lot of how many "leaders" in the early church believed that before a person could become a Christian they had to convert to the Jewish faith first, and THEN become a Christian. How ridiculous. Maybe my particular version of the Bible is missing a few pages, but I missed the part where Jesus said "Do this in remembrance of me... once you've been baptized". I take this issue a little personally because I didn't come to faith all at once. It was a process of almost 8 months of taking little steps closer and closer to God until I was ready to jump into His arms. During those 8 months I was overwhelmed by how I was taken into the life of the church... this little community of people who showed me love by allowing me to belong even before I believed.

Empowering Layity does NOT mean dis-empowering staff I'm seeing a very unsettling trend among some churches. Church staff (all those who aren't actually the SENIOR Pastor) are being treated more and more like hired farm hands. They are viewed as expendable, never consulted, never advised, never given training or a budget to get training and continue their learning. They are RARELY trusted, or entrusted with any authority. Some churches erroneously think that in order to empower layity for ministry means that you must dis-empower your staff. This is not only stupid, but unbelievably dangerous to the health of these churches. Don't get me wrong, I can understand moving a staff person on, if the needs of the church has changed or if there are financial considerations... yadda yadda yadda, but for the most part what I see happening is a systematic de-valuing of (non-senior) pastors and various other church staff people to the point where although they are on the front lines of ministry in your church, they have all authority, influence and "say" taken away from them. Any freedom to be creative is sucked out of their souls as the church creates an atmosphere of fear and distrust amongst the staff. This is a shame. As a new "senior" pastor, I hope there are several things I always remember to do. 1) ALWAYS make sure there is some money in the budget for learning experiences for my staff. 2) Give my staff the freedom to be creative. 3) Since they are the ones who will be on the "front lines", always be willing to listen to their opinions when they offer them. In other words, I need to make sure my staff always has my ear. 4) Always make sure the Board of our church functions to support our staff... not work against them. This list could go on and on... but you get the picture. I hope I don't become a raving hypocrite on this issue as my church and staff grows.

DareDevil surprisingly good I admit that after seeing the trailers for DareDevil I had my doubts, but after reading a couple of positive reviews I decided to bite and check it out last night. Wow... I was impressed. It's not the greatest superhero movie ever made (I still think the X-Men takes that honour), but it was a FINE film nonetheless. The story was good, character development wasn't over the top, the acting was good (yes, even Ben Afflick did a good job) and the visuals were at least better than Spider Man. Actually, it was a better overall film than Spider Man too. I think I'm seeing it again tonight with a bunch of people from our C&C group tonight after our service. Go check it out.

KILLER BISCUITS WANTED FOR ATTEMPTED MURDER (the actual headline) Linda Burnett, 23, a resident of San Diego, was visiting her in-laws. While there went to a nearby supermarket to pick up some groceries, several people noticed her sitting in her car with the windows rolled up,with her eyes closed, with both hands behind the back of her head. One customer who had been at the store for a while became concerned and walked over to the car. He noticed that Linda's eyes were now open, and she looked very strange. He asked her if she was okay, and Linda replied that she'd been shot in the back of the head, and had been holding her brains in for over an hour. The man called the paramedics, who broke into the car because the doors were locked and Linda refused to remove her hands from her head. When they finally got in, they found that Linda had a wad of bread dough on the back of her head. A Pillsbury biscuit canister had exploded from the heat, making a loud noise that sounded like a gunshot, and the wad of dough hit her in the back of her head. When she reached back to find out what it was, she felt the dough and thought it was her brains. She initially passed out, but quickly recovered and tried to hold her brains in for over an hour until someone noticed and came to her aid. And, yes, Linda is a blonde.

21 people killed at Chicago Nightclub At about 3am Monday morning when a fight broke out at the nightclub where over 1000 patrons where having a good time, a couple of bouncers used pepper spray on the people involved. Apparently, this sparked off a wild stampede of people rushing to get out the door. One door. Some people died of heart failure, one pregnant woman was injured and the rest were apparently trampled to death. A couple of thoughts arise for me. First, it's amazing how something as small as a bit of pepper spray can cause so much fear in a person that they are willing to injure or even kill others in their wild attempt to escape. It's not like they were running from a Balrog from the Tolkien universe. Human selfishness and the "look out for number 1" mentality at it's finest. The second thought is this: What on earth were 1000 people still doing at a club at 3am on a Monday morning?!? Don't any of these people have lives? For that matter, what on earth was a PREGNANT WOMAN doing at a night club at 3am on a Monday morning!?! I guess there are some things that I'll just never understand.

Gio in the Simpsons Universe I came across this caricature that (from left to right) me, Dave Ziebart and Trevor Harder had dome of ourselves at some festival last year. Man I still chuckle when I look at this thing.

The importance of the table As some of you know, I recently had the opportunity to hear Dr. Robert Webber several times at a conference and have dinner with him. Although we covered a lot of stuff, one of the primary things that jumped out at me during that conversation was the neglect the church has shown to “the table” (or communion). I found it ironic that we were talking about it over dinner while sharing a bottle of Chilean Wine. At any rate, this conversation made me realize how much we’ve really pushed this sacred practice to the side in our routine we call “doing church”. The other night, I was talking to one of our church’s leaders about it. Brian (that’s his name) has a deep passion for the table. We talked about the symbolism, the richness, how the table transcends us beyond time and space to join with all believers across the ages in joining together in eating the bread and drinking the cup. What a beautiful picture. What an awesome privilege! What a sacred moment! So why do we relegate this beautiful, awesome and sacred event to special occasions only? Why do we neglect it so much? Brian and I decided to pursue the idea of sharing in the table together every 2 weeks. As the church recognizes the value and depth of it, we’ll move to sharing it every week as a regular part of our worship. I don’t think either Brian or I know how long this will take us to implement or even if this will really happen, but we know it’s something worth investigating. I’ll keep you all updated how on how we’re progressing. Do any of you practice communion on a regular basis in your churches as a part of your liturgy? Any thoughts you have would be welcomed!

Returning to my Hectic Life I'm still in Ontario right now. Last night I went to see my first live performance of Fiddler on the Roof. My friend Mylana was playing her violin for it at the Oakville Centre for the Performing Arts. It was wonderful. It's too bad I'm leaving tonight or else I'd go see it again. So I fly home to Saskatoon and arrive at 7pm. From there, I have to immediatly get into my car and drive to a retreat centre where I'm speaking at a youth retreat tonight and tomorrow. Then I drive home tomorrow night, and try to get ready for Sunday. After Sunday is done I have to prepare for Tuesday night C&C and then get ready fro next weekend when I have to teach a membership class on Saturday, and then Speak AND have our church's annual general meeting on Sunday. Wow... I hope after that things will get a little bit back to normal. For all my friends back in Saskatoon, I'll see you soon.

The Conclusion to our Drama Well, tonight I met one on one with my friend who I have been having this little drama with (see the previous 3 posts). We met, I talked for the first 15 minutes about why I felt hurt and betrayed... they responded... there were many tears... there was a hug at the end... then there were more tears. I'm happy to let you all know that my friend and I have delt with the issue and have grown stronger in our friendship because of it! Wow! I'm in such a good mood that I could cry. Really. I honestly didn't think could work out this well, but I guess when you do things God's way, good things can happen. Thank you all who have left comments and wrote me email encouraging me along this adventure. It's meant a lot to me. Now I can get back to using this blog to talk theology and technology (which I haven't done much of latley... but will more in the future. Thanks again.

I'm a degenerate hippie again. I've been planning to do it for a while now, so I today I went ahead and got my ear re-pierced. I used to have an earring a little while ago, but I got a bit of scar tissue built up around it so I took it out after about a year and a half. It's been out about a year now. I waited to get it redone to make sure there were no fuddy-duddies in my new church that may have a problem with it. I'm happy to report that my church (Lakewood Baptist Church) is fuddy-duddy free! Tonight I'm having dinner with one of our church leaders (Brian) who has hair half way down his back. I'm thinking we can have some fun rebuking each other all night (my earring and his long hair).

Doing something a little irrational (read the last 2 posts first) Well, as the title says, I'm about to do something a little irrational. I've been preaching forgiveness, and Matthew 18 pretty hard around Lakewood Baptist Church for a little while now. I've been talking a big talk about how community and relationships mean EVERYTHING in the Kingdom. I've also talked about doing whatever it takes to try to fix broken relationships. Well, if you've read the last 2 posts, you'll know that I've had a dear relationship of mine with a friend in Ontario unravel before my very eyes over the last couple of days. It has been utterly devastating to me. Haven't been able to eat or sleep properly in that time. The person also seemed unwilling to deal with it, so I was ready to write off the relationship. However, many people emailed me and posted comments here on my site encouraging to keep trying... so I'm doing something a little outrageous: I told the person if they weren't going to deal with this, then I would get on a plane... fly across the country and sit on their doorstep until we deal with this, because I love them that much. So I booked a flight for Tuesday, I'm flying 2000 miles to Ontario, and I'm going to do my best to try to get this relationship fixed. This may be a big waste of time. This may be a HUGE waste of money, but I have to try. How can I talk about relationships, and community and the high spiritual value of deep abiding friendships if I'm not willing to do put my money where my mouth is and do the irrational? Maybe this will only hurt our relationship more, but I think you guys made me realize that sometimes you have to try the outrageous to see the miraculous. Pray for me. I'll keep you updated.

One of the most horrible nights in my life You should probably read yesterdays post before reading this one. As you know, I was really hurt by a friend 2 days ago. Not just a friend, but someone I thought was very tight with me. The depth of my pain and humiliation is hard to put into typed words. At any rate, I wrote this person an email explaining the problem, why I felt totally betrayed and how much I hurt. I told them I had no idea if they even cared. I told them that if they had any desire at all to try to fix this, or to work though this to call me last night. I told them I loved them and really wanted us to deal with this. So, I know this person read my message, and all day I kept my cell phone by my side waiting for, and begging it to ring. Every time it rang I would jump out of my chair… but it was never them. As the hour got later, my heart got heavier. I stayed up until about 1am Ontario time before I finally passed out (If you read yesterdays message you’ll notice I wasn’t able to sleep a moment the night before). I woke up at about 3am this morning. My mind was obviously troubled. I went to my cell phone in desperation to see if I had missed a call… I hadn’t. My heart sank in my chest like a quarter dropped in a pool, spinning chaotically as it went to the bottom. By not calling me, my friend told me they had no interest in fixing this. By not calling me, they were communicating that our relationship was a one sided illusion on my part. That’s a hard pill to swallow. You have to understand something about me. My friendships mean everything in the world to me. Not only that, I also keep a very small number of friends that I consider to be as tight as family. Friends who I invest a lot of trust in, and share things about myself that I wouldn’t tell others. I have about 9 of these friends. I lost one last night… and it hurts. Please forgive the self-indulgence as I sit around feeling sorry for myself. God is good, and tomorrow is another day.

Wow, forgiveness is a lot easier when it's theoretical As you may remember, I've been involved in some theological discussions recently over the issue of forgiveness. Wow, talking about it is a lot easier than living it. Yesterday, I was very deeply wounded by a friend of mine who lives back in Ontario, so much so that I literally stayed awake most of the night, not only because of the pain from the wound, but also due to the pain from the fact that our relationship may be irrecoverably damaged. That person and I spoke briefly this morning, only for about 1 minute. I wrote them an email explaining why I was so hurt last night. Now the ball is kind of in their court. I treasure the relationship I have with this person, they are very dear to me. However, I'm not sure right now how or if we're going to be able to get past this. Pray for me. I'm not really sure why I'm blogging about this. I guess I just like to be transparent on here. Share with you all my joys and pains. Maybe some of you will relate and feel encouraged. Who knows.

Break Forth Update #3 - Dinner with Robert Webber Well, to say yesterday made my whole trip worth it would be an understatment. I attended Robert Webber's session on the emerging church and it was fantastic. After the session was done I was talking with him and we decided to have dinner together, my friend Mylana came along too. Wow. I think I learned more about the Church and ministry in the new context in 3 hours than I could have in three years of seminary. I picked him up at his hotel, we walked for a while, then had dinner at my hotel, walked a bit more, then went to the evening worship session back at the conference together. It was great being able to ask him questions that popped into my head while reading "The Younger Evangelicals". I have to split for now and get to my morning sessions, but I'll update once more before leaving to go back home to Saskatoon later today.

Break Forth Update #2 - Dorksen, Easum and Hybels Wow. The church leadership sessions with Easum continued to be amazing this afternoon! I have never been so challenged in my leadership before. Do yoursel a favor and order the tapes from his Friday all day intensive seminars. Well worth it. The evening general session had Bill Hybles speaking. To be honest, he was pretty good. He gavea talk on the similarities between Joseph of the Old Temtament and Martin Luther King Jr. Pretty inspiring stuff. I've never heard Bill give a message like this one. The highlight of the evening was Brian Dorksen (is that how you spell his name?) doing the worship session. It was great. A good mix of hyms, new songs, horns, dancers and a choir made it much more than I was expecting. Day 1 was wonderful. I'll let you know how tomorrow goes.

Break Forth Update #1 - Church Leadership with Easum Just finished my first few sessions here at the Break Forth conference here in Edmonton. By the way the Oilers beat the Wild 5-1. Gret game. Anyway, there's so much to process from Easum's sessions that I feel like my head is going to explode. It was fantastic stuff. On my way back into the 4th session now. Will fill you in more fully later tonight.

Heading to Break Forth I'm head out to a creative arts conference in Edmonton today. 2 reasons I'm really excited about it. 1) I'm hooking up with my good friend Curt to catch an Oilers hockey game tonight. Should be a blast. I don't see him or his wife Kim nearly enough. 2) One of the main speakers is Dr. Robert Webber. I just finished reading his new book "The Younger Evangelicals" which has instantly become one of my favorite books of all time. About 16 other people from my church are going as well. A good time should be had by all. The only thing I hate about it is that I have to fly out there. I HATE flying. No really, I HATE FLYING. I have a huge fear of heights. Oh well, onward an upward. I'll blog from there in the evenings and let you all know how it's going. Let me know if any of you will be there too. Maybe coffee would be in order?

Abortion, Gambling, Cloning? should the church be involved in politics at all? Ok, let me stick my neck out and let some of you take a swipe at it. Over the last few days I've been involved in some really interesting discussions on Abortion and Gambling (they may be opening a new grand casino in Saskatoon). This has all got me thinking about the Church's involvement in these and other political issues. Here are some of my thoughts, take them for what they're worth: 1) Paul lived under arguably the most tyrannical government in the history of the world... the Roman Empire. From their occupation and subjugation of the Israeli people, bath houses where all kinds of unspeakable things happened, government sanctioned idolatry, a government totally void of any "Christian" influence, always at war with other nations for the purpose of conquest, the outright encouragement of what we would call sexual immorality, ect... ect... ect. What strikes me is that despite all these things, Paul NEVER used his time to speak out against any of these Roman practices (no matter how evil, except to those already in the church). Even when he was in front of major political leaders, all he spoke about was the gospel and issues of faith. That's it. 2) Some religious leaders tried to get Jesus into political issues and brought up the question of taxes to him. His response was quick and simple: "Give to Caesar what is Caesar's, and to God what is God's." (Matthew 22:21). Jesus himself never got caught up in any issues (no matter how good or noble they might have been) other than the essential truths of establishing the "Kingdom of God". His example was to use all his time, energy and attention for loving one another, serving each other, prayer and developing a community of faith that was so breathtakingly beautiful and offered a picture of what life could be like that people couldn't resist it. Jesus didn't even "fight" the execution of John the Baptist... His own cousin. Getting people to act the right way has no effect on brining them closer to God. A change of heart has to happen for that. 3) We give so much energy, money and effort into these non-kingdom essential issues (no matter how good and right they are) that we've taken our attention away form the ONLY things Jesus and Paul gave their attention to. Isn't this poor stewardship of our time, money and energy? 4) The Bible never tells us to even give a second thought to our worldly governments. Rather, it always seems to tell us to not even consider ourselves citizens of this world. So why do we spend so much time on "this world" stuff, rather than "our true home" stuff? Ok, that's enough for now. Like I said, these are all things just rumbling around in my head. Any thoughts you'd like to share would be most appreciated.

Ringing in on the Abortion issue This topic has been hot lately on the blog scene so I thought I'd ring in with my unsolicited two cents worth. Abortion protests and picketing outside of abortion clinics have always confussed me, especially when Christian groups do it. Don't get me wrong, I hate abortion, I really do. However, I've been saying for years that unless a person is willing to invite a young pregnant girl into their home, take care of them, help look after their needs and love them (you know, the Biblical way of doing things) then we have NO RIGHT to protest anything. If the church would do what we're supposed to do and meet peoples needs, become known as a community that loves people in outrageous ways, and offers practical options to frightened young women, then we'd see the abortion rate go down. Our current strategy of yelling at pro-choice people, marching in picket lines and trying to over turn Roe vs. Wade isn't doing anything. Oh it's easy to condemn, it's easy to yell at people and it's easy to march in a line (for that matter it's easy for me to just rant on this blog). It's another matter to meet someone who is pregnant and doesn't know what to do and then offer to help them with your own time/energy/home/money. One of the reasons Pro-Choice people resent Pro-Life people is because they just see us as Pro-Talk. If nothing else, my Bible tells me you'll never change the world through the courts or through new laws. You change the world by changing people's hearts. You don't change people's hearts by yelling at them and marching in a line. You change hearts by letting them see you living out a kind of radical love by serving the very people we are calling our enemies. Here's a wild idea. Next time you hear of a Pro-Choice rally/demonstration, don't organize a counter rally/demonstration. Instead, organize a group of people to make sandwiches and soup, and then go down to the Pro-Choice rally and serve and feed them. Don't preach at them, just serve them. I don't know exactly what would happen, but I guarantee that you'll get better results than if you just went down to yell at them. Maybe I'm just naïve.

Should we always forgive? An interesting discussion broke out at our College and Career service the other night. The question was asked if we are always supposed to forgive? Now, the answer seems like it should be obvious. However, what if we're only supposed to forgive if someone repents first? Look at this passage:

So watch yourselves. "If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him. (Luke 17:13)

Is Jesus putting a condition of repentance on forgiveness here? I'm not sure. When you look at God himself, doesn't He require repentance first before bestowing forgiveness? If so, shouldn't we follow His example? I'm not saying that's what I think, I'm just tossing all these thoughts around in my head. Any insight you have would be welcomed!

Frodo has failed Now we know what REALLY happend to the Ring of Power. Click here to see!

My absolute favorite online comic strip I've been reading PVP (Player verses Player) for almost 3 years now. It so reminds me of the life of me and my geeky friends that it's scary. Always funny, you should bookmark it. Here's a little sample:

The challenge of faithful leadership My friend Robin sent me the following excerpt: You'll be called to be a leader at some time in your life and in some type of role - whether through your church, workplace, or somewhere else. Perhaps you're already serving in leadership. Ultimately, you'll be most effective as a leader if you strive to be faithful rather than successful by the world's standards. God uses leaders who are faithful, and He wants to use. Here are some ways you can lead others faithfully: * Commit to discovering God's will, and helping to fulfill it through your leadership. * Pray about a vision from God - a plan for how He would like you and the people you're leading to be doing in the near future. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you discern God's vision. Once you know the vision, articulate it clearly and consistently to others. Commit to building your leadership decisions around the vision God has given you. Stay in communication with God so you'll know how He wants you to work toward the vision, and when He wants to give you a new vision. * Consider what unique talents God has given you, and ask Him which main one He would like you to focus primarily on so you can best fulfill His purpose in your life. Develop and use that gift. * Set your priorities to please God rather than anyone else, and base them on how well they will enable you to advance the vision God has given you as a leader. * Create "kairos" moments -- blocks of time that are full of meaning and potential for accomplishing God's vision for you and those you lead. As much as you can, try to relate everything you say and do to God's vision. Consistently motivate, support and encourage people you lead, and regularly challenge them by raising expectations of what you all can accomplish together. Listen to people as much as you persuade them. * Don't let crises derail you. Whenever a crisis occurs, don't abandon your vision. Instead, seek to advance the vision in the midst of the crisis, as best you can. * Mentor others by sharing not just your skills, but also your values and perspectives. Seek to build relationships with them rather than just train them. Display the fruits of the Spirit -- love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control-- in your life as you interact with people you mentor. * Above all else, make sure you're properly caring for your soul. Put your relationship with Christ first in your life. Adapted from Better than Success: 8 Principles of Faithful Leadership

Stewartville adult video store offers 'clergy discount' I found this story through my friend Darren's site. It's terrible, but I have to admit I laughed when I first read it.

To people driving toward the church, the sign reads: ``And God said go out into the world and have great sex. God's gift to women. Amen and amen.'' People leaving the church see: ``No need to mail order. Gay videos in stock. Clergy discount. Have good sex. Hallelujah!''

Yearning for Perfect Love When we act out of loneliness our actions easily become violent. The tragedy is that much violence comes from a demand for love. When loneliness drives our search for love, kissing easily leads to biting, caressing to hitting, looking tenderly to looking suspiciously, listening to overhearing, and surrender to rape. The human heart yearns for love: love without conditions, limitations, or restrictions. But no human being is capable of offering such love, and each time we demand it we set ourselves on the road to violence. How then can we live nonviolent lives? We must start by realizing that our restless hearts, yearning for perfect love, can only find that love through communion with the One who created them. Daily Meditation from Henri Nouwen

My thoughts on CHANGE My church has a remarkable group of leaders. I know most pastors say that, but I really mean it. Our church went through a very tough time which included both pastors on staff quitting and then going almost 3 years without a pastor at all. They went into what they called “survival mode” for a time. It takes a special group of people to keep a church together after going through all that. At any rate, we’ve been talking about change. Some people (like myself) would think that we as a church should get healthy first, and THEN make changes. But as I thought about it, I realized that you make changes to GET healthy in the first place. If I were 300 pounds overweight, I wouldn’t think to myself “First I’ll get healthy, and THEN I’ll change my eating and exercise habits”. That would be ridiculous. I would CHANGNE my eating and exercise habits first so that I can become healthy. I think the same idea applies to the church. If you recognize an area in your church that needs to be healthier, then change something! Don’t think for a minute that you can keep everything just the way it is, and yet magically get different results. If you think that you don’t need to change anything, then essentially you’re saying, “Our church is in PERFECT health and doesn’t need to grow in any areas”. Obviously this statement doesn’t apply to any church we know. Therefore, change should not been seen as an occasional event, but rather a continuous ongoing process. The human body is always in a state of change. New cells grow, skin replaces itself, we grow, shrink, grow hair, lose hair ect. The moment that the body has no changes happening, it is dead. The same is true of the church. Let me add this. When thinking about change ABSOLUTLY NOTHING SHOULD BE CONSIDERED SACRED. Even God himself understands this. He changed what many would have thought untouchable… the Old Covenant. He changed it to the New Covenant that we now live under. I think we’re all pretty happy that He did! So how you do music, how you preach, how you pray, where you meet, what time you meet… all these things should be seen as flexible. Jesus himself is the only thing that should be though of as unchangeable. Last thought. Don’t change things just for the sake of change. Identify areas that you need to grow in, or become healthier in. Once you’ve identified those areas… MAKE CHANGES to facilitate the growth. Don’t talk about it for 3 years… do it. I believe just waiting around for the sake of waiting hinders what God wants to do in your church. Change can be a scary thing. But it only gets scarier the more we shy away from it. Embrace it. Celebrate it. Participate with God in it. Then reap the rewards of it. Just my two cents worth. What do you think?

The Problem of God and Human Suffering Ahhhh, a lazy Saturday around the Campea House Hold! Allison and I are going to spend the first part of the day zipping around town looking at futons and new desks for my computer at home. After that I need to head back to my office to spend a romantic evening by myself slumped over my laptop putting the finishing touches on my message for church tomorrow. Pray for me, the topic is God and Human Suffering. I've realized just how inadequate I am to try to touch such a huge issue. The other night Allison and I had dinner with a couple in our church who had lost a son to suicide a couple of years ago... wow... I have no idea what real pain is like. Like I said, pray for me this weekend.

The Simpsons around until at least 2005 Fox has signed "The Simpsons" to at least 2 more seasons which will take the series to May 2005. It will become the longest running comedy in television history (Gunsmoke ran for 20 seasons). A few years ago I was hoping the show would end, it was getting a little tired, BUT the writing has been amazing this year and I find myself excited about the news.

A real life Ghostship... sort of Darren's site pointed me to this story about a ship they just found with no crew and no sign of what happened to them. Read the story, it's like something right out of a bad movie.

Being a pacifist I consider myself to be something of a pacifist. All I mean by that is I don't believe it is right to kill. I don't believe in the death penalty, I don't believe in war as a political option. I'm not a hard-core pacifist. I believe in violence sometimes. But killing to me just can't be reconciled with being a follower of Jesus. Jesus, while here on earth living out an example for us to follow, never killed anyone. The most he ever did was get mad once and tipped over some tables (Mark 11 15-16). When people abused Him, He didn't kill them. When they beat Him, He didn't kill them. When they were going to execute Him, He didn't kill them. When He knew they were going to kill his cousin (John the Baptist), He didn't kill them. I mean, what part of the following don't we understand?:

But I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. If someone strikes you on one cheek, turn to him the other also. If someone takes your cloak, do not stop him from taking your tunic. (Luke 6:27-29)

Perhaps I'm being a little naive, but those words seem pretty straight forward and not needing much interpretation. Are there situations where I would LIKE to see someone killed or executed? Yes, absolutely. But I know that as a Christ follower it would be wrong. I'm not saying it's easy. There are big questions like "then what do we do about Iraq?" and "Should we not have gone after the Taliban?". Questions like these are ones that I just don't have an answer for. They're tough questions that deserve to asked, but they stump me. All I know is this: Jesus would not have killed anyone while here on earth, so I shouldn't either.

Moving beyond "Evidence that demands a verdict"

Postfoundationalism asserts that Christianity can stand on its own, it needs no rational defense. For example, the new thinkers of Radical Orthodoxy argue that reason has been made the interpreter of the Christian faith. Therefore, modernity looked to the social sciences to come to the aid of Christianity, to prove it or to add arguments that made Christianity plausible. Radical Orthodoxy begins with the assumption that Christianity is truth. Because it is true, everything in the world - the world itself, its history, its religions its social sciences, its ethics, and its behaviors - should be interpreted and understood through the Christian faith.

From Robert Webber's "The Younger Evangelicals"

Star Wars Galaxies gets released April 15th! Yes, I am a geek. I have been waiting for this game to come out since I first heard about it over 2 years ago. Galaxies will be one of those massively-multiplayer games (MMG) where you and thousands of others all over the world log on to the game and play in it’s shared environment. There are other games like it (Everquest for example) but nothing has come close to looking nearly as good as this one. The universe in the game is huge and the game play potential is endless. I can’t wait. Maybe I’ll see you online?

Some of the best sand sculptures I've ever seen My friend Gloria forwarded these pictures on to me. At first I couldn't believe they were real. This is really some excellent work. Click on an image to see a larger version.

Netscape 7 a huge improvement Following the advice of my good friend Jeb, I decided to download the new Netscape 7. Version 6 was so bad it defied imagination. I must admit this new version loads much faster and without nearly as much clutter. I could be wrong, but I also think it loads pages a little quicker than Internet Explorer. I'm not saying that I'm going to switch over to Netscape, but I think I'll use it for the next week or so and see what happens. Will let you know the results later. By the way, you can download it from here.

Christian leaders call for “martyr operations” Look, I’m not going to get into my personal position on this whole Israeli/Palestinian issue, but this article just bothers me. Christian leaders in the region are calling on Christians to join Palestinian terrorists in suicide bombings. They call them “martyr operations” to sound more legitimate. I’m sorry folks, but I don’t care what side of this issue you come down on, JESUS WOULDN’T BOMB PEOPLE! I don’t care how “righteous” you think your cause is. How can you claim to be a follower of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, and then murder people in the name of some political cause or where some boarder line is drawn? I’m not saying Palestinian Christians and Muslims don’t have some legitimate beefs with the Israelis, but bombing people will never be the answer.

Now Showing: Lakewood Church After having lunch with my good friends Jordon, Jeb and Darren today, I swung by the Rainbow Cinemas. Rainbow is a very popular theater here in Saskatoon because it shows all the films that JUST left the main theaters but is still a long way from coming out on video. That and it’s only $2 to get in for a show. At any rate, our church meets in a local civic center in the gym. I spent some time with the manager at Rainbow talking about the possibilities of us having our services there. There would be several advantages and disadvantages. The theater would have MUCH better sound than the gym we meet in right now. Also, it has better lighting, better seats, better atmosphere overall, everyone in town knows the Rainbow, and I think it would be a bit cheaper for us to meet there. There aren’t too many disadvantages except that I’m not sure what we would do about the children’s program. This could be a BIG stumbling block. The kids could meet in another theater (Rainbow has 8), but it wouldn’t be as good as the kids area we have at the civic center. I don’t know how seriously I’m thinking about this. I’m just dreaming a little. Have any thoughts oh great blog community?

Mine is not a popular profession

The Roman Catholic sexual abuse scandal has sent the public's view of clergy to its lowest point ever, 12 points below last year's rating, according to a new Gallup poll. Asked to rate the honesty and ethics of 21 professions, just 52 percent of Americans gave high marks to clergy, down from 64 percent last year. Confidence in clergy reached its peak, at 67 percent, in 1985. Catholics gave lower honesty ratings to their clergy than did Protestants. Just 50 percent of Catholics gave high ratings to their clergy, compared to 57 percent of Protestants. Both ratings are down from five years ago.

These are disturbing numbers, but really not all that surprising.

Check out Josh Sargent Josh has been a regular visitor to this site for a while, and I’ve been enjoying his. It dawned on me today that I didn’t have a link to his site up! Well, today I correct that oversight. Josh has some great insights and thoughts over there, and his comments on my sight are always cool. Anyway, go give his site a lookover.

To Sunday school, or not to Sunday school. That is the question Right now, my church has "Sunday School" for kids, but they don't dismiss the kids to go to it until I get up to speak (which is about 30 minutes to the end of the service). This takes the kids out, and obviously several adult leaders who have to miss the sermon (or perhaps I should say they GET to miss the sermon). Several people have suggested to me that we move the Sunday School to BEFORE the service starts, and then have everyone together during the service. I honestly don't know which is better. Does anyone have any suggestions?

Jar-Jaromir the newest character in Lord of the Rings: Return of the King Wellington, New Zealand - A recently leaked trailer for The Return of the King has Tolkien fans outraged over the apparent addition of a new character - Jar-Jaromir. The scene depicted in the trailer shows Jar-Jaromir shouting, "Gondora gonna fallsa"; he then trips over a corpse and knocks down a couple of Uruk-hai. Producers of The Lord of the Rings trilogy confirmed the addition of the half-brother of Boromir and Faramir. "While The Two Towers is performing better at the box office than The Fellowship of the Ring, we are worried about a demographic that is skewing much older than desired. More mature fans are very good to have, but it's the younger fans who buy the merchandise. That's really what brings in the bucks on a movie like this," said producer Tim Wilcox. "People complained a lot about Gimli just being there for comic relief," continued Wilcox. "We answer that criticism by directing the humor through Jar-Jaromir in The Return of the King. There's this funny scene where Jar-Jaromir decides it's best to hand the ring over to Sauron, but then he drops it and kicks it into Mount Doom. Hi-larious." Purists, miffed by the deviations in The Two Towers, were so enraged by Jar-Jaromir as to be rendered speechless. A less pure, calmer fan who was able to form words said, "Tolkien mentioned a lot of different races and creatures, but never a Gungan or even a half-Gungan. I think I'm going to vomit." One fan tried to rationalize the move. "Maybe the Star Wars universe and Middle-earth intersect. Middle-earth certainly is a long time ago and why couldn't it be in 'a galaxy far, far away?' Nothing said it's our earth." He then broke down and started crying. Director Peter Jackson explained how the Jar-Jaromir character was added after all the other footage had already been shot. "That's the brilliant thing about digital editing and graphics. We didn't even imagine Jar-Jaromir in the movie until a couple of weeks ago, but now we can just edit him right into the key scenes. I really think it's going to be a hit with the toddlers." Jackson added, "I just love it when he shouts, 'Yousa steala precious from meesa!'"

New Dare Devil trailer looks great I have to admit that I groaned when I first heard that Ben Afflick was doing a new Super Hero movie, but the more previews and trailers I see I find myself getting excited. Click here to see the new trailer.

I love this poem I found this poem on BeenThereStillThere earlier today and I just fell in love with it: Between You and God People are often unreasonable, illogical and self-centered; forgive them anyway... If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives; be kind anyway... If you are successful, you will win some false friends and some true enemies; succeed anyway... If you are honest and frank, people may cheat you; be honest anyway... What you spend years building, someone may try to destroy overnight; build anyway... If you find serenity and happiness, others may be jealous; be happy anyway... The good you do today, people will often forget tomorrow; do good anyway... Give the world the best you have, though it never seems enough; give the world the best you have anyway... You see, in the final analysis, it is between you and God; it was never between you and them anyway.

Hockey Pundits featured on Washington Capitals website As many of you know, Jordon, Jeb and I have a hockey commentary site called The Hockey Pundits. It's been doing pretty well, but we had something of a surprise today. The official website of the Washington Capitals linked to us right from their front page. It's nice to see NHL team starting to recognize and encourage blogs. Let's hope this turns into a pattern.

“There's little difference in ethical behavior between the churched and the unchurched. There's as much pilferage and dishonesty among the churched as the unchurched. And I'm afraid that applies pretty much across the board: religion, per se, is not really life changing. People cite it as important, for instance, in overcoming depression--but it doesn't have primacy in determining behavior.” George H. Gallup, "Vital Signs," Leadership, Fall 1987, p. 17.

U.N. weapons inspectors finding nothing Well, it’s been over a month now since the U.N. weapons inspectors went back into Iraq and so far they report that they have found no “smoking guns” at all. As a matter of fact, the inspectors report that Iraq hasn’t once tried to bar them from any place or facility that they have gone to inspect. So, is the Bush administration lying through it’s teeth when they say “we know for a fact they have weapons of mass destruction”?

Hans Pleuger, Germany's ambassador to the United Nations, said after the Blix-ElBaradei briefing, "We subscribe to the recent statement of [U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan] that the inspections should continue, and for that reason alone, there are no grounds for military action." Syria, Iraq's neighbor and the only Arab member of the 15-nation Security Council, believes Iraq so far is "completely in cooperation" with U.N. inspectors, according to its U.N. ambassador, Mikhail Wehbe. China's foreign ministry called on the leading U.N. powers to judge the Iraqi report "fairly and objectively," and officials in France, the current leader of the Security Council, said the inspections in Iraq to date have proceeded in a "very efficient way." French President Jacques Chirac, who has sent mixed signals in recent days about his willingness to participate in a U.S.-led military strike on Baghdad, said in Paris yesterday that war "is always the worst of all solutions." "It should only be envisioned if absolutely all other options fail and, of course, only with a decision by the U.N. Security Council," Mr. Chirac said.

So now what? The more Iraq co-operates, and the longer the inspectors go without finding any evidence of weapons of mass destruction, the more and more Bush looks like he has a hidden agenda in all this. What that hidden agenda is I have no idea (well, I have several theories). It will be interesting to see how this all plays out.

Lord of the Rings: Return of the King pictures I was swinning around the net and came around these new pictures/posters from the new Rings movie set to come out next Christmas. Click on the picture to see a larger version.

Could Gollum get a Best Suporting Actor Oscar? Don't laugh, it could really happen. Anyone who has seen Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers know that the preformance given by "Gollum" was wonderful. This really good article gives the pro's and the con's about the chances of Gollum taking home an Oscar.

I don't know why, but I just found this picture funny.

Asking for Wisdom or Direction? Mike Todd attends my old Church back in Ontario called The Meeting House. He posted this great thought on asking God for either Wisdom or Direction:

By asking for direction instead of wisdom I've robbing myself of the opportunity to learn more of the mind of God. When we ask for wisdom and not direction, we receive character and not information. When we ask for wisdom it is an ongoing process. Asking for direction is a one-time-only, fix-my-problem, which-way-should-I-go request.

Integrity Problem “The church's integrity problem is in the misconception that we can add Christ to our lives, but not subtract sin. It is a change in belief without a change in behavior." Patrick Morley – I Surrender

We don't want your STINKING money A couple of 59 years old women started growing pot in thier homes. Eventually they made so much money at it, they let thier husbands in on it and bought 3 more homes in the neighborhood so they could grow more. How did they get busted? A bank teller called the police when the cash the ladies were depositing had the strong smell of marijuana on it.

The Music Industry is starting to turn ugly What’s the current sound in music? Desperation. With sales down another 9 percent in 2002 and Internet piracy way up, the business is doing everything it can to salvage itself. Tuesday’s Grammy nominations only reconfirmed that.

"Sex and the City" and "The Sopranos" calling it quits next year The reason I find this story interesting is because these 2 shows (like them or hate them) marked a dramatic change in the world of serise television. "Sex" and Sopranos both air on HBO which opened the world of weekly sersies to pay-tv channels. Although they are two very different shows, they each marked a new kind of television that was "realistically unrealistic". They struck chords with views on different levels then traditional network television had in the past. It will be interesting to see how HBO respondes to lossing these shows. WIll we just see copy-cat creations? Or will another new breed of television emerge in the gap?

The most ridiculous sermon I think I’ve ever read Ok, I was zipping around the internet looking for something else when I came across this sermon. It’s from one of the largest churches in the United States and it’s all about how the King James Version of the Bible is the only true translation. It’s not from 1890 either. It was published in 1994 I think. Wow… it’s so absurd. You should really take a minute or two to read it.

Television going too far I just sat through the first hour of Fox's latest reality series, Joe Millionaire, and it's safe to say I won't be back. As I caught the promos for the show over the past few weeks, it was easy enough to laugh at the premise -- ordinary 'Joe' construction worker cons 20 beautiful gold diggers that he's actually an heir to a $50 million fortune looking for true love. But as I watched the climactic scene earlier tonight -- where nearly half of the women on the show were publicly rejected in front of one another and an audience of millions -- I couldn't help but wince. There was real pain in the eyes of the women who didn't make the cut, and I couldn't help but feel horrible for them. And then you realize that the ones sent home after the first show were the lucky ones. Better to get knocked out of the con early, than to hang on to what is sure to be a painful conclusion. I may have said this before, but I'm afraid we may be on the cusp of someone doing something really horrible on one of these reality shows. First there was the cruel trick that spun out of control on the Jenny Jones Show a few years back, followed by another close call on Big Brother where one contestant held a knife to the throat of another. Just how much longer are we going to have to wait before somebody really gets hurt -- and then comes looking for revenge? Taken from Off Wing

As a manager (or Senior Pastor) you are no longer expected to be on time for any meetings with your underlings. They will entertain themselves by making small talk, so named because of the size of their paychecks. It's easty to calculate the number of minutes to be late: Multiply the number of people in the meeting by three and then show up whenever you feel like it. (It's more of an art than a science). Dogbert's Top Secret Management Handbook

Embracing change My church is so great. Yesterday I spoke on the topic of “Second Chances and Change”. I told them that one of my New Year’s Resolutions was “In my like, once I have decided that an item of change was good for me, I’ll do it right away”. Now understand, I’ve seen churches where the very mention of the word “change” throws people into convulsions and start campaigns to toss the Pastor out of the church. The folks in my congregation just came up to me and said things like “yeah, why do we always have to do things the same way”, or one women said “change brings life!”. One after the other I had people in my church make these kinds of comments to me after the service. It’s a Pastor’s dream. My elder Ken and I have been talking about different types of changes we may like to see in our church. We haven’t decided on anything firmly yet, but it’s nice to know that we have the kind of church that won’t just reject a change just because it’s change. It’s a nice place to be.

Some thoughts on Church workers salaries

In his book Stupid White Men, Michael Moore has some interesting things to say about pay scale and employee wages. If you own a business, pay people a living wage, provide day care, and make sure all your employees have health insurance. He goes on to say, Make sure the amount you pay your employees is enough for them to own their own home, have reliable transporation, take a vacation, and send their kids to college. Those quotes have always bothered me. In many larger churches, many of whom claim to be doing church better, I am always suprised between the level of wage disparity between the Sr. Pastor and those that the church employs. While most Sr. Pastors of larger churches have all of the above, so many of their staff are paid significantly lower wages, many are dependent on the spouse working full time to make ends meet. Here are a couple of my thoughts about this. 1) What are the ethics of a church paying a person a wage that doesn't allow him or her to own a home, go on vacation, drive a decent car, or send their kids to college. I know plenty of pastoral positions where family vacation is staying at home because they are barely making ends meet. 2) What does it do to the idea of a team based ministry when one person is paid double or triple what the rest of the staff makes? 3) How do talk about strong families when your pay structure causes a lot of stress on those who serve at the church? Do people see the hypocrisy? 4) Is the Sr. Pastor really worth two to three times the salary of other staff people? 5) What are churches doing to help those entering ministry to manage their debt load from attending private seminaries and colleges (their ain't too many public theological schools in this country) or is ministry for the children of the wealthy? 6) Would the elders of the churches that are setting these wages be willing to live on them for a couple of years themselves?

My friend Coop posted this a few days ago. It's an issue he and I have talked about and wrestled with for years. Now that I'm a Senior Pastor I wrestle with it even more. My Church mays me very fairly considering the size of our congregation, and I don't make anywhere near twice as much as any of our other staff (If you don't count part-timers). However, I hope that as our church grows we'll be able keep our wits about us and pay additional staff fairly... not just for what we can get them to work for.

25 Rules for Leadership The following list of business leadership "rules" was taken from the FastCompany website. Although they're aimed at business, I thought several of these were very applicable to church leadership. What do you think? Thanks to Jordon Cooper for brining it to our attention. 1. Audit Your Company Cultures "Companies don't have one culture. They have as many as they have supervisors or managers. You want to build a strong culture? Hold every manager accountable for the culture that he or she builds." --Marcus Buckingham, coauthor of First, Break All the Rules and Now, Discover Your Strengths 2. Informed People Don't Fear Change "People are not afraid of change. They fear the unknown." --Dick Brown, chairman and CEO of EDS 3. Beware "Aspirational Accounting" "Enron has changed things significantly. You used to be able to buy a company, account for it in bizarre ways, and make money on the sale. That world is over." --Nolan Bushnell, founder, chairman, and CEO of uWink Inc. 4. Empower Your People -- Turn Them Loose "Freedom is the greatest when the ground rules are clear. Chalk out the playing field and say, Within those lines, make any decisions you need." --Dick Brown, chairman and CEO of EDS 5. Prevent Erosion of Human Assets "We are systematically depreciating our human capital. For most people, the first year with the company is the best. It's downhill from there." --Marcus Buckingham, coauthor of First, Break All the Rules and Now, Discover Your Strengths 6. Be Generous With What You Know "Knowledge sharing is the basis of everything. Share knowledge with reckless abandon." --Tim Sanders, chief solutions officer at Yahoo 7. Expand Your Roster "Think of your team as not just the people you pay, but as the people who pay you as well." --Feargal Quinn, executive chairman of Superquinn 8. Don't Judge a Man by the Size of His Wallet "The only thing wrong with poor people is that they don't have any money. That's a curable condition." --Bill Strickland, president and CEO of the Manchester Craftsmen's Guild and the Bidwell Training Center 9. Harness Your Skills for Good "Technology has enormous potential to facilitate public-health problem solving. Marcus Welby needs you guys." --Dr. Irwin Redlener, president and cofounder of the Children's Health Fund and president of the Children's Hospital at Montefiore 10. Groom Your People for Success "Weakness fixing might prevent failure, but strength building leads to excellence. Focus on strength, and manage around weaknesses." --Marcus Buckingham, coauthor of First, Break All the Rules and Now, Discover Your Strengths 11. Promote Brand Awareness Throughout Your Enterprise "Everybody throughout the enterprise should know what the brand can and cannot do. There's an imperative for education." --Jim Goodwin, vice president of marketing at the Absolut Spirits Co. 12. Embrace Imperfection -- Fast! "Beware of perfect people. They will never propel your enterprise to greatness. They're too cautious. You've got to be fast to be good." --Dick Brown, chairman and CEO of EDS 13. Don't Let the Venture Capitalists Get You Down "Revolutionary change is where real value is created. Don't assume the capital markets know what the hell they're doing. The VC market is currently in more disarray than most companies." --Nolan Bushnell, founder, chairman, and CEO of uWink Inc. 14. Allow Yourself to Dream "Dreams are maps. The ability to think about the future is what drives us all to attain." --Dr. Irwin Redlener, president and cofounder of the Children's Health Fund and president of the Children's Hospital at Montefiore 15. Increase Your Net Worth "Networking is sharing your contacts with others to create value without the expectation of compensation. Your network is your net worth." --Tim Sanders, chief solutions officer at Yahoo 16. Use Every Teachable Moment "Every time you give somebody compensation, it's a great time to give feedback." --Dick Brown, chairman and CEO of EDS 17. Shine Some Hope "If you want to work with people who have no hope, you have to look like the solution and not the problem." --Bill Strickland, president and CEO of the Manchester Craftsmen's Guild and the Bidwell Training Center 18. Set a New Standard of Performance "We need to get beyond the single bottom line and measure a company's performance by a triple bottom line. Financial profits alone aren't enough. The results also need to be good for people and for the environment." --Scott Bedbury, CEO of Brandstream 19. Laugh at Yourself "Just when you think the sun shines out of your butt, all you have is an illuminated landing area." --Nolan Bushnell, founder, chairman, and CEO of uWink Inc. 20. Get Up, Stand Up "YCDBSOYA: You can't do business sitting on your armchair." --Feargal Quinn, executive chairman of Superquinn 21. Stop Whining -- Start Seeking "In these times, it's important to find the opportunities in the disruptions rather than just to lament the change." --Rob Glaser, chairman and CEO of RealNetworks Inc. 22. Leaders: Move It or Lose It "Managers consistently delude themselves about how much good they're doing. The oath for managers should be the same as physicians: First do no harm. " --Robert Sutton, professor of management science and engineering at Stanford University 23. Be Honest "The same thing you want from management is what customers want from you: honest communication. Be honest with your customers; tell them everything you know." --Bonnie Reitz, vice president of sales and distribution at Continental Airlines 24. Don't Stretch This Rule "When you start thinking about growing your brand, be sure not to ignore the Spandex rule: Just because you can, doesn't mean you should." --Scott Bedbury, CEO of Brandstream 25. What's Your Bottom Line? "People over 65 were asked, 'If you could live your life over, what would you do differently?' They said three things: 'I'd take time to stop and ask the big questions. I'd be more courageous and take more risks in work and love. I'd try to live with purpose -- to make a difference.' You don't have to be an elder to ask, What's my own bottom line?" --Richard Leider, founding partner of the Inventure Group

Gandhi - an example we shouldn't ignore I watched the film "Gandhi" this morning while at home. I haven't seen it in almost 10 years. It never ceases to amaze me how often those who are not Christians, understand the basic principles of Christianity better than most of us who claim to be Christ followers. The story of the life of Gandhi is nothing short of inspiring and convicting at the same time. Please don't get me wrong. I'm not suggesting we "follow Gandhi", only that amidst his theological errors and mistakes in his life he seemed to have a better understanding of Christian doctrine and lifestyle than most of us "evangelicals" do today. His convictions were embodied by his lifestyle. His understanding that radical counter-cultural living was the only true way to get people to listen and understand the message he brought. What a contrast to the North American Church! We try to debate and scare people into believing our message. We preach "God cares for the poor" while we drive around in BMW's. We proclaim Jesus as the "Prince of Peace" while we endorse the concept of attacking Iraq. We say "God has a wonderful plan for your life", while all the while paying more attention to pursuing the "American Dream". We claim the Bible is the Word of God, and yet we never read it. We declare that "we were created to worship God" while living out a philosophy that worships our stomachs and bank accounts more faithfully. Wow, I'm a hypocrite! And it took the story of a non-Christian to drive that point home.

Developing a "good" theology What does it take to create a "good theology?"I believe many churches have "bad theology" - some have very bad theologyies - but that's another post. Here is what i have been working on centering on the development of a postmodern theology - it needs to be: simple: complexity coems from our individual desire to please everyone, and in turn pleasing no one. relevant and timeless: to be today while knowing yesterday transparent and honest: no hidden agendas, no hidden thoughts flexible: not ridget or fixed scriptural: based on a solid reading of the teachings of christ - a "christology" if you will. collective: breed and based in community. taken from Postmodern Theology

Welcome home! There's been a fire in your apartment. Ok, so we just got home from Toronto 20 minutes ago. We drove 2 16 hour days to get back here. We pull up to our 3 floor apartment building (we live on the second) and there's a big dumpster in front of the main door. On the door itself is a note saying "There has been a fire in the building". Long story short, the apartment 2 doors down from us had a fire and smoked out the entire building. There's black soot all over everything in our place. Nothing seems to have been damaged, but the apartment stinks something awful. The lady in the apartment that the fire started in is in the hospital in serious condition and they don't know if she's going to make it. Wow... what a thing to come home to.

Sick... So very sick Wow... I came down with something over the last 24 hours that has just knocked me off my feet. My throat is KILLING me and I just couldn't get any sleep last night. Dispite all that, the trip home has been wonderful. We leave for Saskatoon tomorrow morning and should get there by Friday night (We hope). This will likely be my last post till Saturday. Take care all, see you soon.

Not Blogging much As you may have noticed, I haven't been posting much since being in Ontario. The trip home is very busy and not leaving me much time to blog (not to mention my parents are on dial up internet which is a pain to use when you're used to high speed) :) Anyway, thanks for all your email and well-wishing. Will try to post at least once a day for the remainder of my trip (I should get home about the 3rd of January.

Moved by "Les Mis" A few nights ago I was watching the movie “Les Miserables” starring Liam Neeson and Claire Danes. In the movie Neeson plays an ex-convict by the name of Jean ValJean who was recently parolled. He comes across a kind Priest (or Bishop) who offers him food and a place to sleep. In the middle of the night ValJean steals the Bishop’s money and silverware, knocks out the Bishop and runs. Later ValJean is caught by the police and brought back to the Bishop. To ValJean’s surprise the Bishop tells the police that he GAVE the money and silverware to ValJean and that all was well. ValJean was stunned. When the police left, ValJean asked the Bishop “why did you do this for me?” The Bishop replied “with this silver I have bought your soul, and I now give you back to God. You must become a new man”. This act of unparalleled grace shook ValJean to his very soul, and it changed his life. Reflecting on this movie, I can personally relate with ValJean. I’m such an idiot. A weak fool. Then, suddenly, I’m captivated by this act of unparalleled grace… God himself has come into the world as a man. This reality shakes me to my very soul… and it has the power to change my life (even if I don't LET it change me sometimes). Wow. Christmas is amazing!

Merry Christmas everyone! I want to wish you all the very best this season as we remember one of the great turning points in the story of the world: God coming into the world as man. Wow! I won't be blogging the next day or two, so hug a loved one with all the spare time you'll have! :)

Nation's Capital Heading into Ottawa today. For all my American friends, Ottawa is the capitol of Canada. Visiting some family. Man I'm tired. For several reasons I had almost no sleep last night. Ug. Oh well, today should be fun. WIll blog more tomorrow.

What are Post Modern Christians? The emerging church of the 21st century may have more in common with the church of the apostolic era, than with the church of the 20th century. Many ancient practices of faith and ways of being communal are being re:booted and morphed for the needs of the future church. as leonard sweet writes, "our faith is ancient. our faith is future. we're old-fashioned. we're new-fangled. we're orthodox. we're innovators. we're postmodern christians."

Why is "A Christmas Carol" so popular? My mother just mentioned to me last night "I haven't seen Christmas Carol this year, so it doesn't feel like Christmas yet". So what is the allure of this classic? I found this nice article asking that same question. Give it a read.

Evolving Community vs. Creating Community I did 2 very special things yesterday. First I got together with my good friend Darren Conley, and second I saw Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers again. Both experiences got me thinking about the idea of community. You see, in our churches we often talk about community, in the post-modern movement we often cry out for authentic community, but the problem is we always seem to come back to the idea that we can somehow CREATE community. We have this notion that community can be created by focusing people around shared age, common interests, or even around shared ideas. But something I’m starting to realize is that you can’t create community… it must evolve into being. I believe that community can only evolve by shared experiences. Darren and I go way back, and over dinner we talked about our history, things we gone through together and triumphs we’ve celebrated. These shared experiences over time create a real bond. So now, even though we don’t speak that often due to our extreme distance, we can still talk about deep things of our lives and know that the other will understand us because we have a great history of shared experiences which formed us (and a few other of our close friends) into a community. In the Lord of the Rings, Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli had no sense of friendship or closeness just because they shared the same purpose (protect Frodo and see that the ring was destroyed). It was only after sharing their travels together, embarking in a valiant rescue together and sharing adventure together that a bond formed between them to the point that any one of them would gladly die for the other. Community evolved from their shared experiences. In the church, we try to spring community into being. Really, we must be patient. Allow ourselves and our people to just experience the adventure story of following God together. Over time allow ourselves to just be there for one another and grow together. As our story progresses and our experiences multiply, community becomes recognizable, then obvious, and then powerful. It cannot be created, it must be allowed to evolve.

StudentMinistry.Net for sale As some of you may know, I used to run a website dedicated to youth workers around the world called StudentMinistry.Net which for a time was the most visited Canadian based youth ministry site in the world. Anyway, once I stepped out of Youth Ministry I took the site down since I no longer had the time to keep it fresh. I still have the domain name, but it's not doing anyone any good just sitting here. So, if anyone would like to own this domain name, just email me and let me know your offer. Also, let me know what you'd like to do with it. If I think it's cerative and will contribute to the overall web presence of the faith then I may just give it to you for next to nothing.

Culture is not the enemy I got an email from a nice guy who was teaching a Bible class in his church and made the mistake of saying “Culture is not the enemy”. Apparently some of the deacons were in his class and spoke out “culture IS the enemy”. How on earth do churches with deacons like this still exist? Lenard Sweet said this: "Culture is not the enemy." This reminds me that I am to be neither a basher of modernity nor a faddish embracer of post-modernity. But rather, culture simply is. It’s the water we catch fish in, and you catch fish on their terms - where they are, not on our terms - where we wish they were. Thus the need, again, is for us to be missionaries. What technique and program were to the modern world, authentic spirituality will be for "the church on the other side." Also, I found this interesting article on the website of Pepperdine University: Culture is not the enemy of God. Indeed, God is the author of human culture. So, we return to Scripture to see how it speaks afresh to our culture. The Bible, though written within a particular culture, has always had this paradoxical genius about it – it stands above any and all cultures and critiques them. Yet it also shows how every human culture can be a home for the gospel. One doesn’t have to strip herself of culture to become a believer. Rather, one learns how that Christianity is infinitely translatable into any and all cultures. For us to say that “culture is the enemy” is like a firefighter saying “the people in the burning building are the enemy” or a surgeon saying “the patient on the table is the enemy”. It’s just ridiculous. The culture is not the enemy. The culture is made up entirely of people, and the last time I checked people were the mission of the church. Thus, the culture is our mission… not our enemy. We have one enemy. Any guesses who that is? Bingo… the devil. And there is nothing the devil would like more than for the church to start viewing it’s mission as “The Enemy”. Just my two cents worth.

The Two Towers - Wow! Wow! Wow! Just walked out of the theatre and I'm just sitting here in Starbucks. The movie was everything I hoped it would be. The only slightly weak point of the film are the Ents... but even they aren't that bad. The film captures a truly wide scope that gave you the sense that the whole world of middle earth was at war. Two Towers deviated at little more from the book than the first film, but not really that much. The battle of Helm's Deep is now easily the greatest battle scene ever captured in a movie. My jaw just hung open for about 30 minutes straight. The character of Golem looked FANTASTIC, and yes, as a CG character he beat anything I've seen in a Star Wars movie. Must go now, have to get in line to see it again... and again.

More on Silence and Solitude As I wrote last night, the long 2 or 3 day drives/bus rides/train rides have become some of the most important moments of my life due to the time of solitude and silence. Just time to think and dream. I came across this great article about the importance of this kind of time as a true Spiritual Discipline. Here's an excerpt: We are addicted to noise. We need noise. We've got to have noise! Silence is creepy, even frightening. Silence steals away the distractions of life which anesthetize us from the feeling that our lives are still empty. Noise helps us live in the banks of denial. Noise keeps us concentrated on something else-anything else! Think about how much we hate to think. There is a t-shirt that reads, "When I work, I work hard. When I play, I play hard. When I think…I fall asleep." Contemplation is a four-letter word. Reflection is for mirrors and pools and highway signs. Why? It is because when we look at what our life really consists of, we are terrified by its vast emptiness. "Silence is frightening because it strips us as nothing else does, throwing us upon the stark realities of our life." -Dallas Willard

Christmas Carols for the Psychiatrically Challenged As some of you may know, my wife is a Mental Health Therapist. She forwarded this on to me this morning: SCHIZOPHRENIA - Do You Hear What I Hear? MULTIPLE PERSONALITY - We Three Kings Disoriented Are. DEMENTIA - I Think I'll Be Home For Christmas. NARCISSISTIC - Hark The Herald Angels Sing (About Me) MANIA - Deck the Halls and Walls and House and Lawn and Streets and and Office and Town ...or Deck the Halls and Spare No Expense! PARANOIA - Santa Claus is Coming To Get Me. PERSONALITY DISORDER - You Better Watch Out, I'm Gonna Cry, I'm Gonna Pout, then MAYBE I'll tell you why. DEPRESSION - Silent anhedonia, Holy anhedonia. All is calm, All is pretty lonely. OBSESSIVE COMPULSIVE DISORDER- Jingle Bell, Jingle Bell, Jingle Bell Rock, Jingle Bell, Jingle Bell, Jingle Bell Rock, Jingle Bell, Jingle Bell, Jingle Bell Rock, Jingle Bell, Jingle Bell, Jingle Bell Rock, Jingle Bell, Jingle Bell, Jingle Bell Rock, Jingle Bell, Jingle Bell, Jingle Bell Rock, Jingle Bell, Jingle Bell, Jingle Bell Rock, Jingle Bell, Jingle Bell, Jingle Bell Rock, Jingle Bell... (YOU GET THE IDEA) OBSESSIVE COMPULSIVE PERSONALITY- The Twelve Days of Christmas (don't make > me repeat that again) BORDERLINE PERSONALITY - Thoughts of Roasting in an Open Fire. PASSIVE/AGGRESSIVE - Silent Night

Oh Yes, the day has come! I bought my tickets 3 weeks ago and have been waiting all year. Today my waiting comes to an end. At 4pm I'll take my seat and watch "Lord Of The Rings: The Two Towers" at the Silver City here in Hamilton. Will give my review 20 hours from now.

Inspiration in Solitude In the Story that is my life I’m starting to recognize some reoccurring themes. In the last couple of years I’ve made many trips back home, quite often by train, sometimes by bus or by driving (like this time). I’ve grown to love the times of travel almost as much as I love the destination. Those trips give me more time of solitude and quiet than I ever have in my “real” life. Time to be alone, time to reflect, time to dream, time to converse with God, time to read, time to meditate and time to listen. This trip was no different. It’s in these times that I feel closest to my creator. It’s almost as if these expeditions function as a spiritual discipline or at least makes me aware of the value of the discipline of solitude. I know this isn’t making much sense. I’m extremely tired and will write more from Star Bucks tomorrow.

Coming to you live from Toronto Well I'm finally at my parents place. Wow that was a long drive! Thanks to all you guys who called me on the road... your jokes kept me laughing the whole way. Stupid hotels! Both hotels I stayed at told me on the phone that they had High Speed Internet in the rooms. One only had dial up, and the other had high speed... but ONLY in the managers office. And I wasn't allowed to us it. Oh well. Will write more later.

Hitting the Road - Here's how you can help Gio Well, we just finished a great service at Lakewood church this morning, my car is all packed and I'm heading out the door for the big drive home to the Toronto area. This drive is going to kill me. 3000 kilometers alone. Wow. Anyway, here's how you can help. If you think of a good joke or brain teaser, call my cell phone at 306-241-5212 and leave a message with it if I don't pick up (there's lots of areas between here and there with no coverage. I'll check my messages everytime I stop). If you're leaving a brain teaser leave your phone number too so I can call you back to get the answer! I'll be blogging from my hotels along the way. Let's all show Gio the love!

Jesus wouldn't drop bombs on people Ok, I know this post will probably rub a bunch of people the wrong way... but oh well. A friend of mine (who doesn't attend church) asked me the other day what Christians should think about war. The debate can be a complex one, but then I remembered a story told by Tony Campollo that seemed to put it all in perspective: When I became a Christian, the Korean War was in progress. It was an incredible experience because I didn't know whether or not to accept the draft. I had a conversation with a colonel, and we argued back and forth. He said to me, "What's your problem?" "My problem is I want to do what Jesus would do." "Could you get in a plane, fly over an enemy village and drop bombs?" I said, "I could get in the plane. I could fly over the enemy village. But when I was about to release the bomb, at that moment I would have to say, 'Jesus, if you were in my place, would you drop the bombs?'" And I remember the colonel yelling back to me, "That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard. Everybody knows Jesus wouldn't drop bombs on people!" That colonel probably knew more about Jesus than most Baptist preachers that I know.

5 suggestions for moving towards a lifestyle of Biblical simplicity 1) We need to distinguish between necessities and luxuries, and normally we need to reject both our desire for the latter and our inclination to blur the distinction. 2) Expenditures for the purpose of status, pride, staying in fashion, and "keeping up with the Joneses" are wrong. 3) We need to distinguish between expenditures to develop our particular creative gifts and legitimate hobbies and a general demand for all the cultural items, recreational equipment, and current hobbies that the "successful" of our class or nation enjoy. 4) We need to distinguish between occasional celebration and normal day-to-day routine. A turkey feast with all the trimmings at Thanksgiving to celebrate the good gift of creation is Biblical (Deut. 14:22-27). Unfortunately, many of us overeat every day. 5) There is no necessary connection between what we earn and what we spend on ourselves. We should not try to buy things just because we can afford them. Ronald J. Sider - RICH CHRISITANS IN AN AGE OF HUNGER

Getting ready for the longest drive of my life Tomorrow I leave for Toronto from here in Saskatoon which is about 3000 kilometers (or 1900 miles for my American friends). Allison is going to fly out later in the week, which means I have to drive it alone. I have never driven this far by myself before. Driving seems to put me to sleep so I usually can't drive more than about a 5 hour shift. Wow this should be interesting. To make things more interesting, I already have my tickets to see Lord of the Rings Wednesday (with my good friend Mylana) so I'm on a clock. Allison will make the drive back with me, which is great cause it means I can watch a lot of DVD's on the laptop as we drive. Bruxy, Dave, Darren, Dougie, Mom, Dad, Rob, Heather, Sandy, if you don't hear from me by the time curtain goes up for the Two Towers send out a rescue squad.

Gio's Video Journal #1 - Rocky 6 and the Church take 2 steps backwards In the first instalment of my video journal, I share some thoughts I had about the career of Sylvester Stallone and it's similarities with the church. Oh, here's a link with a little more info on the progress of Rocky 6.

A very sad Top 10 I was visiting The Ooze earlier today when I came across this true story (titled: 10 reasons why your church sucks) about a guy who had left his church out of frustration. When he ran into a "leader" from that church some time later, a heated discussion started in which the "leader" demanded to know why the guy left. The guy tried to be polite, but the "leader" wouldn't give up and kept pressing. Finally, the guy had enough and told him the following: “First” he said, “Your church is totally irrelevant to the community. You all talk a good game, but you do not see the dynamic of the community changing around you. Second, your church is filled with poor leaders and over bearing bullies who believe the best way to get anything done is to frighten people. All you have are people who will tell you what to do, and not lead us in doing it. Third, your church has no vision. You guys are just dead in the water. Fourth, your church is old. Your church is filled with old people who have no reason to move ahead. They have more life behind them then they do ahead of them. Fifth, your church is inbred. The people my age in your church are all related to the older people so change is impossible. People who are part of the outside don’t feel welcomed into the inside and voice an opinion; it’s filled with mama’s boys. Sixth, your church is more concerned about image them reality. You all seem to be more concerned with the condition with building then with building the condition of your people. The carpet looks great, because no food is allowed near it. The stain glass is wonderful; because you spend more money on cleaning and maintaining it then you do on mission work. Seventh, your church sees no need for change. You are all happy in your fortress and are not interested in opening your doors to the outside. Evangelism is a dead concept, and community is only those inside the building. Eighth, your church doesn’t share a relevant message for a relevant time. You’re so concerned with doctrine, you are not allowing me to explore the faith and question the unquestionable. Ninth, your church doesn’t care about me as a person, only as a checkbook. Over the time I was with the church I heard more sermons on how much I should be giving and not one on how much you were willing to give up. The only time I had anyone from your church visit me was when “pledge time” came around and you needed me to increase my giving. It got to the point were I felt no matter what I gave it would never be enough. Tenth, your church is all politics and infighting. Things only get done if you can muster enough political support form others to get your point to be heard, press your issues and lobby for approval. You have to wheel and deal to get anything done.” Although a bit harsh, stories like these really shake me. It's so easy to let anyone of these 10 things slip into our daily life at the church. Lord, keep us aware and our eyes open.

The role of Art in Faith, and Faith in Art In Northern Eurpoe Van Eyck (1380-1441) was the one who opened the door for nature in a new way. He began to paint real nature. In 1410, a very important date in the history of art, he produced a tiny miniature. It measures only about five inches by three inches. But it is a painting with tremendous significance because it contains the first real landscape. It gave birth to every background that came later during the Renaissance. The theme is Jesus' baptism, but this takes up only a small section of the area. There is a river in the background, a very real castle, houses, hills and so on. This is a real landscape; nature has become important. After this, such landscapes spread rapidly from the north to the south of Europe. Francis A. Schaeffer - Escape From Reason

How many times have I seen this in church? I read this Dilbert strip that seems to represent many churches solutions to being under-staffed

The Post-Modern rejection of denominations While driving with Jordon Cooper in a car for about 4 hours last night, we started discussing the issue of Post-Modernists in the church systematically beginning to reject denominations. To put this in context, Jordon and I have been talking about the idea of putting on a Canadian gathering of younger evangelicals to converse about the issues of church, faith, life and spirituality. At one point I mentioned that my denomination may be willing to help by putting some money towards it. Jordon responded by saying the event would loose all credibility if we took money from a denomination. We could take corporate money? that would be fine? but money from a denomination would be bad. Now, Jordon wasn't saying it SHOULD be bad to take assistance from a denomination, just that people in these post-modern circles have very negative views of them. Why is that? Yes it's true that many denominations exist just to exercise power over local churches, and yes many have abused that power. They can demand conformity instead of encouraging individuality, they hold the deeds to the land and buildings that churches meet in to maintain their control over them, and some denominations even have to approve who a local congregation appoints as their pastor. This is all wrong. However, not all are like this. Take my "denomination" for example. They never tell us what to do or how to do it. They don't tell us who we can hire and who we can't. All I've seen them do is encourage us, provide resources to us and act as the connection point between all the churches in our organization. In other words, our denomination sees it's main function as acting as a conduit of community. Funny, we in the post-modern circles are always touting the word "community". Wouldn't it be ironic if we exercise a wholesale rejection of denominations, the good with the bad, without recognizing the community potential that lies within them? Just my two cents worth.

Younger Evangelicals explains what the Church is NOT supposed to be I grabbed this snippet of the book "The Younger Evangelicals" via Alan Creech's weblog. The church's business is not to maintain freedom or to promote wealth or to help a political party or to serve as the moral guide to culture. The church's mission is to be the presence of the Kingdom. ... The church's mission is to show the world what it looks like when a community of people live under the reign of God.

Touch Not God's Anointed! A few years ago I was a Youth Pastor in a charismatic church in Hamilton Ontario. Although I believe in the gifts I wouldn't classify myself as charismatic. At any rate, something that would drive me crazy was when big name "teachers" came to our church and would teach the most wacked out, cocaine induced nonsense, and then if you DARED try to question the teaching they would hit you with the "Touch not God's anointed!" line. Benny Hinn was especially bad for this sort of thing. Don't get me wrong, I have no problem with the charismatic movment at all. There are always a few wackos in every camp. I found this article dealing with this issue from the Clarity Ministries International website. You should read the whole thing, but here's a short excerpt: Such is the case when a pastor, evangelist, Bible teacher, missionary, author, or teacher of God's Word uses the statement "touch not God's anointed" to mean no one should question or force accountability upon them because they are specially anointed ones. They see themselves as being above the kind of accountability that they demand from others. Instead, they want exclusive control with unlimited power. They habitually overemphasize their own importance and their authority. Such men or organizations usually claim the right to insist upon total loyalty and agreement from their followers because their "authority" is often portrayed as of divine origin. They may promote themselves as God's Man, or God's Church or Organization.

Getting Fired for the Glory of God Mike Yaconelli writes a hot article here that I think will strike a chord with many in youth ministry... and ministry in general. Here's an excerpt: After spending time with youth workers from all over the world during the Youth Specialties National Youth Workers Convention, there's no question in my mind that our calling to youth ministry and the current condition of the institutional church are on a collision course. I'm beginning to believe that if those who are called into youth ministry follow the lead of the One who called them, getting fired is inevitable. Why? Because, in general, the institutional church doesn't get it. The institutional church has become hopelessly corporate, hopelessly tangled in a web of secularism. Instead of the church being the Church, it has opted instead to be a corporation.

This just ticks me off My friend Jordon Cooper has on of the best websites on the internet to help church leaders understand ministry in our contemporary culture. Anyway, on his list of links, he has the website of a political commentator who also happens to be gay. It isn't a "gay website", it's just run by a guy who is HIV positive. Because Jordon is linking to the site a whole bunch of people are writing him hate mail saying they'll never come back because Jordon has "lost credibility" with them. What a joke. The Biblical model is for us as a church to understand and engage our world... not cut ourselves off from it. Sometimes, in an attempt to be conservative, we actually become unbiblical.

Something beautiful about community Community has sort of been my big word of the month. Last night, my church had it's annual Christmas party. Besides that fact that the food was great and the company delightful (did I just use the word delightful?) something much more significant jumped out at me. You have to understand that we have a small church, probably around 100-120 people on any given Sunday. But at this party, no matter where you looked, visible expressions of community could be seen. In the kitchen there were people of every demographic helping and chatting, at the tables people laughing and sharing stories of the past year, around the corners I could see people talking about problems and pains while others listened and encouraged. during the evening there was a talent show, and each act (no matter how good) received loud ovations worthy of Pavoratti himself. People looked on with huge smiles on their faces because the individuals on the stage were all folks they knew, and belonged in a community with. Despite the fact that I got sick from something I ate and had to run home before the end of the evening, it was a wonderful night. I've only been the Pastor here about 5 weeks or so... and yet the more I get to know this community, the more I feel I'd like to be here for a long long time. Community a beautiful thing... when it works.

Looking into ourselves, we find further evidence for the existence of God. High ideals and lofty aspirations stir within us. Things beautiful to our eyes, ears and touch deeply move us. Our mind is insatiably curious in its quest for knowledge. An imperious urge to do what we "ought" to do pulls us onward and upward, and burdens us with shame when we fail. Love too discloses the unique nobility of our humanness, the love which has inspired the greatest exploits of art, heroism, sacrifice and service. John Stott, Christian Basics

Christmas Party tonight Our church is having it's annual Christmas party tonight. Should be a lot of fun. It will be my first "social" event since joining the church as it's pastor. There's also a talent show as a part of the festivities, it should be a hoot. The Youth Pastor has asked me if I'd be willing to have my legs shaved for the Youth fund raiser at the event. Hey, I'm the new guy... how could I say no?

What to get Gio for Christmas Part #2 The pocket-sized Pockey 2.0 offers up to 60GB of storage capacity, fast transfer rates, and ultra-portability, measuring just 5" x 3" x .5". Transferring large amounts of data is a snap with the USB 2.0 interface which offers transfer rates up to 480 Mbps ? 40 times faster than USB 1.1 speed! Best of all, the ultra-portable Pockey does not require any additional power source because all necessary power is drawn through the USB cable. You can take it Anywhere! The Pockey is compatible with laptops and desktops, PC/Mac/Linux, so cross-platform file sharing is a breeze. Plug-N-Play, hot-swappable, and hot-pluggable features make the Pockey convenient and easy to use. Ok this little thing is just too cool! No power supply needed, really fast transfer rates and small enough to fit into your pocket? Wow, what an amazing product. Since it's a USB connector, you could take your files to almost anyone's computer, plug it into the USB port (just about every computer on the planet has a USB port) and away you go. Behold how the drool forms on the side of my mouth.

Still trying to adjust I probably gave my worst sermon in years Sunday morning. Don't get me wrong, the theology was solid and the topic was important (we talked about repentance), but my communication of it was very weak. I find that when I'm under-prepared my messages go too long and tend to be a little bit scattered. When I don't have enough time to prepare my messages, they tend to be bloated. When I start my sermon prep, I throw as much into it as possible and then begin the process of slimming it down to it's most efficient and effective form. Without that time I end up preaching a mess... like Sunday. The problem is me. This whole "Senior Pastor" thing is still brand spanking new to me and I haven't yet learned how to properly budget and balance my time with all the new responsibilities. My church is filled with wonderful supportive people who all cheer me on. I'm trying not to beat myself up too much about it... I'm still new and have lots to learn. God is good, and tomorrow is another day.

Coca-Cola and the Church Got this little post from Dashouse.Com While Pepsi roared to life under the direction of Al Steele, a Coca-Cola shareholder wrote that the Company "slumbers peacefully, self-satisfied with all of its past progress."...Bottling plants were celebrating their fiftieth anniversaries; many of the third-generation bottlers took profits for granted. They lacked the fire in the belly that characterized their hungry Pepsi counterparts, and they hated change almost as much as Woodruff... "In 1951," Sledge told one audience, "1,535,406 people died in the United States. In spite of our best efforts, this large group has been eliminated as consumers of our product." (Mark Pendergrast, For God, Country, & Coca-Cola)

"We have been the recipients of the choicest bounties of heaven. We have been preserved, the many years, in peace and prosperity. We have grown in numbers, wealth and power, as no other nation has ever grown. But we have forgotten God. We have forgotten the gracious hand which preserved us in peace and multiplied and enriched and strengthened us; and we have vainly imagined, in the deceitfulness of our hearts that all these blessings were produced by some superior wisdom and virtue of our own. Intoxicated with unbroken success, we have become too self-sufficient to feel the necessity of redeeming and preserving grace, too proud to pray to God that made us It behooves us, then to humble ourselves before the offended Power, to confess our national sins, and to pray for clemency and forgiveness." April 30, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln's Proclamation for a National Day of Fasting, Humiliation and Prayer.

Too involved in church Last week I had a meeting with the leadership of my church. I wish you could meet them. They are a committed group of people who love the church and love the people in the church. Just awesome folks! One of the last things on my agenda was to ask them to cut back their involvement. You see, some of our leaders are so dedicated that they serve in 4, 5 or 6 different areas in the church. This much involvement can lead to burnout in the long run? but it also takes time away from others areas of life. Time to be alone, time to be with your family, and time to build relationships with others outside the church. I found this article at Relevant Magazine's website. It talks about Hyper-Active Church Involvement (HACI) and how it takes us away from vital things in our life. Here's an excerpt: HACI doesn't leave us with much time left to get involved in other areas of life. Even if our job is in a secular environment, we have a hard time getting together with unsaved coworkers outside of work because we're busy with church activities. (And of course it's always a better idea to get to know someone in a one-on-one or small group setting before dousing them in the full church experience). We can't get involved in some club on campus or sports team offered through the community because practice is on Tuesdays at the same time as our accountability group. What we're left with is lots of ingestion of spiritual food and not one person to share it with. We're not evangelizing because we don't know anyone to evangelize to. We don't have people to evangelize to because we're so immersed in church activities that we don't have time to get involved in anything else that would bring non-Christians into our lives. And because we're not evangelizing, we're bored and discouraged and stuck. I really enjoyed this one. Take a few minutes and give it a read.

Whatever God's dream about man may be, it seems certain it cannot come true unless man cooperates. Stella Terrill Mann

What to get Gio for Christmas I know that many of you out there are wondering to yourself "what should we buy and ship to Gio for Christmas?" Don't worry, you're not alone. Millions across the planet are asking that same question. In response to this global question, I thought I should offer some suggestions. We'll start with an unlikely one. The Nomad Jukebox is a fantastic little device. It comes in 3 versions (5gig, 10gig, and 20gig) which can hold 1000, 2000 and 4000 mp3 songs respectively. That's pretty much more music than I'll be able to listen to in a year. But the best part about this little item is that it also acts as a portable hard drive. It connects to a USB or firewire port on your computer which makes transferring songs and large files VERY fast. Being able to have sermon and music mp3's AND a portable hard drive to move large files back and forth between my home and work computers would be a dream. This thing also looks really slick and comes with some nice accessories. One of the best parts about this is that it's about $300 cheaper than the Apple version called the iPod (stupid apple... always over pricing things). SInce the price for the 20gig version is about $500 CND, I suggest you band together in joyous unison to purchase this delightful gift for Gio. Joy to the world.

Needing to rethink evangelism I had breakfast with a friend of mine today who is also a pastor here in town. We started to talk about various ways we could "evangelize" Saskatoon. This brought up some thoughts I've been having over the last couple of months about this topic. It seems that over the last 20 years "evangelism" has been our ability to take, package and market a basic conversion message to people. But I'm starting to believe that this form of evangelism is not only outdated and ineffective, but possibly also unbiblical. People in our culture need to actually SEE Jesus, not just hear about him in some 3 minute gospel message. The scriptures make it clear that we (the church) are to be the living representation of Jesus to the world. The implications of this are quite far reaching. For people to want to develop a relationship with God, they must first see Him in action through the church. They want to see changed lives, they want to see us involved in social action, they want to see us living with integrity, they want to see us meeting needs, they want to see us pouring out grace, they want to see us showing compassion, they want to see us living by our convictions and they want to see us conducting our lives as if we believe the Gospel is true. In other words... they need to see us being the living representation of Jesus. Until the culture we live in sees this sort of radical counter-cultural living, our "witness" is utterly useless and only makes us look all the more like hypocrites. In this new era, I don't see people making quick spontaneous "decisions" for Jesus. Instead, I see people seeing Jesus in the church or other christians around them, becoming captivated by the life He gives, and gradually through a process of seeing, discussing and realizing, coming to a point where they also want to walk with and follow Him. I'm still not completely sure how this all works itself out, but I'm convinced we in the church need to start having the questions asked. Many more thoughts on this... but I need to go to bed. Will write more later.

American Bible Society get hammered by Forbes While reading Urban Onramps today I came across this news story. No wonder "the world" keeps attacking the church... we keep giving them the ammunition.

From Baptist to Orthodoxy Found an interesting article on Radical Christ today. It resounds with the sort of sentiments I've been hearing from younger evangelicals for the last couple of years. It's an interesting story that deserves a read. Here's a short excerpt: "But Christianity had survived for 2,000 years. Had it always been experienced the way that I experienced it? I knew that the early church was persecuted, and many were martyred. Did they really die for the Christianity that I knew? Not likely. Why would you die for something that you were embarrassed about? I occasionally had brought friends to Church with me. As I got older I did this less and less. Its not that my desire to introduce them to Jesus diminished; just my desire to have them participate in something I know I no longer wanted to myself."

I learned a valuable lesson yesterday I was doing some running around yesterday with my friend Cooper when I ran across this woman who looked like she didn't have a place to live. She was dragging a small toboggan behind her with what looked to be all her earthly possessions. She stopped and asked me if I had any change for her to get something to eat. What a sorry excuse of Christian I am. My first reaction was to look in my change pocket to see if I had any quarters to give her... how typical. Anyway, after realizing I had no change I took out the only money I had on me, a $20 dollar bill and gave it to her very begrudgingly and hesitantly. When I gave it to her, her eyes started to well up with tears. She asked me if I was an angel... and I think she was serious. I told her I wasn't. She then gripped the money, closed her eyes and said outloud "Thank you God". I was moved and extremely convicted as we parted ways. Later that day when I returned to my office I read this passage in 2Corinthians 9:11-12 You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God. This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of God's people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God. I almost cried when I read that and remembered the woman's words "Thank you God". I'm so ashamed at how reluctant I was to give anything of value to that woman. To be honest, the only reason I gave her anything was because I was to embarrassed to say no after already looking in my wallet for change and finding nothing. So many good things happened as a result of her receiving that money. She got something to eat. She felt a small glimmer of value to God. Most importantly, in the words of Paul, "...your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God."

Allison had a car accident My wife Allison just had a car accident this morning on her way to work. She called me right after it happened. She says she's totally fine and that absolutely no one was hurt at all. After breathing a deep sigh of relief and thanking God for his protection I started feeling the dread of having to deal with SGI (the governments insurance arm). For those of you who don't know, Saskatchewan is governed by the NDP Party. Here you MUST get all you insurance done through SGI... no choices. Neither Allison or I have ever really been in an accident so we have no idea about how easy or difficult the process of getting our car fixed up and dealing with insurance is. But SGI has a bad reputation. I've heard my share of horror stories about how SGI has really messed people over. Ugg.. not really the way we wanted to start our week.

Is there a difference between prepared and performance? After our service this Sunday, the church leaders and I had a meeting and a conversation about how the church service is put together. Over the last couple of weeks we've been working on making the service flow better, little thing like making sure people know when they're supposed to do what. Making sure we start on time and end on time? little things. Anyway, someone brought up the question "are we just making things slick?". I responded by saying there is a difference between being prepared and putting on a performance? but I've been wondering over the last 24 hours if that's true. Is it? I'm not totally sure. We want our services to be authentic expressions of community even in a corporate setting. So the question is: Does preparing and striving to do things well in a service counterproductive to the notion of authenticity? That's honestly not a rhetorical question. I'd like to hear your thoughts.

Weekend finally over As I posted earlier, this weekend was a rough one for me in terms of getting the Sunday Service at Lakewood ready. I was probably at my office 60 of 72 hours leading up to it. We're doing a series right now called "Big Fat Religious Words". This week the word was "Sin". Wow, that was one of the most difficult sermons I've ever had to put together. Not only are the theological implications of sin very deep and complex, but people in the church today don't want to hear or talk about sin. How do you put together a message communicating the importance and severity of sin in a way that people will hear it and learn from it, while at the same time staying true to the message and theology. Anyway, it was hard. Our church responded very well to it, and we had a good Question and Answer period afterwards as well. Overall I'd say the service we quite good... but I'm glad it's done.

Hockey Pundits doing well As some of you may already know, I run a hockey commentary website with my friends Jordon Cooper and Jeb Runquist called The Hockey Pundits. Anyway, the traffic at the site has been pretty good and we even got a nice write up about us from SHIFT.COM: "A comprehensive weblog for puck-lovers, alternating the latest trade rumours with fine snark like "I'm still waiting to see how long [Alexandre Daigle] 'likes' the game before heading back to Hollywood to try to snag a walk-on part for the Baywatch reunion special."

Sermon dilemma The topic I'm speaking on this week has just overwhelmed me. I was in my office till about 3am last night and as it stands I'll probably be here until about midnight again tonight. But wait! My friend Trevor called me a little while ago. He has a NEW BIG TV he just picked up and has invited me and Dave Ziebart over tonight to be the first to watch a DVD in the new home theatre. I... must... stay... and... work. But... new tv.... friends new toy.... calling me.... I am filled with... so much... weakness.

Am I a Porn Site? Wow... I was just checking my logs and it seems someone found my website while using the AOL search engine looking for "Free Porn Trailer". My site came up on the front list too. Hmmmm... am I missing something?

Anyone have a spare London Drugs $4000 gift certificate? I was in the new London Drugs last night and while I was in the computer section (a very good one at that) my eyes beheld the glory that is the 22 inch flat panel Apple Cinema Display computer monitor. Time stood still, and all sound became a distant buzz in my ears. For just a moment it was just the Cinema Display and me, alone in our own little universe. Good Grief the picture on this thing is absolutely breathtaking. Just for the record, I think Mac computers are a complete waste of physical space on an already overcrowded planet. I hate them. They're slow, awkward, and for some reason priced WAY too high. Yes they look cool, but so does the devil. Having said that, I have to admit they do a GREAT job with their monitors. These Cinema Displays are no exception. Too bad they only work on Mac's. (a single tear rolls down my cheek)

What is one of the major problems today with Christianity? I found he following quote onthe "What is Chritianity" weblog. I just had to post it here: "Christianity has been made so completely devoid of character that there is really nothing to persecute. The chief trouble with Christians, therefore, is that no one wants to kill them any more!" -Soren Kierkgaard

Sermon Anxiety Sermon not yet ready..... already Friday...... Clock ticking..... always ticking.

Upgrading my Church Technology Ok, my friend Jordon Cooper and I went out to breakfast this morning and then hit a couple of tech shops. After having our intelligence insulted at the local computer store, I wandered into a higher end video tech store. I'm sorta in the market for a new data projector for my church since the one we use right now belongs to an Elder in the church who graciously allows us to use it, and since we meet in a gym and the room is fully lit the image from the projector gets washed out... a more powerful projector is needed. Anyway, I tell the salesman I just want a brighter projector, I don't need anything else, I don't need the new bells and whistles, I just need a brighter projector. He proceeded to try to push only slightly brighter projectors on me with a ton of new technology in them for around $5000 (which is out of my price range). After wasting 30 minutes with this guy we said "good bye" and as I was leaving I caught a glimpse of a price sheet he was hiding from me that had a MUCH brighter projector listed without the new XGA technology for under $3000. Instead of showing me what I wanted, the guy tried for a half hour to get me to buy the more expensive unit. What did he get for his efforts? 1 less customer.

Adobe Premiere 6.5 great idea for churches Before becoming the Pastor here at Lakewood, I had worked for a couple of years at Satellite Animation Studios. They are a computer animation and visuall effects company that has done work on movies like "The One" with Jet Li and most recently "Spy Kids 2". Working there had me doing a lot of video editing and my program of choice was usually Adobe Premiere. There are several reason why I think this editor is ideal for churches looking to step into multimedia. First of all is a relativly easy program to use. Unlike Final Cut Pro by Apple, or Avid systems, the basic functions can be learned in one sitting. The program is VERY mini-dv friendly (the new standard in consumer video camers) and has a load of special features. One of the biggest selling points for churches is that the 6.5 version had the ability to encode video into an MPEG-1 format. Why is that important? I've found that MPEG-1 video plays the best out of Microsoft PowerPoint (A program most churches use right now anyway). Quicktime and AVI's have always caused problems for me using PowerPoint, but MPEG-1 is a nice ballance between file size and image quality. On top of all this Premiere 6.5 is far less expensive that most higher level editors, yet vastly superior to the slightly cheaper ones. You can buy a Pyro firewire card (the card that connects your camcorder to your computer) bundled with Premiere 6.5 software for about $450 canadian (about $300 US).

When I said "We" should do it, I meant "You" I found this great little story by John O'keefe tonight on his blog. I don't know how many times I've seen situations like this happen in churches all over the place: i have seen this first hand, and i am getting sick thinking about it - one year, while i was the senior pastor, the elders of the church came up with a great idea - all the leaders would volunteer at a local kitchen and "show" how to help. as the date got closer, and closer - what was to be a show of action, turned into the church writing a check to help with the kitchen - over a months time, every last elder backed out because of "family matters." one elder, at the elders meeting, said, "just because we are unable to go does not mean we should not have the paid staff go - this will be good for them, it should teach them to serve." "Passing the Buck" seems to be one of our favorite games to play in Christian circles.

Great Star Wars parody of the Apple "switch" ads I found this little flash animation on the web. I can't find out who made it or anything, but I thought you'd get a kick out of seeing it. It's quite funny. You can see it by clicking here.

I love my Tote Remote FIrst you have to understand that I use multimedia a lot when I speak in church. Obviously, one of the main tools I currently use if Microsoft Powerpoint. The downside has always been that I need to spend time with someone who runs the computer for me durring a service to go over my sermon and powerpoint presentation. Inevitably the timing gets mixed up or the next slide doesn't come up. Anyway, I decided to pick up this little toy that allows me to control the powerpoint from a tiny remote control that hides in the palm of my hand. I used it this Sunday for the first time and it worked GREAT! No one in the congregation even knew it was me controlling the presentation. It even has a laser pointer on it if I need to point things out on the slide. Very cool. The price was around $110.00 Canadian, well worth the price in my opinion.

A growing discontent with mainline denominations Through Jordon Cooper's website, I found this interesting little post by Mark Riddle concerning his current view of mainline denominations. Here's a little excerpt: Part of the reason why I've left mainline denominations is their desire to submit to Handbooks rather than scripture... to denominational policy rather than God, to faithfulness to manmade criteria for ministry rather than biblical leadership. We wonder why God has left the building with so many of our churches... even denominations... because we'd rather follow our own rules and we are ok with settling for less than God's best for us. I don't know that I totally agree with his assesment in general, but there are certianly elements of truth here, and somethings denominational leaders should really take a look at. For instance, when I was attending Lakeview Church, we did this big serise on "The preisthood of all believers", and yet at the same time, as I was getting ready to speak at a youth retreat I found out we weren't allowed to have communion together because denominational rules say only a "licensed" minister was allow to conduct communions. What a joke! How unbiblical is that!?! But hey... rules are rules right? Good grief.

The Beautiful and Dysfunctional Church For the last 6 months or so I have been really wrestling with the whole idea of the Church and what it's supposed to be. On the one hand I'm totally discouraged by the current state of things. We argue, bicker, fight, tear down, destroy and do a horrible job of representing Jesus to a hurting world. We are prayerless, we are biblically ignorant and we're completely out of touch with a culture we're supposed to be serving. In North America we have a very westernized idea of our faith. We see Jesus as a white Republican who loves America (or Canada as the case may be). So very many things wrong with us. With all of us (me included). On the other hand, I have seen lives changed in the Church. I've seen God touch people in a very real way through the hands of his followers. I've seen his people come together to worship and pray and serve, to feed the hungry and clothe the naked. How can such beauty and such dysfunctionallity exist at the same time in this thing we call "The Church". What is "The Church" for that matter? I'm finding that the definitions we've used over the last 200 years just aren't cutting it. The good thing about this dichotomy in the church is that it's driving some people back to the Bible to try to re-imagine what the Church is supposed to be. It won't be about embracing a new paradigm, it will be about rediscovering the Ancient Church, it will be about Jesus not religion, it will be about faith not form. I don't exactly know what this church will look like, but I'm anxious to find out.