What a Piece of Worke is a man!

Back on the Wagon

2011-12-12T22:56:00.000-08:00

Hello Everyone!

I'm back on the blogging Wagon (ha!) I know I'm bad when it comes to this, but I thought I would give it one last attempt. I do enjoy blogging when I get a chance to do it, I'm just lazy! Anyway, so where to begin?

Well for one thing I got the job of my dreams a few months ago. Still working at the Vancouver Aquarium but got the position of the "Interpretation Specialist - Family Programs and Members Events!" (Trust me, it sounds more important than it is!) Basically I am in charge of educational programming for the general public at the Aquarium that is directly geared towards families - and kids. My programming usually has a high musical/storytelling content. The second half of my job is members events. There is a huge membership base at the Aquarium and we offer after hours events for them. My responsibility there is to be a liaison between the interpretive department and the membership team to try and make those events as engaging and as interactive as possible.

To sum it up, I play with toys half my day, and talk with people the other half. Life is good!

On another front, Shawna and I have pretty much settled at a new community: Tenth Church. Tenth's Blog can be found here. Tenth is a great church that embodies everything I love about Church. It's genuine. It's real. It is love. We have been attending their community at Kitsilano Secondary School on Sunday mornings for almost two years now, but only in the last 6 months or so have we really taken a step and rooted ourselves in the community. I have been very active working with the children's pastor to try and come up with new and innovative ways to get the kids engaged as well as to connect the kids church with the greater community. Shawna is a sunday school teacher, as well as starting up a small book club ministry. The book club was short lived but heped her learn a lot about building something like that and will give her the tools necessary to try something like it in the near future.

I think what attracted us most to Tenth@Kits was the fact that it was (and still is) a very young community. We saw an opportunity to be involved in the shaping of a new community of followers of Christ. We saw a community making mistakes and loving every second of it. It was that genuine desire to do good - and to learn when they stumbled that really made me believe that Tenth@Kits was the community for us. We've been very happy with the church so far and really think this will be our home for many years to come.

I have more to say - as I have a lot of thoughts, but this is just the beginning of my re-entry into the blogosphere.

Talk soon, internetz!!!

Long overdue!

2010-07-22T22:52:00.000-07:00

Take about your epic fails! My last post, well over a month ago was about how I was gonna get back on track with blogging. So much for that idea... I am gonna try again. Here's hoping I can commit to it. Blogging is a great outlet, and a fantastic way to share my thoughts with the world.

This post is gonna be about my job.

I really, really love it! Like a lot. There are so many reasons... For one thing, the people I work with are fantastic. They are so easy to get along with and are super understanding about my lack of knowledge (some of these people are ridiculously RIDICULOUSLY intelligent!) I have met some amazing people, chewed their minds and learned a lot about the animals at the aquarium (and am continuing to do so)

But outside of that, I need to talk about the philosophies behind it. Most people know that I've spent the vast majority of my (still young) adult life working in Children's Ministry in Church. If I had my way, I'd spend the rest of my life doing that... So, why all of a sudden am I so into working at the Vancouver Aquarium as an interpreter!?! Because I've suddenly got this incredible feeling of doing God's work OUTSIDE of church. Ok... I know we are supposed to embody Christ "and whatever you do whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, giving thanks to God the father through him." - Colossians 3:17 (Thank you Randy Hein) So this idea of embodying Christ, and doing God's work in my everyday life ISN'T a new concept to me, per se... But it's been rekindled and - to coin a Christian word - reborn in me! I'm rediscovering what it means to bring Christ with me wherever I go. And It's an amazing feeling!

So how is working at the Vancouver Aquarium helping me bring Christ to the world? Stewardship. Plain and Simple. Black and White. One of my favorite things about church and why I love working and living and breathing in it, is the connection that we have with God and his Creation. God has given us this world to love and care for. He has entrusted us (his greatest creation) with one of his best creations! THE WORLD IS GOOD! He wants us to care for it and love it! And I do, or try to everyday! And my workplace is amazing for that very reason. There is a feeling of stewardship... Of owning up to our actions... Of actively Changing things. Without being a Christian organization, they are doing exactly what (I believe) Jesus would want. From arctic Climate Change programs, to research to save Dolphins from Fish nets, to a carbon neutral footprint by 2011... This place understands what it means to care for the planet and all the life on it!

Everyday that I bike in to work, a smile washes over my face... because I know that God is smiling down on these people. They may not know it, or believe it, or accept it... But I believe in the depths of my heart that God looks to my workplace and screams "This is GOOD!"

Although i am only there on a very casual contract which is very quickly coming to an end... I have learned so much thus far about the science of marine life and more importantly what it means to take care of a gift as precious as our planet. And that's something I'll always carry with me :)

I know that was a very cheesy entry, but I've been meaning to write about it for a while. It's been burning up inside me. There it is :)

A new step

2010-06-08T16:04:00.000-07:00

I know I said it a while ago, but I'm gonna get back on track with blogging.

I don't know what's turned me away from it lately. Laziness more than anything. i always have thoughts going through my mind, that hasn't changed, but there's something lately that's stopped me from getting them typed out or even written out on a notebook. Something I can't quite put my finger on. I don't really know what it is.

Anyway, here I am, writing. Hello. I'm sitting in my grey cubicle, as I have for the laaaaaaaast 8 or 9 months. But I am on my last week! That's right folks, no more answering phone calls from extremelly entitled people who only support the arts for the tax writeoffs! No! I am going to be working at the Vancouver Aquarium as an educational interpreter. Which is great experience in terms of the carreer path I would like to follow.

Basically, my job is to be the vehicle that information travels through. I am meant to be an eduactional facilitator and communicator. I'm supposed to be approachable and easy going. more than anything, the key to my job is to have fun! Because learning is fun... and I love learning. probably my favourite thing in the whole world. If all goes well, by the end of the summer, I will have taught my love for learning to a few people!

I'm going to be concentrating on marine mammals and working with groups of 200 people (give or take) I'll be hsoting the shows and working with the trainers to make the demonstrations as fun as possible! And I'm so up for the challenge... and cannot get started soon enough. As it is right now, I'm finishing up my time at the Arts Club... Then, come Sunday, a new chapter begins.

let me also justs ay that, though the job I had at the Arts Club was NOT the greatest, my colleagues definitely made it worthwhile. I made some amazing friends here and really got to pick the brains of some amazing people! Something I am eternally thankful for! So if anyone from the arts club reads my blog (or anyone at all for that matter) thank you for being such cool cats! And come visit me at the aquarium.

So that's my big news... I'm gonna try to get my thoughts out more often. The longer I go without getting them out in the open the more confused I get about my own existence... which isn't exactly a good thing.

Nothign Deep

2010-02-23T12:55:00.000-08:00

I really have nothing deep to talk about! I'm sick. My throat hurts. My whole body feels all clogged and gross adn I'm sitting at my desk at work wishing I could be in bed! I hate this feeling. you knwo when you feeel so stuffed up that you feel like youre just stuck in your body!?!

Anyone?

*sigh* I just feel like I'm not even existing physically right now. I feel liek I'm just some kind of conscious being that's flaoting around the fofice today. Totally bodyless... just there!

It's weird! I'm sure it will apss once I can breathe again! On the plus side, I'm looking forward to lunch because I have a very yummy leftover pasta to eat! What else should I talk about?

I'm reading Harry Potter right now. After all these years of not doing it, I've finalyl decided to jump on the bandwagon and read the books. My problem? THEY ARE LIKE CRACK! Seriously. I'm a pretty slow reader but I got through the first 4 in like a week and a half. I've slowed down a little with Order of the Phoenix now... which is good, cuz I was staying up till 3 am reading! Either that or playing pokemon! I've rediscovered the joy of the original pokemon game on Gameboy color! Totally rad!!!

Other than that. Life is pretty ok. Working hard, Shawna's jobs are going well, For Lent we are dedicating ourselves to a bible reading every single night (Which for us is a challenge because we tend to justify not doing it) and the Olympics are crazy fun in the city! All in all, things are ok!

YAY!
DP

Olympic tiiiiime!

2010-02-12T13:50:00.000-08:00

Ooooook! Olympics!

First. Thoughts and prayers...

Now on to blogging!

Hmm... what to say? I'm kinda at a weird middle ground that - to be honest - I didn't think I'd find myself at. Let me preface this by saying that I didn't (and still dont) believe that Vancouver had the right to host the Olympics. Most cities that get it don't. I mean let's be realistic. BC has the lowest minimum wage in Canada. Most expensive healthcare. and home to the country's poorest postal code. We've got serious issues to fix and undermining the social infrastructutre for a 2 week gorge isn't gonna help things.

Now the flip side... It's here. it's paid for. it's a reality. Fighting it NOW.... is ridiculous. Like it or not folks, capitlism is the way the world Economy is structured. (Albeit I see that changing in our lifetime) The 2010 Winter Olympics is an international Commitment. We are relied upon by the international community to live up to that commitment. And that's a fact! A hypothetical plug pulling on the Olympics now, would cause worldwide outrage and a complete seperation from the International Community. And in a world who's economy is just barely hanging on... that would be a very bad thing. Yes the Olympics have taken money that could otherwise be used towards affordable housing on the Downtown East Side or reform BC's ridiculous healthcare system... But it didn't. And quite honestly, wouldn't if we were hosting the Olympics or not. We are in a society and an economic system that glorifies the rich. The divide between the lower and upper classes is growing at an alarming rate and there seems to be no way to bridge that gap. If we didn't have these games... the money would have been moved elsewhere. And I guarantee you it would not have changed the status of East Hastigns.

Fact is... the games have forced the hand of BC's gvnmt and put in place more infrastructure... In 86, we got a landmark building which is now the Telus World of Science. That rakes in a HUGE amount of Vancouver's tourism. This year? No new buildings... no, but a lightrail transit system that gets you all the way out to Richmond, which was beforehand (seemingly) impossible to travel. The Canada line is HUGE for the overall structure and development of Vancouver, and it wouldn't have gotten off the ground without the games.

Again... I'm not saying that Vancouver deserved these Olympics... it didn't. But if they gave the Olympic games to a city that deserved it, who would you give it to? Everyone has got their blemishes. you don't wanna give the games to vancouver because of poverty? fine... Enter Adolf Hitler... His National Socialist German Workers' Party basically whiped out poverty in Berlin in the wake of the 1929 Market crash. And in 1936, Germany was an economic powerhouse... So they got the games! I don't need to tell you WHY it's wrong that Germany got the games...

The point is, you're not gonna find a perfect city, and the Olympics has to happen somewhere. And it's here. And by months' end, it will be gone. Worried about the provincial debt? Don't be... the system is (unfortunately) centered around debt. We're too far gone to make a change without causing a complete collapse. The world economy is a house of cards... and the table it's built on has one leg shorter than the others...

I don't really know what i was getting at in this post... I'm pretty much in the middle. I'm not anti-Olympics or pro-Olympics. I'm here! And I like sports! And I think this is a once in a lifetime opportunity. Do i think the money could've been spent better? Of course. But I've had issues with government budgets long before the Olympics came... this isn't a NEW phenomenon... but people seem to be treating it as such!

I really don't know what i'm getting at. Anyone know what I'm tryign to say? Cuz I don't. I guess.. I was all for being Anti-Olympics and trying to change it when it MATTERED, But at this point, it doesn't... And Stephen Harper is making us look foolish enough on the international scene. I don't think he needs our help by disrupting an international commitment. but I don't know very much!

Now for your enjoyment... TOY STORY 3!!!!

Getting back on track

2010-01-19T10:43:00.000-08:00

Hello Interweb.

I've felt slightly out of sorts lately. i can't exactly put my finger on what it is. I haven't been sleeping very well, been getting massive headaches and I have found myself easily irritable! And I don't like it. So this post is just me gettign all that off my mind.

I feel like life has slightly gone off the rails for me. Nothign crazy. No, quite the opposite. "Life" is good. Shawna and I are both working good jobs with a stable income hanging with good friends, and even the Senators are playing well all of a sudden. Yet I feel like I'm going nowhere right now. Why? laziness! Plain and simple. I'm using work, and how tired I am at the end of the day to not do the things that make my life so special and make me so blessed. But why? Why am I doing that? Shouldn't I be jumping on those thigns like a fat kid on cake? Yes. I should. but I'd rather sit on the couch and stare at the TV or the gameboy (Teehee) instead of read my bible, work on my marriage book or - God Forbid - Pray! All in all, not good.

Not to mention that blogging is a good way to sort out my thoughts and I haven't been doing that lately.

Blah! I was supposed to meet the Children's pastor of tenth Avenue Alliance Church yesterday btu she cancelled our meeting because she was feelign ill. Which is good, because I didn't feel ready for it at all. I hadn't thought about it, prayed about it or asked for any kind fo guidance regarding it. I was just kidna gonna go without haveing medidated and prepared myself for the meeting and the work involved in it. So her cancelation was a bit of a blessing. (Especially since, 5 minutes before she emailed me Iw as thinking how I wasn't ready and I wish I had given it more thought. God answers prayers so blatantly sometimes it kinda freaks me out.) So I'm gonna really think about it, pray about it and look up the skies for a guiding hand!

Oh, and get back on track with Blogging!

And spend more bible time with Shawna. Our work schedules and tiredness are NOT an excuse. Yeah! Go team!

Casimir Pulaski Day

2009-12-12T20:38:00.001-08:00

Most people who read my blog will already know this song. But if you don't, you should.

This is my favourite song by one of my favourite artists, Sufjan Stevens. Casimir Pulaski Day tells a very tragic story. And addresses the struggle man can be faced with they don't understand what the heck God is doing. You knwo when, you just wanna shake him and scream in his face and tell him he's wrong? Yeah. Kinda touches on that. Beautiful piece of art.

There's a link to a youtube video witht he song on it HERE

You can follow the lyrics bellow

Golden rod and the 4-H stone
The things I brought you
When I found out you had cancer of the bone

Your father cried on the telephone
And he drove his car to the Navy yard
Just to prove that he was sorry

In the morning through the window shade
When the light pressed up against your shoulder blade
I could see what you were reading

Oh the glory that the lord has made
And the complications you could do without
When I kissed you on the mouth

Tuesday night at the bible study
We lift our hands and pray over your body
But nothing ever happens

I remember at Michael's house
In the living room when you kissed my neck
And I almost touched your blouse

In the morning at the top of the stairs
When your father found out what we did that night
And you told me you were scared

Oh the glory when you ran outside
With your shirt tucked in and your shoes untied
And you told me not to follow you

Sunday night when I cleaned the house
I find the card where you wrote it out
With the pictures of your mother

On the floor at the great divide
With my shirt tucked in and my shoes untied
I am crying in the bathroom

In the morning when you finally go
And the nurse runs in with her head hung low
And the cardinal hits the window

In the morning in the winter shade
On the first of March on the holiday
I thought I saw you breathing

Oh the glory that the lord has made
And the complications when I see his face
In the morning in the window

Oh the glory when he took our place
But he took my shoulders and he shook my face
And he takes and he takes and he takes.

Thought

2009-11-28T11:04:00.000-08:00

it's a shame I have been drinking my coffee black for the last few years.
I really miss the swirl of cream in a steaming coffee mug.

That is all.

Religion

2009-11-21T13:12:00.001-08:00

I haven't really liked the word Religion in the past. I've always used "spirituality" or "Faith" but lately I'm really liking the use of it.

I was explaining to a co-worker when i say Religion I'm taking about community. Friends. People i can share my life with. What's so bad about that?

The word religion has been very taboo in modern times. It's come to mean a legalistic condemnation of people you don't know and who (interestingly enough) don't profess faith in Christ. So why bug them?

That's not my Religion. Religion is love for friends. Breaking of bread amongst people. And yes, at times, expressing concern over someone's life! But people I love and who I have earned the right to do that with.

I feel so good knowing I am confortable using the Word religion. I couldn't do that before!

And I'm even learnign to Speak Christian, which is weird for me! But it's kinda cool too! I'm seeing words like blessing, rejoice and praise coming into my regular vocabulary. Hmm. A change from where I've come from, to say the very least!

ChristianLife-Truth

2009-11-07T12:22:00.001-08:00

I've had a lot of time lately to think about what exactly it means to live in a Christian community. It's a tough thing to ask yourself, mainly because so many people see it in different ways. I have had many different tastes of what one would call fellowship. Mostly good, but some negative. The negative ones seem to stick out in my mind more... not because I hang on to the negative, but they are the ones that i feel like I learned the most from.

The biggest negative experiences I have had with Christian life have usually revolved around lifestyle choices that people have not approved of. Mainly Shawna and I living under the same roof. That was, without a doubt, one of the hardest parts of my life in a Christian community. Mainly because most people didn't seem to care about how our life was being lived. Instead, they were concerned about the illusion that it conveyed. I say most, not all. Some people whom I have a deep respect and love for (who may very well read this) came to me out of love and told me they disagreed. And that's fine. In fact, that's great! More and more, I am believing that God speaks subjective truths to individuals. I was confused when someone whom I respect came to me and said "I disagree. Here is my argument." and I said "Well, I am not of the same opinion. Here is my argument." We both made valid, solid points, and yet we left the conversation completely unconvinced of each other's opinion. It was interesting because he said something along the lines of "I don't know how to feel. Becasue either the Lord is speaking through me and I'm right, or he's speaking through you and you're right." At face value I wasn't sure how to take that comment. The more I thought about it, wresttled with it and prayed about it the more I relized that I disagreed. Maybe God is speaking through both of us. Maybe that the truths that God has are so profound that they seem contradictory to our feeble minds. I mean, think about the amount of blatant contradictions in the books of the law. Obviously, God isn't worried about his 'rules' being lived in contrasting ways. We can all agree on the ten rules that govern our life, (The commandments) but other than that it's open to interpretation. I'm reading "The Year of Living Biblically" right now and he touches on that so much. The amount of people that interpret the law in completely different ways. They can't all be right, can they? I would say yes. If we, as believers, can find a way that the law and God's word can speak truth and Holliness into our lives, why should we stop it? God's truth is eternal... now I don't know about you guys, but I can't grasp the concept of eternal truth. Don't you think that the Lord is gonna dumb it down for my feeble insgnifigant mind in order to make me understand it on a personal RELATIONAL level!?! Why not? This is the God who holds the cosmos in his hands people! Why wouldn't he? He would REJOICE at being able to relate with us on such a subjective level!

Even Jesus did it. I mean When the disciples got mad at Mary for annointing him with oils instead of selling them to feed the poor, he said "Why are you bothering this woman? She has done a beautiful thing to me. The poor you will always have with you, but you will not always have me." (Matthew 26) In contrast, when asked how he could get into heaven, he told the rich man "If you want to be perfect, go, sell your posessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in Heaven. Then come, follow me." (Matthew 19) Isn't it interesting how God can speak two completely different messages to people who are in completely different places in life and in their relationship with him!?! I love it.

I don't have any answers. Just my thoughts on truth and how the eternal truth relates to us on individual levels. I think it's gloriously quasi-contradictory. I love it!

Thoughts on Hallow's Eve

2009-11-02T11:33:00.000-08:00

Not entirely sure what this post is gonna touch on. I'm just gonna use my blog as a vehicle to express my frustrations with Hallowe'en. I love it as a secular holiday. It's a great time for people to express their creativity in countless ways; they can carve pumpkins, make costumes, face paint, host a haunted house, tell ghost stories and countless other things.

So amongst all these possible activities and tradition where did this idea of using Hallowe'en as a reason to dress in barely any clothing come from? I don't understand it. You can ask the vast majority of young women (and the odd cougars) what they are dressing up as and they'll tell you "a school teacher" or "a police officer" or "dorothy from the wizard of oz." And those all seem like perfectly acceptable costumes. Of course, when they show up on Hallowe'en night you see that your school teacher has a plaid skirt and a meter long ruler, your police officer has a badge that says "officer naughty" and a pair of handcuffs and your Dorothy, well... I'll let Paris field That one!

So, why? Why do women do that? It doesn't stop at hallowe'en either. In my university years I was exposed to countless themed parties and events that just perpetuated this degradation of women. "Tennis pros and Tennis Hoes?" Nice. Really nice. But still... why? The question I am askign myself is, was it like this when I was a kid? Obviously when I was young, I didn't pay attention to much other than what I was doing for hallowe'en. As a result, I have no recollection as to whether or not this is a new phenomenon or something that has appeared in the past few years.

My instinct (and discussions I have had with people on the matter) lead me to believe that this is in fact a relatively new thing. What can we credit it to? Well the obvious answers lead me to the beauty industry and the sexualization of the media and music industries. There are other factors, but these are obviously major players. To boil it down western society seems to perpetuate constant feelings of inadequacy in its populace. We are never smart enough, pretty enough, strong enough, skinny enough, nice enough, funny enough, green enough, liberal enough, conservative enough, moral enough, ad nauseum. Particularly with women. Women simply are not pretty enough, skinny enough or sexy enough. So they over compensate. I know countless girls who have told me that they would rather be looked at as an object of sexuality than not looked at at all. We've created a society where women - the bearers of our children- would rather where a low cut shirt and short skirt and have men drool ove them as they would when smelling a porkchop over the BBQ than be loved for who they are.

So how do we solve this problem? Short answer: I don't know.

I really don't. I know it makes me angry. I know it makes me not want to leave the house on Hallowe'en night. I know it makes me wonder if I should have kids because I'd be immersing them in a society that glorifies sexual belittling.

I don't know. Like with so many things in this society, I feel liek we're too far gone.

Updated The Sens Blog

2009-10-12T22:04:00.000-07:00

Read it here!

Socialist Moustaches!

2009-10-04T21:34:00.000-07:00

So, THIS is the the newly elected PM of Greece, George Papandreou.

He is the head of the Panhellenic Socialist Movement or PASOK.

Now is it just me or does HE (in case you missed it) look like HIM - A politician we all have come to respect and fear. (Ok maybe not, but he makes us laugh and reminds us that no matter how bad our lives are, it could be worse... we could be him!)

So, what is the deal with these crazy democratic socialists with balding gray hair and porno Mustaches? Seriously!

That is all!

Random Musings on Prayer

2009-09-22T16:13:00.000-07:00

I had a few friends who went through some stuff these days, who definitely needed people to pray for them. I was praying really hard for some of them, and realized that my prayers started turning into "Lord, give me strength to pray enough for them." I didn't think I had enough "prayer power". I was tellign myself "I Can't do this on my own." Then I thought...

"D'Uh. I don't have to. So I jumped online and found some of my believer friends and asked them to pray for these friends of mine." It was great... everyone involved seemed so blessed by the experience. It was awesome. Even though the girl we originally prayed for her situation got better, she told me that she didn't like people praying for her because she feels like other people need prayer more than her, and she's being selfish.

Then, the next day, one of the people that prayed for/with me, her grandmother died. So, I went to the girl we originally prayed for and said "Well, now is your chance to return the favour." So now she is praying for the girl who originally prayed for her. Kind of supporting each other through Prayer. Two people, who have never ever met, or even live in the same country.

But they both gained so much from it...

So, why don't we pray for strangers? Churches have prayer groups, prayer porgrams, where they pray for community members... But what if there was just website, where you post something you need someone to keep mindful in prayer, and someone who reads it dedicates themselves to praying 10 or 15 minutes for that person. Regardless of if they know them, or not...

imagine if the entire Body of Christ prayed for one stranger a week! Think of how the world would shift, how things would change. Kinda mind blowing.

I would love to take on organizing this website, but I don't have the technical ability to do it. I have the vision... maybe someone can hear a call and rise up...

We'll see. Just random thoughts. Totally unedited (as you can probably tell)

Sens Blog Update

2009-09-22T15:48:00.000-07:00

Update zee Senators Blog! Read it here!

Why Church?

2009-09-04T00:54:00.000-07:00

As you may, or may not know, Shawna and I are fast falling in love with a new Church here on the lower mainland. With a bit of guidance from our Pastor and Friend, Randy, we were able to find our way out to Westside Church. (www.churchonthewestside.com) And it’s really been a big blessing in the short while we have been here. We really have found a place that we think we can make a solid foundation, and where we can grow as Christians and as a couple. Really, we have found church.

But what do we (not Shawna and I, but we as a collective) look for in a church? What is it that draws us in? That keeps us coming? Why do we go? This is something I have been mulling over for about five days now, and I don’t think I’m much closer to an answer. But I figure I’ll share some thoughts on the matter. I guess it can be boiled down to two categories: What we want church to be. And what we need church to be.

What we want church to be

Comfortable.
What’s really cool about Westside is this idea of ‘found’ church spaces. It doesn’t do church in the traditional ‘pew’ sense. When we meet for the 10:30 am service, we meet at a movie theatre in Kitsilano. What is so awesome about that, is the wicked comfortable seats you get to lounge in and pray in. Best church seating ever! Seriously though, we want people to be comfortable. Something I always hated going to Mass growing up, was all the kneeling in Church. That isn’t comfortable. I’m not saying kneeling doesn’t have it’s place. I kneel at times when I pray, but the ritual nature of kneeling at the same time, and praying at the same time and speaking at the same time isn’t comfort. Pews aren’t comfort. Guitars and bongos on the grass. That’s comfort. That’s church. (I know that’s my opinion, and some people may find comfort in the rigid nature of mass. But I can only speak from my experience.)

A community
It’s fair to say that people who go to church (for the most part) are looking for community. They are looking for fellowship. They are looking to be a part of Christ’s living breathing body. Whether it be through attendance, small groups, ministries, community is something we as followers crave and are commanded to participate in.

A Guide
Ah. Guidance. We want direction. We want purpose. We want to be able to go to church every Sunday and use it as a Gyroscope. We feel like God is going to speak through the sermon, or the worship, or the people and tell us what direction we should be taking in our lives.

What we need church to be

Accountable
This is a tough one, because I know some people (myself included) who cringe at the utterance of the word Christian Accountability. But I don’t mean, as Stacey out it at the Place, walking around with your righteous sniper rifle picking off people who interpret scripture differently than you. But it’s a matter of being challenged. The pastor at Westside is great about reminding us of the radically offensive nature of Jesus. He is the ultimate anti-establishment. He is a kick in the face to “the man.” He is the social revolutionary, spouting out concepts that are relevant and controversial even today. Know it or not (and like it or not) Jesus keeps us accountable and he calls us to do the same to one another.

Indiscriminate
God’s house is for everyone. What’s the point in representing the God of Justice if we don’t love justly? I see so many Christians who are scared to let none believers into their churches for fear of the poisonous venom of the heathens! Ooooh! How, oh how, are people going to hear the news if we don’t let them in? I’m convinced that about 90% of the people who refute the faith do so because of an ill-founded belief that Jesus following is about judgment and persecution. (I’m not saying that’s not how we have acted over the years. I’m just saying that what we did – like the crusades for example – are not what Jesus is about.) Jesus ate with lepers, asked a Samaritan for water and chilled with prostitutes… Can’t we do the same?

Home
You need to be able to call church home. If you can’t, why are you there?

These are just my random thoughts on the topic. For those who have a home, I hope it continues to grow and flourish. Those who are looking for one, I pray that the Lord guides you. And for those of my gentle readers who don’t have one and aren’t looking for one, I ask, why not? If this is all that church is, what’s not to like? What’s not to want? Why not?

New Post on Perrington

2009-08-25T16:53:00.000-07:00

Read my new post about the new abode on Me and Shawna's Blog (http://perrington.blogspot.com/)

DP

The Beer summit

2009-08-02T15:06:00.001-07:00

Ugh. Here we go.
Really America? REALLY? Who the hell cares. I'm sorry folks. I have a lot of American friends whom I love deeply. This is in no way a statement on the people that live in the USA, simply on the country has shaped itself. Not even the country. no, the media. What. The. Hell. I just. I don't get it. Plain and simple. I simply don't get it. This is not politics. Democratic politics are about working on laws and legislation that advance society. When did it change? When did being in power in a democratic nation become a game of tiptoeing with your words. When did it become ok to sacrifice your morals and what you stand for in order to not offend people. I'm just sick of this nit-picky word game that we see being perpetuated by the bloodsucking media. Whoc ares if Barack Obama said the police acted stupidly. They did.

Why do they do this? Why does the media develop these fascinations with insignifigant side stories? This three-ring circus we call society? When there is so much going on. I'm not even talking about when people in other countries are dying. I mean, when the sexualization of advertising and of television is at its peak. When parents would rather stick their kids in front of the box and wash their hands of parental duties. When a McDonald's burger contains all four food groups. How about when the division between the upper and lower class is getting larger and larger. When we're even seeing a chasm forming between the middle classes. When money is continually pumped into an inherently flawed economic system that is destined to come crumbling down, instead of implementing major reforms.

So, why with all of this hapening - when Western society is at it's lowest level of Debauchery - are we fascinated with Obama inviting a white cop and a wrongfully arrested black man to the Whtie House for beers? Or why does Nancy Grace sit on TV and yell at me about "Little missing Caylee" or whatever the flavour of the week is. Why doesn't the media work at reporting current events. Why doesn't it tell us that we're wrong. Tell us that we should be afraid. That we should change. That our system isn't perfect. And that there is absolutely nothing wrong with admiting that. Why doesn't it take a page out of Peter Griffin's You know what really grinds my gears!?! "You know what really grinds my gears? You America. F*** You!" (Again, I must re-iterate, when I say America I mean the western world. All countries who's media and economy are centered around the same neo-conservative zionist base. Because I'm not trying to say we are any better. Canada is in many ways, much worse.)

I'm just so sick of turning on the TV and seeing reality TV has invaded TLC (The Learning Channel) and seeing this laissez-faire attitude with the state of our world. I'm sick of politicians using this "economic crisis" (I think it's more "Economic Statement being made by God") for partisan gain. I just want everyone to swallow their effing pride, sit down, shut up and move forward.

ARGH!

______
That being said...
Today's Piece of Worke: The members of the beer summit drinking Bud Light and Sam Adams. THIS IS THE WHITE HOUSE PEOPLE. I'M POSITIVE YOU CAN SPRING FOR GOOD BEER! Frick! If you're gonna do this, at least drink a good beer! ARGH!

Not everything is a piece!

2009-07-19T16:14:00.000-07:00

We young left leaning folk love to find fault in so much in this world. Africa is starving, wall street fatcats, Climate Change, Religious Extremism, Socks that go missing in the dryer. There are just so many things in life that get is worked up. And I do it... SO MUCH. I check the news abotu 50 times a day (Al-Jazeera - my network of choice.) And all I do is get angry at the state of the world. and how nothing is REALLY being done to make it better. But then, the odd thing happens that makes me realize that not everything is A Piece of worke.

A good example 0f that? Love!!! Shawna and I just got engaged, and really... nothing in the world could bring me down off the high I feel right now! I'm so excited, she's so excited. We are so excited about the prospect of our future! It's really an exciting time.

Life is stupid. Meaningless. A spiral of chemical reactions that seem completely without purpose. Yes, ever the pessimist, I feel like that a lot of the time! But then God shows his face through something as purely beautiful as this, and I think YES. (OR as the song goes... Yes Lord, Yes Lord, YES YES LORD!) I just wanted to post about how excited I am. Life is moving forward. We are moving forward. Life is good.

I wish you all the happiness I feel right now.
I truly do
LOVE TO YOU ALLLLLL!

D

p.s. I realzie how pointless a post this was... but this is how I feel dang it!

Count your blessings

2009-07-10T23:45:00.000-07:00

You know when I woke up this morning, I was reading up on the Canadian Media still making a big deal about PM Stephen Harper's pocketing of a communion waffer at Romeo Leblanc's funeral. So i was adamant that I was gonna write a blog post about the sheer idiocy of the whole situation. I was gonna talk about how, as a protestant, I refuse to take communion out of respect for their beliefs (Since it is a very sacred sacrament) and because the exclusivity that it brings is contrary to my protestant belief that everyone (sins big and small) who profess their faith in Christ are welcome to partake in it. So yes, my left-leaning readers, I was going to write a blog post in defence of *gasp* Stephen Harper.

But now, here I am at the end of my day sitting at my computer and I'm not wanting to write about that. Even though the Canadian Media can be a piece of worke at times, I have other things on my mind. I had the unhappy task of driving Shawna and her dad to the airport tonight. He was visiting, but hsi visit was cut short due to a family emergency. Two days later, they are on a plane back to Ontario and I am sitting here beign lonely.

Now, Shawna is not good with goodbyes. I am ok. What I'm not good with is after the goodbye! Once I stepped away form the security doors, the tears welled up. And I knew this was going to be a very very very hard week. So, I sat in the car for a while and I kept crying. So I started praying and driving. So I'm talking to God, ya know, just asking him to watch over her and give her comfort with her family. Then I'm starting to be all angry cuz she's gonna be so far away and I'm mad at myself for some reason (why? I don't know...) As I'm driving in the darkness all I see is a brightly lit church sign that says "Count your blessings, not your problems!" And I thought... YES! I even screamed out "THANK YOU GOD!"

So here goes. Despite my lady's grandfather in a coma/dying, her having to go suffer the biggest loss of her life without me, my loss of a job, the uncertainty of my future, and a canker sore on my tongue that just won't go away... I am going to count my blessings. I'll count them all in person, but I wanted to just say a few. I am blessed with:

- The most beautiful woman that God has ever created. I am blessed to call her my best friend. And my soul mate.

- A biological family that cares so much about me that I am only getting closer to as the years go by.

- A Church family that has helped me grow as a believer and as a person. They have held me accountable, and let me live my life. Everything I am becoming in Christ is thanks to their compassion and love.

- Friends. I love you all. You know who you are.

- Health. Security. A shelter from the cold night.

This is a short list... God knows there's more (and If he doesn't I'll make sure he does) So for those of you (the few that read this) are feeling down, empty, angry, sad or anythign like it. Remember to count your blessings. If you want someone to celebrate those blessings with, you can always call me. Life may suck at times, but there's always something. Always.

----
Today's Piece of Worke
Canker Sores! This hurts so bad!

Psalms

2009-06-29T23:38:00.000-07:00

Seems like a common theme in my life these days is Anger at God. People in my life (Myself included) seem to be angry at God for one reason or another. Be it finances, family matters, or just general disgust with the state of the world. What's worse, is most people run from this anger. We avoid it. We are embarrassed by it. We refuse to bring that anger to God. Why? Why why why? Do we think we can fool God? It's like we're so pissed at him, but we're afraid to let him know so we hide it. But, if you open your bible to Psalm 139, you'll see Verses 1-4 say:

O LORD, you have searched me and you know me.

You know when I sit and when I rise;
you perceive my thoughts from afar.

You discern my going out and my lying down;
you are familiar with all my ways.

Before a word is on my tongue
you know it completely, O LORD.

So what can we possibly hide from God? We can't hide anything. So we come to him. In tears, in laughter and even in Anger. Is that bad? NO. No it isn't. God wants us to come to him as we are. Don't hide how you feel so that you can give him the reverence he requires. If you're pissed, be pissed. I discovered a while back, that if you do that you will often find a certain amount of peace. Now I'm not saying you should come to him with the intention of being a pissed of Jerk. Not at all. But, it's so easy to be afraid to show our true feelings to the almighty. So easy. And I do it all the time. If I have strong feelings or thoughts that I deem 'ungodly' I try to convince God (and myself) that every thing is okay and that it's something I need to deal with on my own. And that's dangerous. Dangerous stuff!

So what are we to do? Well, the obvious Christian answer is: Look to Jesus. He will show you how to deal with it. So, can we think of a time when Jesus was pissed? (the temple. (Matt 21:12-13) A time when he was unsure? (Gethsemane. (Matt 26: 39-45)

How about anger with God? (The cross) Now I'm not saying that it wasn't his will. He willfully went to the cross. No doubt. But the words "Eloi Eloi lema sabachthani?" (The little bit of Aramaic I remember from Catholic school.) speak Volumes. God why have you forsaken me? So when Jesus was angry with God he quoted a Psalm. (His words are the opening lines of Psalm 22) So, I decided to read through psalm 22 and it seems to hit home how I and a lot of people around me are feeling. Crying out to God with no answer. Then getting more and more angry with him because he isn't answering. Sending us on a vicious cycle of sorts. Ps 22 is a prayer. It doesn't give any answers. It ends with King David asking God to not be far away and begging him to stay close. I guess a prayer we can all ask when we are feeling lonely.

But what about answers? Well, we've established we can't hide our feeligns from God. Maybe we can run from him?

Where can I go from your Spirit?
Where can I flee from your presence?

If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. (Ps 139:7-8)

Damn. So much for that idea. As I read on through 139, I found a lot of hope. Hope in a place I never used to find it. In the fear of God. I always felt that had a negative connotation to it. But I really don't feel as though it does anymore. Fear doesn't mean threatened into submission (That's not how God rolls.) No, instead I would translate fear as awe, wonder, amazement or - dare I say - being blessed. Yes. I am fearfully and wonderfully made. I am, because I count myself blessed that God looks after me. Unworthy as I may feel, he has proved that I am worthy. (Gen 1:31) Everything I have - every blessing in my life - I owe to God. So I come to him in fear. I come to him in anger. I come to him in sadness. I come to him as me. He is creator and King who has given me life. The least i can do, is be myself.

__________

Today's Piece of Worke
Bernard Madoff and his 150 Year Jail Sentence

Facebook, life and MJ

2009-06-25T16:56:00.001-07:00

It never ceases to amaze me. Same thing happened in the 2008 presidential election. As the results began to pour in, everyone's statuses were updated to read "OBAMA!!!" "YES. Finally. The world is safe." "A brother in the white house!" Just page after page after page of people praising the first black leader of the free world. It was an incredible social experiment. But I figured it was a rare occasion. I mean, how often does a moment like that happen... But it happened again. Within Minutes of Michael Jackson's Death today, my Facebook home page was just flooded with people (myself included) clogging the information highway with the same news. "The King of Pop has beat it."

Now I'm not knocking it. I'm just making an observation. I'm marvelling at the incredible interconnected nature of the world we live in. Between facebook, myspace and now Twitter, news and gossip spreads like wildfire. It gets me thinking about all the limitless possibilities that this technology can supply us with. Think about it. I'm seeing ads on TV now for apps that know exactly what road you're located on. With the app, your friends - at the push of a button - can know exactly where in the world you are located. Now that doesn't bode well for people who are trying to live a secret life (but if you don't want people knowing where you are, why would you invest in the application on your phone? That's another question all together.)

But think about what can be done with that. We could revolutionize emergency response. If someone is getting raped in the middle of the night, there can be a button on her phone that automatically notifies authorities of an emergency and where the person is located. Of course, phone companies would see opportunity for profit there, and no one would invest in the app unless it wasn't gonna cost them an arm and a leg to do it. That's just a crappy idea that I pulled out of the air now. But, imagine what could be done with the brain of a person who can think up GOOD ideas!

Not even the GPS application, but just thinking bout the internet and it's wonders. Within a matter of seconds word can be sent from one corner of the earth to the other. Gone are the days of taking time to get in touch with someone. If I want to tell my friend in Australia something, I just hop online and within 5 seconds I can be telling them all about my new jeans (or what have you) It's mind-blowing. Positively mindblowing.

It's even crazier when you think of the spreading of news. If I take Michael Jackson as an example. My sister and my friend Kim both told me that within a matter of minutes they had received at least 5 text messages or emails or FB messages telling them about his death. But it goes further than Hollywood. Look to Iran. The Grand Ayatollah and his council of "Clerics" have banned international media from covering the protests against Ahmadinejad's re-election. But it's impossible. Twitter posts, myspace posts, and Cell Pics are popping up all over mainstream Western Media, showing that this opposition is a reality. A reality that mirrors the Islamic Revolution that brought down the Shah. 'Tiananmen Square Moments' simply won't happen anymore. Which is amazing. It really is. I used to be very scared and skeptical, and proudly called myself anti-technology. But the way I see it, the authorities will keep tabs on us one way or another. They have files on people that aren't even born yet. Might as well reap the benefits of our ingenuity.

As long as we don't lose touch with our humanity. That's another topic all together. Perhaps for another post.

Guess whoooo

2009-06-25T02:58:00.000-07:00

Hello Internet!
I've found I'm spending more and more time on people's blog's of late. I'm commenting on posts and sparking discussion.

Then I gots ta thinkin'... Why don't I gets me one of dem thangs.

So here I am. At 3 AM, unable to sleep trying to figure out how to make my blog look as badass as Sarah Pee's. So far, no luck. Ok Ok. I'm just a rookie in this whole sub-culture, so I will give it a little time. Hopefully I will get the hang of it and blow your minds!

In any event I have created this because I think it's a great way to get my thoughts out in the open. (And to the CIA. What are they gonna do with my thoughts? I'm not too worried. I don't have much of relevance to say.) This is more or less gonna be a place for me to tell people where I'm at. What I'm thinking. What I'm feeling. How much the world is pissing me off. Or how I am reminded of how magical it is. Whatever. We'll see.

On that note, I'm gonna try to sleep now. I'm gonna get crackin' on this again in the AM. Well, it is the AM. I mean more in the Latter-AM!

BAHA.

Goooooooooooooodnight Internet.